at a distance and find out something
about their customs. More especially he wished that he might capture one
of them. He had two reasons for this. In the first place he would have a
companion. He pictured fondly how he would teach him gentle manners and
the English speech. And, too, the companion would be able to help him.
Besides this he longed above all to know more of the mainland and
whether it would be safe to go there. He wanted to find out in what kind
of boat they made the voyage. He thought that if he had such a person he
would have someone to show him the way to reach the land.

The more he thought, the more anxious he became to see the savages on
the island. He thought so much about it by day that he dreamed about it
at night. One night he dreamed that the savages came, drew their boats
upon the shore and began to prepare their feast. As he watched them one
of their number broke away from his fellows and came straight toward his
hiding-place. Robinson thought he rushed out, drove away those that
followed the fleeing man and rescued him. This dream made a deep
impression upon him and made him await the coming of the savages with
great hopes and eagerness.

It was more than eighteen months after he had formed this plan of
capturing one of the savages before the savages made their appearance.
Robinson was surprised one morning to see no less than five canoes drawn
up on the shore at a point on his side of the island about two miles
below his shelter, to the south. The people that had come in them were
on shore and out of sight. Robinson went back to his shelter to make his
plans. He made up his mind that he would be foolish to attack them.
There must be twenty-five or thirty of them. He finally went to a point
where he could see farther inland and soon caught sight of a crowd of
about thirty savages. They were naked and dancing around and around in a
circle. All the while they were singing and making hideous noises. There
was a fire in the center of the ring of savages. "They are cooking their
feast," thought Robinson. "Maybe I can surprise them while they eat and
rush in and seize one." But this seemed too great a risk to run. He had
no weapons but his bow and arrows, his lance and knife. What could he do
against so great a number?

But fortune favored his plans. As he gazed at them from his safe
distance he saw one of their number break away from the rest and run
with utmost speed directly toward his hiding