ROBINSON CRUSOE
...hat he had cursed the ship by being there without his parent's blessing. And he would curse any ship he ever sailed on. The captain told him to give up the sea and return to his parents and take a trade that his father would want him to. Still, Robinson ended up on another ship, this time as a merchant. The first trip went well, with Robinson making a large profit. The second trip was another story. A Turkish pirate ship attacked the ship he was sailing on; he was captured and was made a slave to the captain of the rover. It was two years before Robinson was able to make his escape. Taking the captain's fishing boat, which he had laden with some supplies, he was able to make his way out to sea. Several days and adventures later, Robinson and his companion, Xury, spotted a Portuguese ship. The captain a kind and honest man took them to the Brazils. He bought Robinson's boat, animal skins, guns and supplies. He also took Xury with a promise if he turned Christian; he would have his freedom in ten years. With the money made by selling his things, Robinson bought a plantation and ran it for about four years. He realized he was doing as his father had advised him to do, only 5,000 miles from home. Maybe that is why when asked to sail to Guinea to trade for Negroes, he jumped at the chance. Another ill-fated voyage… the curse, on Robinson, was still hanging over his head. A mighty storm brought the end of this voyage. Robinson was washed to shore, nearly drowning, but was the only survivor. He found shelter in the bush that first night. The next day, he spotted the floundering ship about one mile out, and after twelve trips was able to salvage food, clothes, tools, and weapons. Luck was on his side and he found suitable shelter. By accident, the shaking out of a pouch, he grew corn, barley, and rice. He had found a stream with fresh water, so that was another need taken care of. He hunted goat for meat and came to realize that if he could tame a herd, he could save his precious ammo. He dried grapes for raisins. He also found limes, lemons, and melons, so he had a well stock of food. In time, he taught himself to milk the goats and even to make cheese. All in all, though his life was void of human contact, he had everything a man needed to survive. Ironically, it wasn't until after an earthquake followed by a hurricane, that Robinson learned to count his blessings even in this awful situation. That God, in his mercy had chosen to save only his life, and provided Robinson with all his needs. At this point, he felt repentant and asked God for forgiveness. He began to study the Bible and drew strength from it. Years past and Robinson was fairly content with his solitary life. One day, while out checking over "his" property, he came across a footprint not his own. This brought great fear to him and upon further scouting; he came across a camp where the human remains there made him realize that the prints were from a cannibal from the nearby mainland. For years, the fear of coming against these cannibals, kept Robinson from leaving the areas, he had secured. One night, a dream of saving a man from the cannibals gave him courage to wander out of his safe abodes and to explore a little. He went up on his hill and with his spyglass he saw that three canoes had landed on the beach and the cannibals were doing a dance as they killed and ate their captives. One captive ran trying to escape. Robinson shot at the two men who had crossed the creek after him, and thus brought Robinson and Friday (the name given as that was the day of the week he was saved) together. In teaching Friday, Christianity, Robinson found that he was getting a better understanding of God's Word and thus was becoming a better Christian himself. They spent about three years together, when once again, cannibals showed up with captives they planned to dine on. Using the spyglass, Robinson saw ...