Робинзон Крузо
Visit of Mutineers
AllIshowedthem,allIsaidtothem,wasperfectlyamazing; butaboveall,thecaptainadmiredmyfortification,andhowperfectlyIhadconcealedmyretreatwithagroveoftrees, which,havingbeennowplantedneartwentyyears,andthetreesgrowingmuchfasterthaninEngland,wasbecomealittlewood,andsothickthatitwasunpassableinanypartofitbutatthatonesidewhereIhadreservedmylittlewindingpassageintoit. Itoldhimthiswasmycastleandmyresidence,butthatIhadaseatinthecountry,asmostprinceshave,whitherIcouldretreatuponoccasion,andIwouldshowhimthat,too,anothertime; butatpresentourbusinesswastoconsiderhowtorecovertheship. Heagreedwithmeastothat,buttoldmehewasperfectlyatalosswhatmeasurestotake,forthattherewerestillsixandtwentyhandsonboard, whohavingenteredintoacursedconspiracy,bywhich-theyhadallforfeitedtheirlivestothelaw,wouldbehardenedinitnowbydesperation,andwouldcarryiton,knowingthatiftheywerereducedtheyshouldbebroughttothegallowsassoonastheycametoEngland,ortoanyoftheEnglishcolonies; andthatthereforetherewouldbenoattackingthemwithsosmallanumberaswewere.
Imusedforsometimeuponwhathesaid,andfounditwasaveryrationalconclusion,andthatthereforesomethingwastoberesolvedonveryspeedily,aswelltodrawthemenonboardintosomesnarefortheirsurpriseastopreventtheirlandinguponus,anddestroyingus. Uponthisitpresentlyoccurredtomethatinawhiletheship’screw,wonderingwhatwasbecomeoftheircomradesandoftheboat,wouldcertainlycomeonshoreintheirotherboattoseeforthem;andthatthen,perhaps,theymightcomearmed,andbetoostrongforus. Thisheallowedwasrational.
