Chapter V: A Spelling Drill

The method of using the following story of Robinson Crusoe, specially arranged as a spelling drill, should include these steps:

1. Copy the story paragraph by paragraph, with great accuracy, noting every punctuation mark, paragraph indentations, numbers, and headings. Words that should appear in italics should be underlined once, in small capitals twice, in capitals three times. After the copy has been completed, compare it word by word with the original, and if errors are found, copy the entire story again from beginning to end, and continue to copy it till the copy is perfect in every way.

2. When the story has been accurately copied with the original before the eyes, let some one dictate it, and copy from the dictation, afterward comparing with the original, and continuing this process till perfection is attained.

3. After the ability to copy accurately from dictation has been secured, write out the story phonetically. Lay aside the phonetic version for a week and then write the story out from this version with the ordinary spelling, subsequently comparing with the original until the final version prepared from the phonetic version is accurate in every point.

The questions may be indefinitely extended. After this story has been fully mastered, a simple book like “Black Beauty” will furnish additional material for drill. Mental observations, such as those indicated in the notes and questions, should become habitual.

THE STORY OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. (For Dictation.)

I.

(Once writers of novels were called liars by some people, because they made up out of their heads the stories they told. In our day we know that there is more truth in many a novel than in most histories. The story of Robinson Crusoe was indeed founded upon the experience of a real man, named Alexander Selkirk, who lived seven years upon a deserted island. Besides that, it tells more truly than has been told in any other writing what a sensible man would do if left to care for himself, as Crusoe was.)

1. A second storm came upon us (says Crusoe in telling his own story), which carried us straight away westward. Early in the morning, while the wind was still blowing very hard, one of the men cried out, “Land!” We had no sooner run out of the cabin than the ship struck upon a sandbar, and the sea broke over her in such a manner that we were driven to shelter from the foam and spray.

Questions and Notes. What is peculiar about _writers, liars, know, island, straight, foam, spray?_ (Answer. In _liars_ we have _ar,_ not _er_. In the others, what silent letters?) Make sentences containing _right, there, hour, no, strait, see,_ correctly used. Point out three words in which _y_ has been changed to _i_ when other letters were added to the word. Indicate two words in which _ea_ has different sounds. Find the words in which silent _e_ was dropped when a syllable was added. What is peculiar about _sensible? cabin? driven? truly? Crusoe?_

To remember the spelling of _their,_ whether it is _ei_ or _ie,_ note that it refers to what _they_ possess, _theyr_ things―the _y_ changed to _i_ when _r_ is added.

II.

2. We were in a dreadful condition, and the storm having ceased a little, we thought of nothing but saving our lives. In this distress the mate of our vessel laid ho a boat we had on board, and with the help of the other men got her flung over the ship's side. Getting all into her, we let her go and committed ourselves, eleven in number, to God's mercy and the wild sea.

(While such a wind blew, you may be sure they little knew where the waves were driving them, or if they might not be beaten to pieces on the rocks. No doubt the waves mounted to such a height and the spray caused such a mist that they could see only the blue sky above them.)

3. After we had driven about a league and a half, a raging wave, mountain high, took us with such fury that it overset the boat, and, separating us, gave us hardly time to cry, “Oh, God!”

Questions and Notes. What words in the above paragraphs contain the digraph _ea_? What sound does it represent in each word? What other digraphs are found in words in the above paragraphs? What silent letters? What principle or rule applies to _condition? having? distress? getting? committed? eleven?_ What is peculiar about _thought? lives? laid? mercy? blew? pieces? mountain? league? half? could?_ Compare _ei_ in height and _i_ alone in _high_. Think of _nothing_ as _no thing._ To remember the _ie_ in _piece,_ remember that _pie_ and _piece_ are spelled in the same way. _Separate_ has an _a_ in the second syllable—— like _part,_ since _separate_ means to “_part_ in two.” You easily the word PART in SEPARATE, Observe that _ful_ in _dreadful_ has but one _l_.

III.

4. That wave carried me a vast way on toward shore, and having spent itself went back, leaving me upon the land almost dry, but half dead with the water I had taken into my lungs and stomach. Seeing myself nearer the mainland than I had expected, with what breath I had left I got upon my feet and endeavored with all my strength to make toward land as fast as I could.

