The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
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The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
Children's literature
The captain made a very just proposal to me upon this consultation
of theirs, viz., that perhaps they would all fire a volley again,
to endeavor to make their fellows hear, and that we should all
sally upon them just at the juncture when their pieces were all
discharged, and they would certainly yield, and we should have
them without bloodshed. I liked this proposal, provided it was
done while we were near enough to come up to them before they
could load their pieces again. But this event did not happen; and
we lay still a long time, very irresolute what course to take. At
length I told them there would be nothing done, in my opinion,
till night; and then, if they did not return to the boat, perhaps
we might find a way to get between them and the shore, and so
might use some stratagem with them in the boat to get them on
shore. We waited a great while, though very impatient for their
removing; and were very uneasy when, after long consultation, we
saw them all start up and march down towards the sea; it seems
they had such dreadful apprehension of the danger of the place
that they resolved to go on board the, ship again, give their
companions over for lost, and so go on with their intended voyage
with the ship.
As soon as I perceived them go towards the shore, I imagined it to
be as it really was, that they had given over their search, and
were going back again, and the captain, as soon as I told him my
thoughts, was ready to sink at the apprehensions of it; but I
presently thought of a stratagem to fetch them back again, and
which answered my end to a title. I ordered Friday and the
captain's mate to go over the little creek westward, towards the
place where the savages came on shore when Friday was rescued, and
so soon as they came to a little rising ground, at about half a
mile distant, I bid them halloo out, as loud as they could, and
wait till they found the seamen heard them; that as soon as ever
they heard the seamen answer them, they should return it again;
and then, keeping out of sight, take a round, always answering
when the others hallooed, to draw them as far into the island and
among the woods as possible, and then wheel about again to me by
such ways as I directed them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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