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fashion. We wanted, as I have said, above two days' journey of this city, when messengers were sent express to every part of the road to tell all travellers and caravans to halt till they had a guard sent for them; for that an unusual body of Tartars making ten thousand in all, had appeared in the way, about thirty miles beyond the city. This was very bad news to travellers: however, it was carefully done of the governor, and we were very glad to hear we should have a guard. Accordingly, two days after, we had two hundred soldiers sent us from a garrison of the Chinese on our left, and three hundred more from the city of Naum, and with these we advanced boldly. The three hundred soldiers from Naum marched in our front, the two hundred in our rear, and our men on each side of our camels, with our baggage and the whole caravan in the centre; in this order, and well prepared for battle, we thought ourselves a match for the whole ten thousand Mogul Tartars, if they had appeared; but the next day, when they did appear, it was quite another thing. Early in the morning, when, marching from a little

THE TARTARS RECONNOITRE THE TRAVELLERS.

town called Changu, we had a river to pass, which we were obliged to ferry; and, had the Tartars had any intelligence, then had been the time to have attacked us, when the caravan being over, the rear-guard was behind; but they did not appear there. About three hours after, when we were entered upon a desert of about fifteen or sixteen miles over, we knew, by a cloud of dust they raised, that the enemy was at hand, and presently they came on upon the spur.

Our Chinese guards, in the front, who had talked so big the day before, began to stagger; and the soldiers frequently looked behind them, a certain sign in a soldier that he is just ready to run away. My old pilot was of my mind; and, being near me, called out, "Seignior Inglese, those fellows must be encouraged, or they will ruin us all; for if the Tartars come on they will never stand it."-"I am of your mind,” said I; "but what must be done?"-"Done?" says he, "let fifty of our men advance, and flank them on each wing, and encourage them. They will fight like brave fellows in brave company; but without this, they will every man turn his back." Immediately I rode up to our leader, and told him, who was exactly of our mind; accordingly fifty of us marched to the right wing, and fifty to the left, and the rest made a line of rescue; and so we marched, leaving the last two hundred men to make a body by themselves, and to guard the camels; only that, if need were, they should send a hundred men to assist the last fifty.

At last, the Tartars came on, and an innumerable company they were; how many we could not tell, but ten thousand, we thought, at the least. A party of them came on first, and viewed our posture, traversing the ground in the front of our line; and, as we found them within gunshot, our leader ordered the two wings to advance swiftly, and give them a salvo on each wing with their shot, which was done. They then went off, I suppose to give an account of the reception they were like to meet with; indeed, that salute cloyed their stomachs, for they immediately halted, stood a while to consider of it, and wheeling off to the left, they gave over their design for that time, which was very agreeable to our circumstances.

Two days after, we came to the city of Naun, or Naum; we thanked the governor for his care of us, and collected to the value of a hundred crowns, or thereabouts, which we gave to the soldiers sent to guard us; and here we rested one day. This is a garrison indeed, and there were nine hundred soldiers kept here; but the reason of it was, that formerly the Muscovite frontiers lay nearer to them than they do now, the Muscovites having abandoned that part of the country, which lies from this city west for about two hundred miles, as desolate and unfit for use; and more especially being so very remote, and so difficult to send troops thither for its defence: for we were yet above two thousand miles from Muscovy, properly so called. After this, we passed

several great rivers, and two dreadful deserts; one of the hideous idol, and with my sword made a stroke which we were sixteen days passing over; and, on the at the bonnet that was on its head, and cut it in 13th of April, we came to the frontiers of the Muscovite two; and one of our men that was with me, taking hold dominions. I think the first town or fortress, whichever of the sheep-skin that covered it, pulled at it, when, it may be called, that belonged to the Czar, was called behold, a most hideous outcry ran through the village, Arguna, being on the west side of the river Árguna. and two or three hundred people came about my I could not but feel great satisfaction that I was ears, so that I was glad to scour for it, for some had arrived in a country governed by Christians; for though bows and arrows; but I resolved from that moment to the Muscovites do, in my opinion, but just deserve the visit them again. Our caravan rested three nights at name of Christians, yet such they pretend to be, and the town, which was about four miles off, in order to are very devout in their way. It would certainly occur provide some horses which they wanted, several of the to any reflecting man who travels the world as I have horses having been lamed and jaded with the long done, what a blessing it is to be brought into the world march over the last desert; so we had some leisure here where the name of God and a Redeemer is known, to put my design into execution. I communicated it adored, and worshipped; and not where the people, given to the Scots merchant, of whose courage I had sufficient up to strong delusions, worship the devil, and prostrate testimony; I told him what I had seen, and with what themselves to monsters, elements, horrid-shaped animals, indignation I had since thought that human nature and monstrous images. Not a town or city we passed could be so degenerate; I told him if I could get but through but had their pagodas, their idols, and their four or five men well armed to go with me, I was temples, and ignorant people worshipping even the works resolved to go and destroy that vile, abominable idol, of their own hands. Now we came where, at least, and let them see that it had no power to help itself and a face of the Christian worship appeared; where the consequently could not be an object of worship, or to be knee was bowed to Jesus: and whether ignorantly or prayed to, much less help them that offered sacrifices to it. not, yet the Christian religion was owned, and the name He at first objected to my plan as useless, seeing that, of the true God was called upon and adored; and it owing to the gross ignorance of the people, they could made my soul rejoice to see it. I saluted the brave Scots not be brought to profit by the lesson I meant to teach merchant with my first acknowledgment of this; and them; and added that, from his knowledge of the taking him by the hand, I said to him, " Blessed be God, country and its customs, he feared we should fall into we are once again amongst Christians." He smiled and great peril by giving offence to these brutal idol woranswered, "Do not rejoice too soon, countryman; these shippers. This somewhat stayed my purpose, but I was Muscovites are but an odd sort of Christians; and but still uneasy all that day to put my project into execufor the name of it you may see very little of the sub- tion; and that evening meeting the Scots merchant in stance for some months further of our journey.". our walk about the town, I again called upon him to aid "Well," says I," but still it is better than Paganism, me in it. When he found me resolute he said that, on and worshipping of devils."-"Why, I will tell you," further thoughts, he could not but applaud the design, says, he; "except the Russian soldiers in the garrisons, and told me I should not go alone, but he would go with and a few of the inhabitants of the cities upon the road, me, but he would go first and bring a stout fellow, one of all the rest of this country, for above a thousand miles his countrymen, to go also with us; " and one," said he, further, is inhabited by the worst and most ignorant of "as famous for his zeal as you can desire any one to be Pagans." And so, indeed, we found it. against such devilish things as these." So we agreed to go, only we three and my man-servant, and resolved to put it into execution the following night about mid

We now launched into the greatest piece of solid earth that is to be found in any part of the world: we had, at least, twelve thousand miles to the sea, east-night, with all possible secrecy. ward; two thousand to the bottom of the Baltic Sea, westward; and above three thousand, if we left that sea, and went on west, to the British and French channels: we had full five thousand miles to the Indian or Persian Sea, south; and about eight hundred to the Frozen Sea, north.

