to my partner, he was raging, and declared that to lose his goods would be his ruin, and that he would rather die than be starved; and he was for fighting to the last drop.

The young lord, a gallant youth, was for fighting to the last also; and my old pilot was of the opinion we were able to resist them all in the situation we were then in; and thus we spent the day in debates of what we should do: but towards evening we found that the number of our enemies still increased, and we did not know but by the morning they might still be a greater number; so I began to inquire of those people we had brought from Tobolski if there were no private ways, by which we might avoid them in the night, and perhaps retreat to some town, or get help to guard us over the desert The Siberian, who was servant to the young lord, told us. if we designed to avoid them, and not fight, he would engage to carry us off in the night, to a way that went north, towards the river Petrou, by which he made no question but we might get away, and the Tartars never the wiser: but, he said, his lord had told him he would not retreat, but would rather choose to fight. I told him he mistook his lord; for that he was too wise a man to love fighting for the sake of it; that I knew his lord was brave enough, by what he had showed already; but that his lord knew better than to desire seventeen or eighteen men to fight five hundred, unless an unavoidable necessity forced them to it; and that, if he thought it possible for us to escape in the night, we had nothing else to do but to attempt it. He answered, if his lordship gave him such orders he would lose his life if he did not perform it: we soon brought his lord to give that order, though privately, and we immediately prepared for the putting it in practice.

And, first, as soon as it began to be dark, we kindled a fire in our little camp, which we kept burning, and prepared Bo as to make it burn all night, that the Tartars might conclude we were still there; but as soon as it was dark, and we could see the stars (for our guide would not stir before,) having all our horses and camels ready loaded, we followed our new guide, who I soon found steered himself by the north star.

After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be lighter still; not that it was quite dark all night, but the moon began to rise, so that, in short, it was rather lighter than we wished it to be; but by six o'clock the next morning we were got above thirty miles, having almost spoiled our horses. Here we found a Russian village, named Kermazinskoy, where we rested, and heard nothing of the Kalmuck Tartars that day. About two hours before night we set out again, and

ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE

travelled till eight the next morning, though not quite so hard as before; and about seven o'clock we passed a little river, called Kirtza, and came to a good large town inhabited by Russians, called Ozomoys; there we heard that several troops of Kalmucks had been abroad upon the desert, but that we were now completely out of danger of them, which was to our great satisfaction. Here we were obliged to get some fresh horses; and having need enough of rest, we stayed five days; and my partner and I agreed to give the honest Siberian who brought us thither the value of ten pistoles.

In five days more we came to Veuslima, upon the river Wirtzogda, and running into the Dwina: we were there, very happily, near the end of our travels by land, that river being navigable, in seven days passage, to Archangel. From hence we came to Lawrenskoy the 3d of July; and providing ourselves with two luggage-boats, and a barge for our own convenience, we embarked the 7th, and arrived all safe at Archangel the 18th; having been a year five months and three days on the journey, including our stay of eight months at Tobolski. We stayed at this place six weeks, for the arrival of the ships; and must have tarried longer, had not a Hamburgher come in above a month sooner than usual.

We then set sail from Archangel the 20th of August, the same year; and after no extraordinary bad voyage, arrived safe in the Elbe the 18th of September. Here my partner and I found a very good sale for our goods, as well those of China as the sables, &c. of Siberia; and dividing the produce, my share amounted to 3475/. 175. 3d. including about six hundred pounds worth of diamonds which I had purchased at Bengal.

Here the young lord took his leave of us, and went up the Elbe, in order to go to the court of Vienna, where he resolved to seek protection, and could correspond with those of his father's friends who were left alive. He did not part without testimonies of gratitude for the service I had done him, and the sense of my kindness to the prince his father.

To conclude, having stayed near four months in Hamburgh, I came from thence by land to the Hague, where I embarked in the packet, and arrived in London the 10th of January 1705; having been absent from England ten years and nine months. And here I resolved to prepare for a longer journey than all these, having lived a life of infinite variety seventy-two years.

THE END.

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