The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
that had been always used to a hot climate, and to countries where I
could scarce bear any clothes on, the cold was insufferable; nor,
indeed, was it more painful than surprising to come but ten days before
out of Old Castile, where the weather was not only warm but very hot,
and immediately to feel a wind from the Pyrenean Mountains so very
keen, so severely cold, as to be intolerable and to endanger benumbing
and perishing of our fingers and toes.
Poor Friday was really frightened when he saw the mountains all covered
with snow, and felt cold weather, which he had never seen or felt
before in his life. To mend the matter, when we came to Pampeluna it
continued snowing with so much violence and so long, that the people
said winter was come before its time; and the roads, which were
difficult before, were now quite impassable; for, in a word, the snow
lay in some places too thick for us to travel, and being not hard
frozen, as is the case in the northern countries, there was no going
without being in danger of being buried alive every step. We stayed no
less than twenty days at Pampeluna; when (seeing the winter coming on,
and no likelihood of its being better, for it was the severest winter
all over Europe that had been known in the memory of man) I proposed
that we should go away to Fontarabia, and there take shipping for
Bordeaux, which was a very little voyage. But, while I was considering
this, there came in four French gentlemen, who, having been stopped on
the French side of the passes, as we were on the Spanish, had found out
a guide, who, traversing the country near the head of Languedoc, had
brought them over the mountains by such ways that they were not much
incommoded with the snow; for where they met with snow in any quantity,
they said it was frozen hard enough to bear them and their horses. We
sent for this guide, who told us he would undertake to carry us the
same way, with no hazard from the snow, provided we were armed
sufficiently to protect ourselves from wild beasts; for, he said, in
these great snows it was frequent for some wolves to show themselves at
the foot of the mountains, being made ravenous for want of food, the
ground being covered with snow. We told him we were well enough
prepared for such creatures as they were, if he would insure us from a
kind of two-legged wolves, which we were told we were in most danger
from, especially on the French side of the mountains. He satisfied us
that there was no danger of that kind in the way that we were to go; so
we readily agreed to follow him, as did also twelve other gentlemen
with their servants, some French, some Spanish, who, as I said, had
attempted to go, and were obliged to come back again.
Accordingly, we set out from Pampeluna with our guide on the 15th of
November; and indeed I was surprised when, instead of going forward, he
came directly back with us on the same road that we came from Madrid,
about twenty miles; when, having passed two rivers, and come into the
plain country, we found ourselves in a warm climate again, where the
country was pleasant, and no snow to be seen; but, on a sudden, turning
to his left, he approached the mountains another way; and though it is
true the hills and precipices looked dreadful, yet he made so many
tours, such meanders, and led us by such winding ways, that we
insensibly passed the height of the mountains without being much
encumbered with the snow; and all on a sudden he showed us the pleasant
and fruitful provinces of Languedoc and Gascony, all green and
flourishing, though at a great distance, and we had some rough way to
pass still.
We were a little uneasy, however, when we found it snowed one whole day
and a night so fast that we could not travel; but he bid us be easy; we
should soon be past it all: we found, indeed, that we began to descend
every day, and to come more north than before; and so, depending upon
our guide, we went on.
It was about two hours before night when, our guide being something
before us, and not just in sight, out rushed three monstrous wolves,
and after them a bear, from a hollow way adjoining to a thick wood; two
of the wolves made at the guide, and had he been far before us, he
would have been devoured before we could have helped him; one of them
fastened upon his horse, and the other attacked the man with such
violence, that he had not time, or presence of mind enough, to draw his
pistol, but hallooed and cried out to us most lustily. My man Friday
being next me, I bade him ride up and see what was the matter. As soon
as Friday came in sight of the man, he hallooed out as loud as the
other, “O master! O master!” but like a bold fellow, rode directly up
to the poor man, and with his pistol shot the wolf in the head that
attacked him.
It was happy for the poor man that it was my man Friday; for, having
been used to such creatures in his country, he had no fear upon him,
but went close up to him and shot him; whereas, any other of us would
have fired at a farther distance, and have perhaps either missed the
wolf or endangered shooting the man.
But it was enough to have terrified a bolder man than I; and, indeed,
it alarmed all our company, when, with the noise of Friday’s pistol, we
heard on both sides the most dismal howling of wolves; and the noise,
redoubled by the echo of the mountains, appeared to us as if there had
been a prodigious number of them; and perhaps there was not such a few
as that we had no cause of apprehension: however, as Friday had killed
this wolf, the other that had fastened upon the horse left him
immediately, and fled, without doing him any damage, having happily
fastened upon his head, where the bosses of the bridle had stuck in his
teeth. But the man was most hurt; for the raging creature had bit him
twice, once in the arm, and the other time a little above his knee; and
though he had made some defence, he was just tumbling down by the
disorder of his horse, when Friday came up and shot the wolf.