We thought it better to delay it till the next night, because the caravan being to set forward in the morning, we supposed the governor could not pretend to give them any satisfaction upon us when we were out of his power. The Scots merchant, as steady in his resolution for the enterprise as bold in executing, brought me a Tartar's robe or gown of sheep-skins, and a bonnet, with a bow and arrows, and had provided the same for himself and his countrymen, that the people, if they saw us, should not determine who we were. All the first night we spent in mixing up some combustible matter, with aqua vitæ, gunpowder, and such other materials as we could get; and having a good quantity of tar in a little pot, about an hour after night we set out upon our

We advanced from the river Arguna by easy and moderate journeys, and were very visibly obliged to the care the Czar had taken to have cities and towns built in as many places as it is possible to place them, where his soldiers keep garrison, something like the stationary soldiers placed by the Romans in the remotest countries of their empire; some of which I had read of were placed in Britain, for the security of commerce, and for the lodging of travellers. Thus it was here; for wher-expedition. ever we came, though at these towns and stations the We came to the place about eleven o'clock at night, garrisons and governors were Russians, and professed and found that the people had not the least suspicion of Christians, yet the inhabitants were mere pagans, sacri- danger attending their idol. The night was cloudy: ficing to idols, and worshipping the sun, moon, and yet the moon gave us light enough to see that the idol stars, or all the host of heaven; and not only so, but stood just in the same posture and place that it did were, of all the heathens and pagans that ever I met before. The people seemed to be all at their rest; only with, the most barbarous, except only that they did not that in the great hut, where we saw the three priests, eat men's flesh.

Some instances of this we met with in the country between Arguna, where we enter the Muscovite dominions, and a city of Tartars and Russians together, called Nortziousky, in which is a continued desert or forest, which cost us twenty days to travel over. In a village near the last of these places, I had the curiosity to go and see their way of living, which is most brutish and unsufferable. They had, I suppose, a great sacrifice that day; for there stood out, upon an old stump of a tree, a diabolical kind of idol made of wood; it was dressed up, too, in the most filthy manner; its upper garment was of sheep-skins, with the wool outward; a great Tartar bounet on the head, with two horns growing through it; it was about eight feet high, yet had no feet or legs, nor any other proportion of parts.

This scarecrow was set up at the outer side of the village; and, when I came near to it, there were sixteen or seventeen creatures all lying flat upon the ground round this hideous block of wood; I saw no motion among them, any more than if they had been all logs, like the idol, and at first I really thought they had been so; but, when I came a little nearer, they started up upon their feet, and raised a howl, as if it had been so many deep-mouthed hounds, and walked away, as if they were displeased at our disturbing them. A little way off from the idol, and at the door of a hut, made of sheep and cow skins dried, stood three men with long knives in their hands; and in the middle of the tent appeared three sheep killed, and one young bullock. These, it seems, were sacrifices to that senseless log of an idol; the three men were priests belonging to it, and the seventeen prostrated wretches were the people who brought the offering, and were making their prayers to that stock.

CRUSOE INSULTS THE TARTAR IDOL

we saw a light, and going up close to the door, we heard people talking as if there were five or six of them; we concluded, therefore, that if we set wildfire to the idol, these men would come out immediately, and run up to the place and rescue it from destruction; and what to do with them we knew not. Once we thought of carrying it away, and setting fire to it at a distance; but when we came to handle it, we found it too bulky for our carriage, so we were at a loss again. The second Scotsman was for setting fire to the hut, and knocking the creatures that were there on the head when they came I confess I was more moved at their stupidity and out; but I could not join with that; I was against brutish worship of a hobgoblin than ever I was at any-killing them, if it were possible to avoid it. "Well, then," thing in my life, and, overcome with rage, I rode up to said the Scots merchant, "I will tell you what we will

do we will try to make them prisoners, tie their hands, and make them stand and see their idol destroyed."

As it happened we had twine or packthread enough about us which we used to tie our firelocks together with; so we resolved to attack these people first, and with as little noise as we could. The first thing we did we knocked at the door, when one of the priests coming to it, we immediately seized upon him, stopped his mouth, and tied his hands behind him and led him to the idol, where we gagged him that he might not make a noise, tied his feet also together, and left him on the ground. Two of us then waited at the door, expecting that another would come out to see what the matter was; but we waited so long till the third man came back to us; and then nobody coming out, we knocked again gently, and immediately out came two more, and we served them just in the same manner, but were obliged to go all with them, and lay them down by the idol some distance from one another; when, going back, we found two more were come out of the door, and a third stood behind them within the door. We seized the two, and immediately tied them, when the third, stepping back and crying out, my Scots merchant went in after them, and taking out a composition we had made that would only smoke and stink, he set fire to it, and threw it among them. By that time the other Scotsman and my man, taking charge of the two men already bound, and tied together also by the arm, led them away to the idol, and left them there, to see if their idol would relieve them, making haste back to us.

When the furze we had thrown in had filled the hut with so much smoke that they were almost suffocated, we threw in a small leather bag of another kind, which flamed like a candle, and following it in, we found there were but four people, who, as we supposed, had been about some of their diabolic sacrifices. They appeared, in short, frightened to death, at least so as to sit trembling and stupid, and not able to speak either, for the smoke.

We quickly took them from the hut, where the smoke soon drove us out, bound them as we had done the others, and all without any noise. Then we carried them all together to the idol; when we came there, we fell to work with him. First we daubed him all over, and his robes also, with tar, and tallow mixed with brimstone; then we stopped his eyes, and ears, and mouth full of gunpowder, and wrapped up a great piece of wildfire in his bonnet; them sticking all the combustibles we had brought with us upon him, we looked about to see if we could find anything else to help to burn him; when my Scotsman remembered that by the hut, where the men were, there lay a heap of dry forage; away he and the other Scotsman ran and fetched their arms full of that. When we had done this, we took all our prisoners, and brought them, having untied their feet and ungagged their mouths, and made them stand up, and set them before their monstrous idol, and then set fire to the whole.

