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我这样想了一段时间后，就开始认真地考虑到这么多年来我在这荒岛上一直所面临的危险。这种危险是实实在在的，可是，我过去却经常坦然自若地在岛上走来走去。实际上，可能只是一座小山，一棵大树，或是夜正好降临，才使我免遭杀害，而且，将会是以一种最残忍的方式的杀害：那就是落入吃人生番手里。如果落到他们手里，他们就会把我马上抓起来，就像我抓只山羊或海鳖一样。同时，在他们看来，把我杀死吃掉，也不是什么犯罪行为，就像把一只鸽子或鹬杀了吃掉在我看来也不是什么犯罪行为一样。我衷心感激我的伟大的救世主，如果我不承认我的感激之情，那我就不诚实了。我必须恭恭敬敬地承认，我之所以在不知不觉中免于大难，完全是由于救世主的保佑，要是没有他的保佑，我早就落入野人的毒手了。 When these Thoughts were over, my Head was for some time taken up in considering the Nature of these wretched Creatures; I mean, the Savages; and how it came to pass in the World, that the wise Governour of all Things should give up any of his Creatures to such Inhumanity; nay, to something so much below, even Brutality it self, as to devour its own kind; but as this ended in some (at that Time fruitless) Speculations, it occurr'd to me to enquire, what Part of the World these Wretches liv'd in; how far off the Coast was from whence they came; what they ventur'd over so far from home for; what kind of Boats they had; and why I might not order my self, and my Business so, that I might be as able to go over thither, as they were to come to me. 这些念头想过之后，我又想到了那些畜生的天性--那些食人生番的天性。我想，主宰万物的上帝怎么会容忍自己所创造的生物堕落到这样毫无人性的地步，干出人吃人的禽兽不如的残酷行径。我考虑来，考虑去，最后还是不得其解。于是，我又想到另一些问题：这些畜生究竟住在什么地方？他们住在对面的大陆上，这一点不错。但他们住的地方离海岸究竟有多远？他们老远从家里跑出来，究竟有什么目的？他们所乘的船，又是什么样子？我又想，他们既然可以到我这边来，为什么我不可设法到他们那边去呢？ I never so much as troubl'd my self to consider what I should do with my self, when I came thither; what would become of me, if I fell into the Hands of the Savages; or how I should escape from them, if they attempted me; no, nor so much as how it was possible for me to reach the Coast, and not be attempted by some or other of them, without any Possibility of delivering my self; and if I should not fall into their Hands, what I should do for Provision, or whither I should bend my Course; none of these Thoughts, I say, so much as came in my way; but my Mind was wholly bent upon the Notion of my passing over in my Boat, to the Main Land: I look'd back upon my present Condition, as the most miserable that could possibly be, that I was not able to throw my self into any thing but Death, that could be call'd worse; that if I reached the Shore of the Main, I might perhaps meet with Relief, or I might coast along, as I did on the Shore of Africk, till I came to some inhabited Country, and where I might find some Relief; and after all perhaps, I might fall in with some Christian Ship, that might take me in; and if the worse came to the worst, I could but die, which would put an end to all these Miseries at once. Pray note, all this was the fruit of a disturb'd Mind, an impatient Temper, made as it were desperate by the long Continuance of my Troubles, and the Disappointments I had met in the Wreck, I had been on board of; and where I had been so near the obtaining what I so earnestly long'd for, viz. Some-body to speak to, and to learn some Knowledge from of the Place where I was, and of the probable Means of my Deliverance; I say, I was agitated wholly by these Thoughts: All my Calm of Mind in my Resignation to Providence, and waiting the Issue of the Dispositions of Heaven, seem'd to be suspended; and I had, as it were, no Power to turn my Thoughts to any thing, but to the Project of a Voyage to the Main, which came upon me with such Force, and such an Impetuosity of Desire, that it was not to be resisted. 