OXFORD

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Great C l a r e n d o n Street, Oxford 0 x 2 6 D P

Oxford University Press is a d e p a r t m e n t of t h e University of Oxford.
It furthers t h e University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide in
Oxford N e w York CONTENTS
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam H o n g Kong Karachi
Kuala L u m p u r Madrid M e l b o u r n e Mexico City Nairobi
N e w Delhi S h a n g h a i Taipei Toronto
W i t h offices i n
STORY INTRODUCTION i
A r g e n t i n a Austria Brazil Chile C z e c h Republic F r a n c e Greece
G u a t e m a l a H u n g a r y Italy J a p a n P o l a n d Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam 1 My first sea journey 1
O X F O R D and O X F O R D E N G L I S H are registered trade marks of
Oxford University Press in t h e UK a n d in c e r t a i n o t h e r c o u n t r i e s 2 Down the coast of Africa 5
T h i s s i m p l i f i e d e d i t i o n © O x f o r d U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s 2000
3 The storm and the shipwreck 10
Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
F i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n O x f o r d B o o k w o r m s 1993 4 A new life on an island 13
22 24 26 28 30 29 2 7 2 5 2 3 2 1

No unauthorized photocopying 5 Learning to live alone 16

All r i g h t s r e s e r v e d . N o p a r t o f t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n m a y b e r e p r o d u c e d ,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
6 A footprint 23
w i t h o u t t h e prior p e r m i s s i o n in w r i t i n g of Oxford University Press,
o r a s expressly p e r m i t t e d b y law, o r u n d e r t e r m s a g r e e d w i t h t h e a p p r o p r i a t e
7 Man Friday 26
reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction
o u t s i d e t h e s c o p e o f t h e a b o v e s h o u l d b e s e n t t o t h e ELT R i g h t s D e p a r t m e n t , 8 Escape from the island 33
Oxford University Press, at t h e address above
You m u s t n o t c i r c u l a t e t h i s b o o k i n a n y o t h e r b i n d i n g o r c o v e r 9 Home in England 39
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer

Any websites referred to in this publication are in the public d o m a i n and

t h e i r addresses a r e p r o v i d e d by Oxford University Press for i n f o r m a t i o n only.
Oxford University Press disclaims a n y responsibility for t h e c o n t e n t
GLOSSARY
42
ISBN: 9780194229845 ACTIVITIES: Before Reading 44
A c o m p l e t e recording of this Bookworms edition of
ACTIVITIES: While Reading 45
Robinson Crusoe i s a v a i l a b l e o n c a s s e t t e I S B N 978 0 1 9 4 2 2 7 7 3

Printed in Hong Kong ACTIVITIES: After Reading 48

M a p s by: M a r t i n U r s e l l ABOUT THE AUTHOR
52
ABOUT BOOKWORMS 53
 1
My first sea journey

Before I begin my story, I w o u l d like to tell you a little

a b o u t myself.
I w a s b o r n in the year 1 6 3 2 , in the city of Y o r k in the
n o r t h of England. My father w a s G e r m a n , b u t he c a m e
to live a n d w o r k in England. Soon after t h a t , he m a r r i e d
m y m o t h e r , w h o w a s English. H e r family n a m e w a s
R o b i n s o n , so, w h e n I w a s b o r n , they called me R o b i n s o n ,
after her.
My father did well in his business a n d I w e n t to a g o o d
school. He w a n t e d me to get a g o o d j o b a n d live a quiet,
comfortable life. But I
didn't want that. I
wanted adventure and
an exciting life.

I wanted adventure and an exciting life.

1
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
'I w a n t to be a sailor a n d go to sea,' I told my m o t h e r
a n d father. T h e y were very u n h a p p y a b o u t this.
'Please d o n ' t g o , ' m y father said. ' Y o u w o n ' t b e
h a p p y , y o u k n o w . Sailors have a difficult a n d d a n g e r o u s
life.' A n d because I loved h i m , a n d he w a s u n h a p p y , I
tried to forget a b o u t the sea.
But I c o u l d n ' t forget, a n d a b o u t a year later, I s a w a
friend in t o w n . His father h a d a ship, a n d my friend said
t o m e , ' W e ' r e sailing t o L o n d o n t o m o r r o w . W h y d o n ' t
y o u c o m e w i t h us?'
A n d so, o n September 1st, 1 6 5 1 , I w e n t t o H u l l , a n d
the next d a y we sailed for L o n d o n .
But, a few days later, there w a s a s t r o n g w i n d . T h e sea
w a s r o u g h a n d d a n g e r o u s , a n d the ship w e n t u p a n d
d o w n , up a n d d o w n . I w a s very ill, a n d very afraid.
The sea was rough and dangerous.
2 3
My first sea journey
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
' O h , I d o n ' t w a n t to die!' I cried. 'I w a n t to live! If I
live, I'll go h o m e a n d never go to sea again!'
T h e n e x t day the w i n d d r o p p e d , a n d the sea w a s quiet
a n d beautiful again.
'Well, B o b , ' my friend laughed. ' H o w do y o u feel
now? The wind wasn't too bad.'
' W h a t ! ' I cried. 'It w a s a terrible s t o r m . '
' O h , t h a t w a s n ' t a s t o r m , ' my friend answered. 'Just a
little w i n d . Forget it. C o m e a n d have a drink.'
After a few drinks w i t h my friend, I felt better. I forgot
a b o u t the danger a n d decided n o t to go h o m e . I d i d n ' t
w a n t my friends a n d family to l a u g h at me!
I stayed in L o n d o n for s o m e t i m e , b u t I still w a n t e d to
go to sea. So, w h e n the c a p t a i n of a ship asked me to go
with h i m to Guinea in Africa, I agreed. A n d so I w e n t to
sea for the second t i m e .
It w a s a g o o d ship a n d everything w e n t well at first,
b u t I w a s very ill again. T h e n , w h e n we w e r e n e a r the
C a n a r y Islands, a T u r k i s h p i r a t e ship c a m e after us.
They w e r e famous thieves of the sea at t h a t time. T h e r e
w a s a long, h a r d fight, b u t w h e n it finished, we a n d the
ship w e r e prisoners.
T h e T u r k i s h c a p t a i n a n d his m e n t o o k us to Sallee in
M o r o c c o . T h e y w a n t e d to sell us as slaves in t h e m a r k e t s
there. But in the e n d t h e T u r k i s h c a p t a i n decided to keep
me for himself, a n d t o o k me h o m e w i t h him. T h i s w a s a
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

sudden a n d terrible change in my life. I w a s n o w a slave 2

a n d this T u r k i s h c a p t a i n w a s m y m a s t e r .
Down the coast of Africa

For t w o long years I lived the life of a slave. I w o r k e d in

the h o u s e a n d the g a r d e n , a n d every day I p l a n n e d to
escape, b u t it w a s never possible. I t h o u g h t a b o u t it day
a n d night. My m a s t e r liked to go fishing in a little b o a t ,
a n d he always t o o k me w i t h h i m . A m a n called M o e l y ,
a n d a y o u n g b o y also w e n t w i t h us.
O n e day my m a s t e r said to us, 'Some of my friends
w a n t t o g o f i s h i n g t o m o r r o w . Get the b o a t r e a d y . '
So we p u t a lot of food a n d d r i n k on the b o a t , a n d the
next m o r n i n g , we w a i t e d for my m a s t e r a n d his friends.
But w h e n my master arrived, he w a s alone.
' M y friends d o n ' t w a n t t o g o f i s h i n g t o d a y , ' h e said t o
m e . 'But y o u g o w i t h M o e l y a n d the boy, a n d catch some
fish for o u r supper t o n i g h t . '
'Yes, m a s t e r , ' I a n s w e r e d (quietly, b u t inside I w a s
excited. ' P e r h a p s n o w I c a n escape,' I said to myself.
M y m a s t e r w e n t b a c k t o his friends a n d w e t o o k the
b o a t o u t to sea. For a time we fished quietly, a n d t h e n I
m o v e d carefully b e h i n d M o e l y a n d k n o c k e d h i m i n t o the
w a t e r . 'Swim!' I cried. 'Swim to the shore!'
My master liked to shoot seabirds and so there were
guns on the boat. Quickly, I t o o k one of these guns. Moely
was swimming after the boat a n d I shouted to h i m :

