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An American Robinson Crusoe

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An American Robinson Crusoe

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An American Robinson Crusoe

Title: An American Robinson Crusoe

Author: Samuel B. Allison

Release Date: February, 2005 [EBook #7499] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file

was first posted on May 18, 2003]

Edition: 10

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN AMERICAN ROBINSON CRUSOE ***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Ted Garvin and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

AN AMERICAN ROBINSON CRUSOE

FOR AMERICAN BOYS AND GIRLS

THE ADAPTATION, WITH ADDITIONAL INCIDENTS

SAMUEL B. ALLISON, Ph.D.

CONTENTS

I Robinson with His Parents II Robinson as an Apprentice III Robinson's Departure IV Robinson Far from

Home V The Shipwreck VI Robinson Saved VII The First Night on Land VIII Robinson on an Island IX

Robinson's Shelter X Robinson Makes a Hat XI Robinson's Calendar XII Robinson Makes a Hunting Bag

XIII Robinson Explores the Island XIV Robinson as a Hunter XV Robinson's Shoes and Parasol XVI Getting

Fire XVII Robinson Makes Some Furniture XVIII Robinson Becomes a Shepherd XIX Robinson Builds a

Home for His Goats XX Robinson Gets Ready for Winter XXI How Robinson Lays up a Store of Food XXII

Robinson's Diary XXIII Robinson is Sick XXIV Robinson's Bower XXV Robinson Again Explores His

Island XXVI Robinson and His Birds XXVII Robinson Gets Fire XXVIII Robinson Makes Baskets XXIX

Robinson Becomes a Farmer XXX Robinson as Potter XXXI Robinson as Baker XXXII Robinson as

Fisherman XXXIII Robinson Builds a Boat XXXIV Robinson as a Sailor XXXV A Discovery XXXVI The

Landing of the Savages XXXVII Robinson as Teacher XXXVIII Another Shipwreck XXXIX Saving Things

from the Ship XL The Return of the Savages XLI Deliverance at Last XLII Robinson at Home

PREFATORY NOTE

"An American Robinson Crusoe" is the outcome of many years of experience with the story in the early

grades of elementary schools. It was written to be used as a content in giving a knowledge of the beginning

and development of human progress. The aim is not just to furnish an interesting narrative, but one that is true

to the course of human development and the scientific and geographical facts of the island on which Robinson

is supposed to have lived.

The excuse for departing so widely from the original story is to be found in the use which was desired to be

made of it. The story here presented is simply the free adaptation of the original narrative to the demand for a

An American Robinson Crusoe

specific kind of content in a form which would be interesting to the children.

The teacher is and should be justified in using with entire freedom any material accessible for the ends of

instruction.

The text as here given has been published with an introduction and suggestive treatments as a Teacher's

Manual for Primary Grades--"The Teacher's Robinson Crusoe." Explicit directions and ample suggestions are

made for the use of the story as material for instruction in all the language arts, drawing, social history, and

the manual arts.

Published by the Educational Publishing Company.

AN AMERICAN ROBINSON CRUSOE

ROBINSON WITH HIS PARENTS

There once lived in the city of New York, a boy by the name of Robinson Crusoe. He had a pleasant home.

His father and mother were kind to him and sent him to school. They hoped that he would study hard and

grow up to be a wise and useful man, but he loved rather to run idle about the street than to go to school. He

was fond of playing along the River Hudson, for he there saw the great ships come and go. They were as big

as houses. He watched them load and unload their cargoes and hundreds of people get off and on. His father

had told him that the ships came from far distant lands, where lived many large animals and black men. His

father told him too, that in these faraway countries the nuts on the trees grew to be as large as one's head and

that the trees were as high as church steeples.

When Robinson saw the ships put out to sea, he would watch them till they would disappear below the

horizon far out in the ocean, and think, "Oh, if I could only go with them far away to see those strange

countries!" Thus he would linger along the great river and wish he might find an opportunity of making a

voyage. Often it would be dark before he would get home. When he came into the house his mother would

meet him and say in a gentle voice, "Why, Robinson, how late you are in getting home! You have been to the

river again."

[Illustration: ROBINSON WATCHING THE SHIPS]

Then Robinson would hang his head and feel deeply ashamed, and when his father, who was a merchant,

came home from the store, his mother would tell him that Robinson had again been truant.

This would grieve his father deeply and he would go to the boy's bedside and talk earnestly with him. "Why

do you do so?" he would say. "How often have I told you to go to school every day?" This would for a time

win Robinson back to school, but by the next week it had been forgotten and he would again be loitering

along the river in spite of his father's remonstrances.

ROBINSON AS AN APPRENTICE

In this way one year after another slipped by. Robinson was not more diligent. He was now almost sixteen

years old and had not learned anything. Then came his birthday. In the afternoon his father called him into his

room. Robinson opened the door softly. There sat his father with a sad face. He looked up and said, "Well,

Robinson, all your schoolmates have long been busy trying to learn something, so that they may be able to

An American Robinson Crusoe

earn their own living. Paul will be a baker, Robert a butcher, Martin is learning to be a carpenter, Herman a

tailor, Otto a blacksmith, Fritz is going to high school, because he is going to be a teacher. Now, you are still

doing nothing. This will not do. From this time on I wish you to think of becoming a merchant. In the

morning you will go with me to the store and begin work. If you are attentive and skillful, when the time

comes you can take up my business and carry it on. But if you remain careless and continue to idle about, no

one will ever want you and you must starve because you will never be able to earn a living."

