(Continuing from Part 55)
After settling my affairs in Lisbon, I began thinking about my return to England.
I was now a wealthy man, and I wished to live quietly in my own country.
But I still feared the sea.
I had survived storms, captivity, shipwreck, and twenty-eight years on a lonely island. Although I had finally returned to Europe, I could not easily forget those dangers.
I considered taking a ship from Portugal to England.
It would have been the simplest journey.
Yet every time I thought about boarding another vessel, I felt uneasy.
I remembered how often my troubles had begun at sea.
At last, I decided to travel by land.
I would cross Spain and France, then take a short passage across the Channel to England.
Friday would accompany me.
I also arranged for a guide and joined other travelers who were making a similar journey.
Our company included several gentlemen, their servants, and people who knew the roads.
I was pleased to travel with others.
After my years of solitude, even the ordinary conversation of fellow travelers was welcome.
We left Lisbon and made our way through Spain.
The journey was pleasant at first.
We passed through towns, villages, and cultivated country.
I saw farms, roads, and buildings that reminded me how different Europe was from my island.
Friday observed everything with great curiosity.
He had never traveled through such places before.
He asked questions about the houses, the people, and the animals we encountered.
I answered as well as I could.
I was glad that he could share these new experiences with me.
As we continued northward, the weather became colder.
We had chosen an unfortunate season for traveling through the mountains.
Winter was approaching, and snow had begun falling in the higher country.
Our guides warned us that the roads might become dangerous.
I had expected difficulties, but I had not imagined that the mountains would present such serious obstacles.
We eventually reached the region of the Pyrenees, the great mountains between Spain and France.
The peaks rose high above us.
Many were covered with snow.
The roads became narrow and difficult.
Sometimes we traveled beside steep slopes where a careless step could cause a terrible fall.
At other times, we passed through valleys surrounded by dark forests.
The cold was severe.
I had spent so many years in a warm climate that I found the winter air especially uncomfortable.
Friday suffered from the cold as well.
He had never experienced weather like this.
We wrapped ourselves carefully and continued with the others.
Our guide told us that one of the usual mountain passes had become unsafe because of heavy snow.
We would have to take another route.
This meant traveling through country that was less familiar and more difficult.
Some members of our company became anxious.
But the guide assured us that he knew a way through.
We trusted his experience and followed him.
For several days, we moved slowly.
The horses struggled on the frozen ground.
Snow lay deep in some places, and icy winds blew through the valleys.
I began to understand that danger was not confined to the ocean.
A traveler could lose his life in the mountains just as easily as at sea.
One afternoon, we entered a wooded area.
The light was beginning to fade, and we hoped to reach a village before nightfall.
Suddenly, our guide stopped.
He looked toward the trees with concern.
I asked what troubled him.
He told us that wolves were common in this region during winter.
When food became scarce, they sometimes gathered in large numbers and attacked animals.
I remembered the wild creatures I had feared during my earlier travels.
I hoped that we would not encounter any.
But we had not gone much farther when we heard a strange sound.
It came from somewhere among the trees.
At first, I thought it was the wind.
Then I recognized a long, mournful howl.
Our guide became serious.
He told us to remain together.
We continued cautiously.
A little later, we heard another howl, followed by several more.
The sounds seemed to come from different directions.
Friday looked at me.
He understood that something dangerous was nearby.
I told him to keep his gun ready.
We had brought weapons for protection, and I was glad of them now.
The guide urged us to move quickly.
He wanted to reach open ground before darkness.
But the road was difficult, and our horses were tired.
We could not travel as fast as we wished.
Suddenly, a large animal appeared near the path.
It was a wolf.
It stood for a moment, watching us.
Then it moved back among the trees.
Soon another appeared.
I realized that the animals were following us.
Their hunger had made them bold.
The guide warned us not to separate.
He said that wolves were more dangerous when they attacked together.
I looked around at our company.
Some of the travelers were frightened.
Others prepared their weapons.
I reminded them that we must remain calm.
If we acted together, we might defend ourselves.
We continued moving.
Then we heard a horse neigh in terror.
One of the animals had become frightened by movement in the woods.
Its rider struggled to control it.
At the same moment, several wolves appeared near the road.
They moved quickly between the trees.
Their eyes were fixed upon the horses.
I understood that we were in serious danger.
Friday raised his gun.
I told him not to fire until necessary.
We needed to conserve our ammunition and avoid frightening the horses further.
But the wolves continued approaching.
One came close enough that I could clearly see its teeth.
I raised my weapon.
The animal sprang forward.
I fired.
The wolf fell.
The sound echoed through the forest.
For a moment, the other animals retreated.
But their howling soon began again.
More wolves were gathering.
Our guide urged us onward.
We moved as quickly as the road allowed.
I looked back and saw dark shapes following through the snow.
I realized that the danger was not over.
We had escaped the first attack, but the pack was still behind us.
The sun was sinking, and the forest was growing darker.
I feared that if we did not reach shelter soon, we would be forced to fight for our lives.