by Daniel Defoe
wind blew pretty hard too: sohe brought them both safe into our creek, and leaving them in the boat,ran away to fetch the other canoe. As he passed me, I spoke to him, andasked him whither he went. He told me, "Go fetch more boat:" so away hewent like the wind, for sure never man or horse ran like him; and he hadthe other canoe in the creek almost as soon as I got to it by land; sohe wafted me over, and then went to help our new guests out of the boat,which he did; but they were neither of them able to walk, so that poorFriday 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 ofa hand-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 themover, and I was resolved not to break it down: so I set to work again;and Friday and I, in about two hours' time, made a very handsome tent,covered with old sails, and above that with boughs of trees, being inthe space without our outward fence, and between, that and the grove ofyoung wood which I had planted: and here we made them two beds of suchthings as 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 kingI looked. First of all, the whole country was my own mere property, sothat I had an undoubted right of dominion. Secondly, my people wereperfectly subjected; I was absolutely lord and lawgiver; they all owedtheir lives to me, and were ready to lay down their lives, if there hadbeen occasion for it, for me. It was remarkable, too, I had but threesubjects, and they were of three different religions: my man Friday wasa Protestant, his father was a Pagan and a cannibal, and the Spaniardwas a Papist: however, I allowed liberty of conscience throughout mydominions:--But this 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 takea yearling goat, betwixt a kid and a goat, out of my particular flock,to be killed; when I cut off the hinder-quarter, and chopping it intosmall pieces, I set Friday to work to boiling and stewing, and made thema very good dish, I assure you, of flesh and broth, having put somebarley and rice also into the broth: and as I cooked it without doors,for I made no fire within my inner wall, so I carried it all into thenew tent, and having set a table there for them, I sat down, and eat mydinner 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 ofthe canoes, and go and fetch our muskets and other fire-arms, which, forwant of time, we had left upon the place of battle: and, the next day, Iordered him to go and bury the dead bodies of the savages, which layopen to the sun, and would presently be offensive. I also ordered him tobury the horrid remains of their barbarous feast, which I knew werepretty much, and which I could not think of doing myself; nay, I couldnot bear to see them, if I went that way; all which he punctuallyperformed, and effaced the very appearance of the savages being there;so that when I went again, I could scarce know where it was, otherwisethan 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,as to what they would do, if they came safe on shore, he said he knewnot; but it was his opinion, that they were so dreadfully frightenedwith the manner of their being attacked, the noise, and the fire, thathe believed they would tell the people they were all killed by thunderand lightning, not by the hand of man; and that the two which appeared,viz. Friday and I, were two heavenly spirits, or furies, come down todestroy them, and not men with weapons. This, he said, he knew; becausehe heard them all cry out so, in their language, one to another; for itwas impossible for them to conceive that a man could dart fire, andspeak thunder, and kill at a distance, without lifting up the hand, aswas done now: and this old savage was in the right; for, as I understoodsince, by other hands, the savages never attempted to go over to theisland afterwards, they were so terrified with the accounts given bythose four men (for, it seems, they did escape the sea,) that theybelieved whoever went to that enchanted island would be destroyed withfire from the gods. This, however, I knew not; and therefore was undercontinual apprehensions for a good while, and kept always upon my guard,with all my army: for, as there were now four of us, I would haveventured upon a hundred of them, fairly in the open field, at any time.
In a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the fear of theircoming wore off; and I began to take my former thoughts of a voyage tothe main into consideration; being likewise assured, by Friday'sfather, that I might depend upon good usage from their nation, on hisaccount, if I would go. But my thoughts were a little suspended when Ihad a serious discourse with the Spaniard, and when I understood thatthere were sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese, who, havingbeen cast away, and made their escape to that side, lived there atpeace, indeed, with the savages, but were very sore put to it fornecessaries, and indeed for life. I asked him all the particulars oftheir voyage, and found they were a Spanish ship, bound from the Rio dela Plata to the Havanna, being directed to leave their loading there,which was chiefly hides and silver, and to bring back what Europeangoods they could meet with there; that they had five Portuguese seamenon board, whom they took out of another wreck; that five of their ownmen were drowned, when first the ship was lost, and that these escaped,through infinite dangers and hazards, and arrived, almost starved, onthe cannibal coast, where they expected to have been devoured everymoment. He told me they had some arms with them, but they were perfectlyuseless, for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of thesea having spoiled all their powder, but a little, which they used, attheir first landing, to provide themselves some food.
I asked him what he thought would become of them there, and if they hadformed any design of making their escape. He said they had manyconsultations about it; but that having neither vessel, nor tools tobuild one, nor provisions of any kind, their councils always ended intears and despair. I asked him how he thought they would receive aproposal from me, which might tend towards an escape; and whether, ifthey were all here, it might not be done. I told him with freedom, Ifeared mostly their treachery and ill usage of me, if I put my life intheir hands; for that gratitude was no inherent virtue in the nature ofman, nor did men always square their dealings by the obligations theyhad received, so much as they did by the advantages they expected. Itold him it would be very hard that I should be the instrument of theirdeliverance, and that they should afterwards make me their prisoner inNew Spain, where an Englishman was certain to be made a sacrifice, whatnecessity, or what accident soever brought him thither; and that I hadrather be delivered up to the savages, and be devoured alive, than fallinto the merciless claws of the priests, and be carried into theInquisition. I added, that otherwise I was persuaded, if they were allhere, we might, with so many hands, build a bark large enough to carryus all away, either to the Brazils, southward, or to the islands, orSpanish coast, northward; but that if, in requital, they should, when Ihad put weapons into their hands, carry me by force among their ownpeople, I might be ill used for my kindness to them, and make my caseworse than it was before.
He answered, with a great deal of c
andour and ingenuousness, that theircondition was so miserable, and that they were so sensible of it, that,he believed, they would abhor the thought of using any man unkindly thatshould contribute to their deliverance; and that if I pleased, he wouldgo to them with the old man, and discourse with them about it and returnagain, and bring me their answer; that he would make conditions withthem upon their solemn oath, that they should be absolutely under myleading, as their commander and captain; and that they should swear uponthe holy sacraments and gospel, to be true to me, and go to suchChristian country as that I should agree to, and no other, and to bedirected wholly and absolutely by my orders, till they were landedsafely in such country as I intended; and that he would bring a contractfrom them, under their hands, for that purpose. Then he told me he wouldfirst swear to me himself, that he would never stir from me as long ashe lived, till I gave him orders; and that he would take my side to thelast drop of his