5. I was wholly buried by the next wave that came upon me, but again I was carried a great way toward shore. I was ready to burst with holding my breath, when to my relief I found my head and hands shoot above the surface of the water. I was covered again with water, and dashed against a rock. The blow, taking my breast and side, beat the breath quite out of my body. I held fast by the piece of rock, however, and then, although very weak, I fetched another run, so that I succeeded in getting to the mainland, where I sat me down, quite out of reach of the water.

Questions and Notes. In what words in the preceding paragraphs has silent _a_ been dropped on adding a syllable? In what words do you find the digraph _ea,_ and what sound does it have in each? How many different sounds of _ea_ do you find? What is the difference between _breath_ and _breathe―all_ the differences? How many l's in _almost?_

In what other compounds does _all_ drop one _l_? Why do we not have two _r_'s in _covered_? (Answer. The syllable containing _er_ is not accented. Only accented syllables double a final single consonant on adding a syllable.) What rule applies in the formation of _carried? having? endeavored? buried? taking? although? getting?_ What is peculiar in _toward? half? water? stomach? wholly? again? body? succeeded? of?_

To remember whether _relief, belief,_ etc., have the digraph _ie_ or _ei,_ notice that _e_ just precedes _f_ in the alphabet and in the word, while the _i_ is nearer the _l_; besides, the words contain the word _lie_. In _receive, receipt,_ the _e_ is placed nearest the _c_, which it is nearest in the alphabet. Or, think of _lice: i_ follows _l_ and _e_ follows _a,_ as in the words _believe_ and _receive_.

Observe the two _l_'s in _wholly,―_ one in _whole_; we do not have _wholely,_ as we might expect. Also observe that in _again_ and _against ai_ has the sound of _e_ short, as _a_ has that sound in _any_ and _many_.

IV.

6. I believe it is impossible truly to express what the ecstasies of the soul are when it is so saved, as I may say, out of the grave. “For sudden joys, like sudden griefs, confound at first.”

7. I walked about on the shore, my whole being wrapped up in thinking of what I had been through, and thanking God for my deliverance. Not one soul had been saved but myself. Nor did I afterward see any sign of them, except three of their hats, one cap, and two shoes.

8. I soon began to look about me. I had no change of clothes, nor anything either to eat or drink; nor did I see anything before me but dying of hunger or being eaten by wild beasts.

(Crusoe afterward cast up a sort of ledger account of the good and evil in his lot. On the side of evil he placed, first, the fact that he had been thrown upon a bare and barren island, with no hope of escape. Against this he set the item that he alone had been saved. On the side of evil he noted that he had no clothes; but on the other hand, this was a warm climate, where he could hardly wear clothes if he had them. Twenty-five years later he thought he would be perfectly happy if he were not in terror of men coming to his island——who, he feared, might eat him.)

Questions and Notes. How do you remember the _ie_ in _believe, grief,_ etc.? Give several illustrations from the above paragraphs of the principle that we have a double consonant (in an accented penultimate syllable) after a short vowel. Give illustrations of the single consonant after a long vowel. Make a list of the words containing silent letters, including all digraphs. What letter does _true_ have which _truly_ does not? Is _whole_ pronounced like _hole? wholly_ like _holy?_ What is the difference between _clothes_ and _cloths?_ What sound has _a_ in _any_? How do you remember that _i_ follows _e_ in _their?_ What rule applies in the formation of _dying_? Point out two words or more in the above in which we have a silent _a_ following two consonants to indicate a preceding long vowel. Give cases of a digraph followed by a silent _e_. (Note. Add silent _e_ to _past_ and make _paste_―long _a_.) Is the _i_ in _evil_ sounded? There were no _bears_ upon this island. Mention another kind of _bear_. Observe the difference between _hardware_—— iron goods——and _hard wear,_ meaning tough usage. What is peculiar about _soul? impossible? ecstasies? wrapped? deliverance? sign? except? shoes? hunger? thrown? terror? island?_

V.

