Робинзон Крузо
Wrecked on a desert island
thatasitwasatradethatcouldnotbecarriedonbecausetheycouldnotpubliclysellthenegroeswhentheycamehome,sotheydesiredtomakebutonevoyage,tobringthenegroesonshoreprivately,anddividethemamongtheirownplantations; and,inaword,thequestionwas,whetherIwouldgotheirsupercargointheship,tomanagethetradingpartuponthecoastofGuinea; andtheyofferedmethatIshouldhavemyequalshareofthenegroeswithoutprovidinganypartofthestock.
Thiswasafairproposal,itmustbeconfessed,haditbeenmadetoanyonethathadnotasettlementandplantationofhisowntolookafter, whichwasinafairwayofcomingtobeveryconsiderable,andwithagoodstockuponit. Butforme,thatwasthusenteredandestablished,andhadnothingtodobutgoonasIhadbegun,forthreeorfouryearsmore,andtohavesentfortheotherhundredpoundsfromEngland; andwho,inthattime,andwiththatlittleaddition,couldscarcehavefailedofbeingworththreeorfourthousandpoundssterling,andthatincreasingtoo—formetothinkofsuchavoyage,wasthemostpreposterousthingthateverman,insuchcircumstances,couldbeguiltyof.
ButI,thatwasborntobemyowndestroyer,couldnomoreresisttheofferthanIcouldrestrainmyfirstramblingdesigns,whenmyfather’sgoodcounselwaslostuponme. Inaword,ItoldthemIwouldgowithallmyheart,iftheywouldundertaketolookaftermyplantationinmyabsence,andwoulddisposeofittosuchasIshoulddirectifImiscarried. Thistheyallengagedtodo,andenteredintowritingsorcovenantstodoso;andImadeaformalwilldisposingofmyplantationandeffect,incaseofmydeath; makingthecaptainoftheshipthathadsavedmylife,asbefore,myuniversalheir,butobliginghimtodisposeofmyeffectsasIhaddirectedinmywill;one-halfoftheproducebeingtohimself,andtheothertobeshippedtoEngland.