After we had passed this desert, we came into a country pretty well inhabited; that is to say, we found towns and castles, settled by the Czar, with garrisons of stationary soldiers, to protect the caravans and defend the country against the Tartars, who would otherwise make it very dangerous travelling; and his czarish majesty has given such strict orders for the well guarding the caravans, that, if there are any Tartars heard of in the country, detachments of the garrison are always sent to see the travellers safe from station to station. Thus the governor of Adinskoy, whom I had an opportunity to make a visit to, by means of the Scots merchant, who was acquainted with him, offered us a guard of fifty men, if we thought there was any danger, to the next station.

should make their escape; but that whether we had Jarawena, where there was a Russian garrison, and there
done it or no, we should make all the haste forward we rested five days.
that was possible; and that, in the mean time, he would From this city we had a frightful desert, which held
keep them in play as long as he could.
us twenty-three days' march. We furnished ourselves
This was very friendly in the governor: however, with some tents here, for the better accommodating
when it came to the caravan, there was nobody knew ourselves in the night; and the leader of the caravan
anything of the matter; and as for us that were guilty, procured sixteen waggons of the country, for carrying
we were least of all suspected. However, the captain our water or provisions, and these carriages were our
of the caravan for the time took the hint that the defence, every night round our little camp; so that had
governor gave us, and we travelled two days and two the Tartars appeared, unless they had been very numer -
nights, without any considerable stop, and then we lay at ous indeed, they would not have been able to hurt us.
a village called Plothus: nor did we make any long We may well be supposed to have wanted rest again
stop here, but hastened on towards Jarawena, another after this long journey; for in this desert we neither
Muscovite colony, and where we expected we should saw house nor tree, and scarce a bush; though we saw
be safe. But upon the second day's march from Plothus, abundance of the sable hunters, who are all Tartars of
by the clouds of dust behind us at a great distance, it Mogul Tartary, of which this country is a part; and
was plain we were pursued. We had entered a vast they frequently attack small caravans, but we saw no
desert, and had passed by a great lake called Schanks numbers of them together.
Oser, when we perceived a large body of horse appear
on the other side of the lake to the north, we travelling
west. We observed they went away west, as we did, but
had supposed we would have taken that side of the lake,
whereas we very happily took the south side; and in two
days more they disappeared again: for they, believing we
were still before them, pushed on till they came to the
Udda, a very great river when it passes farther north, but
when we came to it we found it narrow and fordable.
The third day they had either found their mistake, or
had intelligence of us, and came pouring in upon us
towards dusk. We had, to our great satisfaction, just
pitched upon a convenient place for our camp; for, as we
had just entered upon a desert above five hundred miles
over, where we had no towns to lodge at, and, indeed,
expected none but the city Jarawena, which we had yet
two days' march to; the desert, however, had some few
woods in it on this side, and little rivers, which ran all
into the great river Udda; it was in a narrow strait,
between little but very thick woods, that we pitched
our camp that night, expecting to be attacked before
morning. As it was usual for the Mogul Tartars to go
about in troops in that desert, so the caravans always
fortify themselves every night against them, as against
armies of robbers; and it was, therefore, no new thing
to be pursued. But we had this night a most advan-
tageous camp; for as we lay between two woods, with
a little rivulet running just before our front, we could
not be surrounded, or attacked any way but in our front
or rear. We took care also to make our front as strong
as we could, by placing our packs, with the camels and
horses, all in a line, on the inside of the river, and
felling some trees in our rear.

All the country between the river Oby and the river Janezay is as entirely pagan, and the people as barbarous, as the remotest of the Tartars. I also found, which I observed to the Muscovite governors whom I had an opportunity to converse with, that the poor pagans are not much wiser, or nearer Christianity, for being under the Muscovite government, which they acknowledged was true enough—but that, as they said, was none of their business; that if the Czar expected to convert his Siberian, Tonguse, or Tartar subjects, it should be done by sending clergymen among them, not soldiers. and they added, with more sincerity than I expected. that it was not so much the concern of their monarch # make the people Christians as to make them subjects.

I thought long before this, that as we came nearer to Europe, we should find the country better inhabited, and the people more civilised; but I found myself mistaken in both; for we had yet the nation of the Tonguses to pass through, where we saw the same tokens of paganism and barbarity as before; only, as they were conquered by the Muscovites, they were not so dangerous, but for rudeness of manners, and idolatry, no people in the world ever went beyond them. They are clothed all in skins of beasts, and their houses are built of the same; you know not a man from a woman, neither by the ruggedness of their countenances nor their clothes; and in the winter, when the ground is covered with snow, they live underground in vaults, which have cavities going from one to another. If the Tartars had their Cham Chi-Thaungu for a whole village or country, these had idols in every hut and every cave. This country, I reckon, was, from the desert I spoke of In this posture we encamped for the night; but the last, at least four hundred miles, half of it being another enemy was upon us before we had finished. They did desert, which took us up twelve days' severe travelling, not come on like thieves, as we expected, but sent without house or tree; and we were obliged again to three messengers to us, to demand the men to be de-carry our own provisions, as well water as bread. After livered to them that had abused their priests, and we were out of this desert, and had travelled two days burned their idol, that they might burn them with fire; we came to Janezay, a Muscovite city, or station, on the and upon this, they said, they would go away, and do great river Janezay, which, they told us there, parted We stayed by it a quarter of an hour or thereabouts, us no further harm, otherwise they would destroy us Europe from Asia. till the powder in the eyes, and mouth, and ears of the all. Our men looked very blank at this message, and idol blew up, and, as we could perceive, had split began to stare at one another to see who looked with altogether; and, in a word, till we saw it burned so the most guilt in their faces; but nobody-was the that it would soon be quite consumed. We then began word-nobody did it. The leader of the caravan sent to think of going away; but the Scotsman said, "No, we word he was well assured that it was not done by any must not go, for these poor deluded wretches will all of our camp; that we were peaceful merchants travelthrow themselves into the fire, and burn themselves ling on our business; that we had done no harm to with the idol." So we resolved to stay till the forage them or to any one else; and that, therefore, they must was burned down too, and then came away and left them. look farther for the enemies who had injured them, for After the feat was performed, we appeared in the we were not the people; so they desired them not to morning among our fellow-travellers, exceedingly busy disturb us, for if they did we should defend ourselves. in getting ready for our journey; nor could any man They were far from being satisfied with this for an suppose that we had been anywhere but in our beds. answer; and a great crowd of them came running down But the affair did not end so; the next day came a in the morning, by break of day, to our camp; but great number of the country people to the town gates, seeing us so well posted, they durst come no further than and in a most outrageous manner demanded satisfaction the brook in our front, where they stood, in such number of the Russian governor for the insulting their priests as to terrify us very much; indeed, some spoke of ten and burning their great Cham Chi-Thaungu. The people thousand. Here they stood and looked at us a while, and of Nertsinskay were at first in a great consternation, then setting up a great howl, let fly a crowd of arrows for they said the Tartars were already no less than thirty among us; but we were well enough sheltered under our thousand strong. The Russian governor sent out mes-baggage, and I do not remember that one of us was sengers to appease them, assuring them that he knew hurt. nothing of it, and that there had not a soul in his Some time after this, we saw them move a little to garrison been abroad, so that it could not be from any- our right, and expected them on the rear: when a body there but if they could let him know who did it, cunning fellow, a Cossack of Jarawena, calling to the they should be exemplary punished. They returned leader of the caravan, said to him, "I will send all these haughtily, that all the country reverenced the great people away to Sibeilka." This was a city four or five We had now been almost seven months on our journey, Cham Chi-Thaungu, who dwelt in the sun, and no days' journey at least to the right, and rather behind and winter began to come on apace; whereupon ¤; mortal would have dared to offer violence to his image us. So he takes his bow and arrows, and getting on partner and I called a council about our partien's but some Christian miscreant; and they therefore horseback, he rides away from our rear directly, as it affairs, in which we found it proper, as we were bou resolved to denounce war against him and all the were back to Nertsinskay; after this he takes a great for England, to consider how to dispose of ourselve Russians, who, they said, were miscreants and Christians. circuit about, and comes directly on the army of the They told us of sledges and reindeer to carry us o The governor, unwilling to make a breach, or to have Tartars, as if he had been sent express to tell them a the snow in the winter time, by which means, indee any cause of war alleged to be given by him, the Czar long story that the people who had burned the Cham the Russians travel more in winter than they can having strictly charged him to treat the conquered Chi-Thaungu were gone to Sibeilka, with a caravan of summer, as in these sledges they are able to run nigh country with gentleness, gave them all the good words miscreants, as he called them-that is to say Christians: and day: the snow, being frozen, is one universal coveria. he could. At last he told them there was a caravan gone and that they had resolved to burn the god Scal-Isar, to nature, by which the hills, vales, rivers, and lakes a towards Russia that morning, and perhaps it was some belonging to the Tonguses. As this fellow was him-all smooth and hard as a stone, and they run upon th of them who had done them this injury; and that if they self a Tartar, and perfectly spoke their language, he surface, without any regard to what is underneath. would be satisfied with that, he would send after them counterfeited so well that they all believed him, and But I had no occasion to urge a winter journey of the to inquire into it. This seemed to appease them a little; away they drove in a violent hurry to Sibeilka. In less kind. I was bound to England, not to Moscow, and and accordingly the governor sent after us, and gave us route lay two ways: either I must go on as the carava a particular account how the thing was; intimating went, till I came to Jarislaw, and then go off west for withal, that if any in our caravan had done it they Narva, and the Gulf of Finland, and so on to Dant

