Crusoe leaves his home
as a young man to go to sea, against his family's
wishes.While these reflections were rolling in
my mind, I was very thankful in my thoughts that I was so
happy as not to be thereabouts at that time, or that they
did not see my boat, by which they would have concluded
that some inhabitants had been in the place, and perhaps
have searched farther for me. Then terrible thoughts
racked my imagination about their having found out my
boat, and that there were people here; and that, if so, I
should certainly have them come again in greater
numbers and devour me; that if it should happen that
they should not find me, yet they would find my
enclosure, destroy all my corn, and carry away all my
flock of tame goats, and I should perish at last for mere
want.How it came thither I knew not, nor could I in the
least imagine; but after innumerable fluttering thoughts,
like a man perfectly confused and out of myself, I came
home to my fortification, not feeling, as we say, the
ground I went on, but terrified to the last degree, looking
behind me at every two or three steps, mistaking every
bush and tree, and fancying every stump at a distance to
be a man.I slept none that night; the farther I was from the
occasion of my fright, the greater my apprehensions
were, which is something contrary to the nature of such
things, and especially to the usual practice of all
creatures in fear; but I was so embarrassed with my own
frightful ideas of the thing, that I formed nothing but
dismal imaginations to myself, even though I was now a
great way off...Nor is it possible to describe how many various
shapes my affrighted imagination represented things to
me in, how many wild ideas were found every moment in
my fancy, and what strange, unaccountable whimsies
came into my thoughts by the way.After several smaller misadventures, he ends
up in Brazil with a sugar plantation.