5
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
' G o b a c k to the shore! Y o u can swim there - it's n o t
t o o far. I w o n ' t h u r t y o u , b u t if y o u c o m e n e a r the b o a t ,
I'll s h o o t you t h r o u g h the h e a d ! ' So M o e l y t u r n e d , a n d
s w a m b a c k to the shore as quickly as he could.
'Swim back to the shore!' I shouted.
6 7
Down the coast of Africa
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
T h e n I said to the boy, ' X u r y , if you help m e , I'll be a
good friend to y o u . If you d o n ' t help m e , I'll push you
into the sea t o o . '
But X u r y w a s h a p p y to help m e . 'I'll go all over the
world w i t h y o u , ' he cried.
I w a n t e d to sail to the C a n a r y Islands, b u t I w a s afraid
to go t o o far from the shore. It w a s only a small boat.
And so we sailed on south for s o m e days. We h a d very
little w a t e r , a n d it w a s d a n g e r o u s c o u n t r y here, with
many wild a n i m a l s . We were afraid, b u t we often h a d to
go on shore to get m o r e w a t e r . O n c e I used a g u n to shoot
a wild a n i m a l . I d o n ' t k n o w w h a t a n i m a l it w a s , but it
m a d e a g o o d meal.
For a b o u t ten or twelve days we sailed on s o u t h , d o w n
the coast of Africa. T h e n o n e d a y we saw s o m e people on
the shore - strange, wild people, w h o did n o t look
friendly. By n o w we h a d very little food, a n d we really
needed help. We w e r e afraid, b u t we h a d to go on shore.
At first, they w e r e afraid of u s , t o o . P e r h a p s white
people never visited this coast. We did n o t speak their
language, of course, so we used o u r h a n d s a n d faces to
s h o w t h a t we were hungry. T h e y c a m e w i t h food for us,
but t h e n they m o v e d a w a y quickly. We carried the food
to o u r b o a t , a n d they w a t c h e d us. I tried to t h a n k t h e m ,
but I h a d n o t h i n g to give t h e m .
Just then t w o big wild cats c a m e d o w n to the shore
 Robinson Crusoe Down the coast of Africa
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

I think they were leopards.

from the m o u n t a i n s . I t h i n k they were l e o p a r d s . T h e

people w e r e afraid of these wild cats, a n d the w o m e n
cried out. Quickly, I t o o k a gun, a n d shot o n e of the
animals. T h e second wild cat r a n b a c k up into the
mountains.
G u n s w e r e n e w to these African people, a n d they w e r e
afraid of the loud noise a n d the s m o k e . But they were
h a p p y a b o u t the d e a d wild cat. I gave t h e m the m e a t of
the d e a d a n i m a l , a n d they gave us m o r e food a n d w a t e r .
We n o w h a d a lot of food a n d w a t e r , a n d we sailed o n .
Eleven days later we c a m e near the C a p e Verde Islands. Then I remembered the guns which made a lot of smoke.
We could see t h e m , b u t we c o u l d n ' t get near because Then I r e m e m b e r e d the guns which m a d e a lot of s m o k e .
there w a s n o w i n d . W e w a i t e d . A few m i n u t e s later the ship saw us a n d t u r n e d .
Suddenly X u r y called to m e , ' L o o k , a ship!' W h e n w e were o n the ship, the Portuguese c a p t a i n
H e w a s right! W e called a n d s h o u t e d a n d sailed o u r listened to my story. He w a s going to Brazil a n d agreed
little b o a t as fast as we could. But the ship did n o t see us. to help m e , b u t he w a n t e d n o t h i n g for his help. ' N o , ' he

8 9
 Robinson Crusoe The storm and the shipwreck
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

said, w h e n I tried to p a y h i m . ' P e r h a p s , one day, s o m e o n e myself. T h e n o n e m o r n i n g o n e of the sailors s a w land,

will help me w h e n I need it.' but the next m i n u t e o u r ship hit s o m e sand just u n d e r the
But he gave me m o n e y for my b o a t , a n d for X u r y , t o o . sea. T h e ship c o u l d n o t m o v e a n d we w e r e really in
At first, I did n o t w a n t to sell X u r y as a slave, after all o u r danger n o w . T h e sea w a s trying to break the ship into
d a n g e r o u s adventures together. But X u r y w a s h a p p y t o pieces, a n d we h a d very little time. Quickly, we p u t a
go to t h e c a p t a i n , a n d the c a p t a i n w a s a g o o d m a n . 'In boat into the sea a n d got off the ship. But the sea w a s very
ten y e a r s ' t i m e , ' he said, ' X u r y c a n go free.'
W h e n we arrived in Brazil three w e e k s later, I said
g o o d b y e to the c a p t a i n a n d X u r y , left the ship, a n d w e n t
to begin a n e w life.

3
The storm and the shipwreck

I stayed in Brazil a n d w o r k e d h a r d for some years. By

then I w a s rich . . . b u t also b o r e d . O n e day some friends
c a m e t o m e a n d said, ' W e ' r e going t o Africa t o d o
business. W h y d o n ' t y o u c o m e w i t h us? We'll all be rich
after this journey!'
H o w stupid I w a s ! I h a d an easy, comfortable life in
One of the sailors saw land.
Brazil, b u t , of course, I agreed. A n d so, in 1 6 5 9 , I w e n t to
sea again. rough a n d o u r little b o a t could n o t live for long in t h a t
At first, all w e n t well, b u t t h e n there w a s a terrible wild w a t e r .
s t o r m . For twelve days the w i n d a n d the rain d i d n ' t s t o p . Half an h o u r later the angry sea t u r n e d o u r b o a t over
We lost three m e n in the sea, a n d s o o n the ship h a d holes and we w e r e all in the w a t e r . I l o o k e d r o u n d for my
in its sides. ' W e ' r e all going to die this t i m e , ' I said to friends, b u t I c o u l d see n o b o d y . I w a s alone.