than three hours they were entirely out of our sight, and
we never heard any more of them, nor whether they
went to Sibeilka or no. So we passed away safely on to

From this river to the Oby we crossed a wild u cultivated country, barren of people and good manage ment, otherwise it is in itself a pleasant, fruitful, si agreeable country. What inhabitants we found in it are all pagans, except such as are sent among them from Russia; for this is the country-I mean on both sides the river Oby-whither the Muscovite criminals that ar not put to death are banished, and from whence it is next to impossible they should ever get away. I have nothing material to say of my particular affairs till 11 came to Tobolski, the capital city of Siberia, where i continued some time on the following account.

LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.

79

where I might possibly sell my China cargo to good all their enemies were, who had the full possession of with stronger things than bars or bolts; on the north advantage; or I must leave the caravan at a little town all the wealth and power they had left behind them. side, an unnavigable ocean, where ship never sailed, and on the Dwina, from whence I had but six days by water" Nor, sir," says he, "do I bring my mind to this boat never swam; every other way we have above a to Archangel, and from thence might be sure of shipping politically, from the necessity of my circumstances, thousand miles to pass through the Czar's own either to England, Holland, or Hamburgh. Now, to go any of these journeys in the winter would myself, I would not now go back, though the Czar my the roads made by the government, and through the have been preposterous; for as to Dantzic, the Baltic master should call me, and reinstate me in all my towns garrisoned by his troops; in short, we could which some call miserable; but, if I know anything of dominions, and by ways utterly impassable, except by would have been frozen up, and I could not get passage; former grandeur." and to go by land in those countries was far less safe than among the Mogul Tartars: likewise, as to Archangel in October, all the ships would be gone from thence, other way, so that it is in vain to attempt it." neither pass undiscovered by the road, nor subsist any and even the merchants who dwell there in summer retire south to Moscow in the winter, when the ships are gone; so that I could have nothing but extremity of cold to encounter, with a scarcity of provisions, and must lie in an empty town all the winter. Therefore, upon the whole, I thought it much my better way to let the caravan go, and make provision to winter where I was, at Tobolski, in Siberia, in the latitude of about sixty degrees, where I was sure of three things to wear out a cold winter with, viz. plenty of provisions, such as the country afforded, a warm house, with fuel enough, and excellent company.

I was now in quite a different climate from my beloved island, where I never felt cold, except when I had my ague; on the contrary, I had much to do to bear any clothes on my back, and never made any fire but without doors, which was necessary for dressing my food, &c. Now I had three good vests, with large robes or gowns over them, to hang down to the feet, and button close to the wrists; and all these lined with furs, to make them sufficiently warm. As to a warm house, I must confess I greatly dislike our way in England of making fires in every room in the house in open chimneys, which, when the fire was out, always keeps the air in the room cold as the climate. apartment in a good house in the town, and ordered a So I took an chimney to be built like a furnace, in the centre of six several rooms, like a stove; the funnel to carry the smoke went up one way, the door to come at the fire went in another, and all the rooms were kept equally warm, but no fire seen, just as they heat baths in England. By this means we had always the same climate in all the rooms, and an equal heat was preserved; and yet we saw no fire, nor were ever incommoded with smoke,

The most wonderful thing of all was, that it should be possible to meet with good company here, in a country so barbarous as this-one of the most northernly parts of Europe. But this being the country where the state criminals of Muscovy, as I observed before, are all banished, this city was full of Russian noblemen, gentlemen, soldiers, and courtiers. Here was the famous Prince Galitzin, the old German Robostiski, and several other persons of note, and some ladies. By means of my Scotch merchant whom, nevertheless, I parted with here, I made an acquaintance with several of these gentlemen; and from these, in the long winter nights in which I stayed here, I received several very agreeable visits.

much earnestness and motion of his spirits, that it was
evident it was the true sense of his soul; there was no
He spoke this with so much warmth in his temper, so
room to doubt his sincerity. I told him I once thought
myself a kind of monarch in my old station, of which I
had given him an account; but that I thought he was
not only a monarch, but a great conqueror; for he that
had got a victory over his own exorbitant desires, and
the absolute dominion over himself, he whose reason
entirely governs his will, is certainly greater than he
that conquers a city.

winter I thought it; the cold so intense that I could
not so much as look abroad without being wrapped in
I had been here eight months, and a dark, dreadful
only a hole for breath, and two for sight: the little
daylight we had was for three months not above five
furs, and a kind of mask of fur before my face, with
hours a day, and six at most; only that the snow lying
on the ground continually, and the weather being clear,
it was never quite dark.
rather starved, under ground; and as for our servants,
whom we hired here to look after ourselves and horses,
we had, every now and then, their fingers and toes to thaw
Our horses were kept, or
and take care of, lest they should mortify and fall off.
being close, the walls thick, the windows small, and the
glass all double. Our food was chiefly the flesh of deer,
It is true, within doors we were warm, the houses
baked as biscuits; dried fish of several sorts, and some
dried and cured in the season; bread good enough, but
flesh of mutton, and of buffaloes, which is pretty good

THE TARTARS ARE PUT INTO CONFUSION.

