CHAPTER XVI--RESCUE OF PRISONERS FROM CANNIBALS
Upon the whole, I was by this time so fixed upon my design of going overwith him to the continent that I told him we would go and make one as bigas that, and he should go home in it. He answered not one word, butlooked very grave and sad. I asked him what was the matter with him. Heasked me again, "Why you angry mad with Friday?--what me done?" I askedhim what he meant. I told him I was not angry with him at all. "Noangry!" says he, repeating the words several times; "why send Friday homeaway to my nation?" "Why," says I, "Friday, did not you say you wishedyou were there?" "Yes, yes," says he, "wish we both there; no wishFriday there, no master there." In a word, he would not think of goingthere without me. "I go there, Friday?" says I; "what shall I do there?"He turned very quick upon me at this. "You do great deal much good,"says he; "you teach wild mans be good, sober, tame mans; you tell themknow God, pray God, and live new life." "Alas, Friday!" says I, "thouknowest not what thou sayest; I am but an ignorant man myself." "Yes,yes," says he, "you teachee me good, you teachee them good." "No, no,Friday," says I, "you shall go without me; leave me here to live bymyself, as I did before." He looked confused again at that word; andrunning to one of the hatchets which he used to wear, he takes it uphastily, and gives it to me. "What must I do with this?" says I to him."You take kill Friday," says he. "What must kill you for?" said I again.He returns very quick--"What you send Friday away for? Take kill Friday,no send Friday away." This he spoke so earnestly that I saw tears standin his eyes. In a word, I so plainly discovered the utmost affection inhim to me, and a firm resolution in him, that I told him then and oftenafter, that I would never send him away from me if he was willing to staywith me.
Upon the whole, as I found by all his discourse a settled affection tome, and that nothing could part him from me, so I found all thefoundation of his desire to go to his own country was laid in his ardentaffection to the people, and his hopes of my doing them good; a thingwhich, as I had no notion of myself, so I had not the least thought orintention, or desire of undertaking it. But still I found a stronginclination to attempting my escape, founded on the supposition gatheredfrom the discourse, that there were seventeen bearded men there; andtherefore, without any more delay, I went to work with Friday to find outa great tree proper to fell, and make a large periagua, or canoe, toundertake the voyage. There were trees enough in the island to havebuilt a little fleet, not of periaguas or canoes, but even of good, largevessels; but the main thing I looked at was, to get one so near the waterthat we might launch it when it was made, to avoid the mistake Icommitted at first. At last Friday pitched upon a tree; for I found heknew much better than I what kind of wood was fittest for it; nor can Itell to this day what wood to call the tree we cut down, except that itwas very like the tree we call fustic, or between that and the Nicaraguawood, for it was much of the same colour and smell. Friday wished toburn the hollow or cavity of this tree out, to make it for a boat, but Ishowed him how to cut it with tools; which, after I had showed him how touse, he did very handily; and in about a month's hard labour we finishedit and made it very handsome; especially when, with our axes, which Ishowed him how to handle, we cut and hewed the outside into the trueshape of a boat. After this, however, it cost us near a fortnight's timeto get her along, as it were inch by inch, upon great rollers into thewater; but when she was in, she would have carried twenty men with greatease.
When she was in the water, though she was so big, it amazed me to seewith what dexterity and how swift my man Friday could manage her, turnher, and paddle her along. So I asked him if he would, and if we mightventure over in her. "Yes," he said, "we venture over in her very well,though great blow wind." However I had a further design that he knewnothing of, and that was, to make a mast and a sail, and to fit her withan anchor and cable. As to a mast, that was easy enough to get; so Ipitched upon a straight young cedar-tree, which I found near the place,and which there were great plenty of in the island, and I set Friday towork to cut it down, and gave him directions how to shape and order it.But as to the sail, that was my particular care. I knew I had old sails,or rather pieces of old sails, enough; but as I had had them nowsix-and-twenty years by me, and had not been very careful to preservethem, not imagining that I should ever have this kind of use for them, Idid not doubt but they were all rotten; and, indeed, most of them wereso. However, I found two pieces which appeared pretty good, and withthese I went to work; and with a great deal of pains, and awkwardstitching, you may be sure, for want of needles, I at length made athree-cornered ugly thing, like what we call in England ashoulder-of-mutton sail, to go with a boom at bottom, and a little shortsprit at the top, such as usually our ships' long-boats sail with, andsuch as I best knew how to manage, as it was such a one as I had to theboat in which I made my escape from Barbary, as related in the first partof my story.
