The Solitary of Juan Fernandez

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The Solitary of Juan Fernandez

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Solitary of Juan Fernandez,
or The Real Robinson Crusoe, by Joseph Xavier Saintine This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Solitary of Juan Fernandez, or The Real Robinson Crusoe
Author: Joseph Xavier Saintine
Release Date: March 4, 2004 [EBook #11441]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOLITARY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ ***

Produced by Internet Archive; University of Florida, Children, Andrea Ball and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

THE SOLITARY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ;
OR,
THE REAL ROBINSON CRUSOE
BY THE AUTHOR OF PICCIOLA.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY ANNE T. WILBUR.

MDCCCLI.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
The Royal Salmon.--Pretty Kitty.--Captain Stradling.--William Dampier. --Reveries and Caprices of Miss Catherine.
CHAPTER II.
Alexander Selkirk.--The College.--First Love.--Eight Years of Absence. --Maritime Combats.--Return and Departure.--The Swordfish.
CHAPTER III.
The Tour of the World.--The Way to manufacture Negroes.--California. --The Eldorado.--Revolt of Selkirk.--The Log-Book.--Degradation. --A Free Shore.
CHAPTER IV.
Inspection of the Country.--Marimonda.--A City seen through the Fog. --The Sea every where.--Dialogue with a Toucan.--The first Shot. --Declaration of War.--Vengeance.--A Terrestrial Paradise.
CHAPTER V.
Labors of the Colonist.--His Study.--Fishing.--Administration. --Selkirk Island.--The New Prometheus.--What is wanting to Happiness. --Encounter with Marimonda.--Monologue.
CHAPTER VI.
The Hammock.--Poison.--Success.--A Calm under the Tropics.--Invasion of the Island.--War and Plunder.--The Oasis.--The Spy-Glass. --Reconciliation.
CHAPTER VII.
A Tête-a-tête.--The Monkey's Goblet.--The Palace.--A Removal.--Winter under the Tropics--Plans for the Future.--Property.--A burst of Laughter.--Misfortune not far off.
CHAPTER VIII.
A New Invasion.--Selkirk joyfully meets an ancient Enemy.--Combat on a Red Cedar.--A Mother and her Little Ones.--The Flock.--Fête in the Island; Pacific Combats, Diversions and Swings.--A Sail.--The Burning Wood.--Presentiments of Marimonda.
CHAPTER IX.
The Precipice.--A Dungeon in a Desert Island.--Resignation.--The passing Bird.--The browsing Goat.--The bending Tree.--Attempts at Deliverance. --Success.--Death of Marimonda.
CHAPTER X.
Discouragement.--A Discovery.--A Retrospective Glance.--Project of Suicide.--The Last Shot.--The Sea Serpent.--The Porro. --A Message.--Another Solitary.
CHAPTER XI.
The Island of San Ambrosio.--Selkirk at last knows what Friendship is. --The Raft.--Visits to the Tomb of Marimonda.--The Departure.--The two Islands.--Shipwreck.--The Port of Safety.
CHAPTER XII.
The Island of Juan Fernandez.--Encounter in the Mountains.--Discussion. --A New Captivity.--Cannon-shot.--Dampier and Selkirk.--Mas a Fuera. --News of Stradling.--Confidences.--End of the History of the real Robinson Crusoe.--Nebuchadnezzar.
CONCLUSION.
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THE SOLITARY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ,
OR
THE REAL ROBINSON CRUSOE.
* * * * *
CHAPTER I
The Royal Salmon.--Pretty Kitty.--Captain Stradling.--William Dampier. --Reveries and Caprices of Miss Catherine.
About the commencement of the last century, the little town of St. Andrew, the capital of the county of Fife, in Scotland, celebrated then for its University, was not less so for its Inn, the Royal Salmon, which, built in 1681 by a certain Andrew Felton, had descended as an inheritance to his only daughter, Catherine.
This young lady, known throughout the neighborhood under the name of pretty Kitty, had contributed not a little, by her personal charms, to the success and popularity of the inn. In her early youth, she had been a lively and piquant brunette, with black, glossy hair, combed over a smooth and prominent forehead, and dark, brilliant eyes, a style of beauty much in vogue at that period. Though tall and slender in stature, she was, as our ancestors would have said, sufficiently en bon point. In fine, Kitty merited her surname, and more than one laird in the neighborhood, more than one great nobleman even,--thanks to the familiarity which reigned among the different classes in Scotland,--had figured occasionally among her customers, caring as little what people might say as did the brave Duke of Argyle, whom Walter Scott has shown as conversing familiarly with his snuff merchant.
At present Catherine Felton is in her second youth. By a process common enough, but which at first appears contradictory, her attractions have diminished as they developed; her waist has grown thicker, the roses on her cheek assumed a deeper vermilion, her voice has acquired the rough and hoarse tone of her most faithful customers; the slender young girl is transformed into a virago. Fortunately for her, at the commencement of the eighteenth century, and especially in Scotland, reputations did not vanish as readily as in our days. Notwithstanding her increasing size and coarser voice, Catherine still remained pretty Kitty, especially in the eyes of those to whom she gave the largest credit.
Besides, if from year to year her beauty waned, a circumstance which might tend to diminish the attractions of her establishment, like a prudent woman she took care that her stock of ale and usquebaugh should also from year to year improve in quality, to preserve the equilibrium.
Undoubtedly the visits of lairds and great noblemen at her bar were less frequent than formerly, but all the trades-people in town, all the sailors in port, from the Gulf of Tay to the Gulf of Forth, still patronized the pretty landlady.
Meanwhile Catherine