9. I decided to climb into a tree and sit there until the next day, to think what death I should die. As night came on my heart was heavy, since at night beasts come abroad for their prey. Having cut a short stick for my defense, I took up my lodging on a bough, and fell fast asleep. I afterward found I had no reason to fear wild beasts, for never did I meet any harmful animal.

10. When I awoke it was broad day, the weather was clear and I saw the ship driven almost to the rock where I had been so bruised. The ship seeming to stand upright still, I wished myself aboard, that I might save some necessary things for my use.

(Crusoe shows his good judgment in thinking at once of saving something from the ship for his after use. While others would have been bemoaning their fate, he took from the vessel what he knew would prove useful, and in his very labors he at last found happiness. Not only while his home-building was new, but even years after, we find him still hard at work and still inventing new things.)

Questions and Notes. There are two _l_'s in _till_; why not in _until?_

What other words ending in two _l_'s drop one _l_ in compounds? What two sounds do you find given to _oa_ in the preceding paragraphs? What is peculiar about _climb? death? dies? night? heart? heavy? since? beasts? prey? defense? lodging? bough? never? harmful? weather? driven? bruised? necessary? judgment? others? happiness? build?_

Use the following words in appropriate sentences: _clime, dye, pray, bow, write, would_. What two pronunciations may _bow_ have, and what is the difference in meaning? What two sounds may _s_ have in _use,_ and what difference do they mark?

What two rules are violated in _judgment?_ What other words are similar exceptions?

VI.

11. As I found the water very calm and the ship but a quarter of a mile out, I made up my mind to swim out and get on board her. I at once proceeded to the task. My first work was to search out the provisions, since I was very well disposed to eat. I went to the bread-room and filled my pockets with biscuit. I saw that I wanted nothing but a boat to supply myself with many things which would be necessary to me, and I glanced about me to see how I might meet this need.

12. I found two or three large spars and a spare mast or two, which I threw overboard, tying every one with a rope that it might not drift away. Climbing down the ship's side, I pulled them toward me and tied four of them fast together in the form of a raft, laying two or three pieces of plank upon them crosswise.

13. I now had a raft strong enough to bear any reasonable weight. My next care was to load it. I got three of the seamen's chests, which I managed to break open and empty. These I filled with bread, rice, five pieces of dried goat's flesh, and a little remainder of European grain. There had been some barley and wheat together; but the rats had eaten or spoiled it.

Questions and Notes. In _calm_ you have a silent _l_; what other words can you mention with this silent _l_? Note the double _e_ in _proceed_ and _succeed; precede_ has one _e_ with the silent _e_ at the end. Note that _u_ is inserted into _biscuit_ simply to make the _c_ hard before _i_; with this allowance, this word is spelled regularly. What is the difference between _spar_ and _spare?_ What other word have we had pronounced like _threw_? Explain _tying_ and _tied_. Did any change take place when _ed_ was added to _tie_? Note that _four_ is spelled with _ou_ for the long _o_ sound; _forty_ with a simple _o_. How is _14_ spelled? How do you remember _ie_ in _piece_? What sound has _ei_ in _weight_? Mention another word in which _ei_ has the same sound. What other word is pronounced like _bear_? How do you spell the word like this which is the name of a kind of animal? In what three ways do you find the long sound of _a_ represented in the above paragraphs? Make a list of the words with silent consonants?

VII.

14. My next care was for arms. There were two very good fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two pistols. And now I thought myself pretty well freighted, and began to think how I should get to shore, having neither sail, oar, nor rudder; and the least capful of wind would have overset me.

15. I made many other journeys to the ship, and took away among other things two or three bags of nails, two or three iron crows, and a great roll of sheet lead. This last I had to tear apart and carry away in pieces, it was so heavy. I had the good luck to find a box of sugar and a barrel of fine flour. On my twelfth voyage I found two or three razors with perfect edges, one pair of large scissors, with some ten or a dozen good knives and forks. In a drawer I found some money. “Oh, drug!” I exclaimed. “What art thou good for?”

