From this city to the river Oby, we travelled over a pleasant, fruitful, but very uncultivated country, for want of good management and people, and those few are mostly Pagans. This is the place where the Muscovite criminals are banished to, if they are not put to death. The next city we came to, was the capital city of Siberia, called Tobolski when having been almost seven months on our journey, and winter drawing on apace, my partner and I consulted about our particular affairs in what manner we should dispose of ourselves. We had been told of sledges and rein-deer to carry us over the snow in the winter season, the snow being frozen so hard, that the sledges can run upon the surface without any danger of going down. As I was bound to England, I now behoved either to go with the caravan to Jerosaw, from thence west to Marva, and the gulph of Finland, and so by land or sea to Denmark; or else I must leave the caravan at a little town on the Dwina, and so to Archangel, where I was certain of shipping either to England, Holland, or Hamburgh. One night I happened to get into the company of an illustrious, but banished Prince, whose company and virtues were such as made me to propose to him a method how he might obtain his liberty. My dear friend, said he, as I am here happily free from my miserable greatness with all its attendants of pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury, if I should escape from this place, those pernicious seeds may again revive, to my lasting disquietude; therefore let me remain in a blessed confinement, for I am but flesh, a mere man, with passions and affections as such; O be not my friend and tempter too! Struck dumb with surprise, I stood silent a-while; nor was he less in disorder, by which perceiving he wanted to give vent to his mind, I desired him to consider of it, and so withdrew. But about two hours after he came to my apartment: Dear friend, said he, though I cannot consent to accompany you, I shall have this satisfaction in parting, that you leave me an honest man still: but as a testimony of my affection to you, be pleased to accept this present of sables.
In return for his compliment, I sent my servant next morning to his Lordship with a small present of tea, two pieces of China damask, and four little wedges of gold; but he only accepted the tea, one piece of damask, and one piece of gold, for the curiosity of the Japan stamp that was upon it. Not long after he sent for me, and told me, that what he had refused himself, he hoped upon his account, I would grant to another whom he should name: In short it was his only son, who was about two hundred miles distant from him, on the other side of the city, whom he said he would send for, if I gave my consent. This I soon complied with; upon which he sent his servants next day for his son, who returned in twenty days time, bringing seven horses loaded with valuable furs. At night the young Lord was conducted incognito into our apartment, where his father presented him to me. We then concerted the best ways for travelling, and after having bought a considerable quantity of sables, black fox-skins, fine ermines, &c. (which I sold at Archangel at a good price) we set out from this city the beginning of June, making a small caravan, being about thirty-two horses and camels, of which I represented the head. My young Lord had with him a very faithful Siberian servant, well acquainted with the roads: We shunned the principal towns and cities, as Tumen, Soli Kamoskoi, and several others, by reason of their strictness in examining travellers, lest any of the banished persons of distinction should escape. Having passed the river Kama, we came to a city on the European side, called Soloy Kamoskoi, where we found the people mostly Pagans as before. We then passed a desert of about two hundred miles over; but in other places it is near seven hundred. In passing this wild place, we were beset by a troop of men on horseback, and about five and forty men armed with bows and arrows. At first they looked earnestly on us, and then placed themselves in our way. We were above sixteen men, and drew up a little line before our camels. My young Lord sent out his Siberian servant, to know who they were; but, when he approached them, he neither knew a word they said; nor would they admit him to come near them at his peril, but prepared to shoot him. At his return, he told us he believed them to be Calmuc Tartars; and that there were more upon the desert. This was but a small comfort to us; yet seeing a little grove, about a quarter of a mile's distance, we moved to it, by the old Portuguese pilot's advice, without meeting with any opposition. Here we found a marshy piece of ground, and a spring of water running into a little brook on one side, which joined another like it a little further off, and these two formed the head of the river called Writska. As soon as we arrived, we went to work, cutting great arms off the trees, and laying them hanging (not quite off from one tree to another). In this situation we waited the motion of the enemy, without perceiving any advancement they made towards us. About two hours before night, being joined by some others, in all about fourscore horse, among whom we fancied were some women, they came upon us with great fury. We fired without ball, calling to them in the Russian tongue, to know their business; but they, either not knowing, or seeming not to understand us, came directly to the wood side, nor considering that we were to be fortified, as that they could not break in. Our old pilot, the Portuguese, proved both our captain and engineer, and desired us not to fire, till they came within pistol shot; and when he gave the word of command, then to take the surest aim: but he did not bid us give fire, till they were within two pikes length of us, and then we filled fourteen of them, wounded several, as also their horses, having every one of us loaded our pieces with two or three bullets at least. So much were they surprised at our undauntedness, that they retired about a hundred roods from us. In the mean while we loaded our pieces again, and sallying out, secured four or five of their horses, whose riders we found were killed, and perceived them to be Tartars. About an hour after, they made another attempt, to see where they might break in; but finding us ready to receive them, they retired.
