Accidents > Life and most surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, mariner, who lived eight and twenty years in an uninhabited island on the coast of America, near the mouth of the great river Oroonoque

ROBINSON CRUSOE. 15
from the mountains, one as it were purfuing the
other with great fury, which we were inclined to
believe, becaufe they feldom appear but injthe night;
and both thefe p.thing fwiftiy by the Negroes, jumped
into the fea, wantonly fwimming about, as though
the diverfion of the waters had put a Hop to their
fiercenefs. At laft, one of them coming nearer my
boat than I expected or defired, I ihot him diretflly
through the head ; upon which he funk immediately,
yet riling again, would have willingly made to the
fhore ; but between the wound and the ftrangling
of the water, he died before he could reach it.
It is not poffible for me to exprefs the confterna-
tion the poor Negroes were in at the firing my gun ;
much lefs can I mention their furprife, when they
perceived the creature to be fain by it. I made figns
to them to draw near it, and then gave them a rope
to hale it on fhore. It was a beautiful leopard,
which made me defire its Ikin ; and the Negroes
feeming to covet the carcafe, I very freely gave it to
them. As for the other leopard, it made to flrore,
and ran with a prodigious fwiftnefs out of fight.
The Negroes having kindly furnillied me with water,
and with what roots and grain their country alfbrded,
I took my leave, and after eleven days fail, I came
in fight of the Cape de Verd, and thole illands called
by its name. But the great diftance I was from
it, and fearing contrary winds would prevent my
reaching either of them, I grew melancholy and
dejedled ; when on a fudden, Xury cried out,
Majler, Majler, a Jbip •with a fail; and looked fo
frightened, as if it was his mailer’s fhip fent in
fe'arch of us : But I foon difeovered Ihe was a Por-
tuguefe fhip, and, as I thought, bound to the coall
of Guinea for Negroes. Upon which I drove for
life to come up to them ; but vain had it been, if,
through their perfpeflive glafies, they had not per-
1; ceived me, and Ihortened their fail to let me come up.
B 2 Encouraged