可是，我从来没有考虑过一旦到了那里我该怎么办；也没有考虑过万一落入野人手里结果会如何；也没有考虑过万一他们追杀我，我又该怎样逃命。不但如此，我甚至一点也没有考虑到，我一上大陆，那些食人生番必然会追杀我，不管他们来自什么部落，所以，我是绝无逃生希望的。何况，即使不落到他们的手里，我也没有东西吃，也不知道往哪里走。总之，所有这些，我都没有想过。当时，我只是一心一意想乘上小舟渡过海峡到达对面的大陆上。我认为，自己目前的处境是世界上最悲惨不过的了，除了死亡，任何其他不幸都比我目前的境况强。我想，只要一上大陆，我就会得救；或者，我可以像上次在非洲那样，让小舟沿海岸行驶，一直驶到有居民的地方，从而可以获救。而且，说不定还会碰到文明世界的船只，他们就一定会把我救出来。最坏的结果，也不过是死，一死倒好，一了百了，种种苦难也算到了尽头。请读者注意。我当时心烦意乱，性情急躁，所以才产生了上述种种想法。而我之所以心烦意乱，性情急躁，是因为长期以来生活一直不顺利，加上最近我上那条遇难船后感到万分失望，因而心情更加烦躁不安。因为我原来指望在船上能找到一两个活人，这样我总算可以找到说说话的伴侣，并可从他们那儿了解一些情况，譬如我目前究竟在哪里，有没有脱险的可能等等。这些都是我冒险上船所迫切追求的目的，可是结果一无所获。所有这些都使我头脑发昏，感情冲动。在此之前，我已心情平静，只想听天由命，一切凭上天作主；可现在，心情怎么也安定不下来了。我仿佛无法控制自己的思想，整天只想着怎样渡海到对面的大陆上去。而且，这种愿望越来越强烈，简直使我无法抗拒。 When this had agitated my Thoughts for two Hours, or more, with such Violence, that it set my very Blood into a Ferment, and my Pulse beat as high as if I had been in a Feaver, meerly with the extraordinary Fervour of my Mind about it; Nature, as if I had been fatigued and exhausted with the very Thought of it, threw me into a sound Sleep; one would have thought, I should have dream'd of it: But I did not, nor of any Thing relating to it; but I dream'd, that as I was going out in the Morning as usual from my Castle, I saw upon the Shore, two Canoes, and eleven Savages coming to Land, and that they brought with them another Savage, who they were going to kill, in Order to eat him; when on a sudden, the Savage that they were going to kill, jumpt away, and ran for his Life; and I thought in my Sleep, that he came running into my little thick Grove, before my Fortification, to hide himself; and that I seeing him alone, and not perceiving that the other sought him that Way, show'd my self to him, and smiling upon him, encourag'd him; that he kneel'd down to me, seeming to pray me to assist him; upon which I shew'd my Ladder, made him go up, and carry'd him into my Cave, and he became my Servant; and that as soon as I had gotten this Man, I said to my self, now I may certainly venture to the main Land; for this Fellow will serve me as a Pilot, and will tell me what to do, and whether to go for Provisions; and whether not to go for fear of being devoured, what Places to venture into, and what to escape: I wak'd with this Thought, and was under such inexpressible Impressions of Joy, at the Prospect of my Escape in my Dream, that the Disappointments which I felt upon coming to my self, and finding it was no more than a Dream, were equally extravagant the other Way, and threw me into a very great Dejection of Spirit. 有两三小时工夫，强烈的欲望使我激动得心跳加剧，热血沸腾，好像得了热病一样。当然，这只是我头脑发热罢了。我就这么想阿想啊，直想得精疲力竭，直至昏昏睡去。也许有人以为，我在睡梦中也会登上大陆。可是，我没有做这样的梦，却做了一个与此毫不相干的梦。我梦见自己像往常一样，一大早走出城堡，忽然看见海面上有两只独木船载着十一个野人来到岛上；他们另外还带来了一个野人，准备把他杀了吃掉。突然，他们要杀害的那个野人一下子跳起来，拼命奔逃。睡梦中，我恍惚见他很快就跑到我城堡外的浓密的小树林里躲起来。我发现只有他一个人，其他野人并没有过来追他，便走出城堡，向他招手微笑，并叫他不要怕。他急忙跪在地下，仿佛求我救救他。于是，我向他指指我的梯子，叫他爬上去，并把他带到我住所的洞穴里。由此，他就成了我的仆人。我一得到这个人，心里就想，现在，我真的可以冒险上大陆了。这个野人可以做我的向导，告诉我该如何行动，什么地方可弄到食物，什么地方不能去，以免被野人吃掉，告诉我什么地方可去，什么地方不可去。正这样想着，我就醒来了。起初，我觉得自己大有获救的希望，高兴得无法形容；及至清醒过来，发现原来不过是一场梦境，不禁又极度失望，懊丧不已。 