10 11
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

4
A new life on an island

When day c a m e , the sea w a s quiet again. I l o o k e d for o u r

ship a n d , to my surprise, it w a s still there a n d still in one
piece. 'I t h i n k I can swim to it,' I said to myself. So I
walked d o w n to the sea a n d before long, I w a s at the ship
and w a s s w i m m i n g r o u n d it. But h o w could I get on to it?
In the end, I got in t h r o u g h a hole in t h e side, b u t it w a s n ' t
easy.
I fell on the wet sand. There w a s a lot of w a t e r in the ship, b u t the sand under
T h a t d a y I w a s lucky, a n d the sea carried me to the the sea w a s still holding the ship in o n e place. T h e back of
shore. I could n o t see the land, only m o u n t a i n s of w a t e r the ship w a s high o u t of the w a t e r , a n d I w a s very
all a r o u n d m e . T h e n , suddenly, I felt the g r o u n d u n d e r thankful for this because all the ship's food w a s there. I
my feet. A n o t h e r m o u n t a i n of w a t e r c a m e , p u s h e d me up was very h u n g r y so I began to eat s o m e t h i n g at once.
the beach, a n d I fell on the wet sand. Then I decided to t a k e
At first I w a s very thankful to be alive. Slowly, I got to some of it back to the
my feet a n d w e n t higher up the shore. F r o m there, I shore with me. But h o w
looked o u t to sea. I could see o u r ship, b u t it w a s w r e c k e d could I get it there?
a n d there w a s n o b o d y near it. T h e r e w a s n o b o d y in the I looked a r o u n d the
w a t e r . All my friends were dead. I w a s alive, b u t in a ship, a n d after a few
strange wild c o u n t r y , w i t h n o food, n o w a t e r , a n d n o minutes, I found s o m e
gun. long pieces of w o o d . I
It w a s d a r k n o w a n d I w a s tired. I w a s afraid to sleep tied them together with
on the shore. Perhaps there were wild animals there. So I rope. T h e n I got the
I tied the pieces of wood
w e n t up i n t o a tree a n d I stayed there all night. things t h a t I w a n t e d together with rope.

13
 Robinson Crusoe
A new life on an island
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

from the ship. T h e r e

The n e x t day I t h o u g h t a b o u t t h e possible d a n g e r s on
w a s a big b o x of food the island. W e r e there wild a n i m a l s , a n d p e r h a p s wild
- rice, and salted people t o o , on my island? I d i d n ' t k n o w , b u t I w a s very
m e a t , a n d h a r d ship's afraid. So I decided to build a very s t r o n g fence. I cut
b r e a d . I also t o o k d o w n y o u n g trees a n d p u t t h e m in t h e g r o u n d , in a half-
m a n y strong knives circle a r o u n d the front of my tent. I used m a n y of the
I took many tools.
a n d o t h e r t o o l s , the ship's ropes t o o , a n d in t h e end my fence w a s as s t r o n g as
ship's sails a n d r o p e s , p a p e r , p e n s , b o o k s , a n d seven a stone wall. N o b o d y c o u l d get over it, t h r o u g h it, or
guns. N o w I needed a little sail from t h e ship, a n d t h e n I r o u n d it.
w a s ready. Slowly a n d carefully, I w e n t b a c k to the M a k i n g tents a n d building fences is h a r d w o r k . I
shore. It w a s difficult to s t o p my things from falling into needed m a n y t o o l s to help m e . So I decided to go b a c k to
the sea, b u t in the end I got everything on to the shore. the ship again, a n d get s o m e m o r e things.
N o w I n e e d e d s o m e w h e r e to keep my things. I w e n t b a c k twelve times, but s o o n after my twelfth
T h e r e w e r e some hills a r o u n d m e , so I decided to build
myself a little house on o n e of t h e m . I w a l k e d to the t o p
of the highest hill a n d l o o k e d d o w n . I w a s very u n h a p p y ,
because I s a w then t h a t I w a s on an island. T h e r e w e r e
t w o smaller islands a few miles a w a y , a n d after t h a t , only
the sea. J u s t the sea, for mile after mile after mile.
After a t i m e , I found a little cave in the side of a hill. In
front of it, there w a s a g o o d place to m a k e a h o m e . So, I
used the ship's sails, r o p e , a n d pieces of w o o d , a n d after
a lot of h a r d w o r k I h a d a very fine tent. T h e cave at the
back of my tent w a s a g o o d place to keep my food, a n d so
I called it my 'kitchen'. T h a t night, I w e n t to sleep in my
new home.
The fence round my tent was as strong as a stone wall.
14 15
 Robinson Crusoe Learning to live alone
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

visit there w a s a n o t h e r terrible s t o r m . T h e n e x t m o r n i n g , places to p u t all my food, a n d all my tools a n d g u n s . But

w h e n I l o o k e d o u t to sea, there w a s no ship. every time I w a n t e d a piece of w o o d , I h a d to cut d o w n a
W h e n I s a w t h a t , I w a s very u n h a p p y . ' W h y am I alive, tree. It w a s long, slow, difficult w o r k , a n d d u r i n g the
a n d w h y are all my friends d e a d ? ' I asked myself. ' W h a t next m o n t h s I learnt to be very clever w i t h my tools.
will h a p p e n t o m e n o w , alone o n this island w i t h o u t There w a s no h u r r y . I h a d all t h e time in the w o r l d .
friends? H o w can I ever escape from it?' 1 also w e n t o u t every day, a n d I always h a d my g u n
T h e n I t o l d myself t h a t I w a s lucky - lucky to be alive, with me. Sometimes I killed a wild a n i m a l , a n d then I h a d
lucky to h a v e food a n d t o o l s , lucky to be y o u n g a n d meat to eat.
strong. But I k n e w t h a t my island w a s s o m e w h e r e off t h e But w h e n it got d a r k , I h a d to go to bed because I h a d
coast of South America. Ships did n o t often c o m e d o w n no light. I c o u l d n ' t r e a d or write because I c o u l d n ' t see.
this coast, a n d I said to myself, ' I ' m going to be on this For a long time, I d i d n ' t k n o w w h a t to d o . But in the end,
island for a long t i m e . ' So, on a long piece of w o o d , I cut I learnt how to use the fat of d e a d animals to m a k e a
these w o r d s : light.
I CAME HERE ON 30TH SEPTEMBER 1659 T h e w e a t h e r on my island w a s usually very h o t , a n d
After t h a t , I decided to m a k e a cut for each day. there were often s t o r m s a n d heavy rain. T h e next J u n e , it
rained all the time, a n d
5 I couldn't go o u t very
often. I w a s also ill for
Learning to live alone
some weeks, but
I still needed a lot of things. 'Well,' I said, ' I ' m going to slowly, I g o t b e t t e r .
have to m a k e t h e m . ' So, every day, I w o r k e d . When I w a s stronger, I
First of all, I w a n t e d to m a k e my cave bigger. I carried began to go o u t again.
o u t stone from the cave, a n d after m a n y d a y s ' h a r d w o r k The first time I killed a
I h a d a large cave in the side of the hill. T h e n I needed a wild a n i m a l , a n d the
table a n d a chair, a n d t h a t w a s my n e x t j o b . I h a d to second time I c a u g h t a
w o r k on t h e m for a long time. I also w a n t e d to m a k e big turtle. I caught a big turtle.

