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

kOBINSON CRUSOE. 2>
Other. Then, with the pieces of cable which I had
cut on board, I regularly laid them in the circle be¬
tween the piles up to their tops, which were more
than five feet out of the earth, and after drove ano¬
ther row of piles looking within-fide againft them,
between two or three feet high, which made me
conclude it a little impregnable caftle from men and
beads: And, for my better fecurity, I would have no
door, but entered in and came out by the help of a
ladder, which I alio made.
Here was my fence and fortrefs, into which I
carried all my riches, ammunition, and ftores. Af¬
ter which, working on the rock, what with the dirt
and ftones I dug out, I not only raifed my ground
two feet, but made a little cellar to my manfion-
houfe ; and this cod me many days labour'and pains.
But one day in particular a fhower of rain falling,
thunder and lightning enfued, which put me in ter¬
ror, led my powder Ihould take fire, and not only
hinder my necedary fubfidence from killing me food,
but even blow up me and my habitation: To pre¬
vent which, I fell to making boxes and bags, in or¬
der to feparate it, having by me near i^olbs weight.
And thus being edablilhed as king of the ifiand,
every day I went out with my gun to fee what I could
kill that was fit to eat. I foon perceived numbers
of goats, but very fhy : Yet having watched them
narrowly, and feeing I could better fhoot off the
rocks than when in the low grounds, I one day hap¬
pened to fhoot a Ihe-goatduckling a young kid ; who
not thinking its dam {lain, dood by her unconcerned;
and when 1 took the dead creature up, the yopng
one followed me even to the inclofure. I lifted the
kid over the pales, and would willingly have kept it
alive ; but finding it could not be brought to eat, l
was forced to flay it alfo for my own fubfiflence.
Thus entered into a firange fcene of life, as ever
any man was in, I had mod melancholy apprehen-
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