As we waited for the right time to leave, something unexpected happened. Early one morning, Friday came running to me in great excitement. 'Master! Master!' he shouted. 'They come! They come!' I grabbed my telescope and ran to my lookout point. There on the beach were several canoes filled with savages. I counted twenty-one men and three prisoners. They were preparing for another of their horrible feasts. Friday looked through the telescope and suddenly cried out. 'That one is my father!' he said, pointing at one of the prisoners. His eyes filled with tears of fear and desperation. I knew immediately that we had to rescue them. I gave Friday a gun and a sword. I took two guns, two pistols, and my big knife. We crept through the forest toward the beach. I told Friday to wait for my signal before attacking. We hid behind trees just fifty yards from the savages. Two of the prisoners were being prepared for cooking. I aimed my gun and fired at the group around the fire. Friday fired at the same moment with his gun. Three savages fell dead, and several more were wounded. The others jumped up in confusion and terror. They could not understand where the deadly thunder came from. We fired again with our other guns and pistols. More savages fell, and the rest began to run toward their canoes. Friday ran faster than the wind toward his father. He cut the ropes that bound him and embraced him tightly. Both father and son wept with joy at being reunited. Meanwhile, I ran to free the other prisoners. One of them was a white man with a thick beard. He was dressed in the ragged remains of European clothes. I spoke to him in English, but he did not understand. Then I tried Spanish, and his face lit up with recognition. He was a Spaniard who had been shipwrecked years ago. His ship had sunk near the mainland, and he had lived among the natives. But he had been captured by the enemy tribe in a raid. He told me that sixteen more Spaniards lived on the mainland. They were survivors from his ship, living peacefully with the natives. Some of the savages had escaped in their canoes. But most lay dead or wounded on the beach. We had won a great victory and saved three lives. I brought everyone back to my camp for food and rest. Friday's father was weak from being a prisoner. Friday cared for him with great love and tenderness. It made me happy to see father and son together again. The Spaniard recovered quickly with good food and shelter. He told me more about the other Spaniards on the mainland. They had built a small settlement but had no way to escape. They dreamed of somehow reaching a Spanish colony. I proposed a plan to bring them all to my island. Together, we could build a larger boat and sail to freedom. But first, we needed to grow more food to feed everyone. We planted more grain and prepared extra supplies. When everything was ready, we sent the Spaniard and Friday's father. They took our canoe to the mainland to bring back the others. Friday and I waited anxiously for their return. We expected them back in about eight days. But on the eighth day, something else happened instead. Friday came running to tell me he had seen a boat. But it was not a canoe, he said, but a real ship's boat. I rushed to the shore with my telescope. There in the bay was an English ship at anchor! A longboat was rowing toward my beach. My heart leaped with joy at the sight. After twenty-eight years, rescue had finally come! But then I felt a strange sense of caution. Why would an English ship be in these waters? This was not a normal trade route for English vessels. I decided to watch carefully before revealing myself. I hid in the trees and observed through my telescope. What I saw next filled me with concern instead of joy.
B1Chapter 13 / 15687 words70 sentences
Teaching Friday
Chapter 13 · 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 teaches Friday English and learns about his new friend's past.
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Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
How many other Spaniards did the rescued man say lived on the mainland?
2
What nationality was the white prisoner besides Friday's father?
3
Who did Friday recognize among the prisoners on the beach?
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