I was near two months performing this last work, viz. rigging and fittingmy masts and sails; for I finished them very complete, making a smallstay, and a sail, or foresail, to it, to assist if we should turn towindward; and, what was more than all, I fixed a rudder to the stern ofher to steer with. I was but a bungling shipwright, yet as I knew theusefulness and even necessity of such a thing, I applied myself with somuch pains to do it, that at last I brought it to pass; though,considering the many dull contrivances I had for it that failed, I thinkit cost me almost as much labour as making the boat.
After all this was done, I had my man Friday to teach as to what belongedto the navigation of my boat; though he knew very well how to paddle acanoe, he knew nothing of what belonged to a sail and a rudder; and wasthe most amazed when he saw me work the boat to and again in the sea bythe rudder, and how the sail jibed, and filled this way or that way asthe course we sailed changed; I say when he saw this he stood like oneastonished and amazed. However, with a little use, I made all thesethings familiar to him, and he became an expert sailor, except that ofthe compass I could make him understand very little. On the other hand,as there was very little cloudy weather, and seldom or never any fogs inthose parts, there was the less occasion for a compass, seeing the starswere always to be seen by night, and the shore by day, except in therainy seasons, and then nobody cared to stir abroad either by land orsea.
I was now entered on the seven-and-twentieth year of my captivity in thisplace; though the three last years that I had this creature with me oughtrather to be left out of the account, my habitation being quite ofanother kind than in all the rest of the time. I kept the anniversary ofmy landing here with the same thankfulness to God for His mercies as atfirst: and if I had such cause of acknowledgment at first, I had muchmore so now, having such additional testimonies of the care of Providenceover me, and the great hopes I had of being effectually and speedilydelivered; for I had an invincible impression upon my thoughts that mydeliverance was at hand, and that I should not be another year in thisplace. I went on, however, with my husbandry; digging, planting, andfencing as usual. I gathered and cured my grapes, and did everynecessary thing as before.
The rainy season was in the meantime upon me, when I kept more withindoors than at other times. We had stowed our new vessel as secure as wecould, bringing her up into the creek, where, as I said in the beginning,I landed my rafts from the ship; and hauling her up to the shore athigh-water mark, I made my man Friday dig a little dock, just big enoughto hold her, and just deep enough to give her water enough to float in;and then, when the tide was out, we made a strong dam across the end ofit, to keep the water out; and so she lay, dry as to the tide from thesea: and to keep the rain off we laid a great many boughs of trees, sothick that she was as well thatched as a house; and thus we waited forthe months of November and December, in which I designed to make myadventure.