16 17
 Robinson Crusoe Learning to live alone
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

I w a s on the island for ten m o n t h s before I visited make p o t s to keep my food in.
other p a r t s of it. D u r i n g those m o n t h s I w o r k e d h a r d on But I w a n t e d very m u c h to m a k e
my cave a n d my h o u s e a n d my fence. N o w I w a s ready to a harder, stronger p o t - a p o t
find o u t m o r e a b o u t the rest of t h e island. that w o u l d n o t b r e a k in a fire. I
First, I w a l k e d along the side of a little river. T h e r e , I tried m a n y times, b u t I could
found o p e n g r o u n d w i t h o u t trees. Later, I c a m e to m o r e not do it. T h e n o n e day I w a s
trees w i t h m a n y different fruits. I decided to t a k e a lot of lucky. I m a d e s o m e n e w p o t s
the fruit, a n d to p u t it to dry in the sun for a t i m e . T h e n I and p u t t h e m in a very h o t fire.
could keep it for m a n y m o n t h s . They changed c o l o u r , b u t did My first pot
T h a t night I w e n t to sleep in a tree for the second t i m e , not break. I left t h e m there for m a n y h o u r s , a n d w h e n
a n d t h e next day I w e n t on w i t h my journey. Soon I c a m e they were cold again, I found t h a t they w e r e h a r d a n d
to an o p e n i n g in the hills. In front of m e , everything w a s strong. T h a t night I w a s very h a p p y . I h a d h o t w a t e r for
green, a n d there w e r e flowers everywhere. T h e r e w e r e the first time on the island.
also a lot of different birds a n d animals. I s a w t h a t my By then, I also h a d my o w n b r e a d . T h a t w a s luck, t o o .
house w a s on the w o r s t side of the island. But I d i d n ' t One day I found a little bag. We used it on the ship, to
w a n t to m o v e from there. It w a s my h o m e n o w . I stayed keep the chickens' food in. There
a w a y for three d a y s , a n d t h e n I c a m e h o m e . But I often w a s still some of the food in the
w e n t b a c k to the other, greener side of the island. bag, a n d I d r o p p e d s o m e of it
A n d so my life w e n t o n . Every m o n t h I learnt to do or o n t o the g r o u n d . A m o n t h later
to m a k e something n e w . But I h a d troubles a n d accidents I s a w s o m e t h i n g bright green
t o o . O n c e there w a s a terrible s t o r m w i t h very heavy there, a n d after six m o n t h s I h a d
rain. T h e roof of my cave fell in, a n d nearly killed me! I a very small field of c o r n . I w a s
h a d to build it up again w i t h m a n y pieces of w o o d . very excited. P e r h a p s n o w I
I h a d a lot of food n o w . I c o o k e d it over a fire or dried could m a k e m y o w n bread!
it in t h e sun. So I always h a d m e a t during the rainy It w a s easy to say, b u t n o t so
m o n t h s w h e n I c o u l d n o t go o u t w i t h a g u n . I learnt to My first cornfield easy to d o . It is a lot of w o r k to

18 19
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
m a k e b r e a d from c o r n . M a n y people eat b r e a d , b u t h o w
m a n y people can t a k e c o r n from a field a n d m a k e b r e a d
o u t of it w i t h o u t help? I h a d to learn a n d to m a k e m a n y
n e w things, a n d it w a s a year before I c o o k e d a n d ate my
first bread.
D u r i n g all this time I never s t o p p e d t h i n k i n g a b o u t
escape. W h e n I travelled across to the o t h e r side of the
island, I could see the o t h e r islands, a n d I said to myself,
'Perhaps I can get there w i t h a b o a t . Perhaps I can get
back t o England o n e day.'
So I decided to m a k e myself a b o a t . I cut d o w n a big
tree, a n d then began to m a k e a long hole in it. It w a s h a r d
w o r k , b u t a b o u t six m o n t h s later, I h a d a very fine c a n o e .
20
Learning to live alone
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Next, I h a d to get it d o w n to the sea. H o w stupid I w a s !
W h y d i d n ' t I t h i n k before I began w o r k ? Of course, t h e
canoe w a s t o o heavy. I c o u l d n ' t m o v e it! I pulled a n d
pushed a n d tried everything, but it d i d n ' t m o v e . I w a s
very u n h a p p y for a long time after that.
T h a t h a p p e n e d in my fourth year on the island. In my
sixth year I did m a k e myself a smaller c a n o e , b u t I did n o t
try to escape in it. T h e b o a t w a s t o o small for a long
journey, a n d I did n o t w a n t to die at sea. T h e island w a s
my h o m e n o w , n o t my prison, a n d I w a s just h a p p y to be
alive. A year or t w o later, I m a d e myself a second c a n o e
on the other side of the island. I also built myself a second
house there, a n d so I h a d t w o h o m e s .
Of course, the canoe was too heavy. I couldn't move it!
21
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

My life w a s still busy from m o r n i n g to night. T h e r e 6

were always things to do or to m a k e . I learnt to m a k e A footprint
n e w clothes for myself from the skins of dead animals.
T h e y looked very strange, it is true, b u t they k e p t me dry Then, one year, something strange a n d terrible h a p p e n e d .
in the rain. I often w a l k e d a l o n g the s h o r e , a n d one day I saw
I k e p t food a n d tools at b o t h my houses, a n d also wild something in the sand. I w e n t over to look at it m o r e
goats. T h e r e were m a n y goats on the island, a n d I m a d e carefully, a n d s t o p p e d in
fields w i t h high fences to keep t h e m in. They learnt to sudden surprise.
take food from m e , a n d s o o n I h a d g o a t ' s milk to drink It w a s a footprint - the
every day. I also w o r k e d h a r d in my cornfields. A n d so footprint of a m a n !
m a n y years w e n t by. W h o c o u l d this be?
Afraid, I l o o k e d a r o u n d
me. I listened. I waited.
Nothing. I w a s m o r e a n d
more afraid. Perhaps this It was a footprint!

man w a s one of those wild people w h o killed a n d ate

Soon I had goat's milk to drink.
other m e n ! I looked everywhere, b u t there w a s n o b o d y ,
and no o t h e r footprint. I t u r n e d a n d h u r r i e d h o m e .
'There's s o m e o n e on my island,' I said to myself. 'Perhaps
he k n o w s a b o u t me . . . Perhaps he's w a t c h i n g me n o w
from behind a tree . . . Perhaps he w a n t s to kill m e . '
T h a t night I c o u l d n ' t sleep. T h e next day I got all my
guns ready a n d I p u t m o r e w o o d a n d y o u n g trees a r o u n d
my house. N o b o d y could see me n o w . But, after fifteen
years alone on the island, I w a s afraid, a n d I did n o t leave
my cave for three d a y s .

23
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ A footprint
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

In the end, I h a d to go o u t to milk my goats. But for from fires, but I d i d n ' t see anything. S o m e h o w the wild
t w o years I w a s afraid. I stayed near my h o m e a n d I never men came a n d w e n t , a n d I never saw t h e m . I w a s angry
used my guns because I d i d n ' t w a n t to m a k e a noise. I and afraid. I w a n t e d to s h o o t t h e m all, b u t there were
could n o t forget the footprint, b u t I saw a n d h e a r d many of t h e m a n d only o n e of m e . 'Perhaps I c a n s h o o t
n o t h i n g m o r e , a n d slowly I began to feel happier. two or t h r e e , ' I said to myself, ' b u t then they will kill a n d
O n e d a y , a year later, I w a s over on the west side of the cat m e . '
island. F r o m there I could see the o t h e r islands, a n d I T h e n , one m o r n i n g in my t w e n t y - t h i r d year on the
could also see a b o a t , far o u t to sea. 'If you have a b o a t , ' island, I w a s o u t in my fields a n d I s a w the s m o k e from a
I t h o u g h t , 'it's easy to sail across to this island. Perhaps fire. Quickly, I w e n t up the hill to w a t c h .
t h a t explains the footprint - it w a s a visitor from one of
There w e r e nine m e n a r o u n d the fire, a n d they were
the o t h e r islands.'
cooking their terrible food. T h e n these wild m e n danced
I began to move m o r e freely a r o u n d the island again, round the fire, singing and shouting. This w e n t on for
a n d built myself a third h o u s e . It w a s a very secret place
in a cave. ' N o wild m a n will ever find t h a t , ' I said to
myself.
T h e n one year s o m e t h i n g h a p p e n e d w h i c h I can never
forget. I w a s again on the west side of the island a n d w a s
w a l k i n g along the shore. Suddenly, I saw something
w h i c h m a d e me feel ill. There were h e a d s , a r m s , feet, a n d
other pieces of m e n ' s bodies everywhere. For a m i n u t e , I
c o u l d n ' t think, a n d then I u n d e r s t o o d . Sometimes there
were fights between the wild m e n on the o t h e r islands.
T h e n they came here to my island w i t h their prisoners, to
kill t h e m , c o o k t h e m , a n d eat t h e m . Slowly, I w e n t h o m e ,
b u t I w a s very angry. H o w could m e n do this?
For m a n y m o n t h s I w a t c h e d carefully for the s m o k e
The wild men danced round the fire, singing and shouting.
24
25
 Robinson Crusoe Man Friday
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

a b o u t t w o h o u r s , a n d t h e n they got into their b o a t s a n d I w a n t e d people, a friend, s o m e b o d y to talk to . . .