prison every jot as secure as if they had been locked up in the castle at Moscow: however, it came into my thoughts that I might certainly be made an instrument was silenced at once, and found that they were in a to procure the escape of this excellent person; and that. whatever hazard I ran, I would certainly try if I could carry him off. Upon this, I took an occasion, one evening, to tell him my thoughts. I represented to him that it was very easy for me to carry him away, went in the retinue of a caravan, by which I was not obliged to lie in the stationary towns in the desert, but was not going to Moscow, but to Archangel, and that I there being no guard over him in the country; and as I easily pass uninterrupted to Archangel, where I would immediately secure him on board an English ship, and could encamp every night where I would, we might carry him safe along with me; and as to his subsistence and other particulars, it should be my care till he could better supply himself.

on me all the while I spoke; nay, I could see in his very face that what I said put his spirits into an exceeding He heard me very attentively, and looked earnestly ceived in his countenance; nor could he immediately answer me when I had done, and, as it were, red, and his heart fluttered, till it might be even perferment; his colour frequently changed, his eyes looked he embraced me, and said, "How unhappy are we, what he would say to it: but after he had paused a little, unguarded creatures as we are, that even our greatest hesitated acts of friendship are made snares unto us, and we are made tempters of one another?" thanked me for my offers of service, but withstood He then heartily resolutely the arguments I used to urge him to set himself free. He declared, in earnest terms, that he was fully bent on remaining where he was rather than seek to return to his former miserable greatness, as he called it; where the seeds of pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury, might revive, take root, and again overwhelm him. "Let me remain, dear sir," he said, in conclusion, "let me remain in this blessed confinement, banished from the crimes of life, rather than purchase a show of freedom at the expense of the liberty of my reason, and at the future happiness which I now have in my view, but should then, I fear, quickly lose sight of; for I am but flesh; a man, a mere man; and have passions and affections as likely to possess and overthrow me as any man: O, be not my friend and tempter both together!

If I was surprised before, I was quite dumb now, and stood silent, looking at him, and indeed, admiring what I saw. The struggle in his soul was so great that, though the weather was extremely cold, it put him into a most violent heat; so I said a word or two, that I the door of my room, and I was going to open the door, would leave him to consider of it, and wait on him but he had opened it and come in. again, and then I withdrew to my own apartment. says he, "you had almost overset me, but I am reAbout two hours after, I heard somebody at or near covered. Do not take it ill that I do not close with your offer. I assure you it is not for want of sense of the kindness of it in you; and I came to make the most "My dear friend," sincere acknowledgment of it to you; but I hope I have got the victory over myself."-"My lord," said I, "I hope you are fully satisfied that you do not resist the have accepted it; but I hope, and am fully satisfied, that it is from Heaven that I decline it, and I have infinite Heaven, the same power would have influenced me to call of Heaven."-"Sir," said he, "if it had been from satisfaction in the parting, that you shall leave me an honest man still, though not a free man."

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It was talking one night with a certain Prince, one of the banished ministers of state belonging to the Czar, that the discourse of my particular case began. He had been telling me abundance of fine things of the greatness, the magnificence, the dominions, and the absolute power of the Emperor of the Russians: I interrupted him, and told him I was a greater and more powerful meat. All the stores of provisions for the winter are prince than ever the Czar was, though my dominions laid up in the summer, and well cured: our drink was were not so large, or my people so many. The Russian water, mixed with aqua-vitae instead of brandy; and grandee looked a little surprised, and, fixing his eyes for a treat, mead instead of wine, which, however, they steadily upon me, began to wonder what I meant. I have very good. The hunters, who venture abroad all said his wonder would cease when I had explained my-weathers, frequently brought us in fine venison, and self, and told him the story at large of my living in the sometimes bear's flesh, but we did not much care for the island; and then how I managed both myself and the last. We had a good stock of tea, with which we treated people that were under me, just as I have since minuted our friends, and we lived cheerfully and well, all things it down. They were exceedingly taken with the story, considered. and especially the prince, who told me, with a sigh, that the true greatness of life was to be masters of ourselves; that he would not have exchanged such a state of life as mine, to be Czar of Muscovy; and that he found more felicity in the retirement he seemed to be banished to there, than ever he found in the highest authority he enjoyed in the court of his master the Czar; that the height of human wisdom was to bring our tempers down to our circumstances, and to make a calm within, under the weight of the greatest storms without. When he came first hither, he said, he used to tear the hair from his head, and the clothes from his back, as others had done before him; but a little time and consideration had made him look into himself, as well as round him, to things without: that he found the mind of man, if it was but once brought to reflect upon the state of universal life, and how little this world was concerned in its true felicity, was perfectly up; and, as I was doing this, it occurred to me that, seecapable of making a felicity for itself, fully satisfying ing all these people were banished by the Czar to Siberia, In the month of May I began to make all ready to pack to itself, and suitable to its own best ends and desires, and yet, when they came there, were left at liberty to with but very little assistance from the world. That go whither they would, why they did not then go away being now deprived of all the fancied felicity which he to any part of the world, wherever they thought fit: and enjoyed in the full exercise of worldly pleasures, he I began to examine what should hinder them from said he was at leisure to look upon the dark side of making such an attempt. But my wonder was over them, where he found all manner of deformity; and when I entered upon that subject with the person I have was now convinced that virtue only makes a man truly mentioned, who answered me thus: wise, rich, and great, and preserves him in the way to a sir," said he, "the place where we are; and, secondly, passed between us, and hoped I would not move him superior happiness in a future state; and in this, he the condition we are in; especially the generality of the any more in that affair; but that, since I had made such said, they were more happy in their banishment than people who are banished thither. We are surrounded a generous offer to him, he asked me if I had kindness Consider, first, When I came to him, he told me I knew what had

and the weather at least tolerable; so the other travellers
began to prepare sledges to carry them over the snow,
It was now March, the days grown considerably longer,
and to get things ready to be going; but my measures
being fixed, as I have said, for Archangel, and not for
Muscovy or the Baltic, I made no motion; knowing very
well that the ships from the south do not set out for
that part of the world till May or June, and that if I
soon as any ships would be ready to sail. Therefore I
made no haste to be gone, as others did: in a word, I saw
was there by the beginning of August, it would be as
a great many people, nay, all the travellers, go away
before me. It seems every year they go from thence to
Muscovy for trade, to carry furs, and buy necessaries,
which they bring back with them to furnish their shops:
also others went on the same errand to Archangel.

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professions to him of my having no end in it but a sincere desire to serve him. He embraced me very I had nothing to do but to acquiesce, and make and should always acknowledge it; and with that he offered me a very fine present of sables, too much, passionately, and assured me he was sensible of that, indeed, for me to accept from a man in his circumstances, and I would have avoided them, but he would not be refused. The next morning I sent my servant to his lordship with a small present of tea, and two abouts, but were far short of the value of his sables, which, when I came to England, I found worth near gold, which did not all weigh above six ounces or therepieces of China damask, and four little wedges of Japan two hundred pounds. He accepted the tea, and one piece of the damask, and one of the pieces of gold, which had a fine stamp upon it, of the Japan coinage, which I found he took for the rarity of it, but would not take any more: and he sent word by my servant that he desired to speak with me.

concern.

enough to offer the same to another person that he would name to me, in whom he had a great share of In a word, he told me it was his only son; who, though I had not seen him, was in the same condition with himself, and above two hundred miles from him, on the other side of the Oby; but that, if I consented, he would send for him.

