The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-16

and he sent Crusoe ont with the TWO Afri-
can slaves to ateh fish for supper.
They sailed out about league from
| shore. Then Crusoe seized an opport unity
and threw one of the slaves overheard,
bidding him swim ashore and enforcing
his suggestion with gun. The other
slave a boy named Xury. promised 10 ne
faithful to him. and Robinson Crusoe kept
him aboard They made all the sail the
boat would carry. and sailed all night and
all next day to the southwark till he reck-
oned they were quite beyond the dominion
of the Emperor OF Morocco Still he dared
not stop, but sailed southwark for five
days.
Then they yentured into a little river,
where. however, they could net land ex-
eept IN the daytime, because of the
dreadful barkings. roaring and howlings
of wild creatures. They went on for
many days and found that all the coast
was infested with wild beasts to such
a degree that not even the wild and
savage negroes would dispute possession
with the eopards, lions and other fHri-
Gus beasts that harbored there.
Robinson Crusoe succeeded in shooting
lion that was more terrible and great
than any he had seen before, and lie
dried the monsters hide on the calm
roof. After p DAYS of sailing along t.. g
dreadful shore he fell in with a Ports
gese ship bound to the Brazlls.
The captain took them aboard and re-
fused all reeonpense. but declared that
he would land them safely in Brazil If
8
said he, you would only be starved
there, and thus would take away the life
have given"
He bought the long boat for 50 pieces
of eight gave Robinson Crusoe 60 pieces
| for the lions skin and other hides, and
on arrival in All-saint's Day sold Crusoe's
cargo to such advantage that he cleared
go pieces of eight
This was not all The captain bought
Xury for 60 pieces. Robinson Crusoe was
reluctant to sell the boy. but the captain
agreed to set him at liberty within ten
years if he turned Christian, and xury
was willing, so the sale was made.
He was not ashore long berore he re-
GREETED bitterly that he had sold the boy
who had helped him to his own liberty.
He bought land and made ready a great
piece for planting sugar cane Then he
found that he needed help and none could
be had; and he realized that he had in
deed done a great wrong when he sold
&ury. However it was too late to rem
edy the wrong and Robinson Crusoe had
no way out of it save to go on by him
self and labor with his own hands
! ST i'm
that he had gone 5000 miles and passed
through slavery and shipwreck to enter
that very middle station or upper de-
gree of low life which his father had
advised in England
What grieyed him more than all was
| that he had hardly neighbor to speak
with him, and he fretted at the solitude.
Afterward he reflected often how I'M
justly he had called that life solitude be-
fore he knew what true solitude was
But these thoughts did not come to
him then. He increased in wealth as his
plantation improved, only to wish for
something more. He could not stay in
one spot. He was restless TO wander.
He began TO speak to his fellow plant
ers at every opportunity about the coast
of Guinea, and fired them with lust They
grew particularly excited over the pros
pect of obtaining plenty of slaves, for
! the Brazls were short of laborers and
the business of slave dealing was a pri-
yate perquisite of the thrifty kings of
Spain and Portugal who kept prices ex-
| cessively high.
They agreed to look after his plantation
| in his absence and hold it safely for
| him If he would take charge of the ship.
Robinson Crusoe knew that it was pre-
posterous for him to GO In three or
four years he might with fair reason
hope to be worth three or four thousand
pounds If he would only attend to his
business of planting; but he could not
resist the temptation.
In an evil hour, the 1st of September
1859, being the same day as the one eight
years ago when he ran away from home,
he embarked with ii men on his 100
ton bark of six guns, with a cargo of
trade stuff such as beads, knives, scis-
sors and hatchets
They passed the line in about p DAYS
and were in degrees % minutes north
ern latitude when a great tornado took
them. 1t came from the southeast
tied to the northeast, whence it blew
so hard for - days that they had to let
| the ship drive.
On the twelfth day the master made
an observation and found that the yes
sci was in about II degrees north lati-
tude, but that he was % degrees of
| longitude difference west of Cape st.
Augustine, off which they had been
when they made their last observation.
This showed them that they were on
the coast of Guiana beyond the River
Amazones, and toward that of the
| River Oronoque. commonly called the
Great River.
They steered westward with their
| crippled vessel in the hope Of reaching
the English Carbide Islands. where
they might make repairs; but in the
latitude of ~ degrees is minutes a
second storm fell upon them and after
they had driven before it for some days
the ship struck
In a moment, her way being stopped
the sea broke over her Expecting her
TO break up at any moment they got
the boat over and committed themselves
TO Gods mercy and the wild sea The
wind drove them toward shore wifeh
law about league away. When they
approached #, It looked more frightful
than the sea. A raging wave. noun