by Daniel Defoe
In this thankful frame I continu’d all the remainder of my time, and the conversation which employ’d the hours between Friday and I, was such, as made the three years which we liv’d there together perfectly and compleatly happy, if any such thing as compleat happiness can be form’d in a sublunary state. The savage was now a good Christian, a much better than I; though I have reason to hope, and bless God for it, that we were equally penitent, and comforted restor’d penitents; we had here the Word of God to read, and no farther off from his spirit to instruct, than if we had been in England.
I always apply’d myself to reading the Scripture, to let him know, as well as I could, the meaning of what I read; and he again, by his serious enquiries and questioning, made me, as I said before, a much better scholar in the Scripture knowledge, than I should ever have been by my own private meer reading. Another thing I cannot refrain from observing here also from experience, in this retir’d part of my life, viz. how infinite and inexpressible a blessing it is, that the knowledge of God, and of the doctrine of salvation by Christ Jesus, is so plainly laid down in the Word of God, so easy to be receiv’d and understood: That as the bare reading the Scripture made me capable of understanding enough of my duty, to carry me directly on to the great work of sincere repentance for my sins, and laying hold of a Saviour for life and salvation, to a stated reformation in practice, and obedience to all God’s commands, and this without any teacher or instructer; I mean, human; so the same plain instruction sufficiently serv’d to the enlightning this savage creature, and bringing him to be such a Christian, as I have known few equal to him in my life.
As to all the disputes, wranglings, strife, and contention, which has happen’d in the world about religion, whether niceties in doctrines, or schemes of church government, they were all perfectly useless to us, as for ought I can yet see, they have been to all the rest in the world: We had the sure guide to Heaven, viz. the Word of God; and we had, blessed be God, comfortable views of the spirit of God, teaching and instructing us by his Word, leading us into all truth,66 and making us both willing and obedient to the instruction of his Word; and I cannot see the least use that the greatest knowledge of the disputed points in religion, which have made such confusions in the world, would have been to us, if we could have obtain’d it; but I must go on with the historical part of things, and take every part in its order.
After Friday and I became more intimately acquainted, and that he could understand almost all I said to him, and speak fluently, tho’ in broken English, to me; I acquainted him with my own story, or at least so much of it as related to my coming into the place, how I had liv’d there, and how long. I let him into the mystery, for such it was to him, of gunpowder, and bullet, and taught him how to shoot: I gave him a knife, which he was wonderfully delighted with, and I made him a belt, with a frog hanging to it, such as in England we wear hangers in; and in the frog, instead of a hanger, I gave him a hatchet, which was not only as good a weapon in some cases, but much more useful upon other occasions.
I describ’d to him the country of Europe, and particularly England, which I came from; how we liv’d, how we worshipp’d God, how we behav’d to one another; and how we traded in ships to all parts of the world: I gave him an account of the wreck which I had been on board of, and shew’d him, as near as I could, the place where she lay; but she was all beaten in pieces before, and gone.
I shew’d him the ruins of our boat, which we lost when we escap’d, and which I could not stir with my whole strength then, but was now fallen almost all to pieces: Upon seeing this boat, Friday stood musing a great while, and said nothing; I ask’d him what it was he study’d upon; at last, says he, me see such boat like come to place at my nation.
I did not understand him a good while; but at last, when I had examin’d farther into it, I understood by him, that a boat, such as that had been, came on shore upon the country where he liv’d; that is, as he explain’d it, was driven thither by stress of weather: I presently imagin’d, that some European ship must have been cast away upon their coast, and the boat might get loose, and drive ashore; but was so dull, that I never once thought of men making escape from a wreck thither, much less whence they might come; so I only enquir’d after a description of the boat.
Friday describ’d the boat to me well enough; but brought me better to understand him, when he added with some warmth, we save the white mans from drown: Then I presently ask’d him, if there was any white mans, as he call’d them, in the boat; yes, he said, the boat full white mans: I ask’d him how many; he told upon his fingers seventeen: I ask’d him then what became of them; he told me, they live, they dwell at my nation.