When the settled season began to come in, as the thought of my designreturned with the fair weather, I was preparing daily for the voyage.And the first thing I did was to lay by a certain quantity of provisions,being the stores for our voyage
; and intended in a week or a fortnight'stime to open the dock, and launch out our boat. I was busy one morningupon something of this kind, when I called to Friday, and bid him to goto the sea-shore and see if he could find a turtle or a tortoise, a thingwhich we generally got once a week, for the sake of the eggs as well asthe flesh. Friday had not been long gone when he came running back, andflew over my outer wall or fence, like one that felt not the ground orthe steps he set his foot on; and before I had time to speak to him hecries out to me, "O master! O master! O sorrow! O bad!"--"What's thematter, Friday?" says I. "O yonder there," says he, "one, two, threecanoes; one, two, three!" By this way of speaking I concluded there weresix; but on inquiry I found there were but three. "Well, Friday," saysI, "do not be frightened." So I heartened him up as well as I could.However, I saw the poor fellow was most terribly scared, for nothing ranin his head but that they were come to look for him, and would cut him inpieces and eat him; and the poor fellow trembled so that I scarcely knewwhat to do with him. I comforted him as well as I could, and told him Iwas in as much danger as he, and that they would eat me as well as him."But," says I, "Friday, we must resolve to fight them. Can you fight,Friday?" "Me shoot," says he, "but there come many great number." "Nomatter for that," said I again; "our guns will fright them that we do notkill." So I asked him whether, if I resolved to defend him, he woulddefend me, and stand by me, and do just as I bid him. He said, "Me diewhen you bid die, master." So I went and fetched a good dram of rum andgave him; for I had been so good a husband of my rum that I had a greatdeal left. When we had drunk it, I made him take the two fowling-pieces,which we always carried, and loaded them with large swan-shot, as big assmall pistol-bullets. Then I took four muskets, and loaded them with twoslugs and five small bullets each; and my two pistols I loaded with abrace of bullets each. I hung my great sword, as usual, naked by myside, and gave Friday his hatchet. When I had thus prepared myself, Itook my perspective glass, and went up to the side of the hill, to seewhat I could discover; and I found quickly by my glass that there wereone-and-twenty savages, three prisoners, and three canoes; and that theirwhole business seemed to be the triumphant banquet upon these three humanbodies: a barbarous feast, indeed! but nothing more than, as I hadobserved, was usual with them. I observed also that they had landed, notwhere they had done when Friday made his escape, but nearer to my creek,where the shore was low, and where a thick wood came almost close down tothe sea. This, with the abhorrence of the inhuman errand these wretchescame about, filled me with such indignation that I came down again toFriday, and told him I was resolved to go down to them and kill them all;and asked him if he would stand by me. He had now got over his fright,and his spirits being a little raised with the dram I had given him, hewas very cheerful, and told me, as before, he would die when I bid die.
In this fit of fury I divided the arms which I had charged, as before,between us; I gave Friday one pistol to stick in his girdle, and threeguns upon his shoulder, and I took one pistol and the other three gunsmyself; and in this posture we marched out. I took a small bottle of rumin my pocket, and gave Friday a large bag with more powder and bullets;and as to orders, I charged him to keep close behind me, and not to stir,or shoot, or do anything till I bid him, and in the meantime not to speaka word. In this posture I fetched a compass to my right hand of near amile, as well to get over the creek as to get into the wood, so that Icould come within shot of them before I should be discovered, which I hadseen by my glass it was easy to do.
While I was making this march, my former thoughts returning, I began toabate my resolution: I do not mean that I entertained any fear of theirnumber, for as they were naked, unarmed wretches, it is certain I wassuperior to them--nay, though I had been alone. But it occurred to mythoughts, what call, what occasion, much less what necessity I was in togo and dip my hands in blood, to attack people who had neither done orintended me any wrong? who, as to me, were innocent, and whose barbarouscustoms were their own disaster, being in them a token, indeed, of God'shaving left them, with the other nations of that part of the world, tosuch stupidity, and to such inhuman courses, but did not call me to takeupon me to be a judge of their actions, much less an executioner of Hisjustice--that whenever He thought fit He would take the cause into Hisown hands, and by national vengeance punish them as a people for nationalcrimes, but that, in the meantime, it was none of my business--that itwas true Friday might justify it, because he was a declared enemy and ina state of war with those very particular people, and it was lawful forhim to attack them--but I could not say the same with regard to myself.These things were so warmly pressed upon my thoughts all the way as Iwent, that I resolved I would only go and place myself near them that Imight observe their barbarous feast, and that I would act then as Godshould direct; but that unless something offered that was more a call tome than yet I knew of, I would not meddle with them.
With this resolution I entered the wood, and, with all possible warinessand silence, Friday following close at my heels, I marched till I came tothe skirts of the wood on the side which was next to them, only that onecorner of the wood lay between me and them. Here I called softly toFriday, and showing him a great tree which was just at the corner of thewood, I bade him go to the tree, and bring me word if he could see thereplainly what they were doing. He did so, and came immediately back tome, and told me they might be plainly viewed there--that they were allabout their fire, eating the flesh of one of their prisoners, and thatanother lay bound upon the sand a little from them, whom he said theywould kill next; and this fired the very soul within me. He told me itwas not one of their nation, but one of the bearded men he had told meof, that came to their country in the boat. I was filled with horror atthe very naming of the white bearded man; and going to the tree, I sawplainly by my glass a white man, who lay upon the beach of the sea withhis hands and his feet tied with flags, or things like rushes, and thathe was an European, and had clothes on.