(To a man alone on a desert island, money certainly has no value. He can buy nothing, sell nothing; he has no debts to be paid; he earns his bread by the sweat of his brow, his business is all with himself and nature, and nature expects no profit, but allows no credit, for a man must pay in work as he goes along. Crusoe had many schemes; but it took a great deal of work to carry them out; and the sum of all was steady work for twenty-five years. In the end we conclude that whatever he got was dearly bought. We come to know what a thing is worth only by measuring its value in the work which it takes to get that thing or to make it, as Crusoe did his chairs, tables, earthenware, etc.)

Questions and Notes. What is peculiar in these words: _cabin, pistols, razors, money, value, measuring, bought, barley, capful, roll, successors, desert, certainly?_ What sound has _ou_ in _journeys?_ Is this sound for _ou_ common? What rule applies to the plural of _journey?_ How else may we pronounce _lead?_ What part of speech is it there? What is the past participle of _lead?_ Is that pronounced like _lead,_ the metal? How else may _tear_ be pronounced? What does that other word mean? Find a word in the above paragraphs pronounced like _flower_. What other word pronounced like _buy? profit? sum? dear? know? ware?_ What sound has _s_ in _sugar_? Make a list of the different ways in which long _e_ is represented. What is peculiar about _goes_? Make a list of the different ways in which long _a_ is represented in the above paragraphs. What sound has _o_ in _iron_? Is _d_ silent in _edges_? What sound has _ai_ in _pairs_? What other word pronounced like this? How do you spell the fruit pronounced like _pair_? How do you spell the word for the act of taking the skin off any fruit? What sound has _u_ in _business?_ In what other word has it the same sound? Mention another word in which _ch_ has the same sound that it has in _schemes_. What other word in the above has _ai_ with the same sound that it has in _chairs_?

VIII.

16. I now proceeded to choose a healthy, convenient, and pleasant spot for my home. I had chiefly to consider three things: First, air; second, shelter from the heat; third, safety from wild creatures, whether men or beasts; fourth, a view of the sea, that if God sent any ship in sight I might not lose any chance of deliverance. In the course of my search I found a little plain on the side of a rising hill, with a hollow like the entrance to a cave. Here I resolved to pitch my tent.

(He afterward found a broad, grassy prairie on the other side of the island, where he wished he had made his home. On the slope above grew grapes, lemons, citrons, melons, and other kinds of fruit.)

17. Aft er ten or twelve days it came into my thoughts that I should lose my reckoning for want of pen and ink; but to prevent this I cut with my knife upon a large post in capital letters the following words: “I came on shore here on the 30th of September, 1659.” On the sides of this post I cut every day a notch; and thus I kept my calendar, or weekly, monthly, and yearly reckoning of time.

(He afterward found pen, ink, and paper in the ship; but the record on the post was more lasting than anything he could have written on paper. However, when he got his pen and ink he wrote out a daily journal, giving the history of his life almost to the hour and minute. Thus he tells us that the shocks of earthquake were eight minutes apart, and that he spent eighteen days widening his cave.)

18. I made a strong fence of stakes about my tent that no animal could tear down, and dug a cave in the side of the hill, where I stored my powder and other valuables. Every day I went out with my gun on this scene of silent life. I could only listen to the birds, and hear the wind among the trees. I came out, however, to shoot goats for food. I found that as I came down from the hills into the valleys, the wild goats did not see me; but if they caught sight of me, as they did if I went toward them from below, they would turn tail and run so fast I could capture nothing.

