"Children's Books - Defoe, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe" - читать интересную книгу автора (Children's Books)

an excellent swimmer.
I could have been content to have taken this Moor with me, and
have drowned the boy, but there was no venturing to trust him. When he
was gone I turned to the boy, whom they called Xury, and said to
him, "Xury, if you will be faithful to me I'll make you a great man;
but if you will not stroke your face to be true to me," this is, swear
by Mahomet and his father's beard, "I must throw you into the sea
too." The boy smiled in my face, and spoke so innocently, that I could
not mistrust him, and swore to be faithful to me, and go all over
the world with me.
While I was in view of the Moor that was swimming, I stood out
directly to sea with the boat, rather stretching to windward, that
they might think me gone towards the straits' mouth (as indeed any one
that had been in their wits must have been supposed to do); for who
would have supposed we were sailed on to the southward to the truly
barbarian coast, where whole nations of negroes were sure to
surround us with their canoes, and destroy us; where we could ne'er
once go on shore but we should be devoured by savage beasts, or more
merciless savages of humankind?
But as soon as it grew dusk in the evening, I changed my course, and
steered directly south and by east, bending my course a little
toward the east, that I might keep in with the shore; and having a
fair, fresh gale of wind, and a smooth, quiet sea, I made such sail
that I believe by the next day at three o'clock in the afternoon, when
I first made the land, I could not be less than 150 miles south of
Sallee; quite beyond the Emperor of Morocco's dominions, or indeed
of any other king thereabouts, for we saw no people.
Yet such was the fright I had taken at the Moors, and the dreadful
apprehensions I had of falling into their hands, that I would not
stop, or go on shore, or come to an anchor, the wind continuing
fair, till I had sailed in that manner five days; and then the wind
shifting to the southward, I concluded also that if any of our vessels
were in chase of me, they also would now give over; so I ventured to
make to the coast, and came to an anchor in the mouth of a little
river, I knew not what, or where; neither what latitude, what country,
what nations, or what river. I neither saw, nor desired to see, any
people; the principal thing I wanted was fresh water. We came into
this creek in the evening, resolving to swim on shore as soon as it
was dark, and discover the country; but as soon as it was quite dark
we heard such dreadful noises of the barking, roaring, and howling
of wild creatures, of we knew not what kinds, that the poor boy was
ready to die with fear, and begged me not to go on shore till day.
"Well, Xury," said I, "then I won't; but it may be we may see men by
day, who will be as bad to us as these lions." "Then we give them
the shoot gun," says Xury, laughing; "make them run 'way." Such
English Xury spoke by conversing among us slaves. However, I was
glad to see the boy so cheerful, and I gave him a dram (out of our
patron's case of bottles) to cheer him up. After all, Xury's advice
was good, and I took it; we dropped our little anchor and lay still
all night. I say still, for we slept none; for in two or three hours