The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe (16 page)

When I came to my castle (for so I think I called it ever after this) I fled into it like one pursued. Whether I went over by the ladder or went in at the hole in the rock, which I had called a door, I cannot remember. Nor could I remember the next morning. Never frightened hare fled to cover, or fox to earth, with more terror of mind than I to this retreat.

I slept none that night. The farther I was from the occasion of my fright the greater my apprehensions were. I was so embarrassed with my own frightful ideas of the thing I formed nothing but dismal imaginations to myself, even tho’ I was now a great way off it. Sometimes I fancied it must be the Devil and reason joined in with me upon this supposition. How should any other thing in human shape come into the place? Where was the vessel that brought them? What marks were there of any other footsteps?

But then to think Satan should take human shape upon him, in such a place, to leave the print of his foot behind him. I considered the Devil might have found out abundance of other ways to have terrified me than this of the single print of a foot. As I lived quite on the other side of the island, it was ten thousand to one whether I should ever see it or not. And in the sand, too, which the first surge of the sea upon a high wind would have defaced entirely. All this seemed inconsistent with the notions we entertain of the subtilty of the Devil.

Abundance of such things as these assisted to argue me out of all apprehensions of its being the Devil.

I presently concluded it must be some of the dangerous savages of the main land who had wandered out to sea in their canoes and, either driven by the currents or by contrary winds, had made the island. They had been on shore but were gone away again to sea, being as loth, perhaps, to have stayed on my desolate island as I would have been to have had them.

Thus my fear banished all former confidence in God. I reproached myself with my laziness, that would not sow any more corn one year than would just serve me till the next season, as if no accident would intervene to prevent my enjoying the crop that was upon the ground. This I thought so just a reproof, I resolv’d for the future to have two or three years' corn beforehand, so whatever might come, I might not perish for want of bread.

How strange a chequer-work of providence is the life of man! That I should now tremble at the very apprehensions of seeing a man, and was ready to sink into the ground at but the shadow or silent appearance of a man's having set his foot in the island.

One morning, lying in my bed and fill’d with thoughts about my danger from the appearances of savages, I found it discomposed me very much. Upon which these words of the Scripture came into my thoughts,
Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Upon this, rising out of my bed, my heart was not only comforted but I was guided and encouraged to pray. When I had done praying, I took up my Bible, and, opening it to read, the first words presented to me were,
Wait on the Lord, and be of good cheer, and he shall strengthen thy heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.
It is impossible to express the comfort this gave me. In answer, I thankfully laid down the book and was no more sad, at least on that occasion.

In the middle of these cogitations, apprehensions, and reflections, it came into my thoughts all this might be a mere chimera of my own. This might be the print of my own foot, or e'en that of the beast, since distorted by the tydes. This cheered me up a little too, and I began to persuade myself it was all a delusion, that it was nothing else but my own foot.

Now I began to take courage and to peep abroad again, for I had not stirred out of my castle for three days and nights, so I began to starve for provisions. I had little or nothing within doors but some barley-cakes and water. I knew my goats wanted to be milked too, which was my evening diversion, and the poor creatures were in great pain and inconvenience for want of it. Indeed, it almost spoiled some of them and dried up their milk.

As I went down thus two or three days, and having seen nothing, I began to be a little bolder and to think there was nothing in it but my own imagination. But I could not persuade myself fully of this till I should go down to the shore again and see this print of a foot and measure it by my own and see if there was any similitude or fitness. The wind had dull'd it somewhat, but still it was there in the damp sand.

First, it appeared to me I could not possibly be on shore any where thereabouts. Secondly, when I came to measure the mark with my own foot, I found my foot not so large and not as broad by a great deal. Also, there were peculiarities of the mark, such as the small holes by each toe, as those left by the beast's claws, tho' this was most assuredly not a track of the beast. There also was an oddness I could not put a name to, as if the foot print-maker had worn fine stockings stretched between each splayed toe.

All these things fill’d my head with new imaginations and gave me the vapours again to the highest degree, so I shook with cold like one in an ague. I went home again fill’d with the belief some man or men had been on shore there, or the island was inhabited and I might be surprised before I was aware. What course to take for my security I knew not.

O what ridiculous resolutions men take when possessed with fear! It deprives them of the use of those means which reason offers for their relief. The first thing I proposed to myself was to throw down my enclosures and turn all my tame cattle wild into the woods, lest the enemy should find them and then frequent the island in prospect of the same or the like booty. Then to the simple thing of digging up my two corn fields lest they should find such a grain there and still be prompted to frequent the island. Then to demolish my bower and tent, that they might not see any vestiges of habitation and be prompted to look farther, in order to find out the persons inhabiting.

These were the subjects of the first night's cogitations after I was come home again, while the apprehensions which had so over-run my mind were fresh upon me and my head was full of vapours, as above. Thus fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than danger itself, when apparent to the eyes.

This confusion of my thoughts kept me awake all night, but in the morning I fell asleep. Having been, by the amusement of my mind, tired and my spirits exhausted, I slept and waked much better composed than I had ever been before. And now I began to think. Upon the utmost debate with myself I concluded this island, which was so exceeding pleasant, fruitful, and no farther from the main land than as I had seen, was not so abandoned as I might imagine. Altho’ there were no stated inhabitants who lived on the spot, yet that there might sometimes come boats off from the shore who might come to this place.

I had lived here fifteen years now and had not met with the least shadow or figure of any people yet. If at any time they should be driven here, it was probable they went away again as soon as ever they could, seeing they had never thought fit to fix here upon any occasion.

The most I could suggest any danger from was from any casual accidental landing of straggling people from the main, who went off again with all possible speed, seldom staying one night on shore lest they should not have the help of the tydes and daylight back again. Therefore I had nothing to do but to consider of some safe retreat in case I should see any savages land upon the spot.

