Disclaimer: My story! Mine mine mine!!! Mr. Crusoe belongs to someone else, but the story and other characters are MINE!!!
Prior to this instalment, Robinson Crusoe had already been on his island for approximately twenty years. He had already established his two homes, his cave hideout, his fields of crops, and his two flocks of sheep.
My fowling piece felt heavy with my decreased strength. My last fit had weakened me, almost so much that I dare not leave my castle, for I fear that I might collapse, and be eaten by some wild creature, or cannibal. But my fear of growing hungry over weighed everything, and I slowly climbed over my two walls.
Out of four and ten days, this one morning, the sun dared to shine above my head. My heart had not the energy to climb the slope to my cattle, but I forced myself on. It took me nearly two hours to reach my flock, and another to kill one of my rams. I had no strength to milk my she-goats, and I knew they would be spoiled, but I did not care.
I left my meat of the field and trudged to my crop, picking but just a few ears, enough to replenish my health, so that I may start the harvest. My barley and rice were in dire need of their picking, and I grew afraid of my crop beginning to rot.
Slowly, with growing agony, I pulled the ram back to my castle, painfully lifting it about my walls.
I cut open my prize with my sword, and shaved a few pieces which I mixed with water in my earthen pot, which I then placed to boil.
I drank the broth, but left the meat, as I was afraid of eating too much. The broth was joined by a hand of raisins, with a few morsels of my corn.
I pulled myself into my cave, where I drank my tobacco and liquor medicine, and lay down to sleep in the hot weather.
I did not wake until the morning next, my body still resistant, but feeling replenished of my strength.
The sun had shone again, making my quest to find a turtle a joyful event. I thanked God for my recovery, and continued my search.
Alas! I found one! A she-turtle, and a very good size as well. She had six eggs, two of which I cooked into my breakfast. I boiled the meat with the flesh from my ram, thickening it with some of my barely flour. It made a fine stew, and I enjoyed it for my luncheon and supper.
Before I lay down again that night, I read my Bible, and prayed to God with my thanks.
The next morning, I noticed the clouds that hung darkly in the distance, so I hurried with my chores.
My she-goats were not at all spoiled, much to my great pleasure, and I got a great deal of milk out of them.
My corn and barely were in their prime, and I had a very good harvest. While travelling down my hill for the third time with my baskets, God I thank you! There, just a few leagues off my beach, there lay a ship!
Hurrying my pace, I ran into my castle, dropped my load and grabbed my eyeglass.
I ran down my beach, eyeglass in hand, and my fowling piece at my belt. I ran quickly, but remained in the shadows of my trees. I stopped to regain my breath and held the eyeglass to my eye.
What I saw through the glass first filled me with great joy, for it was a Portuguese ship, one of the finest I have ever seen. I could see the men onboard, Oh what joy I experienced!
I pulled my fowling pieces from my hip, for I wished to signal my new arrivals. When I raised my piece, I heard a shot, but it was not mine. Looking through my glass again, my heart dropped greatly. Far bellow the gunnels and cannon blocks lay a man without motion. He continued to float in my ocean, and his blood tainted the sea red.
I began to tremble as I thought of what treachery must have passes to be sentenced to death. I looked again, this time I saw a man kneeling at the side of his ship, where another placed a rifle to his neck. Distress was clear across his face, but disappeared when a shot rang out, and he tumbled forward.
I focused my eyes on the man who had shot the other, and fear shrunk my beating heart. The clothes were not those worn by the Portuguese, nor any sailor of any kind. They were ragged, with boots that were not, by any means, considered seaworthy. His whiskers were unkempt, and had grown into a long beard, covering his weatherworn face. They were no Christian sailors, they were ruthless pirates.
My fear increased when another ship sailed into view, this one was a British vessel, but was manned by the same type of crew.
I ran back to my castle, but in my hast, I was seen by one of the pirates, for I heard a great thunderous boom, and recognized it as cannon fire. The snapping of trees and branches sounded behind me as the lead ball missed its target.
When I reached my castle I realized that I could not enter, for they would surely shoot my walls down. I remembered my cave I had discovered when the fear of the cannibals had struck me deep. I my cave I had kept an adequate store of my cakes, dried corn, raisin, dried meat, and water.
Another shot rang through, but the ball missed me by a far larger margin than before. I looked back and with my bare eyes, I could tell that the British ship was lowering a vessel with several men aboard.
I ran into my woods and up the hill. I turned to see the savages rowing closer to shore. My heart raced, and so did my feet as I ran through the field and into the woods where I kept my extra flock, and my cave neighboured.
My cave was not easily seen those who did not know of its presence. It lay at the base of a tree, a hole large enough to fit a he-goat or ram, and barely the size to fit myself within it
I dropped into my cave, and pulled a drape of leaved braches. I had cut several fresh branches off some of my iron trees, and wove them together. The drape easily covered the entrance, and made my cave much more difficult to find. One would have to lower himself to his knees to see my woven branches.
