The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-07-07
Robinson Crusoe"
ny DANIEL peFoE ========

was 30 out AT sea.
/ looked frequently al II all that
day. ard soon perceived that II Ola
not move, 20 presently concluded
that II was n ship nj anchor hnd
being eager. you may be sure. 10
be satisfied. | took my gun In my
hand, and ran towards the touth
side OF the island, TO the rocks
where I had formerly been carried
away with the current. and get
ting up there. the weather by this
time being perfectly clear. could
plainly sec. 10 my great SORROW, the
wreck Of ship. cast away In the
night upon those concealed rocks
which I found when ! was out IN
my boat. and which rocks. as they
checked the violence OF the stream,
and made a kind OF counterHtream.
or eddy. were the occasion OF my
recovering from the most desper.
ate. hopeless condition that ever
had been in In all my life
Thus. what IL one mans safety
IL another mans destruction. for II
seems thege men. whoever they
were. being out OF their knowledge.
and the rocks being wholly under
water. had been driven upon them
I'm the night, the wind blowing hard
At H. and f. n. +. Had they seen
the island. as ! must necessarily
suppose they did not. they must
ms thought. have cndeayored TO
have saved Themselves on shore by
the help OF their boat: but their fir
ing off their guns for help, espe-
ciaily when they saw. az ! imag-
ined. my fire. filled me with many
thoughts. First. imagined that
upon seeing my light. they might
have put Themselves into their
boat. and endeayored 10 make
the shore. but that the sea run
ming very high. they might have
been cast away. Other times. |
imagined that they might have lost
their boat before. as might be the
case many ways: as particularly
by the breaking OF the sea upon
their ship. which many times
obliged men 10 staye. or take in
pieces. their boat. and sometimes
TO throw IL overheard with their
own hands. Other times. imag'
med they had some other ship or
ships in company. who. upon the
signals OF distress they made, had
taken them UP and carried them
off other timer. | fancied they
were all gone 10 sea in their boat,
and being carried away by the cur
rent that | had been formerly in.
were carried out.-inio the great
ocean. where there was nothing
but misery and perishing: and
that. perhaps. they might by this
time think OF starving. and of being
In a condition to eat one another.
Az all these were but conjec-
E lures at best. so. in the condition
I was in. could do no more than
look in upon the misery OF the poor
men. and pity them: which had
still this good effect upon my side.
[ that II gave me more and moro
cause 10 give thanks to God. who
had 30 happily and comfortably
provided for me In my desolate con-
dition: and that OF two ships COM
| panies. who were now cast away
upon this part OF the world. not
one life should be spared but mine.
learned here again 10 observe.
that IL Is very rare that the provi.
dence OF God casts US into any con-
dltion OF life so low. or any misery
so great. but We may see something
or other TO be thankful for. and
may see others in worse circum.
stances than our own.
Such certainly was the case OF
these men. OF whom | coulo not
so much as see room 10 suppose
any of them were saved: nothing
could make II rational so much as
10 wish or expect that they did not
all perish there. except the posi-
bility OF their being taken up by
another ship in company: and this
was but mere possibility indeed.
for ! saw not the least signal or
appearance OF any such thing. |
cannot explain. by any possible en-.
ergy OF words. what a strange
longing felt in my soul upon this
sight. breaking out sometimes
| thus:
"oh. that there had been but
one or two. nay, or but one soul.