I made no hesitation, but told him I would do it. I made some ceremony in letting him understand that it was wholly on his account; and that, seeing I could not prevail on him, I would show my respect to him by my concern for his son. He sent the next day for his son; and in about twenty days he came back with the messenger, bringing six or seven horses, loaded with very rich furs, which, in the whole, amounted to a very great value. His servants brought the horses into the town, but left the young lord at a distance till night, when he came incognito into our apartment, and his father presented him to me; and, in short, we concerted the manner of our travelling, and everything proper for the journey. I had bought a considerable quantity of sables, black fox-skins, fine ermines, and such other furs as are very rich in that city, in exchange for some of the goods I had brought from China; in particular for the cloves and nutmegs, of which I sold the greatest part here, and the rest afterwards at Archangel, for a much better price than I could have got at London; and my partner, who was sensible of the profit, and whose business, more particularly than mine, was merchandise, was mightily pleased with our stay, on account of the traffic we made here. It was the beginning of June when I left this remote place. We were now reduced to a very small caravan, having only thirty-two horses and camels in all, which passed for mine, though my new guest was proprietor of eleven of them. It was natural also that I should take more servants with me than I had before; and the young lord passed for my steward; what great man I passed for myself, I know not, neither did it concern me to inquire. We had here the worst and the largest desert to pass over that we met with in our whole journey; I call it the worst, because the way was very deep in some places, and very uneven in others; the best we had to say for it was, that we thought we had no troops of Tartars or robbers to fear, as they never came on this side of the river Oby, or at least very seldom; but we found it otherwise.

My young lord had a faithful Siberian servant, who was perfectly acquainted with the country, and led us by private roads, so that we avoided coming into the principal towns and cities upon the great road, such as Tumen, Soloy Kamaskoy, and several others; because the Muscovite garrisons which are kept there are very curious and strict in their observation upon travellers, and searching lest any of the banished persons of note should make their escape that way into Muscovy; but, by this means, as we were kept out of the cities, so our whole journey was a desert, and we were obliged to encamp and lie in our tents, when we might have had very good accommodation in the cities on the way; this the young lord was so sensible of, that he would not allow us to lie abroad when we came to several cities on the way, but lay abroad himself, with his servant, in the woods, and met us always at the appointed places. We had just entered Europe, having passed the river Kama, which in these parts is the boundary between Europe and Asia, and the first city on the European side was called Soloy Kamaskoy, that is, the great city on the river Kama. And here we thought to see some evident alteration in the people; but we were mistaken; for as we had a vast desert to pass, which is near seven hundred miles long in some places, but not above two hundred miles over where we passed it, so, till we came past that horrible place, we found very little difference between that country and Mogul Tartary. The people are mostly Pagans; their houses and towns full of idols; and their way of living wholly barbarous, except in the cities, and the villages near them, where they are Christians, as they call themselves, of the Greek Church but have their religion mingled with so many relics of superstition, that it is scarce to be known in some places from mere sorcery and witchcraft.

In passing this forest (after all our dangers were, to our imagination, escaped), I thought, indeed, we must have been plundered and robbed, and perhaps murdered, by a troop of thieves: of what country they were, I am yet at a loss to know; but they were all on horseback, carried bows and arrows, and were at first about fortyfive in number. They came so near to us as to be within two musket-shot, and, asking no questions, surrounded us with their horses, and looked very earnestly upon us twice; at length, they placed themselves just in our way; upon which we drew up in a little line, before our camels, being not above sixteen men in all. Thus drawn up, we halted, and sent out the Siberian servant, who attended his lord, to see who they were; his master was the more willing to let him go, because he was not a little apprehensive that they were a Siberian troop sent out after him. The man came up near them with a flag of truce, and called to them but though he spoke several of their languages, or dialects of languages rather, he could not understand a word they said; however,

after some signs to him not to come near them at his peril, the fellow came back no wiser than he went; only that by their dress, he said, he believed them to be some Tartars of Kalmuck, or of the Circassian hordes, and that there must be more of them upon the great desert, though he never heard that any of them were seen so far north before.

This was small comfort to us; however, we had no remedy: there was on our left hand, at about a quarter of a mile distance, a little grove, and very near the road. I immediately resolved we should advance to those trees, and fortify ourselves as well as we could there; for, first, I considered that the trees would in a great measure cover us from their arrows; and, in the next place, they could not come to charge us in a boly: it was, indeed, my old Portuguese pilot who proposed it, and who had this excellency attending him, that he was always readiest and most apt to direct and encourage us in cases of the most danger. We advanced immediately, with what speed we could, and gained that little wood; the Tartars, or thieves, for we knew not what to call them, keeping their stand, and not attempting to hinder us. When we came thither, we found, to our great satisfaction, that it was a swampy piece of ground, and on the one side a very great spring of water, which, running out in a little brook, was a little farther joined by another of the like size; and was, in short, the source of a considerable river, called afterwards the Wirtska; the trees which grew about this spring were not above two hundred, but very large, and stood pretty thick, so that as soon as we got in, we saw ourselves perfectly safe from the enemy unless they attacked us on foot.

brought from Tobolski, if there were no private ways by which we might avoid them in the night, and perhaps retreat to some town, or get help to guard us over the desert. The young lord's Siberian servant told us, if we designed to avoid them, and not fight, he would engage to carry us off in the night, to a way that went north, towards the river Petruz, by which he made no question but we might get away, and the Tartars never discover it; but, he said, his lord had told him he would not retreat, but would rather choose to fight. I told him he mistook his lord: for that he was too wise a man to love fighting for the sake of it; that I knew he was brave enough, by what he had showed already; but that he knew better than to desire seventeen or eighteen men to fight five hundred, unless an unavoidable necessity forced them to it; and that if he thought it possible for us to escape in the night, we had nothing else to do but to attempt it. He answered, if his lordship gave him such orders, he would lose his life if he did not perform it. We soon brought his lord to give that order, though privately, and we immediately prepared for putting it in practice.

And first, as soon as it began to be dark, we kindled a fire in our little camp, which we kept burning, and prepared so as to make it burn all night, that the Tartars might conclude we were still there; but as soon as it was dark, and we could see the stars (for our guide would not stir before), having all our horses and camels ready loaded, we followed our new guide, who I soon found steered himself by the north star, the country being level for a long way.

