I arrived in Brazil with enough money to start a modest business. The Portuguese captain introduced me to a sugar planter who became my friend. He taught me everything about growing sugar cane and tobacco. I bought a small piece of land near his plantation. For the first two years, I grew just enough food to live on. But by the third year, I had planted tobacco that sold well in the market. The fourth year, I bought more land and hired workers to help me. My plantation grew larger every year, and I became quite wealthy. I should have been satisfied with my comfortable life. I had everything my father had wished for me and more. But the old restlessness returned to trouble my heart. I could not stop thinking about new adventures and distant lands. One day, some wealthy planters came to visit me. They had a business proposal that immediately caught my interest. 'We want to send a ship to Africa,' they explained. 'We need someone who knows the African coast to lead the expedition.' I had told them stories of my voyages, and they remembered them. 'You will not need to invest any money,' they promised. 'Just manage the voyage, and you will receive a share of the profits.' My heart beat faster at the thought of going to sea again. I knew I should refuse their offer. I was already rich enough and had no need for more money. The sea had brought me nothing but trouble in the past. But something inside me could not say no. I agreed to lead the expedition, and we began preparations immediately. I left my plantation in the care of my neighbor. He promised to look after everything while I was away. I wrote letters to be sent to England if anything happened to me. On the first of September, 1659, I boarded the ship. It was exactly eight years since I had left my father's house. The ship was well-built and carried fourteen men besides myself. We had enough supplies for a long voyage. The weather was good as we sailed north along the coast. For twelve days, everything went smoothly. We passed the great Amazon River and continued toward the Caribbean. Then the sky began to change in ways I had never seen before. A terrible hurricane was approaching from the east. The captain ordered us to change course immediately. We tried to sail back south to escape the storm. But the winds were too strong, and they pushed us far off course. For twelve days, the hurricane battered our ship without mercy. Every day, I expected the ship to break apart and sink. Three of our men died from disease during the storm. One man was washed overboard by a giant wave. The rest of us were exhausted from pumping water out of the ship. We had no idea where the storm had taken us. The captain believed we were somewhere near the Orinoco River. We could not go to any English colony for help. This part of the world was controlled by wild natives and Spanish soldiers. Our only hope was to find land and repair our damaged ship. Early one morning, a sailor shouted, 'Land! I see land!' But before we could celebrate, the ship struck something hard. We had hit a sandbank hidden beneath the waves. The ship stopped suddenly, and we were all thrown to the deck. Waves crashed over us, flooding the deck with water. The captain ordered everyone to abandon ship immediately. 'Get into the boat!' he screamed above the roar of the sea. We lowered the small boat and climbed in as fast as we could. Eleven men crowded into a boat meant for six. We rowed toward the land we had seen in the distance. The waves grew larger and more violent as we approached the shore. A mountain of water rose up behind us. It lifted our boat high into the air and then crashed down upon us. The boat broke into pieces, and we were all thrown into the raging sea. I swallowed water and felt myself being pulled under. I fought with all my strength to reach the surface. The current carried me toward the shore faster than I could swim. A wave threw me onto the beach, and I grabbed the sand with both hands. I crawled forward before the next wave could drag me back. When I finally reached safe ground, I collapsed and lost consciousness.
B1Chapter 4 / 15754 words70 sentences
A New Life in Brazil
Chapter 4 · Robinson Crusoe · B1 English. Tip: Click on any word while reading to see its translation. Take your time with each chapter and review the vocabulary before moving on.
Chapter Summary
Robinson builds a successful plantation but cannot resist another voyage.
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Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What type of business did Robinson establish in Brazil?
2
When did Robinson set sail on the expedition to Africa?
3
Why did Robinson agree to lead the expedition even though he was already wealthy?
4