Now I began to repent I had dug my cave so large as to bring a door through again which, as I said, came out beyond where my fortification joined to the rock. Upon considering this, therefore, I resolv’d to draw me a second fortification in the same manner of a semi-circle at a distance from my wall, just where I had planted a double row of stakes about twelve years before, of which I made mention. These having been planted so thick before, they wanted but few piles to be driven between them that they might be thicker and stronger, and my wall would be soon finished.

I had now a double wall. My outer wall was thickened with pieces of timber, old cables, and every thing I could think of, to make it strong, and having in it seven little holes about as big as I might put my arm out at. In the inside of this, I thickened my wall to about ten feet thick, with continually bringing earth out of my cave and laying it at the foot of the wall and walking upon it. Through the seven holes I contrived to plant the muskets like my cannon and fitted them into frames that held them like a carriage, so I could fire all the seven guns in two minutes' time. This wall I was many a weary month in finishing, and yet never thought myself safe till it was done.

When this was done, I stuck all the ground without my wall, for a great length every way, as full with stakes, or sticks, of the osier-like wood as they could well stand. Insomuch, I believe I might set in near twenty thousand of them, leaving a pretty large space between them and my wall. I might have room to see an enemy and they might have no shelter from the young trees if they attempted to approach my outer wall.

Over these months, I am ashamed to say, I did give the beast excessive freedom and not attempt to watch through the smok'd lens or to exert any influence over its nature. It was my belief that the howls and cries of the beast might be heard for many miles, and perhaps the savages, upon hearing such sounds, would be less desiring to land on my island. Indeed, perhaps such a thing had already happen'd many times in my long years here.

I was at the expense of all this labour purely from my apprehensions on the account of the print of a man's foot which I had seen. For, as yet, I never saw any human creature come near the island. I had now lived two years under this uneasiness, which, indeed, made my life much less comfortable than it was before, as may be well imagined by any who know what it is to live in the constant snare of fear. And this I must observe, with grief too, that the discomposure of my mind had too great impressions also upon the religious part of my thoughts. The dread of falling into the hands of savages and cannibals lay so upon my spirits that I seldom found myself in a due temper for application to my Maker, at least not with the sedate calmness and resignation of soul which I was wont to do. I rather prayed to God as under great affliction and pressure of mind, surrounded with danger, and in expectation every night of being murdered and devoured before morning.

But to go on.

I went about the whole island, searching for another private place, when, wandering more to the west point of the island than I had ever done yet and looking out to sea, I thought I saw a boat upon the sea at a great distance. I had found a perspective-glass or two in one of the seamen's chests, which I saved out of our ship, but I had it not about me. This was so remote I could not tell what to make of it, tho’ I looked at it till my eyes were not able to hold to look any longer. Whether it was a boat or not, I do not know, but as I descended from the hill I could see no more of it. I resolv’d to go no more out without a perspective-glass in my pocket.

When I was come down the hill to the end of the island, where, indeed, I had never been before, I was presently convinced that seeing the print of a man's foot was not such a strange thing in the island as I imagined. It was a special providence I was cast upon the side of the island where the savages never came. I should easily have known nothing was more frequent than for the canoes from the main, when they happened to be a little too far out at sea, to shoot over to that side of the island for harbour.

When I was come down the hill to the shore, as I said above, being the south west point of the island, I was confounded and amazed. Nor is it possible for me to express the horror of my mind at seeing the shore spread with skulls, hands, feet, and other bones of human bodies. I observ’d a place where there had been a fire made and a circle dug in the earth, where I supposed the savage wretches, according to their dreadful customs, had sat down to their inhuman feastings upon the bodies of their fellow creatures.

I further observ'd this whole corner of the island had been shaped and arrang'd to serve their needs, and just as I had made a homestead on my side of the island, the savages had made a church for their awful beliefs. Many trees had strange symbols and shapes cut within their bark, and these symbols were also painted large on many stones, altho' the growls of the beast told me what the paint most certainly was. I stepp'd over the bones and skulls to closer examine a tree, and saw the cuts and carving were very old. The sand itself, indeed, was all red with long use. This savage church had been here on my island long before the fateful night that brought the beast and I to the shores here. Tho' now I wonder'd the wisdom of calling it my island, and if it ever had been.

Twelve great strides from the fire-circle was a large iron-wood tree, one which dwarft all I had ever seen, and all things had been clear'd away from it. Were four men to stretch their arms only then might they just encircle the base of such a giant, and it took another twelve steps to walk about and examine it. To the height of two men had the living tree been shaped and cut to make a living totem or statue from the wood, which continued to grow as its roots and leaves attested. It was the shape of a great man, one who crouch'd like a child at play, or an animal, I could not say which. Upon his carv'd feet and hands were great claws, like those of the beast, which made these appendages even longer and more disturbing. His head was large and his eyes long and wide. A beard of thick, fat hairs trail'd down his face, and crouched as he was the hairs all but reached his ancles. And then a cold chill did creep through my limbs, for I knew this figure and had seen it before. This was the same cuttel fish dream lord who had appear'd to me in a fever-vision some seventeen years before, when I was only ten months onto the island. How was such a thing possible, for it to be a ne'er before seen creation wholly of my mind, and yet a figure of worship to the savages?

I durst not approach too close to this thing, but the cuts and carving did appear even older than those on the other trees, and I did bethought myself that I could only guess how long this totem had stood on the island. A hundred-year? Three? Was it carv'd when Rome still ruled England, or when Moses toiled in Aegypt? My mind said such was impossible, yet my heart felt some truth in such thoughts.