For two years I never went anywhere without my gun. I felt lonely and afraid, and
had many sleepless nights. One night there was a very bad storm, and I thought I
heard the sound of guns out at sea. The next morning I looked out and saw a
ship. It was lying on its side not far from the shore. Quickly I put my little
boat in the water and sailed out to it.
There were two dead men on the ship, but no one alive. The bodies of the other sailors
were lost in the sea. I took some clothes and tools and also a box of Spanish
gold and silver money. I was a rich man now, but what use was money to me? I
could not buy anything with it.
I wanted people, a friend, somebody to talk to… somebody who could help me
escape from my island. One morning I woke up and made a plan. ‘I’ll try to
catch one of the prisoners of the wild men,’ I said to myself. ‘He’ll be
happy to be alive and perhaps he’ll help me to escape.’ I watched day and
night, but for a year and a half there were no boats.
Then one day five boats came. There were about thirty men and they had
two prisoners. They made their fire on the sand and danced round it. Then they
killed one of the prisoners and began to cook their terrible meal. The second
prisoner waited under the trees, with two men to watch him. Suddenly, the
prisoner turned and ran. The two men ran after him, but the other wild men were
busy round the fire and did not see what was happening.