It is easy to suppose that at the noise of Friday’s pistol we all
mended our pace, and rode up as fast as the way, which was very
difficult, would give us leave, to see what was the matter. As soon as
we came clear of the trees, which blinded us before, we saw clearly
what had been the case, and how Friday had disengaged the poor guide,
though we did not presently discern what kind of creature it was he had
killed.
CHAPTER XX. FIGHT BETWEEN FRIDAY AND A BEAR
But never was a fight managed so hardily, and in such a surprising
manner as that which followed between Friday and the bear, which gave
us all, though at first we were surprised and afraid for him, the
greatest diversion imaginable. As the bear is a heavy, clumsy creature,
and does not gallop as the wolf does, who is swift and light, so he has
two particular qualities, which generally are the rule of his actions;
first, as to men, who are not his proper prey (he does not usually
attempt them, except they first attack him, unless he be excessively
hungry, which it is probable might now be the case, the ground being
covered with snow), if you do not meddle with him, he will not meddle
with you; but then you must take care to be very civil to him, and give
him the road, for he is a very nice gentleman; he will not go a step
out of his way for a prince; nay, if you are really afraid, your best
way is to look another way and keep going on; for sometimes if you
stop, and stand still, and look steadfastly at him, he takes it for an
affront; but if you throw or toss anything at him, though it were but a
bit of stick as big as your finger, he thinks himself abused, and sets
all other business aside to pursue his revenge, and will have
satisfaction in point of honour—that is his first quality: the next is,
if he be once affronted, he will never leave you, night or day, till he
has his revenge, but follows at a good round rate till he overtakes
you.
My man Friday had delivered our guide, and when we came up to him he
was helping him off his horse, for the man was both hurt and
frightened, when on a sudden we espied the bear come out of the wood;
and a monstrous one it was, the biggest by far that ever I saw. We were
all a little surprised when we saw him; but when Friday saw him, it was
easy to see joy and courage in the fellow’s countenance. “O! O! O!”
says Friday, three times, pointing to him; “O master, you give me te
leave, me shakee te hand with him; me makee you good laugh.”
I was surprised to see the fellow so well pleased. “You fool,” says I,
“he will eat you up.”—“Eatee me up! eatee me up!” says Friday, twice
over again; “me eatee him up; me makee you good laugh; you all stay
here, me show you good laugh.” So down he sits, and gets off his boots
in a moment, and puts on a pair of pumps (as we call the flat shoes
they wear, and which he had in his pocket), gives my other servant his
horse, and with his gun away he flew, swift like the wind.
The bear was walking softly on, and offered to meddle with nobody, till
Friday coming pretty near, calls to him, as if the bear could
understand him. “Hark ye, hark ye,” says Friday, “me speakee with you.”
We followed at a distance, for now being down on the Gascony side of
the mountains, we were entered a vast forest, where the country was
plain and pretty open, though it had many trees in it scattered here
and there. Friday, who had, as we say, the heels of the bear, came up
with him quickly, and took up a great stone, and threw it at him, and
hit him just on the head, but did him no more harm than if he had
thrown it against a wall; but it answered Friday’s end, for the rogue
was so void of fear that he did it purely to make the bear follow him,
and show us some laugh as he called it. As soon as the bear felt the
blow, and saw him, he turns about and comes after him, taking very long
strides, and shuffling on at a strange rate, so as would have put a
horse to a middling gallop; away runs Friday, and takes his course as
if he ran towards us for help; so we all resolved to fire at once upon
the bear, and deliver my man; though I was angry at him for bringing
the bear back upon us, when he was going about his own business another
way; and especially I was angry that he had turned the bear upon us,
and then ran away; and I called out, “You dog! is this your making us
laugh? Come away, and take your horse, that we may shoot the creature.”
He heard me, and cried out, “No shoot, no shoot; stand still, and you
get much laugh:” and as the nimble creature ran two feet for the bear’s
one, he turned on a sudden on one side of us, and seeing a great
oak-tree fit for his purpose, he beckoned to us to follow; and doubling
his pace, he got nimbly up the tree, laying his gun down upon the
ground, at about five or six yards from the bottom of the tree. The
bear soon came to the tree, and we followed at a distance: the first
thing he did he stopped at the gun, smelt at it, but let it lie, and up
he scrambles into the tree, climbing like a cat, though so monstrous
heavy. I was amazed at the folly, as I thought it, of my man, and could
not for my life see anything to laugh at, till seeing the bear get up
the tree, we all rode near to him.
When we came to the tree, there was Friday got out to the small end of
a large branch, and the bear got about half-way to him. As soon as the
bear got out to that part where the limb of the tree was weaker, “Ha!”
says he to us, “now you see me teachee the bear dance:” so he began
jumping and shaking the bough, at which the bear began to totter, but
stood still, and began to look behind him, to see how he should get
back; then, indeed, we did laugh heartily. But Friday had not done with
him by a great deal; when seeing him stand still, he called out to him