Upon this however, I made this Conclusion, that my Only Way to go about an Attempt for an Escape, was, if possible, to get a Savage into my Possession; and if possible, it should be one of their Prisoners, who they had condemn'd to be eaten, and should bring thither to kill; but these Thoughts still were attended with this Difficulty, that it was impossible to effect this, without attacking a whole Caravan of them, and killing them all; and this was not only a very desperate Attempt, and might miscarry; but on the other Hand, I had greatly scrupled the Lawfulness of it to me; and my Heart trembled at the thoughts of shedding so much Blood, tho' it was for my Deliverance. I need not repeat the Arguments which occurr'd to me against this, they being the same mention'd before; but tho' I had other Reasons to offer now (viz.) that those Men were Enemies to my Life, and would devour me, if they could; that it was Self-preservation in the highest Degree, to deliver my self from this Death of a Life, and was acting in my own Defence, as much as if they were actually assaulting me, and the like. I say, tho' these Things argued for it, yet the Thoughts of shedding Humane Blood for my Deliverance, were very Terrible to me, and such as I could by no Means reconcile my self to, a great while. 但是，这个梦境却给了我一个启示：我若想摆脱孤岛生活，唯一的办法就是尽可能弄到一个野人；而且，如果可能的话，最好是一个被其他野人带来准备杀了吃掉的俘虏。但要实现这个计划也有其困难的一面，那就是进攻一大队野人，并把他们杀得一个不留。这种做法可以说是孤注一掷之举，难保不出差错；不仅如此，而且从另一方面来说，这种做法是否合法，也还值得怀疑。一想到要杀这么多人，流这么多血，我的心不由得颤抖起来，尽管这样做是为了使自己获救。我前面也已经谈到过我为什么不应该主动去攻击野人的种种理由，所以我不必在此再噜嗦了。另外，我现在还可以举出种种其他理由来证明为什么我应该攻击这些野人。譬如说，这些野人是我的死敌，只要可能，他们就会把我吃掉；再譬如说，我这样做是为了保护自己的生命，是为了拯救自己，这是一种自卫的行动。因为，他们若向我进攻，我也不得不还击。如此等等，理由还可以举出一大堆。可是，一想到为了自己获救，非得别人流血，我就感到可怕，好久好久都想不通。 
我内心进行了激烈的思想斗争，心里十分矛盾，各种理由在我头脑里反复斗争了好久。最后，要使自己获救的迫切愿望终于战胜了一切，我决定不惜一切代价，弄到一个野人。现在，第二步就是怎样实施这一计划。这当然一时难以决定。由于想不出什么妥当的办法，我决定先进行守候观察，看他们什么时候上岸，其余的事先不去管它，到时候见机行事。 With these Resolutions in my Thoughts, I set my self upon the Scout, as often as possible, and indeed so often till I was heartily tir'd of it, for it was above a Year and Half that I waited, and for great part of that Time went out to the West End, and to the South West Corner of the Island, almost every Day, to see for Canoes, but none appear'd. This was very discouraging, and began to trouble me much, tho' I cannot say that it did in this Case, as it had done some time before that, (viz.) wear off the Edge of my Desire to the Thing. But the longer it seem'd to be delay'd, the more eager I was for it; in a Word, I was not at first so careful to shun the sight of these Savages, and avoid being seen by them, as I was now eager to be upon them. 这样决定之后，我就经常出去侦察。我一有空就出去。时日一久，就又感到厌烦起来。因为这一等又是一年半以上，差不多每天都要跑到小岛的西头或西南角去，看看海面上有没有独木舟出现。可是，这么长时间中一次也没有看到，真是令人灰心丧气，懊恼至极。但这一次我没有像上次那样完全放弃希望，相反，等待时日愈久，我愈急不可待。总之，我从前处处小心，尽量避免碰到野人；可现在却急于要同他们碰面了。 Besides, I fancied my self able to manage One, nay, Two or Three Savages, if I had them so as to make them entirely Slaves to me, to do whatever I should direct them, and to prevent their being able at any time to do me any Hurt. It was a great while, that I pleas'd my self with this Affair, but nothing still presented; all my Fancies and Schemes came to nothing, for no Savages came near me for a great while. 此外，我认为自己有充分的能力驾驭一个野人，甚至两三个野人也毫无问题，只要我能把他们弄到手就行，我可以叫他们完全成为我的奴隶，要他们做什么就做什么，并且任何时候都可以防止他们伤害我。我为自己的这种想法大大得意了一番。可是，事情连影子也没有，一切都只是空想，计划当然也无从实现，因为很久很久野人都没有出现。
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