e sail and
began to fish. But Robinson pretended that he could not catch anything
there, and he said that they ought to go further out. When they had
gone so far that nobody on shore could see what they were doing,
Robinson again pretended to fish. But this time he watched his chance,
and when the servant was not looking, came behind him and threw him
overboard, knowing that the man could swim so well that he could
easily reach the land.

Then Robinson sailed away with Xury down the coast to the south. He
did not know to what country he was steering, but cared only to get
away from the pirates, and to be free once more.

Long days and nights they sailed, sometimes running in close to the
land, but they were afraid to go ashore very often, because of the
wild beasts and the natives. Many times they saw great lions come
roaring down on to the beach, and once Robinson shot one that he saw
lying asleep, and took its skin to make a bed for himself on the boat.

At last, after some weeks, when they had got south as far as the great
cape that is called Cape Verde, they saw a Portuguese vessel, which
took them on board. It was not easy for Robinson to tell who he was,
because he could not talk Portuguese, but everybody was very kind to
him, and they bought his boat and his guns and everything that he had.
They even bought poor Xury, who, of course, was a black slave, and
could be sold just like a horse or a dog.

So, when they got to Brazil, where the vessel was bound, Robinson had
enough money to buy a plantation; and he grew sugar and tobacco there
for four years, and was very happy and contented for a time, and made
money.

But he could never be contented for very long. So when some of his
neighbors asked him if he would go in a ship to the Guinea Coast to
get slaves for them, he went, only making a bargain that he was to be
paid for his trouble, and to get some of the slaves to work on his
plantation when he came back.

Twelve days after the ship sailed, a terrible storm blew, and they
were driven far from where they wanted to go. Great, angry, foaming
seas broke over the deck, sweeping everything off that could be moved,
and a man and a boy were carried overboard and drowned. No one on the
ship expected to be saved.

This storm was followed by another, even worse. The wind howled and
roared through the rigging, and the weather was thick with rain and
flying spray.

Then early one morning land was dimly seen thro