登陆注册
3554000000058

第58章

I immediately went to Work with this Piece of Ground,and in less than a Month's Time,I had so fenc'd it round,that my Flock or Herd,call it which you please,who were not so wild now as at first they might be supposed to be,were well enough secur'd in it. So,without any farther Delay,I removed ten young She-Goats and two He-Goats to this Piece;and when they were there,I continued to perfect the Fence till I had made it as secure as the other,which,however,I did at more Leisure,and it took me up more Time by a great deal.

All this Labour I was at the Expence of,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,and I had now liv'd two Years under these Uneasinesses,which indeed made my Life much less comfortable than it was before;as may well be imagin'd by any who know what it is to live in the constant Snare of the Fear of Man;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,for the Dread and Terror of falling into the Hands of Savages and Canibals,lay so upon my Spirits,that I seldom found my self 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 pray'd to God as under great Affliction and Pressure of Mind,surrounded with Danger,and in Expectation every Night of being murther'd and devour'd before Morning;and I must testify from my Experience,that a Temper of Peace,Thankfulness,Love and Affection,is much more the proper Frame for Prayer than that of Terror and Discomposure;and that under the Dread of Mischief impending,a Man is no more fit for a comforting Performance of the Duty of praying to God,than he is for Repentance on a sick Bed:For these Discomposures affect the Mind as the others do the Body;and the Discomposure of the Mind must necessarily be as great a Disability as that of the Body,and much greater,Praying to God being properly an Act Of the Mind,not of the Body.

But to go on;After I had thus secur'd one Part of my little living Stock,I went about the whole Island,searching for another private Place,to make such another Deposit;when wandring 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 Prospective Glass,or two,in one of the Seamen's Chests,which I sav'd out of our Ship;but I had it not about me,and this was so remote,that I could not tell what to make of it;though I look'd 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,so I gave it over;only I resolv'd to go no more out without a Prospective 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 convinc'd,that the seeing the Print of a Man's Foot,was not such a strange Thing in the Island as I imagin'd;and but that it was a special Providence that I was cast upon the Side of the Island,where the Savages never came:I should easily have known,that nothing was more frequent than for the Canoes from the Main,when they happen'd to be a little too far out at Sea,to shoot over to that Side of the Island for Harbour;likewise as they often met,and fought in their Canoes,the Victors having taken any Prisoners,would bring them over to this Shore,where according to their dreadful Customs,being all Canibals,they would kill and eat them;of which hereafter.

When I was come down the Hill,to the Shore,as I said above,being the S.W. Point of the Island,I was perfectly confounded and amaz'd;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 humane Bodies;and particularly I observ'd a Place where there had been a Fire made,and a Circle dug in the Earth,like a Cockpit,where it is suppos'd the Savage Wretches had sat down to their inhumane Feastings upon the Bodies of their Fellow-Creatures. I was so astonish'd with the Sight of these Things,that I entertain'd no Notions of any Danger to my self from it for a long while;All my Apprehensions were bury'd in the Thoughts of such a Pitch of inhuman,hellish Brutality,and the Horror of the Degeneracy of Humane Nature;which though I had heard of often,yet I never had so near a View of before;in short,I turn'd away my Face from the horrid Spectacle;my Stomach grew sick,and I was just at the Point of Fainting,when Nature discharg'd the Disorder from my Stomach;and having vomited with an uncommon violence,I was a little reliev'd;but cou'd not bear to stay in the Place a Moment;so I gat me up the Hill again,with the Speed I cou'd,and walk'd on towards my own Habitation.

When I came a little out of that Part of the Island,I stood a while as amaz'd;and then recovering my self,I look'd with the utmost Affection of my Soul,and with a Flood Tears in my Eyes,gave God Thanks that had cast my Lot in a Part of the World,where I was distinguish'd from such dreadful Creatures as these;and that though I had esteem'd my present Condition very miserable,had yet given me so many Comforts in it,that I had still more to give Thanks for than to complain of;and this above all,that had even in this miserable Condition been comforted with the Knowledge of himself,and the Hope of his Blessing,which was a Felicity more than sufficiently equivalent to all the Misery which I had suffer'd,or could suffer.

同类推荐
  • 乙丙之际箸议第九

    乙丙之际箸议第九

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 铁树记

    铁树记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 书法辑要

    书法辑要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 行营杂录

    行营杂录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 净业痛策

    净业痛策

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 丫鬟翻身记

    丫鬟翻身记

    洞房花烛夜。“夫人久等了。”夫君大人戏谑的声音传来。呃……她该怎么回答?其实没有等多久?还是……你个杀千刀的怎么现在才来?但她知道,如果她敢叫他“杀千刀的”,她一定会被他杀千刀的!
  • 佛说明度五十校计经

    佛说明度五十校计经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 嫡女无敌

    嫡女无敌

    她前世懦弱善良,却落了个残暴好色的恶名,不仅被至亲之人背叛,还被情郎废去双腿,十指穿钉,最后抱着爹的头颅惨死在火海中。得老天垂蒙,她竟重生一遭。这一世,她依然容颜倾城,却不再心软退让,那些背叛伤害过她的人,统统都要付出代价!即使手上沾满鲜血,她也要踏上这条荆棘之路!她残暴?那就残暴给那些人看!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 请废八股折试帖楷法试士改用策论折

    请废八股折试帖楷法试士改用策论折

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大悲心陀罗尼修行念诵略仪

    大悲心陀罗尼修行念诵略仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 梦庭生花

    梦庭生花

    他原以为,只要她能活下去。他们就能携手白头。可他忘了,她的性子是那么倔。花败了,种花的人,也不复了。
  • 生活窍门小百科(现代生活知识百科)

    生活窍门小百科(现代生活知识百科)

    如今的生活可谓是日新月异,发展变化迅速。不论在什么样的生活环境和情况下,各个家庭都要面对诸如衣食住行、健康保健、家庭关系、交往处世等各种问题。同样是面对这种或那种问题,一般人看起来也许觉得困难重重,“生活的高手”却能够轻松应对,处理的得心应手,游刃有余。
  • 从游戏开始的登仙记

    从游戏开始的登仙记

    在这个除了退出操作之外,没有任何证据证明其是虚拟的游戏世界中,夏玉树狗屎运地拜入了一个名为昆仑的门派,学了一大堆在他看来毫无用处的技能。只是当他发现,一句玩笑般的“昆仑敕令”,平地起风之后,事情就一下子大条了!
  • 自信与机遇(漫漫求知路)

    自信与机遇(漫漫求知路)

    学会共处,不只是学习一种社会关系,它也意味着人和自然的和谐相入。从我国古代“天人合一”的思想传统到当代世界倡导的“环境保护”和“可持续发展”,无不指明了学会与自然“共处”的重要性。这种学习,像其他学习一样,也包括了知识、技能和态度、价值观念的习和和养成。知识经济的时代,人人需要终身学习。学什么?怎么学?学会求知、学会做事、学会共处、学会做人。从本质上来说,成人一生的发展模式和对待新事物与旧事物的兴趣模式都与三个月的孩子几乎相同。
  • 盘龙之神行天下

    盘龙之神行天下

    玉兰大陆,神圣同盟,芬莱王国,多伦小镇,一个很普通的小镇,一个小男孩正在家里等着姐姐回来。