Робинзон Крузо
The Ship Recovered
Iresolvedtowait,toseeiftheydidnotseparate;and,therefore,tomakesureofthem,Idrewmyambuscadenearer, andorderedFridayandthecaptaintocreepupontheirhandsandfeet,asclosetothegroundastheycould,thattheymightnotbediscovered,andgetasnearthemastheycouldpossibly,beforetheyofferedtofire.
Theyhadnotbeenlonginthatposturebutthattheboatswain,whowastheprincipalringleaderofthemutiny,andhadnowshownhimselfthemostdejectedanddispiritedofalltherest,camewalkingtowardsthem,withtwomoreoftheircrew. Thecaptainwassoeager,ashavingthisprincipalroguesomuchinhispowerthathecouldhardlyhavepatiencetolethimcomesonearastobesureofhim,fortheyonlyheardhistonguebefore, butwhentheycamenearer,thecaptainandFriday,startingupontheirfeet,letflyatthem.
Theboatswainwaskilleduponthespot; thenextmanwasshotintothebody,andfelljustbyhim,thoughhedidnotdietillanhourortwoafter; andthethirdranforit.
AtthenoiseofthefireIimmediatelyadvancedwithmywholearmy,whichwasnoweightmen,viz.,myself,generalissimo,Friday,mylieutenant-general; thecaptainandhistwomen,andthethreeprisonersofwar,whomwehadtrustedwitharms.
Wecameuponthem,indeed,inthedark,sothattheycouldnotseeournumber; andImadethemanwehadleftintheboat,whowasnowoneofus,calltothembyname,totryifIcouldbringthemtoaparley,andsomightperhapsreducethemtoterms,whichfelloutjustaswedesired; forindeeditwaseasytothink,astheirconditionthenwas,theywouldbeverywillingtocapitulate.