Questions and Notes. Are all words in _-ceed_ spelled with a double _e_? What two other common words besides _proceed_ have we already studied? What sound has _ea_ in _healthy?_ in _pleasant?_ in _please?_ How do you remember that _i_ comes before _e_ in _chief?_ What sound has _ai_ in _air?_ Do you spell 14 and 40 with _ou_ as you do _fourth?_ What other word pronounced like _sea?_ Note the three words, _lose, loose,_ and _loss;_ what is the difference in meaning? Why does _chance_ end with a silent _e? change?_ What other classes of words take a silent _e_ where we should not expect it? What other word pronounced like _course?_ What does it mean? How do you spell the word for the tool with which a carpenter smooths boards? Mention five other words with a silent _t_ before _ch_, as in _pitch_. To remember the order of letters in _prairie,_ notice that there is an _i_ next to the _r_ on either side. What other letters represent the vowel sound heard in _grew?_ What two peculiarities in the spelling of _thoughts?_ Mention another word in which _ou_ has the same sound as in _thought_. How is this sound regularly represented? What other word pronounced like _capital?_ (Answer. _Capitol_. The chief government building is called the _capitol;_ the city in which the seat of government is located is called the _capital,_ just as the large letters are called _capitals_.) What sound has _ui_ in _fruit?_ What other two sounds have we had for _ui_? Would you expect a double consonant in _melons_ and _lemons,_ or are these words spelled regularly? What is peculiar about the spelling of _calendar?_ What other word like it, and what does it mean? What other word spelled like _minute,_ but pronounced differently? What sound has _u_ in this word? What other word pronounced like _scene?_ Is _t_ silent in _listen?_ in often? Why is _y_ not changed to _i_ or _ie_ in _valleys?_ What other plural is made in the same way? Write sentences in which the following words shall be correctly used: _are, forth,_ see (two meanings), _cent, cite, coarse, rate, ate, tare, seen, here, site, tale_. In what two ways may _wind_ be pronounced, and what is the difference in meaning?

IX.

19. I soon found that I lacked needles, pins, and thread, and especially linen. Yet I made clothes and sewed up the seams with tough stripe of goatskin. I afterward got handkerchiefs and shirts from another wreck. However, for want of tools my work went on heavily; yet I managed to make a chair, a table, and several large shelves. For a long time I was in want of a wagon or carriage of some kind. At last I hewed out a wheel of wood and made a wheelbarrow.

20. I worked as steadily as I could for the rain, for this was the rainy season. I may say I was always busy. I raised a turf wall close outside my double fence, and felt sure if any people came on shore they would not see anything like a dwelling. I also made my rounds in the woods every day. As I have already said, I found plenty of wild goats. I also found a kind of wild pigeon, which builds, not as wood pigeons do, in trees, but in holes of the rocks. The young ones were very good meat.

Questions and Notes. What sound has _ea_ in _thread?_ What is peculiar in the spelling of _liven?_ What is peculiar in the spelling of _handkerchiefs?_ wrecks? What rule applied to the formation of the word _heavily?_ What sound has _ai_ in _chair?_ Is the _i_ or the _a_ silent in _carriage?_ (Look this up in the dictionary.) What sound has _u_ in busy? What other word with the same sound for _u_? Is there any word besides _people_ in which _eo_ has the sound of _e_ long? In what other compounds besides _also_ does _all_ drop one _l_? What sound has _ai_ in _said?_ Does it have this sound in any other word? What sound has _eo_ in _pigeon? ui_ in _builds?_ What other word pronounced like _hole?_ How do you remember _ei_ in _their?_

Use the following words in appropriate sentences: _so, seem, hew, rein, meet_. What differences do you find in the principles of formation of _second, wreck, lock, reckon?_ In what different ways is the sound of long _a_ represented in paragraphs 19 and 20? What is peculiar in _tough? especially? handkerchiefs? season? raised? double? fence? already? pigeon? ones? very? were?_

X.

21. I found that the seasons of the year might generally be divided, not into summer and winter, as in Europe, but into the rainy seasons and the dry seasons, which were generally thus: From the middle of February to the middle of April (including March), rainy; the sun being then on or near the equinox. From the middle of April to the middle of August (including May, June, and July), dry; the sun being then north of the equator. From the middle of August till the middle of October (including September), rainy; the sun being then come back to the equator. From the middle of October till the middle of February (including November, December, and January), dry; the sun being then to the south of the equator.

22. I have already made mention of some grain that had been spoiled by the rats. Seeing nothing but husks and dust in the bag which had contained this, I shook it out one day under the rock on one side of my cave. It was just before the rainy season began. About a month later I was surprised to see ten or twelve ears of English barley that had sprung up and several stalks of rice. You may be sure I saved the seed, hoping that in time I might have enough grain to supply me with bread. It was not until the fourth season that I could allow myself the least particle to eat, and none of it was ever wasted. From this handful, I had in time all the rice and barley I needed for food,―above forty bushels of each in a year, as I might guess, for I had no measure.

