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. 87
Thu?, giving over an attempt which I had rafhly
begun, I never afcended the hill on that occaiion af¬
terwards ; only I removed my boat which lay on the
Other fide of the ifland, and every thing fuch as they
were,, that belonged to her, towards the call, into a
little cove, that there might not be the leaft fliadow
of difcovery of any boat near, or habitation upon the
ifland. And then my caftle became my cell, keeping
very retired in it, except to milk my Ihe-goats, and.
order my little flock in the wood, which was quite
out of danger 5 for fure it is, thefe favages never
came here with expectations to find any thing, and
confequently never wandered from the coaft; and as
they might have feveral times been on fliore, as well
before as after my dreadful apprehenfions, I looked
back with horror to think in what a ftate I might
have been, had I fuddenly met them ilenderly armed,
with one gun only loaded with fmall Chot: And how
great would have been my amazement; if, infiead
of feeing the print of one man’s foot, I had perceived
fifteen or twenty favagei, who, having once fet their
eyes upon me, by the fwiftnefs of their feet, have
left mefno pofiibility of efcaping ? Thefe thoughts
would fink my very foul within me, fo that I would
fall into a deep melancholy, till fuch time as the
confiderntion of my gratitude to the Divine Being
moved it from my heart. And then I fell into a con¬
templation of the fee ret fprings of Providence : How
wonderfully we are delivered, when we are infenfible
of it; and When intricated in uncertain mazes or la¬
byrinths of doubt or hefitation, what fecret hint fhall
direft us in the right way, when we intend to go
out of it; nay, perhaps, contrary to our bufinels,
fenie, or inclination. Upon'which, I fixed within
me this as a certain rule, never to dilbb'ey thofe fecret
impreflions of my mind to the nfling or not ailing
any thing that oflered, for which I yet could afilgn no
reafon : But let it be how it will, the advantage of this
Ha conduil