The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, Volume 1 (of 2)

CHAPTER VI.

The boat, two hundred leagues from land, makes no way, but drives more to sea by the wind--The people live nine days at quarter allowance--Four die with hunger the twelfth day--Five more the fourteenth day--On the fifteenth they eat one just dead--Want of water excessive--They spy a sail--Are taken up--Work their passage to the African shore--One sent on a secret expedition--Are way-laid, taken, made slaves, and sent up the country

CHAPTER VII.. The Author Escapes with Glanlepze, a Native--His Hardships

The author escapes with Glanlepze, a native--His hardships in travel--Plunder of a cottage--His fears--Adventure with a crocodile--Passage of a river--Adventure with a lioness and whelps--Arrives at Glanlepze's house--The trial of Glanlepze s wife's constancy--The tender meeting of her and her husband--The author's reflections thereupon

CHAPTER VIII.

How the author passed his time with Glanlepze--His acquaintance with some English prisoners--They project an escape--He joins them--They seize a Portuguese ship and get off--Make a long run from land--Want water--They anchor at a desert island--The boat goes on shore for water--They lose their anchor in a storm--The author and one Adams drove to sea--A miraculous passage to a rock--Adams drowned there--The authors miserable condition

CHAPTER IX.

He thinks of destroying himself--His soliloquy--Strange accident in the hold--His surprise--Can't climb the rock--His method to sweeten his water--Lives many months on board--Ventures to sea in his boat several times and takes many fish--Almost overcome by an eel

CHAPTER X.

Lays in great store of provisions--Resolves to traverse the rock--Sails for three weeks, still seeing it only--Is sucked under the rock, and hurried down a cataract--Continues there five weeks--His description of the cavern--His thoughts and difficulties--His arrival at a great lake, and his landing in the beautiful country of Graundevolet

CHAPTER XI.. His Joy on His Arrival At Land--a Description of the Place--No

His joy on his arrival at land--A description of the place--No inhabitants--Wants fresh water--Resides in a grotto--Finds water--Views the country--Carries his things to the grotto

CHAPTER XII.. An Account of the Grotto--a Room Added to It--a View of That

An account of the grotto--A room added to it--A view of that building--The author makes a little cart--Also a wet dock for his boat--Goes in quest of provision--A description of divers fruits and plants--He brings home a cartload of different sorts--Makes experiments on them--Loads his cart with others--A great disappointment--Makes good bread--Never sees the sun--The nature of the light

CHAPTER XIII.

The author lays in a store against the dark weather--Hears voice--His thoughts thereon--Persuades himself it was a dream--Hears them again--Determines to see if any one lodged in the rock--Is satisfied there is nobody--Observations on what he saw--Finds a strong weed like whip-cord--Makes a dragnet--Lengthens it--Catches a monster--Its description--Makes oil of it

CHAPTER XIV.. The Author Passes the Summer Pleasantly--Hears the Voices in the

The author passes the summer pleasantly--Hears the voices in the winter--Ventures out--Sees a strange sight on the lake--His uneasiness at it--His dream--Soliloquy--Hears the voices again, and perceives a great shock on his building--Takes up a beautiful woman--He thinks her dead, but recovers her--A description of her--She stays with him

CHAPTER XV.. He Is Afraid of Losing His New Mistress--They Live Together All

He is afraid of losing his new mistress--They live together all winter--A remark on that--They begin to know each others language--A long discourse between them at cross purposes--She flies--They engage to be man and wife

CHAPTER XVI.. The Author's Disappointment At First Going to Bed with His New

The author's disappointment at first going to bed with his new wife--Some strange circumstances relating thereto--She resolves several questions he asks her, and clears up his fears as to the voices--A description of swangeans

CHAPTER XVII.

Youwarkee cannot bear a strong light--Her husband makes her spectacles, which help her--A description of them

CHAPTER XVIII.

Youwarkee with child--The author's stock of provisions--No beast or fish in Youwarkee's country--The voices again--Her reason for not seeing those who uttered 'em--She bears a son--A hard speech in her lying-in--Divers birds appear--Their eggs gathered--How the author kept account of time

CHAPTER XIX.

His concern about clothing for Pedro, his eldest son--His discourse with his wife about the ship--Her flight to it--His melancholy reflections 'till her return--An account of what she had done, and of what she brought--She clothes her children and takes a second flight

CHAPTER XX.. The Author Observes Her Flight--a Description of a Glumm in the

The author observes her flight--A description of a glumm in the graundee--She finds out the gulf not far from the ship--Brings home more goods--Makes her a gown by her husband's instruction

CHAPTER XXI.. The Author Gets a Breed of Poultry--by What Means--Builds Them a

The author gets a breed of poultry--By what means--Builds them a house--How he managed to keep them in winter

CHAPTER XXII.