sailed a w a y . I w e n t d o w n to the shore a n d saw the blood s o m e b o d y w h o could help me escape from my island.
of the d e a d men on the sand. 'The n e x t time they c o m e , One m o r n i n g I w o k e up a n d m a d e a p l a n . 'I'll try to catch
I'm going to kill t h e m , ' I said angrily. one of the prisoners of the wild m e n , ' I said to myself.
'He'll be h a p p y to be alive a n d p e r h a p s he'll help me to
7 escape.' I w a t c h e d day a n d night, b u t for a year a n d a half
there were no b o a t s .
Man Friday
Then one day five boats c a m e . T h e r e were a b o u t thirty
For t w o years I never w e n t a n y w h e r e w i t h o u t my g u n . I men a n d they h a d t w o prisoners. T h e y m a d e their fire on
felt lonely a n d afraid, a n d h a d m a n y sleepless nights. the sand a n d danced r o u n d it. T h e n they killed o n e of the
O n e night there w a s a very b a d s t o r m , a n d I t h o u g h t I prisoners a n d began to c o o k their terrible m e a l . T h e
h e a r d the s o u n d of guns o u t at sea. T h e n e x t m o r n i n g I second prisoner waited under the trees, w i t h t w o m e n to
looked o u t , a n d saw a ship. It w a s lying on its side n o t far watch him. Suddenly, the prisoner t u r n e d a n d r a n . T h e
from the shore. Quickly, I p u t my little b o a t in the w a t e r two men r a n after him, but the o t h e r wild men were busy
a n d sailed o u t to it. round the fire a n d did n o t see w h a t w a s h a p p e n i n g .
There were two dead The prisoner r a n like a wild g o a t , a n d soon I s a w t h a t
men o n t h e ship, b u t n o he was c o m i n g near the b o t t o m of my hill. As fast as I
one alive. T h e bodies of could, I r a n d o w n the hill a n d j u m p e d o u t of the trees
the o t h e r sailors w e r e lost between the prisoner a n d the t w o wild m e n . I hit the first
in the sea. I t o o k s o m e man with the w o o d e n end of my g u n a n d he fell d o w n ,
clothes a n d tools, a n d also b u t I h a d t o s h o o t the second m a n . T h e p o o r prisoner did
a b o x of Spanish gold a n d not move. He w a s afraid of the noise of my g u n .
silver m o n e y . I w a s a rich I called to him a n d tried to s h o w him t h a t I w a s
m a n n o w , b u t w h a t use friendly. Slowly, he m o v e d nearer to m e , b u t just then the
w a s m o n e y to me? I could first wild m a n began to get up from the g r o u n d . T h e n the
n o t buy a n y t h i n g w i t h it. What use was money to me? prisoner spoke a n d I u n d e r s t o o d t h a t he w a n t e d my

26 27
 Robinson Crusoe Man Friday
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

s w o r d . H o w h a p p y I w a s to hear w o r d s again! I gave him and then left quickly. I t o o k my prisoner to my secret
my s w o r d , a n d at once he cut off the head of his enemy. cave on the other side of the island a n d gave h i m food
H u r r i e d l y , we hid the dead bodies u n d e r s o m e leaves, and drink. After t h a t , he w e n t to sleep.
He w a s a fine y o u n g m a n , a b o u t twenty-five years old,
tall a n d well-built, w i t h a kind face a n d a nice smile. He
had a b r o w n skin, black hair, bright eyes a n d strong
white teeth. I decided to give h i m the n a m e of ' M a n
Friday', because I first saw him on a Friday.
W h e n he w o k e up in the m o r n i n g , he r a n o u t to me. I
was milking my goats in the field, a n d he got d o w n on the
ground a n d p u t his h e a d near my foot. I u n d e r s t o o d t h a t
he was t h a n k i n g m e , a n d I tried to s h o w him t h a t I w a s
his friend.
I began to teach him to speak English, a n d soon he
could say his n a m e , ' M a s t e r ' , a n d 'Yes' a n d ' N o ' . H o w
good it w a s to hear
a man's voice again!
Later t h a t day we
went b a c k to my
first house. We w e n t
carefully along the
beach, but there
were no boats a n d
no wild m e n . Just
blood and bones all
I gave him my sword. over the sand. I felt There were bones all over the sand.

28 29
 Robinson Crusoe Man Friday
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

ill, b u t Friday w a n t e d to eat the pieces of m e n ' s bodies I looked, a n d there to the n o r t h - w e s t , between the sea
w h i c h were still on the g r o u n d . I s h o w e d him t h a t this and the sky, w a s a long thin piece of land. I learnt later
w a s terrible for m e , a n d he u n d e r s t o o d . that it w a s the island of T r i n i d a d , a n d t h a t my island w a s
W h e n we got to my h o u s e , I gave M a n Friday some in the m o u t h of the River O r i n o c o on the n o r t h coast of
trousers, a n d I m a d e him a coat a n d a h a t . He liked his South America.
n e w clothes very m u c h . T h e n I m a d e him a little tent to
sleep in, b u t for a few weeks I always t o o k my g u n to bed
w i t h m e . Perhaps Friday w a s still a wild m a n a n d w o u l d
try to kill me in the night. At first, Friday w a s very afraid
of my g u n . Sometimes he talked to it, a n d asked it n o t to
kill h i m .
Friday w a s a quick learner a n d his English got better
day by day. He helped me w i t h the goats a n d w i t h the
w o r k in the cornfields, a n d soon we were g o o d friends. I
enjoyed teaching h i m a n d , m o s t of all, having a friend to
talk to. This was the happiest of all my years on the island.
Friday a n d I lived together happily for three years. I
told h i m the story of my adventures a n d a b o u t life in
England, a n d he told me a b o u t his c o u n t r y a n d his
people. O n e day we w e r e at the t o p of the highest hill on
the island, a n d we w e r e looking o u t to sea. It w a s a very
clear d a y a n d we could see a long w a y . Suddenly, Friday
began to j u m p up a n d d o w n , very excited.
' W h a t ' s the m a t t e r ? ' I said.
' L o o k , M a s t e r , look!' Friday cried. 'I can see my
c o u n t r y . Look over there!'

