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Daniel Defoe
R obinson Crusoe
Retold by Robert Jackson
s
c z y t a m y w
о г у g i n a I e
www. c^ jrta j^ r. p 1
© Mediasat Poland Bis 2004
Mediasat Poland Bis sp. z o.o.
ul. Mikolajska 26
31-02 7 Krakow
www.czytamy.pl
czytamy@czytamy.pl
Projekt okladki i ilustracje: Malgorzata Flis
Sklad: Marek Szwarnog
ISBN 83 - 89652 - 1 0 - 2
Wszelkie prawa do ksiijzki przyslugujij Mediasat Poland Bis. Jakiekolwiek publiczne korzystanie w calosci, jak i w
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wczesniejszej zgody Mediasat Poland Bis.
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Chapter I
'
Wanderlust'
з
I was born in the year 1632 in York; a
large city in northern England. I received
a good upbringing from my parents. M y
father was originally from Germany and
had made his money in buying and selling
before settling down in York and marrying
my mother, whose surname was Robinson.
This is why my first name is Robinson. M y
father's name was Kreutznaer, but this was
difficult for English people to pronounce
so it was changed to Crusoe. I had two
elder brothers,- one who died in the English
army. I never knew what happened to the
other, just as my mother and father would
never know what was to happen to me.
My father had wanted me to think about
a career in law, but from an early age I had
thoughts of adventure at sea. No advice could
possibly ever change this. W hen I told my
parents about my wishes to travel, they tried
to persuade me not to do so. I tried asking my
mother to speak with my father and persuade
him to allow me just one voyage. I promised
that if this journey was unsuccessful, I would
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return home and not think of the life at sea
anymore. My mother tried, but she made no
progress with my father, and no agreement
to my travel was given. My father explained
that travel was only for the very poor, who
had nothing to lose, or for the very rich, who
could afford to risk their money on adventure.
Middle-class boys should be happy with a life
of work. My father begged me so much, even
crying openly, that I tried to forget about my
wishes for adventure and continue living at
home. A year later, however, I could stand
it no longer, and one day, while I was at the
docks in Hull talking with sailors, I met up
with a friend who was going to London by
sea. W ithout thinking about what I was doing,
without asking for my parents' permission or
even money, I decided to join him. Together
we boarded the ship on September 1, 1651
and left the harbour on the north eastern
coast on course for London.
M y bad luck started immediately. The sea
was very rough, and I began to wish I had
never left home. I could now understand
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what a com fortable life my father had lived
and just how wrong I had been with my
own thoughts. I prayed to G od to let me
make it to land and I promised to him, in
return, that I would go back to Hull, and
from there home to my family.
However, after several days of terrible
seasickness, the sea became calm again.
The other sailors joked about the terror I
had felt. The storm, they explained, had
been very small compared to others they
had experienced. By the next day, the storm
had stopped com pletely and my promises
about returning to Hull faded away. I began
enjoying life at sea, watching the sun set
and rise over the water, and once thought,
with joy in my heart, that it was the most
beautiful sight I had ever seen.
W ithin a few more days, however, the
wind began blowing strongly once again,
and a truly violent storm began. Again I
prayed to G od to allow me to change my
mind and return home. The storm caused
panic and destruction on the boat, and the
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sailors fired their guns as a signal of trouble.
Never having heard guns before, I fainted
on the deck and was kicked aside by my
mates. W hen I awoke, I saw everyone
jumping off the ship into a smaller boat.
Seeing that it was my only way of surviving,
I quickly did the same and we sailed away
safely. I watched over my shoulder as the
ship, which we had left only moments
earlier, sank to the bottom of the ocean.
We arrived at Yarmouth, on the eastern
coast of England, and the authorities gave us
comfortable accommodation. At this point
I had to decide whether or not to continue
to London, or return to Hull. M y friend was
quick to point out that what had happened
on my first voyage was a clear sign that the
sea life was not for me. This made me very
angry and so I made my decision to travel
to London by land. I was too ashamed to go
home and would certainly be laughed at by
my friends and colleagues.
I travelled to London on foot. W hen I
arrived I decided to look for a voyage, and
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I had the good fortune of getting to know
the captain of a ship sailing to Guinea, on
the west coast of Africa. H e invited me
along and I accepted. The voyage, apart
from the seasickness, went very well. I
had bought many things in London that I
was able to sell to the people of Guinea.
This whole experience created within me,
not only an addiction to travel, but also to
doing business with the local people of this
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