There was another tree and a little thicket beyond it, about fifty yardsnearer to them than the place where I was, which, by going a little wayabout, I saw I might come at undiscovered, and that then I should bewithin half a shot of them; so I withheld my passion, though I was indeedenraged to the highest degree; and going back about twenty paces, I gotbehind some bushes, which held all the way till I came to the other tree,and then came to a little rising ground, which gave me a full view ofthem at the distance of about eighty yards.
I had now not a moment to lose, for nineteen of the dreadful wretches satupon the ground, all close huddled together, and had just sent the othertwo to butcher the poor Christian, and bring him perhaps limb by limb totheir fire, and they were stooping down to untie the bands at his feet.I turned to Friday. "Now, Friday," said I, "do as I bid thee." Fridaysaid he would. "Then, Friday," says I, "do exactly as you see me do;fail in nothing." So I set down one of the muskets and the fowling-pieceupon the ground, and Friday did the like by his, and with the othermusket I took my aim at the savages, bidding him to do the like; thenasking him if he was ready, he said, "Yes." "Then fire at them," said I;and at the same moment I fired also.
Friday took his aim so much better than I, that on the side that he shothe killed two of them, and wounded three more; and on my side I killedone, and wounded two. They were, you may be sure, in a dreadfulconsternation: and all of them that were not hurt jumped upon their feet,but did not immediately know which way to run, or which way to look, forthey knew not from whence their destruction came. Friday kept his eyesclose upon me, that, as I had bid him, he might observe what I did; so,as soon as the first shot was made, I threw down the piece, and took upthe fowling-piece, and Friday did the like; he saw me cock and present;he did the same again. "Are you ready, Friday?" said I. "Yes," says he."Let fly, then," says I, "in the name of God!" and with that I firedagain among the amazed wretches, and so did Friday; and as our pieceswere now loaded with what I call swan-shot, or small pistol-bullets, wefound only two drop; but so many were wounded tha
t they ran about yellingand screaming like mad creatures, all bloody, and most of them miserablywounded; whereof three more fell quickly after, though not quite dead.
"Now, Friday," says I, laying down the discharged pieces, and taking upthe musket which was yet loaded, "follow me," which he did with a greatdeal of courage; upon which I rushed out of the wood and showed myself,and Friday close at my foot. As soon as I perceived they saw me, Ishouted as loud as I could, and bade Friday do so too, and running asfast as I could, which, by the way, was not very fast, being loaded witharms as I was, I made directly towards the poor victim, who was, as Isaid, lying upon the beach or shore, between the place where they sat andthe sea. The two butchers who were just going to work with him had lefthim at the surprise of our first fire, and fled in a terrible fright tothe seaside, and had jumped into a canoe, and three more of the rest madethe same way. I turned to Friday, and bade him step forwards and fire atthem; he understood me immediately, and running about forty yards, to benearer them, he shot at them; and I thought he had killed them all, for Isaw them all fall of a heap into the boat, though I saw two of them upagain quickly; however, he killed two of them, and wounded the third, sothat he lay down in the bottom of the boat as if he had been dead.
While my man Friday fired at them, I pulled out my knife and cut theflags that bound the poor victim; and loosing his hands and feet, Ilifted him up, and asked him in the Portuguese tongue what he was. Heanswered in Latin, Christianus; but was so weak and faint that he couldscarce stand or speak. I took my bottle out of my pocket and gave ithim, making signs that he should drink, which he did; and I gave him apiece of bread, which he ate. Then I asked him what countryman he was:and he said, Espagniole; and being a little recovered, let me know, byall the signs he could possibly make, how much he was in my debt for hisdeliverance. "Seignior," said I, with as much Spanish as I could makeup, "we will talk afterwards, but we must fight now: if you have anystrength left, take this pistol and sword, and lay about you." He tookthem very thankfully; and no sooner had he the arms in his hands, but, asif they had put new vigour into him, he flew upon his murderers like afury, and had cut two of them in pieces in an instant; for the truth is,as the whole was a surprise to them, so the poor creatures were so muchfrightened with the noise of our pieces that they fell down for mereamazement and fear, and had no more power to attempt their own escapethan their flesh had to resist our shot; and that was the case of thosefive that Friday shot at in the boat; for as three of them fell with thehurt they received, so the other two fell with the fright.
