Chapter 1

I was born in York, England in 1632. My father was German and my mother was English. My father’s name was Kreutznaer, but people in England started to call him Crusoe. My mother’s family was called Robinson. This is why I am called Robinson Crusoe.

I had two older brothers. The oldest one joined the army and was killed in battle. The middle one disappeared and we never heard of him again. I was well-educated and my father wanted me to study law, but I wanted to go to sea. Nothing could make me stay at home and become a lawyer.

I was 18 years old when my father called me to his room. He was old and ill and he had to stay in bed. My father wanted to know why I wanted to go to sea. I could stay at home, study and live happily in my country. He told me that travelling by sea was dangerous. He warned me that I would lose peace and the comfort of my home if I went to sea. My father also told me that if I went abroad, I could die like my oldest brother. He started crying and he couldn’t continue.

My father’s advice and warnings made me think. I slowly forgot my dream of travelling by sea. However, my decision to stay at home didn’t last long. I decided to talk to my mother, and tell her that I wanted to travel. I told her how much I wanted to go. I told her how much I wanted to see the world. I asked her to talk to my father, as I wanted her to change my father’s mind. I promised her that if I didn’t like the sea, I would come back. My mother didn’t agree. She also didn’t want me to go abroad.

I stayed home one more year. I was thinking about my parents and my dreams the whole time. One day in September, I was in the town of Hull. A friend of mine was going with his father’s ship to London. I was invited to go with him for free. I wasn’t prepared and my parents didn’t know about this, but I got on the ship on that September day.
This is how my unhappy adventures began.