Chapter Four. "Savages"
After many years on the island, I needed new clothes. I only had some shirts from the ship. There were also some coats, but it was hot to wear them. I made new clothes from my goats. I made a big hat and an umbrella because the sun was hot on my head. The umbrella was very difficult to make. When I was in Brazil, I knew some men near my plantation. They made umbrellas. I thought for a long time until I remembered how to make one. It wasn't a beautiful umbrella but I liked it. It could open and close… clever eh? It was good for both the sun and the rain. Then I made trousers and shoes. They weren't very nice but I had clothes again.
Now, life on the island was hard but good. I was never bored because I had a lot of work to do every day. I made a boat, a small boat this time. My old boat, the big one, was there on the beach where it was before. I couldn't do long voyages with the new boat because it was small; but I could go to the other part of the island with it by sea. I made a sail for my boat too, from one of the ship's sails. I put boxes at each end of the boat and put food and water in them. I took my gun with me too and my new umbrella. At first I did some short voyages but always stayed near the beach. Then, I was ready to visit all the island from the open sea. For this long voyage, I took a lot of bread, water and other food for some weeks. I also took two big coats for a bed.
I started my voyage on the 6th November. I travelled for many days and nights. Sometimes I went out to the open sea, and sometimes I travelled near the beach where possible. I stopped on a new beach. There was a hill behind it. I went up the hill and looked about.
From the hill, I could see the next part of the sea. It was different; it wasn't safe. The wind and the waves took everything out to sea. I stayed on this part of the island for two days because there was a lot of wind. Then, I started my voyage again. The beach was far from me now, and I felt the waves under the boat. The boat went up and down and the waves took it out to sea. I couldn't see the beach now. There wasn't any wind and it was difficult to get back to my island. I had a turtle to eat and some water… food for four or five days… but then what? There were no other islands near here and I couldn't get back to the beach.
I was happy on my island. I had everything I needed on my island. Why did I take my boat out and leave all that was good? It was the same old problem all the time. I never knew when I had a good life. I always wanted to change. Why? Why? Now I was at sea and I couldn't see my island.
Then, there was a little wind and it began to catch the sail. I worked hard with the sail to get back to my beautiful island. In the evening I was on the beach again. I sat down on the sand. I was tired but very happy. I found a little cave near the beach and slept there that night.
Next morning, I left my boat in this cave. I didn't want to go back home by sea. I took my gun, my hat and my umbrella and started walking back to my garden house. It was nice to be home again and I slept there that night. I woke up next morning to the words: ‘Robin! Robin Crusoe!' For a second, I thought there was a person in my garden house. Then, I looked up… it was Poll my parrot. These were some of the words that he knew. Every evening, I taught him new words. He wasn't a person but I was happy to see him. Poll came to me and sat on my hand. I talked to him and told him about my days at sea. He said: ‘Poor Robin Crusoe! How did you come here?' Then, I carried him home to my farm house.
The 30th September came again. Fifteen years before, when I first came to this island, I couldn't see any good here. Now I loved my life. I had forty goats and they gave me milk. With this milk I made butter and cheese. I had Poll to talk to. My dog was old and always sat at my feet, under the table. The two cats sat near me as well and waited for some food from my table.
These weren't the cats from the ship, but their children. The only thing I didn't have near me was my boat. It was in the cave on the other part of the island. I didn't know how to get it here. I didn't want to go out to sea again with those waves and the wind. But I wanted to go back to that part of the island. One day, I put on my hat, got my umbrella and walked to the hill above the beach where my boat was.
I went down to the beach and took out my boat, but I stayed near the beach. At night, I slept in my garden house. I did this a lot. I liked going out in my boat.