So the next morning Robinson went to the store and began work. He wrapped up sugar and coffee, he

weighed out rice and beans. He sold meal and salt, and when the dray wagon pulled up at the store, loaded

with new goods, he sprang out quickly and helped to unload it. He carried in sacks of flour and chests of tea,

and rolled in barrels of coffee and molasses. He also worked some at the desk. He looked into the account

books and saw in neat writing, "Goods received" and "Goods sold." He noticed how his father wrote letters

and reckoned up his accounts. He even took his pen in hand and put the addresses on the letters and packages

as well as he could.

But soon he was back in his careless habits. He was no longer attentive to business. He wrapped up salt

instead of sugar. He put false weights on the scales. He gave some too much and others too little. His hands,

only, were in the business, his mind was far away on the ocean with the ships. When he helped unload the

wagons, he would often let the chests and casks drop, so that they were broken and their contents would run

out on the ground. For he was always thinking, "Where have these casks come from and how beautiful it must

be there!" And many times packages came back because Robinson had written the name of the place or the

country wrong. For when he was writing the address, he was always thinking, "You will be laid upon a wagon

and will then go into the ship." One day he had to write a letter to a man far over the sea. He could stand it no

longer. His father had gone out. He threw down the pen, picked up his hat and ran out to the Hudson to see the

ships, and from that time on he spent more time loitering along the river than he did in the store.

III

ROBINSON'S DEPARTURE

Robinson's father soon noticed that his son was no longer attending to his work, and one morning sent for him

to come to his office. When Robinson came in his father arose from his chair and looked him long and

earnestly in the face. Then he said, "I am very sorry, Robinson, that you seem determined to continue your

evil ways. If you do not do better you will grow up to be a beggar or worse." Robinson cast his eyes down and

said, "I do not want to be a merchant, I would rather sail in a ship around the world." His father answered, "If

you do not know anything you cannot be of use on a ship, and no one will want you. In a strange land you

cannot live without working. If you run away from your parents you will come to be sorry for it." Robinson

wept, for he saw that his father was right, and he promised to obey.

After two or three weeks, Robinson went to his mother and said, "Mother, won't you go to father and tell him

that if he will only let me take one voyage and it proves to be unpleasant, I will come back to the store and

work hard?" But the mother cried. With tears in her eyes, she said: "Robinson, your brothers are both dead.

You are the only child left to us and if you go away, we shall be entirely alone. How easy it would be to be

drowned in the sea, or torn to pieces by wild animals away there in a foreign country. Both your father and

myself are getting along in years and who will take care of us when we are sick? Do not cause us the grief we

must suffer if you go away so far amid so many dangers. I cannot bear to have you speak of it again."

Robinson did not speak of it again, but he did not forget it. He was nineteen years old. It was one day in

August that Robinson stood at the wharf looking longingly after the departing ships. As he stood there,

someone touched him on the shoulder. It was a ship captain's son. He pointed to a long ship and said, "My

father sails to-day in that ship for Africa and takes me with him."

An American Robinson Crusoe

"Oh, if I could only go with you!" cried Robinson.

"Do come along," cried his comrade.

"But I have no money," said Robinson.

"That doesn't make any difference," returned the captain's son. "We will take you anyway."

Robinson, without thinking for a moment, gave his friend his hand and promised to go with him.

So without saying "Good-bye" to his parents, Robinson went immediately on board the ship with his friend.

This happened on the 10th of August.

[Illustration: ROBINSON AND THE CAPTAIN'S SON]

[Illustration]

ROBINSON FAR FROM HOME

ROBINSON'S VOYAGE

Once on board, Robinson watched the preparations for departure. At command the sailors clambered up into

the rigging and loosened the sails. Then the captain from his bridge called out, "Hoist the anchor!" Then the

great iron hooks that held the ship fast were lifted up, a cannon sounded a final farewell. Robinson stood on

the deck. He saw the great city shimmer in the sunshine before him. Very fast now the land was being left

behind. It was not long until all that could be seen of his native city was the tops of the highest towers. Then

all faded from sight. Behind, in front, right and left, he saw nothing but waters.

He became a little afraid. At noon there arose a strong wind and the ship rocked to and fro. He became dizzy

and had to hold fast to something. The masts and rigging began to dance. It seemed to him as if all was

turning around. Suddenly he fell full length on the deck and it was impossible for him to get up. He was

seasick. He wailed and cried, but no one heard him, no one helped him. Then he thought of his home, his

parents whom he had so ungratefully left.

He had been on the water about two weeks when one day as he lay in his room, Robinson heard people over

his head running about and crying, "A storm is coming!" The ship's sides trembled and creaked. The ship was

tossed like a nutshell. Now it rolled to the right, now to the left. And Robinson was thrown from one side to

the other. Every moment he expected the ship to sink. He turned pale and trembled with fear. "Ah, if I were

only at home with my parents, safe on the land," he said. "If I ever get safe out of this, I will go home as

quickly as I can and stay with my dear parents!" The storm raged the whole day and the whole night. But on

the next morning the wind went down and the sea was calm. By evening the sky was clear and Robinson was

again cheerful. He ran about the ship. He looked at the glittering stars and was contented and happy.

THE SHIPWRECK

Several weeks went by. Robinson had long ago forgotten his resolutions to return home. It was very hot. The

glowing sun beat down upon the ship. The wide surface of the sea glistened. No breeze stirred. The sails hung

loose on the top of the mast. But far away on the shore could be seen a black bank of clouds.

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