30
31
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

I began to t h i n k again a b o u t escape. Perhaps Friday 8

w a n t e d t o g o h o m e t o o . Perhaps together w e could get t o
Escape from the island
his c o u n t r y . But w h a t then? W o u l d Friday still be my
friend, or w o u l d his people kill me a n d eat me? I w a s n o w in my twenty-seventh year on t h e island, a n d
I t o o k Friday to the o t h e r side of the island a n d I did n o t w a n t to be there for a n o t h e r year. We w o r k e d
s h o w e d h i m my big c a n o e . It still lay u n d e r the trees. It hard to get the c o r n in, a n d to m a k e a lot of b r e a d . We
w a s very old n o w , a n d there were holes in the w o o d . had dried fruit a n d salted m e a t , a n d big p o t s to keep
' C o u l d a b o a t like this sail to y o u r c o u n t r y , Friday?' I w a t e r in. O n e evening Friday w e n t o u t to l o o k for a
asked h i m . turtle for m e a t a n d eggs. But in less t h a n an h o u r he w a s
' O h yes,' he answered. 'A b o a t like this can carry a lot back, a n d he l o o k e d very afraid.
of food a n d d r i n k . ' ' M a s t e r ! M a s t e r ! ' he cried. ' T h e r e ' s a great s h i p near
' T h e n we'll m a k e a n o t h e r canoe like it, a n d you can go the island, a n d m e n are c o m i n g to the s h o r e in a b o a t ! '
h o m e in it,' I said.
But Friday looked very u n h a p p y . ' W h y are you angry
w i t h m e ? ' he asked. ' W h a t have I done? W h y do y o u
w a n t t o send m e h o m e ? '
'But I t h o u g h t you w a n t e d to go h o m e , ' I said.
'Yes. But y o u m u s t c o m e w i t h m e . Kill me if you w a n t ,
b u t d o n ' t send me a w a y from you!'
T h e n I s a w t h a t Friday w a s a true friend, a n d so I
agreed t o g o w i t h him. W e began w o r k o n the canoe a t
once. Friday chose the tree himself - he u n d e r s t o o d
w o o d better t h a n I did - a n d we cut it d o w n . We w o r k e d
h a r d a n d in a m o n t h the b o a t w a s finished. T w o weeks
later it w a s in the sea, a n d we began to get ready for o u r
long journey. 'There's a great ship near the island!'

33
 Robinson Crusoe Escape from the island
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

I j u m p e d u p a n d r a n w i t h h i m d o w n t o the shore. T o
my great surprise, I saw t h a t it w a s an English ship! But
w h y w a s it here? English ships never c a m e this w a y .
Perhaps they w e r e pirates! ' D o n ' t let t h e m see y o u ,
Friday!' I called. 'We'll hide in the trees a n d w a t c h . '
T h e r e were eleven m e n in the b o a t , b u t three of t h e m
were prisoners. Their a r m s w e r e tied w i t h r o p e , b u t their
legs were free a n d they c o u l d w a l k . T h e o t h e r sailors
p u s h e d the three prisoners up the beach, laughing a n d
shouting a n d hitting t h e m . T h e n some of t h e m sat d o w n
o n the sand a n d began t o drink. O t h e r s w a l k e d a w a y t o
look at the island, a n d t w o m e n stayed to w a t c h the b o a t .
T h e three prisoners w a l k e d slowly a l o n g the beach a n d
sat d o w n u n d e r a tree, n o t far from us. T h e y looked very Perhaps they thought I was a wild man myself,
unhappy. with my long hair and beard.
Very quietly, I came up b e h i n d t h e m t h r o u g h the trees, a mutiny, a n d the seamen t o o k the ship from m e . N o w
a n d called o u t to t h e m in English. they're going to leave the three of us here, to die on this
' D o n ' t be afraid,' I said. 'I'm an Englishman. Perhaps island.'
I can help y o u . ' ' D o these mutineers have g u n s ? '
T h e three m e n t u r n e d a n d l o o k e d a t m e . They did n o t ' O n l y t w o , ' he a n s w e r e d , ' a n d they've left those on the
a n s w e r at once; they were t o o surprised. Perhaps they boat.'
t h o u g h t I w a s a wild m a n myself, in my strange h o m e - 'All right,' I said. 'We'll fight t h e m , b u t if we get y o u r
m a d e clothes of a n i m a l s ' skins, a n d w i t h my long hair ship back for y o u , you m u s t take me b a c k to England.'
a n d beard. T h e n the oldest m a n spoke. T h e c a p t a i n agreed immediately a n d t h a n k e d me very
'I am the c a p t a i n of t h a t ship,' he said, ' a n d these t w o warmly for my help. Friday r a n back to my h o u s e to get
m e n are my first a n d second officers. Last night there w a s all the guns, a n d the c a p t a i n a n d I m a d e a p l a n .
34 35
 Robinson Crusoe Escape from the island
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

T h e first p a r t w a s easy because the seamen were n o t

r e a d y for a fight. We shot t h e t w o men at t h e b o a t , a n d
the captain shot a n o t h e r m a n . This m a n , T o m Smith,
w a s the w o r s t of t h e m all a n d he began the m u t i n y on the
ship. T h e n the c a p t a i n talked to the o t h e r five m e n , a n d
they agreed to help him. T h e y did n o t really w a n t to be
m u t i n e e r s , b u t they were afraid of T o m Smith.
' N o w , ' I said to the c a p t a i n , 'we m u s t get b a c k y o u r
ship. H o w m a n y m e n are o n it?'
'Twenty-six,' the captain replied, ' a n d they will fight
h a r d because they w o n ' t w a n t to go h o m e . It is death for
all mutineers in England. But n o t all the m e n are bad. I'm
sure t h a t s o m e of t h e m will help m e . '
Just then w e saw a n o t h e r b o a t , w h i c h w a s c o m i n g
from the ship to the shore. T h e r e were ten m e n in it, a n d
they all h a d g u n s . We r a n into the trees a n d waited.
It w a s a long h a r d fight, b u t by n o w it w a s d a r k a n d
this helped us very m u c h . We r a n here a n d there in the
trees, calling a n d shouting. T h e seamen c o u l d n o t see us
a n d did n o t k n o w h o w m a n y m e n they w e r e f i g h t i n g . I n
t h e end the first officer s h o u t e d to t h e m :
'Put d o w n y o u r guns a n d s t o p f i g h t i n g ! T h e captain
h a s fifty island people to help h i m . We can kill you all!'
So the seamen stopped fighting a n d we t o o k their
g u n s . T h r e e of the m e n agreed to c o m e b a c k to the
c a p t a i n , a n d we p u t the others in my cave. Friday a n d I It was a long hard fight.

36 37
 Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
stayed to w a t c h the prisoners, while the c a p t a i n a n d his
men w e n t b a c k to fight for the ship.
All night we listened to the sound of guns a n d shouting,
b u t in the m o r n i n g , w h e n the sun c a m e u p , the c a p t a i n
w a s m a s t e r of his ship again. I w e n t d o w n to the shore to
meet h i m .
' M y dear friend,' he cried. ' T h e r e ' s y o u r ship! I'll t a k e
you to the ends of the w o r l d in it!'
I p u t my a r m s r o u n d him, a n d we laughed a n d cried
together. H o w h a p p y I w a s to leave t h e island!
'I'll take you to the ends of the world!' cried the captain.
38
Home in England
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
My g o o d friend Friday c a m e w i t h m e , of course, but
we left the mutineers on the island. We decided n o t to kill
t h e m ; they could begin a n e w life on the island. I s h o w e d
t h e m my three houses, my cornfields a n d my goats, a n d
all my tools. Their life w o u l d be easy because of all my
h a r d w o r k for so m a n y years.
A n d so, on the nineteenth of D e c e m b e r 1 6 8 6 - after
twenty-seven years, t w o m o n t h s a n d nineteen days - I
said g o o d b y e to my island a n d sailed h o m e to England.
9
Home in England
W h e n I c a m e back to England, I felt like a stranger in the
c o u n t r y . M a n y things were different, a n d n o t m a n y
people r e m e m b e r e d m e . I w e n t h o m e to Y o r k , b u t my
father a n d m o t h e r were dead, a n d also m y t w o b r o t h e r s .
I did find the t w o sons of o n e of my b r o t h e r s . They were
h a p p y to learn t h a t I w a s alive, a n d I w a s pleased to find
some family.
After some m o n t h s I decided to go d o w n to Lisbon in
Portugal. I h a d friends there w h o could help me to sell
my l a n d in Brazil, a n d I needed the m o n e y . Friday came
with me. He w a s always a g o o d a n d true friend to m e .
39
 Robinson Crusoe Home in England
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