One morning, I came down to the beach and there was a man's footprint in the sand. ‘Eh?' I hear you ask. Think how I felt! I sat and looked at it for a long time. I listened. I looked about. I could hear nothing. I couldn't see anybody. I went back up the hill and looked… nobody. I went up and down the beach… nobody. I came back to the footprint. There it was. I could see it well in the sand, only one. After a long time, I went home to my garden house. I looked behind me when I walked home. I wasn't happy. I didn't want anybody on my island. I thought there was somebody behind every tree, waiting for me. I didn't sleep that night. I could hear all kinds of noises. Were they the noises I usually heard on the island? How did this person come to my island? There was no other boat near the beach. I thought of the two islands out at sea. You could only see them on a good day, because they weren't near. Did savages live there and come to my island sometimes? Did they know I was here? I thought about that footprint for days. After three days, I went back to the beach. Was it my footprint? But no, it wasn't. This foot was very big. My foot was small. After fifteen years, for the first time, I didn't feel safe on my island. I made a new wall for my house. Nobody could see it from the outside with this second wall.
Then, I put guns on the wall in different places, ready for anything or anybody. I had seven guns. I made this second wall in a month. There were also trees outside the wall so nobody could see my house. I wanted my goats to be safe too. I put them in two groups. I took them to different parts of the island. There was grass for them and lots of trees so nobody could find them.
Now, I didn't feel free to walk about my island. I only went to my garden house or to my goats. I didn't go back to my boat in the cave on the beach. I didn't use my gun because I didn't want to make a noise. I often went up the hill to see if there was anybody on the beach below. I found a small cave on this hill and put some guns there too.
After a year, I thought it was safe to go and get my boat. I didn't want to leave it near the ‘footprint beach' (my name for it). I carried it to my part of the island and put it in a cave. I stopped making things. I was sad. I only worked for my food now. Ten years came and went again, but I didn't feel free. It was December and I was busy with my grain and rice. I went out early one morning, with my hat and umbrella and my gun. It was hot. I went up the hill to look down at the beach. Eh? This time there wasn't a footprint in the sand. There were five boats on the beach! They were on the sand near the water. Whose boats were they? Were there savages about? How many were there? I sat in the cave on the hill and waited.
There was no noise. Then, hush! I could hear something. Some savages came out from behind the trees near the beach. There were a lot of them. I don't know how many. They went to their boats and went away. Phew! I came down to the beach and looked about. From up on the hill I could only see the boats. Now down here I could see everything! The beach was long and at one end I saw their fire and near it some of their food. Oh! It can't be! A man's head! A hand! A foot! I ran back to my house behind my two walls and stayed there for days and days. I couldn't sleep at night. I could see the savages' picnic every time I closed my eyes. I didn't want to be their next dinner!
Then, I had to go out again; for my goats, my grain, my grapes. I went up the hill every morning and looked for their boats but there weren't any. The months came and went. I began to forget the savages.
One night, there was a storm. I couldn't sleep. I was on my hammock in my farm house. Then, I heard the noise of a gun… and again… It couldn't be savages; they didn't have guns. I ran out of my house and up the hill. From there, I could see a ship at sea. It was difficult to see because it was far from my island. It went up and down with the wind and the waves. I made a big fire on the hill to help them see the island. I stayed there until morning. The storm stopped. The weather was nice again.
I looked out to sea. I could see a part of the ship above the water. The other part was at the bottom of the sea.
I took my boat and went to the ship. It was a Spanish ship. These ships usually went from South America to Spain. Was there anybody on the ship? A friend for me? There were people on the ship, but they were all dead at the bottom of the sea. I found a dog. It was hungry. I gave it food and water and took it back to my island. I also found some clothes and some money. I took the money, but I didn't need it on my island. I was sad. I wanted a friend not all this money!
After this, I felt bad for a long time. I remembered when I had friends. Now I only had Poll to talk to. I began to think about leaving my island after twenty-five years! It was March. The weather was bad. I stayed inside on my hammock and thought and slept. I didn't want to leave the island and go to the savages' country. I needed someone to tell me where to go. Someone who knew these places that I could sometimes see on a good day.
The next day, I went up the hill and looked down at the beach. The savages were back! They had three men with them. Three men they wanted to eat! One of them looked about. He was a young man. He didn't want to die. He saw the trees and started to run to them. The savages had the other two men. They couldn't catch this young man. He was fast. I watched from the hill. Then, I went down to help him. I found him behind a tree. I took him to my house. He thought he was my dinner! I gave him some food and water. He understood he was safe from the savages now. At last, I had a friend!
