Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins, Vol. I. (of II.) Read online

  CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

  CHAPTER I.

  Giving an account of the authors birth and family--The fondness of hismother--His being put to an academy at sixteen by the advice of hisfriend--His thoughts of his own literature

  CHAPTER II.

  How he spent his time at the academy--An intrigue with a servant maidthere--She declares herself with child by him--Her expostulations withhim--He is put to it for money--Refused it from home by his friend, whohad married his mother--Is drawn in to marry the maid--She lies in ather aunts--Returns to her service--He has another child by her

  CHAPTER III.

  Minds his studies--Informs his master of his mother's marriage and usageof him--Hears of her death--Makes his master his guardian--Goes withhim to take possession of his estate--Is informed all is given to hisfather-in-law--Moral reflections on his condition and on his father'scrimes

  CHAPTER IV.

  Departs secretly from his master--Travels to Bristol--Religious thoughtsby the way--Enters on shipboard, and is made captain's steward

  CHAPTER V.

  His first entertainment en board--Sets sail--His sickness--Engagementwith a French privateer--Is taken and laid in irons--Twenty-oneprisoners turned adrift in a small boat with only two days' provisions

  CHAPTER VI.

  The boat, two hundred leagues from land, makes no way, but drives moreto sea by the wind--The people live nine days at quarter allowance--Fourdie with hunger the twelfth day--Five more the fourteenth day--On thefifteenth they eat one just dead--Want of water excessive--They spy asail--Are taken up--Work their passage to the African shore--One sent ona secret expedition--Are way-laid, taken, made slaves, and sent up thecountry

  CHAPTER VII.

  The author escapes with Glanlepze, a native--His hardshipsin travel--Plunder of a cottage--His fears--Adventure with acrocodile--Passage of a river--Adventure with a lioness andwhelps--Arrives at Glanlepze's house--The trial of Glanlepze s wife'sconstancy--The tender meeting of her and her husband--The author'sreflections thereupon

  CHAPTER VIII.

  How the author passed his time with Glanlepze--His acquaintance withsome English prisoners--They project an escape--He joins them--Theyseize a Portuguese ship and get off--Make a long run from land--Wantwater--They anchor at a desert island--The boat goes on shore forwater--They lose their anchor in a storm--The author and one Adams droveto sea--A miraculous passage to a rock--Adams drowned there--The authorsmiserable condition

  CHAPTER IX.

  He thinks of destroying himself--His soliloquy--Strange accident inthe hold--His surprise--Can't climb the rock--His method to sweeten hiswater--Lives many months on board--Ventures to sea in his boat severaltimes and takes many fish--Almost overcome by an eel

  CHAPTER X.

  Lays in great store of provisions--Resolves to traverse the rock--Sailsfor three weeks, still seeing it only--Is sucked under the rock, andhurried down a cataract--Continues there five weeks--His description ofthe cavern--His thoughts and difficulties--His arrival at a great lake,and his landing in the beautiful country of Graundevolet

  CHAPTER XI.

  His joy on his arrival at land--A description of the place--Noinhabitants--Wants fresh water--Resides in a grotto--Finds water--Viewsthe country--Carries his things to the grotto

  CHAPTER XII.

  An account of the grotto--A room added to it--A view of thatbuilding--The author makes a little cart--Also a wet dock for hisboat--Goes in quest of provision--A description of divers fruits andplants--He brings home a cartload of different sorts--Makes experimentson them--Loads his cart with others--A great disappointment--Makes goodbread--Never sees the sun--The nature of the light

  CHAPTER XIII.

  The author lays in a store against the dark weather--Hears voice--Histhoughts thereon--Persuades himself it was a dream--Hears themagain--Determines to see if any one lodged in the rock--Is satisfiedthere is nobody--Observations on what he saw--Finds a strong weedlike whip-cord--Makes a dragnet--Lengthens it--Catches a monster--Itsdescription--Makes oil of it

  CHAPTER XIV.

  The author passes the summer pleasantly--Hears the voices in thewinter--Ventures out--Sees a strange sight on the lake--His uneasinessat it--His dream--Soliloquy--Hears the voices again, and perceives agreat shock on his building--Takes up a beautiful woman--He thinks herdead, but recovers her--A description of her--She stays with him

  CHAPTER XV.

  He is afraid of losing his new mistress--They live together allwinter--A remark on that--They begin to know each others language--Along discourse between them at cross purposes--She flies--They engage tobe man and wife

  CHAPTER XVI.

  The author's disappointment at first going to bed with his newwife--Some strange circumstances relating thereto--She resolves severalquestions he asks her, and clears up his fears as to the voices--Adescription of swangeans

  CHAPTER XVII.

  Youwarkee cannot bear a strong light--Her husband makes her spectacles,which help her--A description of them

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  Youwarkee with child--The author's stock of provisions--No beast orfish in Youwarkee's country--The voices again--Her reason for notseeing those who uttered 'em--She bears a son--A hard speech in herlying-in--Divers birds appear--Their eggs gathered--How the author keptaccount of time

  CHAPTER XIX.

  His concern about clothing for Pedro, his eldest son--His discourse withhis wife about the ship--Her flight to it--His melancholy reflections'till her return--An account of what she had done, and of what shebrought--She clothes her children and takes a second flight

  CHAPTER XX.

  The author observes her flight--A description of a glumm in thegraundee--She finds out the gulf not far from the ship--Brings home moregoods--Makes her a gown by her husband's instruction

  CHAPTER XXI.

  The author gets a breed of poultry--By what means--Builds them ahouse--How he managed to keep them in winter

  CHAPTER XXII.

  Reflections on mankind--The author wants to be with his ship--Projectsgoing, but perceives it impracticable--Youwarkee offers her service,and goes--An account of her transactions on board--Remarks on hersagacity--She despatches several chests of goods through the gulf tothe lake--An account of a danger she escaped--The author has a fit ofsickness

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  The religion of the author's family

  CHAPTER XXIV.

  An account of his children--Their names--They are exercised inflying--His boat crazy--Youwarkee intends a visit to her father, butfirst takes another flight to the ship--Sends a boat and chests throughthe gulf--Clothes her children--Is with child again, so her visit is putoff--An inventory of the last freight of goods--The authors method oftreating his children--Youwarkee, her son Tommy, with her daughtersPatty and Hallycarnie, set out for her father's

  CHAPTER XXV.

  Youwarkee's account of the stages to Arndrumnstake--The author uneasyat her flight--His employment in her absence, and preparations forreceiving her father--How he spent the evenings with the children

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  His concern at Youwarkee's stay--Reflections on his condition--Hearsa voice call him--Youwarkee's brother Quangrollart visits him with acompanion--He treats them at the grotto--The brother discovers himselfby accident--The author presents his children to him

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  Quangrollarf s account of Youwarkee's journey, and reception at herfather's