The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-16
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great land in the distance he could not
rest, although he told himself that he
was better off on his island than he would
be In a strange land where no hope OF
succor and probably only dangers awaited
him, since civilized men never ventured 10
the regions where he was. Despite THIS
reasoning, he went into the woods ana
cut down a mighty tree. Knowing better,
he worked vigorously, calling himself o.
fool all the time. 1t was a cedar more
than Ave feet in diameter, and he hacked
and hewed 1t into the shape OF Vessei
and finished it till he had a very hand
some perigua, capable of carrying rs men.
Then when 1t was all finished, he found,
of course, that he could not possibly
move his ship to the water His dlsap-
pointment was bitter, but he turned 10
his Bible and peace came to him. Inc
longing for the mad venture left him. and
he resigned himself to stay where prov
idence had placed him.
He built canoe which was large
enough to take him on cruises around the
island, but too small for any extended
VOYAGE and he was quite content to, go
trying to circumnavigate his whole pos
session, being resolved not to tempt
heaven again.
In the fifth year great pleasure came
to the solitary man. He was awakened
out of sleep by hearing the words;
robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe; poor Robin
Crusoep' At first he was frightened ter
ribly Then he saw that it was a par.
rot which he had tanned and which had
at last learned the words. To him, who
had not heard word of speech SO long,
1t was like blessed voice and he held
the bright bird close to him and kissed it.
So the slow years passed until Robinson
Crusoe had been on the island 10 years
in absolute loneliness and in absolute
peace. Then one day when he walked
as usual along the beach he stopped,
thunderstruck, with his heart almost
checked in It's beat. Before him was
the print of mans naked foot!
He raced to his fertilization like mad
man, scarcely feeling the ground in his
wild fight, scarcely daring to think till
he was behind his palisades. For mo-
ment he believed that it was the devil
This superstitious terror gave place to
real terror, more pOWeIlul, dhu ioA w.
wears after his discovery he was never
free from apprehension. though no sign
of man except the footprints ever came to
his eye.
He increased his defenses, planted all
his guns like cannon, and masked both
his town house and his bower with
trees SO that in a few seasons both habi-
tations were entirely hidden behind the
rank growth that springs up like magic
| in the tropics. He planted second crop
| in the valley near the bower and also
tablished a stockade for half his flock
, of goats there, to assure himself of a
| retreat.
| At the end of the second year his fears
| were justified by the landing of party
| of natives on a part of the beach where
! he had never been. He watched them
| with a glass from the hill and saw, to
| his horror that they had brought prison.
ers. whom they dispatched and ate while
| he looked on.
| Several times thereafter the island was
| visited by these war parties, but they
| never suspected Robinson Crusoe's. pres
| ence. So came the twenty-fifth year Of
| his residence, and he was naturalized
| to his life that he was content to live
| there till his end surrounded by his goats
| and parrots and tame fowls of the air.
Then great Spanish ship was wrecked
in storm and driven near shore without