Chapter 1

* A Distributed Proofreaders Canada eBook *

This eBook is made available at no cost and with very few
restrictions. These restrictions apply only if (1) you make
a change in the eBook (other than alteration for different
display devices), or (2) you are making commercial use of
the eBook. If either of these conditions applies, please
contact an FP administrator before proceeding.

This work is in the Canadian public domain, but may be under
copyright in some countries. If you live outside Canada, check your
country’s copyright laws. IF THE BOOK IS UNDER COPYRIGHT
IN YOUR COUNTRY, DO NOT DOWNLOAD OR REDISTRIBUTE THIS FILE.

Title: The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe,
of York, Mariner, As Related By Himself
Date of first publication: unknown
Author: Daniel DeFoe (1661?-1731)
Illustrator: Noel Pocock (1880-1955)
Date first posted: April 1 2013
Date last updated: April 1 2013
Faded Page eBook #20130401

This ebook was produced by: David Edwards, Paul Ereaut
& the Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net

(This file was produced from images generously made available by
The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE

[Illustration: “I formed nothing but dismal imaginations to myself.”
(See p. 182.)]

THE LIFE AND STRANGE SURPRISING
ADVENTURES OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
OF YORK, MARINER, AS
RELATED BY HIMSELF

By DANIEL DEFOE

ILLUSTRATED BY
NOEL POCOCK

NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PREFACE

If ever the story of any private man’s adventures in the world were
worth making public, and were acceptable when published, the Editor of
this account thinks this will be so.

The wonders of this man’s life exceed all that (he thinks) is to be
found extant; the life of one man being scarce capable of a greater
variety.

The story is told with modesty, with seriousness, and with a religious
application of events to the uses to which wise men always apply them,
viz. to the instruction of others by this example, and to justify and
honour the wisdom of Providence in all the variety of our circumstances,
let them happen how they will.

The Editor believes the thing to be a just history of fact; neither is
there any appearance of fiction in it; and, however, thinks, because all
such things are despatched, that the improvement of it, as well to the
diversion as to the instruction of the reader, will be the same. And as
such, he thinks, without further compliment to the world, he does them a
great service in the publication.

ILLUSTRATIONS

“I formed nothing but dismal imaginations to myself”
(_see page_ 182) _Frontispiece_

PAGE

“We were obliged to yield, and were carried all
prisoners into Sallee” 17

“Here I meditated nothing but my escape” 33

“I was now landed, and safe on shore” 47

“I fell fast asleep” 62

“I guided my raft as well as I could to keep in the
middle of the stream” 76

“I believe it was the first gun that had been fired
there since the creation of the world” 93

“I smiled to myself at the sight of this money” 106

“Swam across the channel, which lay between the
ship and the sands, and even that with difficulty
enough” 123

“I turned homeward, the weather being exceeding
hot” 136

“Most of the time was taken up in the weighty affair
of making a cage for my Poll” 153

“I was a prisoner, locked up with the eternal bars
and bolts of the ocean” 166

“This tree I was three days a-cutting down” 182

“What odd, misshapen, ugly things I made” 197

“In this government of my temper I remained near
a year, living a very sedate, retired life” 213

“I stood like one thunderstruck” 224

“To see if I could observe any boats upon the sea
coming near the island” 242

“Looking farther into the place . . . I saw two
broad shining eyes” 257

“I was surprised with seeing a light of some fire
upon the shore” 271

“Had only the affliction, some days after, to see
the corpse of a drowned boy come on shore” 286

“I got all my cargo on shore, and began to examine
the particulars” 302

“They were all dancing, in I know not how many
barbarous gestures and figures” 316

“I entered the wood . . . Friday following close at
my heels” 330

“Here they left them bound” 344

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE

I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family,
though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who
settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving
off his trade, lived afterward at York, from whence he had married my
mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very good family in that
country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but by the
usual corruption of words in England we are now called, nay, we call
ourselves, and write our name, Crusoe, and so my companions always
called me.

I had two elder brothers, one of which was lieutenant-colonel to an
English regiment of foot in Flanders, formerly commanded by the famous
Colonel Lockhart, and was killed at the battle near Dunkirk against the
Spaniards; what became of my second brother I never knew, any more than
my father and mother did know what was become of me.

Being the third son of the family, and not bred to any trade, my head
began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts. My father, who was
very ancient, had given me a competent share of learning, as far as
house-education and a country free school generally goes, and designed
me for the law; but I would be satisfied with nothing but going to sea;
and my inclination to this led me so strongly against the will, nay,
the commands, of my father, and against all the entreaties and
persuasions of my mother and other friends, that there seemed to be
something fatal in that propension of nature tending directly to the
life of misery which was to befall me.