I kept my piece in my hand still without firing, being willing to keep mycharge ready, because I had given the Spaniard my pistol and sword: so Icalled to Friday, and bade him run up to the tree from whence we firstfired, and fetch the arms which lay there that had been discharged, whichhe did with great swiftness; and then giving him my musket, I sat downmyself to load all the rest again, and bade them come to me when theywanted. While I was loading these pieces, there happened a fierceengagement between the Spaniard and one of the savages, who made at himwith one of their great wooden swords, the weapon that was to have killedhim before, if I had not prevented it. The Spaniard, who was as bold andbrave as could be imagined, though weak, had fought the Indian a goodwhile, and had cut two great wounds on his head; but the savage being astout, lusty fellow, closing in with him, had thrown him down, beingfaint, and was wringing my sword out of his hand; when the Spaniard,though undermost, wisely quitting the sword, drew the pistol from hisgirdle, shot the savage through the body, and killed him upon the spot,before I, who was running to help him, could come near him.
Friday, being now left to his liberty, pursued the flying wretches, withno weapon in his hand but his hatchet: and with that he despatched thosethree who as I said before, were wounded at first, and fallen, and allthe rest he could come up with: and the Spaniard coming to me for a gun,I gave him one of the fowling-pieces, with which he pursued two of thesavages, and wounded them both; but as he was not able to run, they bothgot from him into the wood, where Friday pursued them, and killed one ofthem, but the other was too nimble for him; and though he was wounded,yet had plunged himself into the sea, and swam with all his might off tothose two who were left in the canoe; which three in the canoe, with onewounded, that we knew not whether he died or no, were all that escapedour hands of one-and-twenty. The account of the whole is as follows:Three killed at our first shot from the tree; two killed at the nextshot; two killed by Friday in the boat; two killed by Friday of those atfirst wounded; one killed by Friday in the wood; three killed by theSpaniard; four killed, being found dropped here and there, of the wounds,or killed by Friday in his chase of them; four escaped in the boat,whereof one wounded, if not dead--twenty-one in all.
Those that were in the canoe worked hard to get out of gun-shot, andthough Friday made two or three shots at them, I did not find that he hitany of them. Friday would fain have had me take one of their canoes, andpursue them; and indeed I was very anxious about their escape, lest,carrying the news home to their people, they should come back perhapswith two or three hundred of the canoes and devour us by mere multitude;so I consented to pursue them by sea, and running to one of their canoes,I jumped in and bade Friday follow me: but when I was in the canoe I wassurprised to find another poor creature lie there, bound hand and foot,as the Spaniard was, for the slaughter, and almost dead with fear, notknowing what was the matter; for he had not been able to look up over theside of the boat, he was tied so hard neck and heels, and had been tiedso long that he had really but little life in him.
I immediately cut the twisted flags or rushes which they had bound himwith, and would have helped him up; but he could not stand or speak, butgroaned most piteously, believing, it seems, still, that he was onlyunbound in order to be killed. When Friday came to him I bade him speakto him, and tell him of his deliverance; and pulling out my bottle, madehim give the poor wretch a dram, which, with the news of his beingdelivered, revived him, and he sat up in the boat. But when Friday cameto hear him speak, and look in his face, it would have moved any one totears to have seen how Friday kissed him, embraced him, hugged him,cried, laughed, hallooed, jumped about, danced, sang; then cried again,wrung his hands, beat his own face and head; and then sang and jumpedabout again like a distracted creature. It was a good while before Icould make him speak to me or tell me what was the matter; but when hecame a little to himself he told me that it was his father.