After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be lighter still; not that it was dark all night, but While we stayed here waiting the motion of the the moon began to rise, so that, in short, it was rather enemy some hours, without perceiving that they made lighter than we wished it to be; but by six o'clock the any movement, our Portuguese, with some help, cut next morning, we had got above thirty miles, having several arms of trees half off, and laid them hanging almost spoiled our horses. Here we found a Russian across from one tree to another, and in a manner fenced village, named Kermazinskoy, where we rested, and us in. About two hours before night, they came down | heard nothing of the Kalmuck Tartars that day. About directly upon us; and though we had not perceived it, two hours before night, we set out again, and travelled we found they had been joined by some more, so that till eight the next morning, though not quite so hard as they were near fourscore horse; whereof, however, we before; and about seven o'clock we passed a little river, fancied some were women. They came on till they called Kirtza, and came to a good large town inhabited were within half-shot of our little wood, when we fired by Russians, called Ozomys; there we heard that several one musket without ball, and called to them in the troops of Kalmucks had been abroad upon the desert, Russian tongue to know what they wanted, and bade but that we were now completely out of danger of them keep off; but they came on with a double fury up them, which was to our great satisfaction. Here we to the wood side, not imagining we were so barricaded were obliged to get some fresh horses, and having need that they could not easily break in. Our old pilot was enough of rest, we stayed five days; and my partner our captain, as well as our engineer, and desired us not and I agreed to give the honest Siberian who conducted to fire upon them till they came within pistol-shot, that us thither the value of ten pistoles. we might be sure to kill, and that when we did fire we should be sure to take good aim; we bade him give the word of command, which he delayed so long, that they were some of them within two pikes' length of us when we let fly. We aimed so true, that we killed fourteen of them, and wounded several others, as also several of their horses; for we had all of us loaded our pieces with two or three bullets apiece at least.

In five days more we came to Veussima upon the river Witzogda, and running into the Dwina: we were there, very happily, near the end of our travels by land, that river being navigable, in seven days' passage, to Archangel. From hence, we came to Lawrenskoy, the 31 of July; and, providing ourselves with two luggage boats, and a barge for our own convenience, we embarked the 7th, and arrived all safe at Archangel the 18th; having They were terribly surprised with our fire, and re-been a year, five months, and three days on the journey, treated immediately about one hundred rods from us; including our stay of about eight months at Tobolski. in which time we loaded our pieces again, and seeing We were obliged to stay at this place six weeks for them keep that distance, we sallied out, and caught the arrival of the ships, and must have tarried longer, four or five of their horses, whose riders we supposed had not a Hamburgher come in above a month sooner were killed; and coming up to the dead, we judged they than any of the English ships; when, after some conwere Tartars, but knew not how they came to make an sideration that the city of Hamburg might happen to excursion such an unusual length. be as good a market for our goods as London, we all took freight with him; and, having put our goods on board, it was most natural for me to put my steward on board to take care of them; by which means, my young lord had a sufficient opportunity to conceal himself, never coming on shore again all the time we stayed there; and this he did that he might not be seen in the city, where some of the Moscow merchants would certainly have seen and discovered him.

About an hour after, they again made a motion to attack us, and rode round our little wood to see where they might break in; but finding us always ready to face them, they went off again; and we resolved not to stir for that night.

We slept little, but spent the most part of the night in strengthening our situation, and barricading the entrances into the wood, and keeping a strict watch. We waited for daylight, and when it came, it gave us a very unwelcome discovery indeed; for the enemy, who we thought were discouraged with the reception they met with, were now greatly increased, and had set up eleven or twelve huts or tents, as if they were resolved to besiege us; and this little camp they had pitched upon the open plain, about three-quarters of a mile from us. I confess, I now gave myself over for lost, and all that I had; the loss of my effects did not lie so near me, though very considerable, as the thoughts of falling into the hands of such barbarians, at the latter end of my journey, after so many difficulties and hazards as I had gone through, and even in sight of our port, where we expected safety and deliverance. As to my partner, he was raging, and declared that to lose his goods would be his ruin, and that he would rather die than be starved, and he was for fighting to the last drop. The young lord, a most gallant youth, was for fighting to the last also; and my old pilot was of opinion that we were able to resist them all in the situation we were then in. Thus we spent the day in debates of what we should do; but towards evening we found that the number of our enemies still increased, and we did not know but by the morning they might still be a greater number; so I began to inquire of those people we had

We then set sail from Archangel the 20th of August, the same year; and, after no extraordinary bad voyage, arrived safe in the Elbe the 18th of September Here my partner and I found a very good sale for our goods, as well those of China as the sables, &c., of [Siberia; and, dividing the produce, my share amounted to £3,475 17s. 31., including about six hundred pounds' worth of diamonds, which I purchased at Bengal.

Here the young lord took his leave of us, and went up the Elbe, in order to go to the court of Vienna, where he resolved to seek protection and could correspond with those of his father's friends who were left alive. He did not part without testimonials of gratitude for the service I had done him, and for my kindness to the prince his father.

To conclude: having stayed near four months in Hamburgh, I came from thence by land to the Hague, where I embarked in the packet, and arrived in London the 10th of January, 1705, having been absent from England ten years and nine months. And here, resolving to harass myself no more, I am preparing for a longer journey than all these, having lived seventy-two years a life of infinite variety, and learned sufficiently to know the value of retirement, and the blessing of ending our days in peace.

PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO., CHANDOS STREET, W.C.

THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON.

CHAPTER I. Storm-tossed Wrecked Deserted-Supper - We make swimming-belts for the children-An anxious night-The gale moderates-We examine our cargo-Jack introduces two new acquaintances How shall we get on shore? Jack's plan-We adopt it-The use of a lever-Our tubboat completed-Another night on the wreck-We collect a cargo-And embark--Jack's friends will not be left behind-Steer for the shore-Once more on land-We erect a tent-Glue soup-Jack makes the acquaintance of a lobster-Ernest shirks the water-Oysters and salt How shall we eat our soup?-Ernest solves the difficulty -Fritz returns-The sucking-pig-How to open an oyster and how to eat it-The dogs devour the Agouti-Fritz's anger-Our first night in the new country.

FOR many days we had been tempest-tossed. Six times had the darkness closed over a wild and terrific scene, and returning light as often brought but renewed distress, for the raging storm increased in fury until on the seventh day all hope was lost. We were driven completely out of our course; no conjecture could be formed as to our whereabouts. The crew had lost heart, and were utterly exhausted by incessant labour.

The riven masts had gone by the board, leaks had been sprung in every direction, and the water, which rushed in, gained upon us rapidly.

Instead of reckless oaths, the seamen now uttered frantic cries to God for mercy, mingled with strange and often ludicrous vows, to be performed should deliverance be granted.

Every man on board alternately commended his soul to his Creator, and strove to bethink himself of some means of saving his life.

My heart sank as I looked round upon my family in the midst of these horrors. Our four young sons were overpowered by terror. "Dear children," said I, "if the Lord will, He can save us even from this fearful peril; if not, let us calmly yield our lives into His hand, and think of the joy and blessedness of finding ourselves for ever and ever united in that happy home above.

