ly with the extraordinary fervour of my
mind about it, Nature--as if I had been fatigued and exhausted with the
very thoughts of it--threw me into a sound sleep. One would have thought
I should have dreamed of it, but I did not, nor of anything relating to
it, but I dreamed that as I was going out in the morning as usual from my
castle, I saw upon the shore two canoes and eleven savages coming to
land, and that they brought with them another savage whom they were going
to kill in order to eat him; when, on a sudden, the savage that they were
going to kill jumped away, and ran for his life; and I thought in my
sleep that he came running into my little thick grove before my
fortification, to hide himself; and that I seeing him alone, and not
perceiving that the others sought him that way, showed myself to him, and
smiling upon him, encouraged him: that he kneeled down to me, seeming to
pray me to assist him; upon which I showed him my ladder, made him go up,
and carried him into my cave, and he became my servant; and that as soon
as I had got this man, I said to myself, "Now I may certainly venture to
the mainland, for this fellow will serve me as a pilot, and will tell me
what to do, and whither to go for provisions, and whither not to go for
fear of being devoured; what places to venture into, and what to shun."
I waked with this thought; and was under such inexpressible impressions
of joy at the prospect of my escape in my dream, that the disappointments
which I felt upon coming to myself, and finding that it was no more than
a dream, were equally extravagant the other way, and threw me into a very
great dejection of spirits.

Upon this, however, I made this conclusion: that my only way to go about
to attempt an escape was, to endeavour to get a savage into my
possession: and, if possible, it should be one of their prisoners, whom
they had condemned to be eaten, and should bring hither to kill. But
these thoughts still were attended with this difficulty: that it was
impossible to effect this without attacking a whole caravan of them, and
killing them all; and this was not only a very desperate attempt, and
might miscarry, but, on the other hand, I had greatly scrupled the
lawfulness of it to myself; and my heart trembled at the thoughts of
shedding so much blood, though it was for my deliverance. I need not
repeat the arguments which occurred to me against this, they being the
same mentioned before; but though I had