"Crusoe sees an English ship" for Daniel Defoe's "Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" (1863-64)

Crusoe sees an English ship (page 165) — the volume's forty-fourth 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 XVII, "The Visit of the Mutineers." The conventional chapter title prepares readers for Crusoe's rescue from an unexpected quarter, and the subsequent running head ("A Charitable Mission," p. 167) suggests that Crusoe will assist the victims of the mutiny. In the now familiar jungle setting, a diminutive Crusoe occupies a central position as he gazes at a ship in full sail on the horizon. Full-page, framed: 14 cm high (including caption) x 22 cm wide, including the border featuring tropical flowering plants and a butterfly Running head: "A Charitable Mission" (page 167).

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

Upon this I called Friday in, and bade him lie close, for these were not the people we looked for, and that we might not know yet whether they were friends or enemies. In the next place I went in to fetch my perspective glass to see what I could make of them; and having taken the ladder out, I climbed up to the top of the hill, as I used to do when I was apprehensive of anything, and to take my view the plainer without being discovered. I had scarce set my foot upon the hill when my eye plainly discovered a ship lying at anchor, at about two leagues and a half distance from me, SSE., but not above a league and a half from the shore. By my observation it appeared plainly to be an English ship, and the boat appeared to be an English long-boat.

I cannot express the confusion I was in, though the joy of seeing a ship, and one that I had reason to believe was manned by my own countrymen, and consequently friends, was such as I cannot describe; but yet I had some secret doubts hung about me — I cannot tell from whence they came — bidding me keep upon my guard. In the first place, it occurred to me to consider what business an English ship could have in that part of the world, since it was not the way to or from any part of the world where the English had any traffic; and I knew there had been no storms to drive them in there in distress; and that if they were really English it was most probable that they were here upon no good design; and that I had better continue as I was than fall into the hands of thieves and murderers. [Chapter XVII, "The Visit of the Mutineers," p. 168]

Related Material

Relevant illustrations from other 19th century editions, 1790-1891

Above: George Cruikshank's more explicit indication of how Crusoe will at last be able to leave the island, Crusoe and Friday encounter the captain of a British ship whose crew have mutinied (1831). [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Above: Wal Paget's dramatic lithograph of Crusoe's raising his arms in welcome as he discovers an English ship offshore, "My eye plainly discovered a ship lying at an anchor." (1891). [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Left: Stothard's 1790 realisation of another significant meeting at the end of the first book, Robinson Crusoe and Friday making a tent to lodge Friday's father and the Spaniard (Chapter XVI, "Rescue of the Prisoners from the Cannibals," copper-engraving). Centre: In the children's book illustration, the Captain offers Crusoe his ship without any reference to quelling the mutiny first, The Captain offers a Ship to Robinson Crusoe (1818). Right: In the 1820 children's book illustration, The poor man, with a gush of tears, answered, "Am I talking to a man or an angel?", Crusoe (in oversized goatskin hat) and Friday (marginalised) encounter the victims of the mutiny. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]

Bibliography

Defoe, 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 19 March 2018