It is not easy for me to express how it moved me to see what ecstasy andfilial affection had worked in this poor savage at the sight of hisfather, and of his being delivered from death; nor indeed can I describehalf the extravagances of his affection after this: for he went into theboat and out of the boat a great many times: when he went in to him hewould sit down by him, open his breast, and hold his father's head closeto his bosom for many minutes together, to nourish it; then he took hisarms and ankles, which were numbed and stiff with the binding, and chafedand rubbed them with his hands; and I, perceiving what the case was, gavehim some rum out of my bottle to rub them with, which did them a greatdeal of good.
This affair put an end to our pursuit of the canoe with the othersavages, who were now almost out of sight; and it was happy for us thatwe did not, for it blew so hard within two hours after, and before theycould be got a quarter of their way, and continued blowing so hard allnight, and that from the north-west, which was against them, that I couldnot suppose their boat could live, or that they ever reached their owncoast.
But to return to Friday; he was so busy about his father that I could notfind in my heart to take him off for some time; but after I thought hecould leave him a little, I called him to me, and he came jumping andlaughing, and pleased to the highest extreme: then I asked him if he hadgiven his father any bread. He shook his head, and said, "None; ugly dogeat all up self." I then gave him a cake of bread out of a little pouchI carried on purpose; I also gave him a dram for himself; but he wouldnot taste it, but carried it
to his father. I had in my pocket two orthree bunches of raisins, so I gave him a handful of them for his father.He had no sooner given his father these raisins but I saw him come out ofthe boat, and run away as if he had been bewitched, for he was theswiftest fellow on his feet that ever I saw: I say, he ran at such a ratethat he was out of sight, as it were, in an instant; and though I called,and hallooed out too after him, it was all one--away he went; and in aquarter of an hour I saw him come back again, though not so fast as hewent; and as he came nearer I found his pace slacker, because he hadsomething in his hand. When he came up to me I found he had been quitehome for an earthen jug or pot, to bring his father some fresh water, andthat he had got two more cakes or loaves of bread: the bread he gave me,but the water he carried to his father; however, as I was very thirstytoo, I took a little of it. The water revived his father more than allthe rum or spirits I had given him, for he was fainting with thirst.
When his father had drunk, I called to him to know if there was any waterleft. He said, "Yes"; and I bade him give it to the poor Spaniard, whowas in as much want of it as his father; and I sent one of the cakes thatFriday brought to the Spaniard too, who was indeed very weak, and wasreposing himself upon a green place under the shade of a tree; and whoselimbs were also very stiff, and very much swelled with the rude bandagehe had been tied with. When I saw that upon Friday's coming to him withthe water he sat up and drank, and took the bread and began to eat, Iwent to him and gave him a handful of raisins. He looked up in my facewith all the tokens of gratitude and thankfulness that could appear inany countenance; but was so weak, notwithstanding he had so exertedhimself in the fight, that he could not stand up upon his feet--he triedto do it two or three times, but was really not able, his ankles were soswelled and so painful to him; so I bade him sit still, and caused Fridayto rub his ankles, and bathe them with rum, as he had done his father's.
I observed the poor affectionate creature, every two minutes, or perhapsless, all the while he was here, turn his head about to see if his fatherwas in the same place and posture as he left him sitting; and at last hefound he was not to be seen; at which he started up, and, withoutspeaking a word, flew with that swiftness to him that one could scarceperceive his feet to touch the ground as he went; but when he came, heonly found he had laid himself down to ease his limbs, so Friday cameback to me presently; and then I spoke to the Spaniard to let Friday helphim up if he could, and lead him to the boat, and then he should carryhim to our dwelling, where I would take care of him. But Friday, alusty, strong fellow, took the Spaniard upon his back, and carried himaway to the boat, and set him down softly upon the side or gunnel of thecanoe, with his feet in the inside of it; and then lifting him quite in,he set him close to his father; and presently stepping out again,launched the boat off, and paddled it along the shore faster than I couldwalk, though the wind blew pretty hard too; so he brought them both safeinto our creek, and leaving them in the boat, ran away to fetch the othercanoe. As he passed me I spoke to him, and asked him whither he went.He told me, "Go fetch more boat;" so away he went like the wind, for surenever man or horse ran like him; and he had the other canoe in the creekalmost as soon as I got to it by land; so he wafted me over, and thenwent to help our new guests out of the boat, which he did; but they wereneither of them able to walk; so that poor Friday knew not what to do.