23. I may mention that I took from the ship two cats; and the ship's dog which I found there was so overjoyed to see me that he swam ashore with me. These were much comfort to me. But one of the cats disappeared and I thought she was dead. I heard no more of her till she came home with three kittens. In the end I was so overrun with cats that I had to shoot some, when most of the remainder disappeared in the woods and did not trouble me any more.

Questions and Notes. Why is _g_ soft in _generally?_ How do you pronounce _February?_ What sound ha{ve the _}s{_'}s in _surprised?_ Mention three or four other words ending in the sound of _ize_ which are spelled with an _s_. What sound has _ou_ in _enough?_ What other words have _gh_ with the sound of _f_? We have here the spelling of waste——meaning carelessly to destroy or allow to be destroyed; what is the spelling of the word which means the middle of the body? Is _ful_ always written with one _l_ in derivatives, as in _handful_ above? Mention some other words in which _ce_ has the sound of _c_ as in _rice_. How do you spell _14_? like forty? Why is _u_ placed before _e_ in _guess?_ Is it part of a digraph with _e_? What sound has _ea_ in _measure?_ What sound has it in this word? What other word pronounced like _heard?_ Which is spelled regularly? How many _l_'s has _till_ in compounds? Mention an example.

Use the following words in sentences: _herd, write, butt, reign, won, bred, waist, kneaded, sum_. What is peculiar about _year? divided? equator? December? grain? nothing? contain? barley? until? each? there? thought? some? disappeared? trouble?_

XI.

24. One day in June I found myself very ill. I had a cold fit and then a hot one, with faint sweats after it. My body ached all over, and I had violent pains in my head. The next day I felt much better, but had dreadful fears of sickness, since I remembered that I was alone, and had no medicines, and not even any food or drink in the house. The following day I had a terrible headache with my chills and fever; but the day after that I was better again, and went out with my gun and shot a she-goat; yet I found myself very weak. After some days, in which I learned to pray to God for the first time after eight years of wicked seafaring life, I made a sort of medicine _by_ steeping tobacco leaf in rum. I took a large dose of this several times a day. In the course of a week or two I got well; but for some time after I was very pale, and my muscles were weak and flabby.

25. After I had discovered the various kinds of fruit which grew on the other side of the island, especially the grapes which I dried for raisins, my meals were as follows: I ate a bunch of raisins for my breakfast; for dinner a piece of goat's flesh or of turtle broiled; and two or three turtle's eggs for supper. As yet I had nothing in which I could boil or stew anything. When my grain was grown I had nothing with which to mow or reap it, nothing with which to thresh it or separate it from the chaff, no mill to grind it, no sieve to clean it, no yeast or salt to make it into bread, and no oven in which to bake it. I did not even have a water-pail. Yet all these things I did without. In time I contrived earthen vessels which were very useful, though rather rough and coarse; and I built a hearth which I made to answer for an oven.

Questions and Notes. What is peculiar about _body?_ What sound has _ch_ in _ached?_ Note that there are t{w}o _i_'s in _medicine_. What is peculiar about _house?_ What other word pronounced like _weak?_ Use it in a sentence. What is the plural of _leaf?_ What are all the differences between _does_ and _dose?_ Why is _week_ in the phrase “In the course of a week or two” spelled with double _e_ instead of _ea?_ What is irregular about the word _muscles?_ Is _c_ soft before _l_? Is it silent in _muscles?_ What three different sounds may _ui_ have? Besides _fruit,_ what other words with _ui_? What sound has _ea_ in _breakfast?_ What two pronunciations has the word _mow?_ What difference in meaning? What sound has _e_ in _thresh?_ How do you remember the _a_ in _separate?_ What sound has _ie_ in _sieve?_ Do you know any other word in which _ie_ has this sound? What other sound does it often have? Does _ea_ have the same sound in _earthen_ and _hearth?_ Is _w_ sounded in _answer?_ What sound has _o_ in _oven?_ Use the following words in sentences: _week, pole, fruit, pane, weak, course, bred, pail, ruff_.

