Crusoe finds a Turtle (p. 57) — the volume's seventeenth composite wood-block engraving for Defoe's The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. Related by himself (London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin), 1863-64. Chapter VI, "Ill and Conscience-Stricken." The illustrator presents a convincing interpretation of the rocky beach of a remote island off the South American coast, now without any sign of the vessel broken amidships. Half-page, framed: 11 cm high x 14 cm wide, including a frame of conch shells and plant leaves. Running head: "He suffers from Ague" (p. 59). [Click on image to enlarge it.]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
The Passage Illustrated
June 16. — Going down to the seaside, I found a large tortoise or turtle. This was the first I had seen, which, it seems, was only my misfortune, not any defect of the place, or scarcity; for had I happened to be on the other side of the island, I might have had hundreds of them every day, as I found afterwards; but perhaps had paid dear enough for them.
June 17. I spent in cooking the turtle. I found in her three-score eggs; and her flesh was to me, at that time, the most savoury and pleasant that ever I tasted in my life, having had no flesh, but of goats and fowls, since I landed in this horrid place. [Chapter VI, "Ill and Conscience-Stricken," p. 59]
Commentary
The illustration on the shore of the Caribbean island that will be Crusoe's home for decades emphasizes his becoming familiar with its topography and resources. Of the many scenes that occur on the beach, including Crusoe's discovery of the foot-print and his rescue of Friday and later of the Spaniard, this is the least important. However, the illustrator's isolating it is significant in that the beach scene underscores Crusoe's becoming intimately familiar with every aspect of the shore, and therefore easily able to observe activity on the shore without being seen. And he never goes anywhere on the island, apparently, without a gun.
Other Beach Scenes
- The Wreck
- Crusoe sails out of his Creek
- Crusoe sees a Foot-print in the Sand
- Crusoe visits the Spanish Ship
- Crusoe sleeping in his Boat
- Crusoe and Friday
- Friday burying the Dead
- Crusoe discovers Himself to the English Captain
Related Material
- Daniel Defoe
- Illustrations of Robinson Crusoe by various artists
- Illustrations of children’s editions
- The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe il. H. M. Brock at Project Gutenberg
- The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe at Project Gutenberg
Bibliography
De Foe, Daniel. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. Related by himself. With upwards of One Hundred Illustrations. London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 1863-64.
Last modified 11 March 2018