Reflections on mankind--The author wants to be with his ship--Projects going, but perceives it impracticable--Youwarkee offers her service, and goes--An account of her transactions on board--Remarks on her sagacity--She despatches several chests of goods through the gulf to the lake--An account of a danger she escaped--The author has a fit of sickness

CHAPTER XXIII.. The Religion of the Author's Family

The religion of the author's family

CHAPTER XXIV.

An account of his children--Their names--They are exercised in flying--His boat crazy--Youwarkee intends a visit to her father, but first takes another flight to the ship--Sends a boat and chests through the gulf--Clothes her children--Is with child again, so her visit is put off--An inventory of the last freight of goods--The authors method of treating his children--Youwarkee, her son Tommy, with her daughters Patty and Hallycarnie, set out for her father's

CHAPTER XXV.

Youwarkee's account of the stages to Arndrumnstake--The author uneasy at her flight--His employment in her absence, and preparations for receiving her father--How he spent the evenings with the children

CHAPTER XXVI.

His concern at Youwarkee's stay--Reflections on his condition--Hears a voice call him--Youwarkee's brother Quangrollart visits him with a companion--He treats them at the grotto--The brother discovers himself by accident--The author presents his children to him

CHAPTER XXVII.

Quangrollarf s account of Youwarkee's journey, and reception at her father's

THE INTRODUCTION.

It might be looked upon as impertinent in me, who am about to give the life of another, to trouble the reader with any of my own concerns, or the affairs that led me into the South Seas. Therefore I shall only acquaint him, that in my return on board the "Hector," as a passenger, round Cape Horn, for England, full late in the season, the wind and currents setting strong against us, our ship drove more southernly, by several degrees, than the usual course, even to the latitude of 75 or 76; when the wind chopping about, we began to resume our intended way. It was about the middle of June, when the days are there at the shortest, on a very starry and moonlight night, that we observed at some distance a very black cloud, but seemingly of no extraordinary size or height, moving very fast towards us, and seeming to follow the ship, which then made great way. Every one on deck was very curious in observing its motions; and perceiving it frequently to divide, and presently to close again, and not to continue long in any determined shape, our captain, who had never before been so far to the southward as he then found himself, had many conjectures what this phenomenon might portend; and every one offering his own opinion, it seemed at last to be generally agreed that there might possibly be a storm gathering in the air, of which this was the prognostic; and by its following, and nearly keeping pace with us, we were in great fear lest it should break upon and overwhelm us, if not carefully avoided. Our commander, therefore, as it approached nearer and nearer, ordered one of the ship's guns to be fired, to try if the percussion of the air would disperse it. This was no sooner done than we heard a prodigious flounce in the water, at but a small distance from the ship, on the weather-quarter; and after a violent noise, or cry in the air, the cloud, that upon our firing dissipated, seemed to return again, but by degrees disappeared. Whilst we were all very much surprised at this unexpected accident, I, being naturally very curious and inquisitive into the causes of all unusual incidents, begged the captain to send the boat to see, if possible, what it was that had fallen from the cloud, and offered myself to make one in her. He was much against this at first, as it would retard his voyage, now we were going so smoothly before the wind. But in the midst of our debate, we plainly heard a voice calling out for help, in our own tongue, like a person in great distress. I then insisted on going, and not suffering a fellow-creature to perish for the sake of a trifling delay. In compliance with my resolute demand, he slackened sail; and hoisting out the boat, myself and seven others made to the cry, and soon found it to come from an elderly man, labouring for life, with his arms across several long poles, of equal size at both ends, very light, and tied to each other in a very odd manner. The sailors at first were very fearful of assisting or coming near him, crying to each other, "He must be a monster!" and perhaps might overset the boat and destroy them; but hearing him speak English, I was very angry with them for their foolish apprehensions, and caused them to clap their oars under him, and at length we got him into the boat. He had an extravagant beard, and also long blackish hair upon his head. As soon as he could speak (for he was almost spent), he very familiarly took me by the hand, I having set myself close by him to observe him, and squeezing it, thanked me very kindly for my civility to him, and likewise thanked all the sailors. I then asked him by what possible accident he came there; but he shook his head, declining to satisfy my curiosity. Hereupon reflecting that it might just then be troublesome for him to speak, and that we should have leisure enough in our voyage for him to relate, and me to hear, his story (which, from the surprising manner of his falling amongst us, I could not but believe would contain something very remarkable), I waived any farther speech with him at that time.

Continue reading The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, Volume 1 (of 2) free in the Wunder reader →