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. 197
d—mn ’em, they fliould build no houfes upon their
ground without paying rent. The two honeft men
(for fo let me now diftinguiili them) thought their
•three countrymen only jefted, and one of them in¬
vited them in, to fee their fine-habitations ; while
the other facetioufly told them, that fince they built
tenements, with great improvements, they fhould*
according to the cuftom of landlords, give them a
longer leafe ; at the fame time defiring them to fetch
a fcnvener to draw the writings. One of the wretches,
fwgaring be fliould pay for the jeft, {hatches up a
firebrand, and clapping it to the outfide of their hut,
very fairly fet it on fire, which would foon have con-
fumed it, had not the honeft man thruft him away,
and trod it out with his feet. Hereupon the fellow
returns with a pole, with which he would have end¬
ed his days, had not the poor man avoided the blow
when fetching his mufket, he knocked down the
villain that- began the quarrel. The other two
coming to affitt their fellow, obliged the honeft man
to take his mufket alfo, and both of them prcfenting
their pieces, bid the villains ftand off and if they
did not lay down their arms, death fliould decide
the difpute one way or other. This brought them
to a parley, in which they agreed to take their
wounded man anti be gone ; but they were in the
wrong that they did not difarni them when they had
the power, and then make their complaint to me and
my Spaniards for juftice, which might have prevent¬
ed their farther defigns againft them. And indeed
fo many trpfpailes did they afterwards commit, by
treading down their corn, {hooting their young kids
and goats, and plaguing them night and day, that
they refolved to come to mv caftle, challenge all the
three, and decide their right by one plain battle,
while the Spaniards flood by to fee fair play. One
day it happened, that two of my Spaniards (one of
whom underftood Englifh) being in the w'oods, were
R 3 met