In Lisbon I found the Portuguese captain, w h o t o o k me 'I have a fine ship, uncle,' he said. ' I ' m going o u t to the
in his ship to Brazil, all those years ago. It w a s g o o d to see East Indies - India, M a l a y a , the Philippines . . . W h y
him again, a n d he helped me with my business. Soon I d o n ' t you c o m e w i t h m e ? '
w a s ready t o g o h o m e
again - by land. No m o r e
adventures a n d dangers
by sea for me!
It w a s a long, h a r d
journey. We h a d to cross
the m o u n t a i n s between
Spain and France in
winter, a n d the s n o w w a s
deep. P o o r Friday w a s
very afraid of the s n o w .
In his c o u n t r y it w a s
always h o t , a n d he did
n o t like cold w e a t h e r .
Poor Friday was very afraid
of the snow. Back in E n g l a n d I
found a house a n d began
to live a quiet life. My t w o n e p h e w s came to live with m e .
T h e younger o n e w a n t e d to be a sailor, a n d so I found
him a place on a ship. After a while I m a r r i e d , a n d h a d
three children, t w o sons a n d a daughter. T h e n my wife 'I have a fine ship, uncle,' my nephew said.
died, a n d my n e p h e w , w h o w a s n o w the captain of a A n d so, in 1 6 9 4 , I w e n t to sea again, a n d h a d m a n y
ship, c a m e h o m e to see m e . He k n e w that I did n o t really m o r e a d v e n t u r e s . Perhaps one day I'll write a n o t h e r
like a quiet life. book about them.

40
 GLOSSARY Robinson Crusoe
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
captain the most important person on a ship
coast land which is near the sea ACTIVITIES
dry the opposite of 'wet'
great very big
master the man who you work for and who is more important
than you
mutineer somebody who takes part in a mutiny
mutiny when sailors fight and take the ship from the captain
and officers
nephew the son of your brother or sister
officer an important person on a ship who works with the
captain
pirate someone who sails on the sea and steals from other
ships
roof the top of a building, over your head
shipwreck an accident when a ship breaks up in a storm or on
the rocks
shore the ground where the land and sea meet
slave a person who belongs to a master and who is given no
money for his work
uncle your mother's or your father's brother
wreck to break something completely

42 43
 ACTIVITIES
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Before Reading
1 Read the story introduction on the first page, and the back
cover. What do you k n o w n o w about this story? Tick one
b o x for each sentence.
YES NO
1 R o b i n s o n C r u s o e has a b o r i n g life.
2 He is in a ship sailing from South A m e r i c a
w h e n t h e r e is a terrible s t o r m .
3 All his friends die in the s h i p w r e c k .
4 W h e n he arrives on the island, he meets
some other people.
5 O n e day he finds a f o o t p r i n t in the sand.
6 He leaves the island after fifteen years.
2 What is going to happen in this story? Can you guess? Tick
o n e b o x for each sentence.
YES NO
1 C r u s o e learns to g r o w c o r n a n d m a k e b r e a d .
2 He builds himself a b o a t a n d sails a w a y .
3 He is often very h u n g r y on the island.
4 T h e m a n w h o left the f o o t p r i n t is an e n e m y .
5 T h e footprint was made by someone w h o
w a s also s h i p w r e c k e d on the island.
6 Finding the f o o t p r i n t changes C r u s o e ' s life.
44
ACTIVITIES
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
While Reading
Read Chapters 1 to 3. Choose the best question-word for
these questions, and then answer them. Use the map on
page 4 to help you.
What / Where
1 . . . h a p p e n e d to C r u s o e w h e n he sailed to L o n d o n ?
2 . . . did he go w h e n he left L o n d o n ?
3 . . . w a s the ship w h e n the pirate ship c a m e after it?
4 . . . did the T u r k i s h p i r a t e c a p t a i n t a k e Crusoe?
5 . . . w a s the s u d d e n a n d terrible c h a n g e in C r u s o e ' s life?
6 . . . did C r u s o e and X u r y go w h e n they escaped?
7 . . . did the African p e o p l e give C r u s o e a n d X u r y ?
8 . . . w a s the P o r t u g u e s e c a p t a i n going?
9 . . . did C r u s o e ' s friends w a n t to go to get rich?
10 . . . h a p p e n e d to the ship in the s t o r m ?
1 1 . . . did the sea carry Crusoe?
12 . . . did C r u s o e sleep t h a t first night?
Before you read Chapter 4 (A new life on an island), can you
guess w h a t Crusoe finds on the island?
1 A b o x of gold 4 Food and water
2 An e m p t y old h o u s e 5 Pirates
3 Wild animals 6 A cave
45
 ACTIVITIES: While Reading ACTIVITIES: While Reading
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Read Chapters 4 and 5. H o w did Crusoe live on the island? 4 Friday m a d e C r u s o e s o m e clothes a n d a tent.
M a k e sentences from this table. 5 Friday w a n t e d to go h o m e to T r i n i d a d alone.
6 C r u s o e a n d Friday m a d e a n e w c a n o e for their escape.
to m a k e a t a b l e .
fire
from a big tree, Before y o u read Chapter 8, can you guess h o w Crusoe and
a tent
to make bread. Friday escape from the island? C h o o s e one of these ideas.
clothes
to make strong pots.
t h e sun 1 T h e y sail to T r i n i d a d in the c a n o e .
He made from a n i m a l s ' skins.
lights 2 T h e y sail back to E n g l a n d in an English ship.
H e used to dry fruit a n d m e a t .
a canoe 3 T h e y fight s o m e pirates a n d t a k e their ship.
from the ship's sails.
wood
to keep wild g o a t s in. Read Chapters 8 and 9, and then put these sentences in the
fields
to build fences. right order.
corn
from a n i m a l s ' fat.
1 T h e c a p t a i n told C r u s o e t h a t the m u t i n e e r s p l a n n e d to
leave h i m a n d his officers on the island to die.
Before you read Chapter 6 (A footprint), can y o u guess the
2 Back in E n g l a n d , C r u s o e got m a r r i e d a n d h a d a family.
answers to these questions?
3 C r u s o e w a s very surprised w h e n an English ship arrived.
1 W h e r e does C r u s o e find the footprint? 4 Because of this, the c a p t a i n w a s very h a p p y to t a k e
a) in a field b) on the s h o r e c) o u t s i d e his h o u s e C r u s o e a n d Friday h o m e .
2 W h o m a d e the footprint? 5 So C r u s o e sailed w i t h h i m , a n d h a d m o r e a d v e n t u r e s .
a) a pirate b) a wild m a n c) a s h i p w r e c k e d sailor 6 Eleven m e n from the ship c a m e to the s h o r e in a b o a t ,
b u t the c a p t a i n a n d his t w o officers w e r e p r i s o n e r s .
Read Chapters 6 and 7. Are these sentences true (T) or false 7 But later, his n e p h e w p l a n n e d to sail to the East Indies.
(F)? Rewrite the false ones with the correct information.
8 So C r u s o e a n d Friday helped the c a p t a i n to fight the
1 C r u s o e w a s very afraid of the wild m e n at first. m u t i n e e r s a n d get back his ship.
2 T h e wild m e n c a m e to the island to kill a n d eat turtles.
3 C r u s o e helped M a n Friday to escape from t h e wild m e n .

