The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 407 pages of information about The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801).

The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 407 pages of information about The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801).

“After I had, Sir, drawn up our little army together, upon a rising ground, Atkins, wounded as he was, would have had us attack the whole body of the savages at once, I was extremely well pleased with the gallantry of the man:  but, upon consideration, I replied, You perceive, Seignor Atkins, how their wounded men fight; let them alone till morning, when they will be faint, stiff, and sore, and then we shall have fewer to combat with.  To which Atkins, smiling, replied, That’s very true, Seignor, so shall I too; and that’s the reason I would fight them now I am warm.  We all answered, Seignor Atkins for your part you have behaved very gallantly; and, if you are not able to approach the enemy in the morning, we will fight for you, till then we think it convenient to wait, and so we tarried.

“By the brightness of the moon that night, we perceived the savages in great disorder about their dead and wounded men.  This made us change our resolution, and resolve to fall upon them in the night, if we could give them one volley undiscovered.  This we had a fair opportunity to do, by one of the two Englishmen leading us round, between the woods and the sea-side westward, and turning short south, came privately to a place where the thickest of them were.  Unheard and unperceived, eight of us fired among them, and did dreadful execution; and in half a minute after, eight more of us let fly, killing and wounding abundance of them; and then dividing ourselves into three bodies, eight persons in each body we marched from among the trees, to the very teeth of the enemy, sending forth the greatest shouts and acclamations.  The savages hearing a different noise from three quarters at once, stood in the utmost confusion; but coming in sight of us, let fly a volley of arrows, which wounded poor old Friday, yet happily it did not prove mortal.  We did not, however, give them a second opportunity; but rushing in among them, we fired three several ways, and then fell to work with our swords, staves, hatchets, and the butt-end of our muskets, with a fury not to be resisted; so that with the most dismal screaming and howling they had recourse to their feet, to save their lives by a speedy flight.  Nor must we forget the valour of the two women; for they exposed themselves to the greatest dangers, killed many with their arrows, and valiantly destroyed several more with their hatchets.

“In fighting these two battles, we were so much tired, that we did not then trouble ourselves to pursue them to their canoes, in which we thought they would presently put to the ocean; but their happening a dreadful storm at sea, which continuing all that night, it not only prevented their voyage, but dashed several of their boats to pieces against the beach, and drove the rest so high upon the shore, that it required infinite labour to get them off.  After our men had taken some refreshment and a little repose, they resolved early in the morning to go towards the place

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801) from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.