This put new thoughts into my head; for I presently imagin’d, that these might be the men belonging to the ship that was cast away in sight of my island, as I now call it; and who after the ship was struck on the rock, and they saw her inevitably lost, had sav’d themselves in their boat, and were landed upon that wild shore among the savages.
Upon this, I enquir’d of him more critically what was become of them? He assur’d me they liv’d still there; that they had been there about four years; that the savages let them alone, and gave them victuals to live. I ask’d him, how it came to pass they did not kill them and eat them? He said, No, they make brother with them; that is, as I understood him, a truce: And then he added, they no eat mans but when make the war fight; that is to say, they never eat any men but such as come to fight with them, and are taken in battle.
It was after this some considerable time, that being on the top of the hill, at the east side of the island, from whence, as I have said, I had in a clear day discover’d the main, or continent of America; Friday, the weather being very serene, looks very earnestly towards the main land, and in a kind of surprise, falls a jumping and dancing, and calls out to me, for I was at some distance from him: I ask’d him what was the matter? O, joy! says he, O glad! There see my country, there my nation!
I observ’d an extraordinary sense of pleasure appear’d in his face, and his eyes sparkled, and his countenance discover’d a strange eagerness, as if he had a mind to be in his own country again; and this observation of mine, put a great many thoughts into me, which made me at first not so easy about my new man Friday as I was before; and I made no doubt, but that if Friday could get back to his own nation again, he would not only forget all his religion, but all his obligation to me; and would be forward enough to give his countrymen an account of me, and come back perhaps, with a hundred or two of them, and make a feast upon me, at which he might be as merry as he used to be with those of his enemies, when they were taken in war.
But I wrong’d the poor honest creature very much, for which I was very sorry afterwards. However, as my jealousy increas’d, and held me some weeks, I was a little more circumspect, and not so familiar and kind to him as before; in which I was certainly in the wrong too, the honest grateful creature having no thought about it, but what consisted with the best principles, both as a religious Christian, and as a grateful friend, as appear’d afterwards to my full satisfaction.
While my jealousy of him lasted, you may be sure I was every day pumping him, to see if he would discover any of the new thoughts, which I suspected were in him; but I found every thing he said was so honest, and so innocent, that I could find nothing to nourish my suspicion; and, in spite of all my uneasiness he made me at last entirely his own again, nor did he in the least perceive that I was uneasy, and therefore I could not suspect him of deceit.
One day walking up the same hill, but the weather being hazy at sea, so that we could not see the continent, I call’d to him, and said, Friday, do not you wish yourself in your own country, your own nation? Yes, he said, I be much O glad to be at my own nation. What would you do there, said I, would you turn wild again, eat mens flesh again, and be a savage as you were before. He lookt full of concern, and shaking his head, said, No, no, Friday tell them to live good, tell them to pray God, tell them to eat corn bread, cattle fle
sh, milk, no eat man again: Why then, said I to him, They will kill you. He look’d grave at that, and then said, No, they no kill me, they willing love learn: He meant by this, they would be willing to learn. He added, they learn’d much of the bearded mans that come in the boat. Then I ask’d him if he would go back to them? He smil’d at that, and told me he could not swim so far. I told him I would make a canoe for him. He told me, he would go if I would go with him. I go! says I, why, they will eat me if I come there? No, no, says he, me make they no eat you, me make they much love you. He meant, he would tell them how I had kill’d his enemies, and sav’d his life, and so he would make them love me; then he told me, as well as he could, how kind they were to seventeen white men, or bearded men, as he call’d them, who came on shore there in distress.
From this time I confess I had a mind to venture over, and see if I could possibly join with these bearded men, who I made no doubt were Spaniards or Portuguese; not doubting but if I could we might find some method to escape from thence, being upon the continent, and a good company together, better than I could from an island 40 miles off the shore, and alone without help. So, after some days, I took Friday to work again, by way of discourse, and told him I would give him a boat to go back to his own nation; and accordingly I carry’d him to my frigate which lay on the other side of the island, and having clear’d it of water, for I always kept it sunk in the water; I brought it out, shew’d it him, and we both went into it.