All that night we wrought hard, in strengthening our situation, and barricading the entrances into the woods; but when day-light came, we had a very unwelcome discovery; for the enemy, being encouraged by their numbers, had set up eleven or twelve tents, in form of a camp, about three quarters of a mile from us. I must confess, I was never more concerned in my life, giving myself and all that I had over for lost. And my partner declared, that as the loss of his goods would be his ruin, before they should be taken from him, he would fight to the last drop of his blood. As we could not pretend to force our way, we had recourse to a stratagem; we kindled a large fire, which burnt all night; and no sooner was it dark, but we pursued our journey towards the pole or north star, and travelling all night; by six o'clock in the morning we came to a Russian village called Kertza, and from thence came to a large town named Ozonzoys, where we heard that several troops of Calmuc Tartars had been abroad upon the desert, but that we were past all danger. In five days after we came to Veuslima, upon the river Witzedga; from thence we came to Lawrenskoy, on the third of July, where, providing ourselves with two luggage boats, and a convenient bark, we embarked the seventh, and arrived at Archangel the eighteenth, after a year, five months, and three days journey, including the eight months and odd days at Tobolski. We came from Archangel the 20th of August in the same year, and arrived at Hamburg the 30th of September. Here my partner and I made a very good sale of our goods, both those of China and Siberia; when dividing our effects, my share came to 3475l. 17s. 3d. after all the losses we had sustained, and charges we had been at. Here the young Lord took his leave of me, in order to go to the court of Vienna, not only to seek protection, but to correspond with his father's friends. After we had staid four months in Hamburgh, I went from thence overland to the Hague, where embarking in the packet, I arrived in London the 10th of January 1705, after ten years and nine months absence from England.
R O B I N S O N C R U S O E'S
VISION OF THE ANGELIC WORLD.
CHAP. I. Of SOLITUDE.
However solitude is looked upon as a restraint to the pleasure of the world, in company and conversation, yet it is a happy state of exemption from a sea of trouble, an inundation of vanity and vexation, of confusion and disappointment. While we enjoy ourselves, neither the joy not sorrow of other men affect us: We are then at liberty with the voice of our soul, to speak to God. By this we shun such frequent trivial discourse, as often becomes an obstruction to virtue: and how often do we find that we had reason to with we had not been in company, or said nothing when we were there? for either we offend God by the impiety of our discourse, or lay ourselves open to the violence of designing people by our ungarded expressions; and frequently feel the coldness and treachery of pretended friends, when once involved in trouble and affliction: of such unfaithful intimates (I should say enemies) who rather by false inuendoes would accumulate miseries upon us, than honestly assist us when under the hard hand of adversity. But in a state of solitude, when our tongues cannot be heard, except from the great Majesty of Heaven, how happy are we, in the blessed enjoyment of conversing with our Maker! It is then we make him our friend, which sets us above the envy and contempt of wicked men. When a man converses with himself, he is sure that he does not converse with an enemy. Our retreat should be to good company, and good books. I mean not by solitude, that a man should retire into a cell, a desert, or a monastry: which would be altogether an useless and unprofitable restraint: for as men ate formed for society, and have an absolute necessity and dependance upon one another; so there is a retirement of the soul, with which it converses in heaven, even in the midst of men; and indeed no man is more fit to speak freely, than he who can, without any violence himself, refrain his tongue, or keep silence altogether. As to religion, it is by this the foul gets acquainted with the hidden mysteries of the holy writings; here she finds those floods of tears, in which good men wash themselves day and night, and only makes a visit to God, and his holy angels. In this conversation the truest peace and most solid joy are to be found; it is a continual feast of contentment on earth, and the means of attaining everlasting happiness in heaven.