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

The other creature, frighted with the flash of fire and the noise of
the gun, swam on shore, and ran directly to the mountains from
whence they came; nor could I, at that distance, know what it was. I
found quickly the negroes were for eating the flesh of this
creature, so I was willing to have them take it as a favor from me;
which, when I made signs to them that they might take him, they were
very thankful for. Immediately they fell to work with him; and
though they had no knife yet, with a sharpened piece of wood, they
took off his skin as readily, and much more readily, than we could
have done it with a knife. They offered me some of the flesh, which
I declined, making as if I would give it them, but made signs for
the skin, which they gave me very freely, and brought me a great
deal more of their provision, which, though I did not understand,
yet I accepted. Then I made signs to them for some water, and held out
one of my jars to them, turning it bottom upward, to show that it
was empty, and that I wanted to have it filled. The called immediately
to some of their friends, and there came two women, and brought a
great vessel made of earth, and burnt, as I suppose, in the sun;
this they set down for me, as before, and I sent Xury on shore with my
jars, and filled them all three. There women were as stark naked as
the men.
I was now furnished with roots and corn, such as it was, and
water; and leaving my friendly negroes, I made forward for about
eleven days more, without offering to go near the shore, till I saw
the land run out a great length into the sea, at about the distance of
four or five leagues before me; and the sea being very calm, I kept
a large offing, to make this point. At length, doubling the point,
at about two leagues from the land, I saw plainly land on the other
side, to seaward; then I concluded, as it was most certain indeed,
that this was the Cape de Verde, and those the islands, called from
thence Cape de Verde Islands. However, they were at a great
distance, and I could not well tell what I had best to do; for if I
should be taken with a fresh of wind, I might neither reach one or
other.
In this dilemma, as I was very pensive, I stepped into the cabin,
and sat me down, Xury having the helm; when, on a sudden, the boy
cried out, "Master, master, a ship with a sail!" and the foolish boy
was frighted out of his wits, thinking it must needs be some of his
master's ships sent to pursue us, when I knew we were gotten far
enough out of their reach. I jumped out of the cabin, and
immediately saw, not only the ship, but what she was, viz., that it
was a Portuguese ship, and, as I thought, was bound to the coast of
Guinea, for negroes. But when I observed the course she steered, I was
soon convinced they were bound some other way, and did not design to
come any nearer to the shore; upon which I stretched out to sea as
much as I could, resolving to speak with them, if possible.
With all the sail I could make, I found I should not be able to come
in their way, but they would be gone by before I could make any signal
to them; but after I had crowded to the utmost, and began to
despair, they, it seems, saw me by the help of their perspective