At these words my weeping wife looked bravely up, and, as the boys clustered round her, she began to cheer and encourage them with calm and loving words. I rejoiced to see her fortitude, though my heart was ready to break as I gazed on my dear ones.

We knelt down together, one after another praying with deep earnestness and emotion. Fritz, in particular, besought help and deliverance for his. dear parents and brothers, as though quite forgetting himself.

Our hearts were soothed by the never-failing comfort of child-like confiding prayer, and the horrors of our situation seemed less overwhelming. "Ah," thought I, "the Lord will hear our prayer! He will help us."

Amid the roar of the thundering waves I suddenly heard the cry of "Land! land!" while at the same instant the ship struck with a frightful shock, which threw everyone to the deck, and seemed to threaten her immediate destruction.

Dreadful sounds betokened the breaking up of the ship, and the roaring waters poured in on all sides. Then the voice of the captain was heard above the tumult, shouting, "Lower away the boats! We are lost!"

"Lost!" I exclaimed, and the word went like a dagger to my heart; but seeing my children's terror renewed, I composed myself, calling out cheerfully, "Take courage, my boys! we are all above water yet. There is the land not far off, let us do our best to reach it. You know God helps those that help themselves!" With that, I left them and went on deck. What was my horror when through the foam and spray I beheld the only remaining boat leave the ship, the last of the seamen spring into her and push off, regardless of my cries and entreaties that we might be allowed to share their slender chance of preserving their lives. My voice was drowned in the howling of the blast, and even had the crew wished it, the return of the boat was impossible.

Casting my eyes despairingly around, I became gradually aware that our position was by no means hopeless, inasmuch as the stern of the ship containing our cabin was jammed between two high rocks, and was partly raised from among the breakers which dashed the forepart to pieces.

As the clouds of mist and rain drove past, I could make out, through rents in the vaporous curtain, a line of rocky coast, and, rugged as it was, my heart bounded towards it as a sign of help in the hour of need. Yet the sense of our lonely and forsaken condition weighed heavily upon me as I returned to my family, constraining myself to say with a smile, "Courage, dear ones! Although our good ship will never sail more, she is so placed that our cabin will remain above water, and to-morrow, if the wind and waves abate, I see no reason why we should not be able to get ashore."

These few words had an immediate effect on the spirits of my children, who at once regarded our problematical chance of escaping as a happy certainty, and began to enjoy the relief from the violent pitching and rolling of the vessel.

My wife, however, perceived my distress and anxiety, in spite of my forced composure, and I made her comprehend our real situation, greatly fearing the effect of the intelligence on her nerves. Not for a moment did her courage and trust in

THE WRECK.

Providence forsake her, and on seeing this, my fortitude revived.

"We must find some food, and take a good supper," said she; "it will never do to grow faint by fasting too long. We shall require our utmost strength to-morrow."

Night drew on apace, the storm was as fierce as ever, and at intervals we were startled by crashes announcing further damage to our unfortunate ship. "God will help us soon now, won't He, father?" said my youngest child.

"You silly little thing," said Fritz, my eldest son, sharply, "don't you know that we must not settle what God is to do for us? We must have patience, and wait His time."

"Very well said, had it been said kindly, Fritz, my boy. You too often speak harshly to your brothers, although you may not mean to do so.

A good meal being now ready, my youngsters ate heartily, and retiring to rest were speedily fast asleep. Fritz, who was of an age to be aware of the real danger we were in, kept watch with us. After a long silence," Father," said he, "don't you think we might contrive swimming belts for mother and the boys? with those we might all escape to land, for you and I can swim."

Your idea is so good," answered I, "that I shall arrange something at once, in case of an accident during the night."

ingly put one on. I then provided myself with matches, knives, cord, and other portable articles, trusting that, should the vessel go to pieces before daylight, we might gain the shore, not wholly destitute.

Fritz, as well as his brothers, now slept soundly. Throughout the night my wife and I maintained our prayerful watch, dreading at every fresh sound some fatal change in the position of the wreck.

At length the faint dawn of day appeared, the long weary night was over, and with thankful hearts we perceived that the gale had begun to moderate; blue sky was seen above us, and the lovely hues of sunrise adorned the eastern horizon. I aroused the boys, and we assembled on the remaining portion of the deck, when they, to their surprise, discovered that no one else was on board.

"Hallo, papa! what has become of everybody! Are the sailors gone? Have they taken away the boats? Oh, papa! why did they leave us behind? What can we do by ourselves!"

"My good children," I replied, "we must not despair, although we seem deserted. See how those on whose skill and good faith we depended have left us cruelly to our fate in the hour of danger. God will never do so. He has not forsaken us, and we will trust him still. Only let us bestir ourselves, and each cheerily do his best. Who has anything to propose?"

The sea will soon be calm enough for swimming," said Fritz.

"And that would be all very fine for you," exclaimed Ernest," but think of mother and the rest of us! Why not build a raft and all get on shore together?"

"We should find it difficult, I think, to make a raft that would carry us safe to shore. However, we must contrive something, and first let each try to procure what will be of most use to us."

Away we all went to see what was to be found, I myself proceeding to examine, as of greatest consequence, the supplies of provisions and fresh water within our reach.

My wife took her youngest son, Franz, to help her to feed the unfortunate animals on board, who were in a pitiful plight, having been neglected for several days.

Fritz hastened to the arm-chest, Ernest to look for tools; and Jack went towards the captain's cabin, the door of which he no sooner opened, than out sprang two splendid large dogs, who testified their extreme delight and gratitude by such tremendous bounds that they knocked their little deliverer completely head over heels, frightening him nearly out of his wits. Jack did not long yield either to fear or anger, he presently recovered himself, the dogs seemed to ask pardon by vehemently licking his face and hands, and so, seizing the larger by the ears, he jumped on his back, and, to my great amusement, coolly rode to meet me as I came up the hatchway.

When we re-assembled in the cabin, we all displayed our treasures.

Fritz brought a couple of guns, shot belt, powder flasks, and plenty of bullets.

Ernest produced a cap full of nails, an axe, and a hammer, while pincers, chisels, and augurs stuck out of all his pockets.

Little Franz carried a box, and eagerly began to show us the "nice sharp little hooks" it contained. "Well done, Franz!" cried I, "these fish hooks, which you the youngest have found, may contribute more than anything else in the ship to save our lives by procuring food for us. Fritz and Ernest, you have chosen well."

"Will you praise me too?" said my dear wife. "I have nothing to show, but I can give you good news. Some useful animals are still alive; a cow, a donkey, two goats, six sheep, a ram, and a fine sow. I was but just in time to save their lives by taking food to them."

"All these things are excellent indeed," said I ; "but my friend Jack here, has presented me with a couple of huge hungry useless dogs, who will eat more than any of us.'

We immediately searched about for what would answer the purpose, and fortunately got hold of a number of empty flasks and tin canisters, which we connected two and two together so as to form floats sufficiently buoyant to support a person in Oh, papa! they will be of use! Why, they the water, and my wife and young sons each will-will help us to hunt when we get on shore !"

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