so as to have her again if I wanted her. In about three miles or thereabout, coasting the shore, I came to a very good inlet or bay, about a mile over, which narrowed till it came to a very little rivulet or brook, where I found a very convenient harbour for my boat, and where she lay as if she had been in a little dock made on purpose for her. Here I put in, and having stowed my boat very carefully, I went on shore to look about me and see where I was.

I soon found I had but a little passed by the place where I had been before, when I travelled on foot to that shore; so taking nothing out of my boat but my gun and umbrella, for it was exceedingly hot, I began my march. The way was comfortable enough after such a voyage as I had been upon, and I reached my old bower in the evening, where I found everything standing as I left it; for I always kept it in good order, it being, as I said before, my country-house.

I got over the fence, and laid me down in the shade to rest my limbs, for I was very weary, and fell asleep; but judge, if you can, you that read my story, what a surprise I must have been in, when I was awaked out of my sleep by a voice calling me by my name several times," Robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe; poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you, Robin Crusoe? Where are you? Where have you been?"

I was so dead asleep at first, being fatigued with rowing, or paddling, as it is called, the first part of the day, and with walking the latter part, that I did not wake thoroughly; but, dozing between sleeping and waking, I thought I dreamed that somebody spoke to me. As the voice continued to repeat, "Robin Crusoe Robin Crusoe!" at last I began to wake

more perfectly, and was at first dreadfully frightened, and started up in the utmost consternation; but no sooner were my eyes open than I saw my Poll sitting on the top of the hedge, and immediately knew it For just in such bemoan

was he that spoke to me. ing language I had used to talk to him and teach him; and he had learned it so perfectly that he would sit upon my finger, and lay his bill close to my face, and cry, "Poor Robin Crusoe ! Where are you? Where have you been?

How came you

here?" and such things as I had taught him.

However, even though I knew it was the parrot, and that, indeed, it could be nobody else, it was a good while before I could compose myself. First, I was amazed how the creature got thither; and then, how he should just keep about the place, and nowhere else. But as I was well satisfied it could be nobody but honest Poll, I got over it, and holding out my hand, and calling him by his name, "Poll!" the sociable creature came to me, and sat upon my thumb, as he used to do, and continued talking to me, Poor Robin Crusoe! and how did I come here? and where had I been? just as if he had been overjoyed to see me again; and so I carried him home along with me.

I now had had enough of rambling to sea for some time, and had enough to do for many days to sit still and reflect upon the danger I had been in. I remained nearly a year, living a very sedate, retired life, as you may well suppose; and my thoughts being very much composed as to my condition, and fully comforted in resigning myself to the dispositions of Providence, I thought I lived really very happily in all things, except that of society.

I improved myself during this time in all the mechanical exercises which my necessities put me upon applying myself to; and I believed I could, upon occasion, have made a very good carpenter, especially considering how few tools I had.

THE FOOT-PRINT ON THE SAND.

It happened one day, about noon, going towards my boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked foot on the shore, which was very plainly to be seen in the sand. I stood like one thunder-struck. I listened, I looked around me, but I could hear nothing, nor see anything. I went up to a rising ground to look further; I went up the shore, and down the shore, but it was all one: I could see no other impression but that one. to it again, to see if there were any more, and to observe if it might not be my fancy; but there was no room for that, for there was exactly the print of a foot, toes, heel, and every part of a foot.

I went

How it came thither I knew not, nor could I in the least imagine; but after innumerable fluttering thoughts, like a man perfectly confused and out of myself, I came home to my fortification, not feeling, as we say, the ground I went on, but terrified to the last degree; looking behind me at every two or three steps, mistaking every bush and tree, and fancying every stump at a distance to be a man. Nor is it possible to describe how many various shapes my affrighted imagination represented things to me in, how many wild ideas were found every moment in my fancy, and what strange fancies came into my thoughts by the way..

At last I concluded that it must be some of the savages of the mainland over against me, who had wandered out to sea in their canoes, and, either driven by the currents or by contrary winds, had made the island, and had been on shore, but were gone away again to sea; being as loath, perhaps, to have stayed in this desolate island as I would have been to have had them.

How strange a checker-work of Providence is the life of man! To-day we love what to-morrow we hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; today we desire what to-morrow we fear, nay, even tremble at the apprehension of. This was exemplified in me, at this time, in the most lively manner imaginable;-for I, whose only affliction was that I seemed banished from human society; that I was alone, circumscribed by the boundless ocean, cut off from mankind, and condemned to what I called silent life; that I was as one whom Heaven thought not worthy to be numbered among the living, or to appear among the rest of his creatures; that to have seen one of my own species would have seemed to me a raising me from death to life, and the greatest blessing that Heaven itself, next to the supreme blessing of salvation, could bestow;-I say, I now trembled at the very apprehension of seeing a man, and was ready to sink into the gronnd at but the shadow, or silent appearance, of a man having set his foot on the island.

Such is the uneven state of human life; and it afforded me a great many curious speculations afterwards, when I had a little recovered my first surprise.

I considered that this was the station of life the infinitely wise and good providence of God had determined for me: that, as I could not foresee what the ends of Divine Wisdom might be in all this, so I was not to dispute his sovereignty, who, as I was his creature, had an undoubted right, by creation, to govern and dispose of me absolutely as he thought fit; and who, as I was a creature that had offended him, had likewise a judicial right to condemn me to what punishment he thought fit: and that it was my part to submit to bear his indignation, because I had sinned against him. I then reflected, that as God, who was not only righteous, but omnipotent, had thought fit thus to punish and afflict me, so he was able to deliver me: that, if he did not think fit to do so, it was my unquestionable duty to resign myself absolutely and entirely to his will; and, on the other hand, it was my duty also to hope in him, pray to him, and quietly to attend the dictates and directions of his daily providence.

These thoughts took me up many hours, days, nay, I may say, weeks and months; and one particular effect of my cogitations on this occasion I cannot omit. One morning early, lying in bed, and filled with thoughts about my danger from the appearances of savages, I found it discomposed me very much; upon which these words of the Scripture came into my thoughts, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Upon this, rising cheerfully out of my bed, my heart was not only comforted, but I was guided and encouraged to pray earnestly to God for deliverance. When 1 had done praying, I took up my Bible, and