XII.

26. You would have smiled to see me sit down to dinner with my family. There was my parrot, which I had taught to speak. My dog was grown very old and crazy; but he sat at my right hand. Then there were my two cats, one on one side of the table and one on the other. Besides these, I had a tame kid or two always about the house, and several sea-fowls whose wings I had clipped. These were my subjects. In their society I felt myself a king. I was lord of all the land about, as far as my eye could reach. I had a broad and wealthy domain. Here I reigned sole master for twenty-five years. Only once did I try to leave my island in a boat; and then I came near being carried out into the ocean forever by an ocean current I had not noticed before.

27. When I had been on the island twenty-three years I was greatly frightened to see a footprint in the sand. For two years after I saw no human being; but then a large company of savages appeared in canoes. When they had landed they built a fire and danced about it. Presently they seemed about to make a feast on two captives they had brought with them. By chance, however, one of them escaped. Two of the band followed him; but he was a swifter runner than they. Now, I thought, is my chance to get a servant. So I ran down the hill, and with the butt of my musket knocked down one of the two pursuers. When I saw the other about to draw his bow. I was obliged to shoot him. The man I had saved seemed at first as frightened at me as were his pursuers. But I beckoned him to come to me and gave him all the signs of encouragement I could think of.

28. He was a handsome fellow, with straight, strong limbs. He had a very good countenance, not a fierce and surly appearance. His hair was long and black, not curled like wool; his forehead was very high and large; and the color of his skin was not quite black, but tawny. His face was round and plump; his nose small, not flat like that of negroes; and he had fine teeth, well set, and as white as ivory.

29. Never man had a more faithful, loving, sincere servant than Friday was to me (for so I called him from the day on which I had saved his life). I was greatly delighted with him and made it my business to teach him everything that was proper to make him useful, handy, and helpful. He was the aptest scholar that ever was, and so merry, and so pleased when he could but understand me, that it was very pleasant to me to talk to him. Now my life began to be so easy, that I said to myself, that could I but feel safe from more savages, I cared not if I were never to remove from the place where I lived.

(Friday was more like a son than a servant to Crusoe. Here was one being who could under-stand human speech, who could learn the difference between right and wrong, who could be neighbor, friend, and companion. Crusoe had often read from his Bible; but now he might teach this heathen also to read from it the truth of life. Friday proved a good boy, and never got into mischief.)

Questions and Notes. What is the singular of _canoes?_ What is the meaning of _butt?_ How do you spell the word pronounced like this which means a hogshead? In what two ways is _bow_ pronounced? What is the difference in meaning? What other word pronounced like _bow_ when it means the front end of a boat? _Encouragement_ has an _e_ after the _g_; do you know two words ending in _ment_ preceəded by the soft _g_ sound which omit the silent _e_? Make a list of all the words you know which, like _fierce,_ have _ie_ with the sound of _a_ long. How do you pronounce _forehead?_ Mention two peculiarities in the spelling of _color_. Compare it with _collar_. What is the singular of _negroes?_ What other words take _es_ in the plural? What is the plural of _tobacco?_ Compare _speak,_ with its _ea_ for the sound of _e_ long, and _speech,_ with its double _e_. What two peculiarities in _neighbor?_ What sound has _ie_ in _friend?_ In the last paragraph above, how do you pronounce the first word _read?_ How the second? What other word pronounced like _read_ with _ea_ like short _a_? Compare to _lead, led,_ and the metal _lead_. How do you pronounce _mischief?_ Use the following words in sentences: _foul, reign, sole, strait, currant_. What is peculiar in these words: _parrot? taught? always? reach? only? leave? island? carried? ocean? notice? built? dance? brought? get? runner? butt? knock?_

Derivation of words.

It is always difficult to do two things at the same time, and for that reason no reference has been made in the preceding exercises to the rules for prefixes and suffixes, and in general to the derivation of words. This should be taken up as a separate study, until the meaning of every prefix and suffix is clear in the mind in connection with each word. This study, however, may very well be postponed till the study of grammar has been taken up.