To remedy this, I went to work in my thought, and calling to Friday tobid them sit down on the bank while he came to me, I soon made a kind ofhand-barrow to lay them on, and Friday and I carried them both uptogether upon it between us.
But when we got them to the outside of our wall, or fortification, wewere at a worse loss than before, for it was impossible to get them over,and I was resolved not to break it down; so I set to work again, andFriday and I, in about two hours' time, made a very handsome tent,covered with old sails, and above that with boughs of trees, being in thespace without our outward fence and between that and the grove of youngwood which I had planted; and here we made them two beds of such thingsas I had--viz. of good rice-straw, with blankets laid upon it to lie on,and another to cover them, on each bed.
My island was now peopled, and I thought myself very rich in subjects;and it was a merry reflection, which I frequently made, how like a king Ilooked. First of all, the whole country was my own property, so that Ihad an undoubted right of dominion. Secondly, my people were perfectlysubjected--I was absolutely lord and lawgiver--they all owed their livesto me, and were ready to lay down their lives, if there had been occasionfor it, for me. It was remarkable, too, I had but three subjects, andthey were of three different religions--my man Friday was a Protestant,his father was a Pagan and a cannibal, and the Spaniard was a Papist.However, I allowed liberty of conscience throughout my dominions. Butthis is by the way.
As soon as I had secured my two weak, rescued prisoners, and given themshelter, and a place to rest them upon, I began to think of making someprovision for them; and the first thing I did, I ordered Friday to take ayearling goat, betwixt a kid and a goat, out of my particular flock, tobe killed; when I cut off the hinder-quarter, and chopping it into smallpieces, I set Friday to work to boiling and stewing, and made them a verygood dish, I assure you, of flesh and broth; and as I cooked it withoutdoors, for I made no fire within my inner wall, so I carried it all intothe new tent, and having set a table there for them, I sat down, and atemy own dinner also with them, and, as well as I could, cheered them andencouraged them. Friday was my interpreter, especially to his father,and, indeed, to the Spaniard too; for the Spaniard spoke the language ofthe savages pretty well.
After we had dined, or rather supped, I ordered Friday to take one of thecanoes, and go and fetch our muskets and other firearms, which, for wantof time, we had left upon the place of battle; and the next day I orderedhim to go and bury the dead bodies of the savages, which lay open to thesun, and would presently be offensive. I also ordered him to bury thehorrid remains of their barbarous feast, which I could not think of doingmyself; nay, I could not bear to see them if I went that way; all whichhe punctually performed, and effaced the very appearance of the savagesbeing there; so that when I went again, I could scarce know where it was,otherwise than by the corner of the wood pointing to the place.
I then began to enter into a little conversation with my two newsubjects; and, first, I set Friday to inquire of his father what hethought of the escape of the savages in that canoe, and whether we mightexpect a return of them, with a power too great for us to resist. Hisfirst opinion was, that the savages in the boat never could live out thestorm which blew that night they went off, but must of necessity bedrowned, or driven south to those other shores, where they were as sureto be devoured as they were to be drowned if they were cast away; but, asto what they would do if they came safe on shore, he said he knew not;but it was his opinion that they were so dreadfully frightened with themanner of their being attacked, the noise, and the fire, that he believedthey would tell the people they were all killed by thunder and lightning,not by the hand of man; and that the two which appeared--viz. Friday andI--were two heavenly spirits, or furies, come down to destroy them, andnot men with weapons. This, he said, he knew; because he heard them allcry out so, in their language, one to another; for it was impossible forthem to conceive that a man could dart fire, and speak thunder, and killat a distance, without lifting up the hand, as was done now: and this oldsavage was in the right; for, as I understood since, by other hands, thesavages never attempted to go over to the island afterwards, they were soterrified with the accounts given by those four men (for it seems theydid escape the sea), that they believed whoever went to that enchantedisland would be destroyed with fire from the gods. This, however, I knewnot; and therefore was under continual apprehensions for a good while,and kept always upon my guard, with all my army: for, as there were nowfour of us, I would have ventured upon a hundred of them, fairly in theopen field, at any time.