army [ˈɑ:mɪ], bush [buʃ], enchanted [ɪnˈtʃɑ:ntɪd], uncanny [ʌnˈkænɪ], boatswain [ˈbǝusn], bind [ˈbaɪnd], dismal [ˈdɪzmǝl], governor [ˈɡʌv(ǝ)nǝ], behave [bɪˈheɪv], commit [kǝˈmɪt], grieve [ɡri:v], heart [hɑ:t], persuade [pǝˈsweɪd], arrange [ǝˈreɪnʤ], choose [tʃu:z], hostage [ˈhɔstɪʤ], trust [trʌst], death [deƟ], suspect [sǝˈspekt], overpower [ˌǝuvǝˈpauǝ], berth [bǝ:Ɵ] wound [wu:nd], bullet [ˈbulɪt]
BY my orders, Friday and the captain"s mate hurried through the woods to the little river where I had landed so long ago with my rafts.
When they had reached the place, they shouted as loudly as they could. The men who were just getting into the boat heard them. They answered, and ran along the shore toward the little river.
The three who had been left in the boat also rowed around toward the same place. Near the mouth of the river, however, they came to land again, and one of them ran along the bank of the stream to meet his fellows.
At this moment I rushed forward with the captain, and seized the boat before the two fellows who were in it could save themselves.
It was now almost dark, and we had nothing to do but wait till the seamen came back to the shore to look for their boat.
Soon Friday and the captain"s mate rejoined us, and I stood at the head of my little army, listening to the seamen as they made their way through the bushes.
We could hear them calling to one another. We could hear them telling how lame and tired they were. We could hear them saying that they were in an enchanted island where there were witches and other kinds of uncanny things. All this pleased us very much.
By and by they came to the shore, quite close to where we were standing.
One of the men whom they had left in the boat was standing with us. He was one of the honest men whom the captain had pointed out, and he had joined us very gladly.
By my orders he now cried out, "Tom Smith! Tom Smith!" For that was the name of the leader of the company.
Tom Smith answered at once, "Is that you, Robinson?" for he knew the voice.
"Yes," the other answered, "and for God"s sake, Tom Smith, throw down your arms and yield, or you will all be dead men the next minute."
"To whom must we yield?" cried Tom Smith. "Where are they?"
"Here they are," was the answer. "Here"s our captain at the head of a whole army of fighting men. The boatswain is dead, and Bill Fry is dead, and all the rest of us are prisoners. If you don"t yield, you are lost."
"If they"ll give us quarters, we"ll yield," said Smith.
Then the captain himself spoke up. "You, Smith," he said, "you know my voice. If you lay down your arms at once, you shall have your lives — all but Will Atkins."
Upon this, Will Atkins cried out: "For God"s sake, Captain, give me quarter! What have I done? I have been no worse than the rest."
Now this was not true. For it was Will Atkins who had first laid hold of the captain, and it was he who had tied the captain"s hands.
"Nay, Will Atkins," said the captain. "You know what you have done, and I can promise you nothing. You must lay down your arms and trust to the governor"s mercy."
ebooksa