46 47
 ACTIVITIES: After Reading
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

ACTIVITIES 3 Here is a n e w illustration for the story. Find the best place
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ in the story to put the picture, and answer these questions.
After Reading
T h e p i c t u r e goes on p a g e .
1 W h a t is R o b i n s o n C r u s o e doing?
1 Use the w o r d s below to complete this page from Robinson
2 W h y has M a n Friday p u t his head on the g r o u n d ?
Crusoe's diary. (Use each w o r d once.)
3 W h y d o e s n ' t M a n Friday s p e a k t o C r u s o e ?
catch, fat, fences, fishing, g u n , h a p p y , holes, h o m e ,
raining, salted, s h o o t , s k i n s , s t r o n g e r , tree, w o o d N o w write a caption for the illustration.

5 T H AUGUST 1 6 6 9 : At last it has s t o p p e d ! This

m o r n i n g I cut d o w n a because I need m o r e .
The goats have broken t w o already, so I must make
them . Later, I w e n t o u t in my c a n o e , b u t I
didn't a n y t h i n g . F o r d i n n e r I ate the last of the
m e a t , so t o m o r r o w I must go o u t with the
a n d try to s o m e t h i n g . I need m o r e for my
lights, a n d also s o m e to m a k e a n e w c o a t — this o n e
is full of . But I am well a n d - this island is my
now.

2 Imagine that you have to spend a year alone on an island

like Robinson Crusoe's. Explain w h y these things will, or
will not, be useful on the island.

E x a m p l e : M a t c h e s will be useful for lighting fires.

a knife chickens a sword salt pen a n d p a p e r

a tent a bottle a gun money matches Caption:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

48 49
 ACTIVITIES: After Reading ACTIVITIES: After Reading
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

4 Put these words into four groups, under these headings. 5 Here are Robinson Crusoe and the captain talking about the
mutineers. Put their conversation in the right order, and
ANIMALS PEOPLE TRANSPORT FOOD
write in the speakers' names. Crusoe speaks first (3).

boat, bread, canoe, captain, corn, eggs, fruit, goat,
leopard, meat, pirate, prisoner, sailor, ship, slave, turtle
N o w find these sixteen w o r d s in the w o r d search b e l o w , and
draw a line through them. T h e words go from left to right,
and from top to b o t t o m .
1 'Leave t h e m here. My island can be their p r i s o n . '
2 ' T h a t ' s t r u e , you h a v e . But h o w will they live?'
3 ' W h a t will y o u do w i t h the m u t i n e e r s , c a p t a i n ? '
4 ' T h e y w o n ' t escape easily, c a p t a i n . R e m e m b e r -
I've been here for twenty-seven y e a r s . '

L I C P I R A T E A 5 'I k n o w t h a t . But it's h a r d to kill so m a n y m e n . '

E N S R E G E B G M 6 ' T h e y can have my three h o u s e s , my cornfields,

O S H I P O Y R G S my g o a t s , a n d all my t o o l s . T h e i r life will be easy.'

V E A 7 'I agree w i t h y o u , my friend. But w h a t can I d o ? '

P F C S L A S
8 'But they'll escape from it a n d go free!'
A R B O A T O A U I
9 ' Y e s , it will. A h , y o u ' r e a k i n d m a n , Mr C r u s o e . '
R U N N T R Y D C L
10 'I'll have to s h o o t t h e m , Mr C r u s o e . All m u t i n e e r s
D I L E O O M K O O
m u s t die, y o u k n o w . '
O T U R T L E V R R
E R C A P T A I N T 6 There is a famous question about this story. Why w a s there
C A N O E H T E R E only one footprint on the sand? Here are three possible
answers. Which one do y o u like best, and why?
N o w write d o w n all the letters that don't have a line
1 T h e m a n c a m e to the s h o r e in a b o a t , got o u t , p u t o n e
through them. Begin with the first line and go across each
line to the end. Y o u will have twenty-nine letters, which will foot on the s a n d , t h e n got back into his b o a t again.
make eight w o r d s , in t w o sentences. 2 T h e m a n h a d only o n e leg.
3 T h e r e were o t h e r f o o t p r i n t s on the s a n d , but the sea
1 W h o said these t w o sentences?
w a s h e d t h e m a w a y before R o b i n s o n C r u s o e got t h e r e .
2 W h o w a s he t a l k i n g to?
3 W h e r e w e r e they?

50 51
 ABOUT T H E AUTHOR ABOUT BOOKWORMS

Daniel Defoe was born in London in 1660, the son of a butcher OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY
called James Foe (Daniel later changed his name to Defoe, Classics • True Stories • Fantasy & Horror • Human Interest
because it was a more fashionable name). He went to a church Crime & Mystery • Thriller & Adventure

school, and then went into business, buying and selling

different things, and travelling all over Europe. He fought
against one king (James II), and later joined the army of
another king (William III). He went to prison twice because he
wrote clever booklets against the church and the government.
He travelled a lot, worked as a spy, started his own
newspaper, and has more than 500 pieces of writing to his
name - more than any other writer in the English language. It
was a very full, busy, and exciting life. He died in 1731, in
Ropemaker's Alley, London.
When he was nearly sixty years old, he began to write
novels. These include Captain Singleton, Moll Flanders, and
Roxana, but he is remembered best today for Robinson
Crusoe. This was his first novel, written in 1719, and it was an
immediate success. Defoe used the true story of a sailor called
Alexander Selkirk, who was left by pirates on Juan Fernandez,
a small island in the Pacific Ocean. He lived there alone for
The O X F O R D B O O K W O R M S L I B R A R Y offers a wide range of original and
adapted stories, both classic and modern, which take learners from
elementary to advanced level through six carefully graded language stages:
Stage 1 (400 headwords) Stage 4 (1400 headwords)
Stage 2 (700 headwords) Stage 5 (1800 headwords)
Stage 3 (1000 headwords) Stage 6 (2500 headwords)
More than fifty titles are also available on cassette, and there are many
titles at Stages 1 to 4 which are specially recommended for younger
learners. In addition to the introductions and activities in each
Bookworm, resource material includes photocopiable test worksheets
and Teacher's Handbooks, which contain advice on running a class
library and using cassettes, and the answers for the activities in the books.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Several other series are linked to the O X F O R D B O O K W O R M S L I B R A R Y . They
range from highly illustrated readers for young learners, to playscripts,
non-fiction readers, and unsimplified texts for advanced learners.

four years, and was rescued by a ship in 1709. Oxford Bookworms Starters Oxford Bookworms Factfiles
Many people call Robinson Crusoe the first English novel. Oxford Bookworms Playscripts Oxford Bookworms Collection
It appears in many different languages, films are made of it,
Details of these series and a full list of all titles in the O X F O R D B O O K W O R M S
and the story of Crusoe on his island is still enjoyed today by
L I B R A R Y can be found in the Oxford English catalogues. A selection of titles
both children and adults all over the world.
from the O X F O R D B O O K W O R M S L I B R A R Y can be found on the next pages.

52 53