The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Chapter 16, 17, 18

The captain made a very just proposal to me upon this consultation of theirs, namely, that, perhaps, they would all fire a volley again to endeavour 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 the 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 to be 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 strategem 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 consultations, we saw them start all up and march down toward the sea; it seems they had such dreadful apprehensions upon them 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 for going back again; and the captain, as soon as I had told him my thoughts, was ready to sink at the apprehensions of it; but I presently thought of a strategem to fetch them back again, and which answered my end to a tittle.

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 as soon as they came to a little rising ground, at about half a mile’s distance, I bade them halloo 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.

They were just going into the boat, when Friday and the mate hallooed, and they presently heard them, and answering, ran along the shore westward, towards the voice they heard, when they were presently stopped by the creek, where the water being up, they could not get over, and called for the boat to come up and set them over, as indeed I expected.

When they had set themselves over, I observed that the boat being gone up a good way into the creek, and, as it were, in a harbour within the land, they took one of the three men out of her to go along with them, and left only two in the boat, having fastened her to the stump of a little tree on the shore.

This was what I wished for, and immediately leaving Friday and the captain’s mate to their business, I took the rest with me, and, crossing the creek out of their sight, we surprised the two men before they were aware, one of them lying on shore, and the other being in the boat; the fellow on shore was between sleeping and waking, and, going to start up, the captain, who was foremost, ran in upon him and knocked him down, and then called out to him in the boat to yield, or he was a dead man.

The Mutineers Calling to their Mates.

There needed very few arguments to persuade a single man to yield, when he saw five men upon him, and his comrade knocked down; besides, this was, it seems, one of the three who were not so hearty in the mutiny as the rest of the crew, and therefore was easily persuaded not only to yield, but afterwards to join very sincerely with us.

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