I sat in the small corer of my cave and shivered, for it was much cooler without the sun.
I feared for my flock, and my crops, afraid that the savage men would eat or ruin them. Another concern that struck me, was my castle. I t was impossible to enter it without the aid of my ladder, but with the power of their cannons, they could easily knock down my walls.
I crept forward, and loaded one of my rifles, along with my fowling piece. I took a handful of raisins from one of my earthen jars. Sitting back down, I ate my raisins, and listened to the silence outside my cave. I would reside here for a few days, then proceed to my summer home.
My "cottage" lay on the other side of my island, and a small cove lay before it. The pirates' ships were too large to fit through my two large guard rocks, but their smaller vessels could.
I was certain they would not find me; my homes were too well hidden. The savage men wouldn't even come up into the woods. Before I had ever journeyed within the shield of the trees, I had been far too frightened of what may lay there waiting to kill me. I was assured when I watched the wild flocks of goats run into the trees when I scared them.
Within my woods, I had created another fence where I could keep several of my goats. The fence was only a few arm lengths from the entrance to my cave. This provided me with a great advantage to me. If I were ever to run out of meat, or were to find it spoiled, I could kill a he-goat and drag him back without much difficulty.
I had made myself a sort of bed from my goat skins, which I had always insisted on keeping. I laid several of the skins on the floor, to both cushion me while I slept, and to keep the chill away. I used my others to lie on top of me, so that I may not experience another fit. I drank some water before laying my self down to sleep.
I had not been asleep long before I heard a gunshot, then the shrill of a whine. Oh God! They were killing my goats!
The pirates had made it up to my primary herd, and I prayed that my goats that lay just outside, would not cry out. But Alas! My prayers did not reach God in time, for my goats stirred and bellowed out a mighty racket.
I fetched my fowling pieces, and placed my self into the far corner where I waited for my imminent intruders.
The goats continued to howl, and it was several minutes before they ceased. Silence covered my ears, and I waited. Moments passed, and at first I had thought that perhaps the pirates had been frightened by the howling of my herd. But my hopes were shattered when I heard the shouting of men as they neared my habitat. My goats began their bellowing, telling the pirates of my position like a lighthouse horn on the day of tremendous fog.
They continued to howl for minutes after. And soon I was able to hear the shouts of the savages again. They were close, perhaps only at the other side of my fence.
Another shot, and I could hear the roar of feet as my goats ran through my woods. Laughter was clear in my ears, and it neared my entrance.
I lay in my corner, and effused to breathe, for I was afraid to make any noise
I could hear their voices now. At first I cherished the sound; it had been twenty years since I had last heard one. They spoke nonsense to me, but I was fortunate enough to recognize a few words of Spanish. I also heard several words of Portuguese, and I marvelled at their formed language. Most of the men must have been born to the sea, and raised to speak confusion, just as I heard now.
I could hear their footsteps, and a shadow was cast over the leaves that covered my cave. I watched one of the leaves fall as the men placed their feet a fingers width from the hole.
They spoke in confusion. They did not know where to find me! I rejoiced and thanked God, but remained silent.
The men stayed at my fence for only a few minutes more, and great joy filled me when their footsteps faded.
I decided not leave my cave for several more days, but much to my great terror, I was stricken by another fit. I could not move for nearly a day, and when I did, pains racked my body. I could not even pray to God for his aid, for I had neither the strength nor the energy to do so. I wished that I had stored a bottle of rum, and a few of my tobacco leaves along with my food, so that I might have been able to fashion myself some medicine. But Alas! I had none.
My fit lasted me for three days, and I grew thin for I had not eaten much. My stores were running low, and I was a day away from finishing my water supply. Gathering up all the strength I could, and bearing through the pains, I prayed to God that my sickness would be healed, and that I would be able to escape my damp dungeon.
God answered the prayers, as the next day, my pains were gone, but my body still remained resistant to work. I was able to climb out of my cave after many tries, and I saw the havoc that the pirates had caused.
Three of my goats in my secondary flock were killed, a ram, a she-goat that was almost ready to bear her child, and a small kid. I would have pulled them out of the pen, but my body refused. My walk through the woods back to my crops was slow, as my body wished to sleep.
In my primary flock, the savages had killed five of my kids, two she-goats, and four rams. They had been nearly half of my flock. Anger swelled deep within, but my body resisted, and I slumped down at the base of a large iron tree, to sleep.
The pirates had not discovered my castle nor my fields of corn, and I gave God my thanks.
The savages must have stopped their search for me, for it was impossible to find me, I was confident of that.
That's my second story, I wrote it for an English class when I was in grade 11, I hope you enjoy it. There will be no further installments, as this is just a short story. Until other stories, nonamewriter