I found he was a most dextrous fellow at managing it, would make it go almost as swift and fast again as I could; so when he was in, I said to him, Well now, Friday, shall we go to your nation? He look’d very dull at my saying so, which, it seems, was, because he thought the boat too small to go so far. I told him then I had a bigger; so the next day I went to the place where the first boat lay which I had made, but which I could not get into water: He said that was big enough; but then, as I had taken no care of it, and it had lain two or three and twenty years there, the sun had split and dry’d it, that it was in a manner rotten. Friday told me, such a boat would do very well, and would carry much enough vittle, drink, bread, that was his way of talking.
Upon the whole, I was by this time so fix’d upon my design of going over with him to the continent, that I told him we would go and make one as big as that, and he should go home in it. He answer’d not one word, but look’d very grave and sad: I ask’d him what was the matter with him? He ask’d me again thus; Why, you angry mad with Friday, what me done? I ask’d him what he meant; I told him I was not angry with him at all. No angry! No angry! says he, repeating the words several times, Why send Friday home away to my nation? Why, says I, Friday, did you not say you wish’d you were there? Yes, yes, says he, wish be both there, no wish Friday there, no Master there. In a word, he would not think of going there without me; I go there, Friday, says I, what shall I do there? He turn’d 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 them know God, pray God, and live new life. Alas! Friday, (says I), thou knowest not what thou sayest, I am but an ignorant man my self. 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 by my self, as I did before. He look’d confus’d again at that word, and running to one of the hatchets which he used to wear, he takes it up hastily, comes and gives it me, What must I do with this? says I to him. You take, kill Friday; (says he.) What must I 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 stand in his eyes: In a word, I so plainly discover’d the utmost affection in him to me, and a firm resolution in him, that I told him then, and often after, that I would never send him away from me, if he was willing to stay with me.
Upon the whole, as I found by all his discourse a settled affection to me, and that nothing should part him from me, so I found all the foundation of his desire to go to his own country, was laid in his ardent affection to the people, and his hopes of my doing them good; a thing which as I had no notion of my self, so I had not the least thought, or intention, or desire of undertaking it. But still I found a strong inclination to my attempting an escape as above, founded on the supposition gather’d from the discourse, (viz.) That there were seventeen bearded men there; and therefore, without any more delay, I went to work with Friday to find out a great tree proper to fell, and make a large periagua or canoe to undertake the voyage. There were trees enough in the island to have built a little fleet, not of periaguas and canoes, but even of good large vessels. But the main thing I look’d at, was to get one so near the water that we might launch it when it was made, to avoid the mistake I committed at first.
At last, Friday pitch’d upon a tree, for I found he knew much better than I what kind of wood was fittest for it; nor can I tell, to this day, what wood to call the tree we cut down, except that it was very like the tree we call Fustic, or between that and the Nicaragua Wood, for it was much of the same colour and smell. Friday was for burning the hollow or cavity of this tree out to make it for a boat. But I shew’d him how rather to cut it out with tools; which, after I had shew’d him how to use, he did very handily, and in about a month’s hard labour, we finish’d it, and made it very handsome, especially when with our axes, which I shew’d him how to handle, we cut and hew’d the out-side into the true shape of a boat; after this, however, it cost us near a fortnight’s time to get her along as it were inch by inch upon great rolwlers into the water. But when she was in, she would have carry’d twenty men with great ease.
When she was in the water, and tho’ she was so big, it amaz’d me to see with what dexterity and how swift my man Friday would manage her, turn her, and paddle her along; so I ask’d him if he would, and if we might venture over in her; Yes, he said, he venture over in her very well, tho’ great blow wind. However, I had a farther design that he knew nothing of, and that was to make a mast and sail, and to fit her with an anchor and cable: As to a mast, that was easy enough to get; so I pitch’d upon a strait young cedar-tree, which I found near the place, and which there was great plenty of in the island; and I set Friday to work 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 now six and twenty years by me, and had not been very careful to preserve them, not imagining that I should ever have this kind of use for them, I did not doubt but they were all rotten, and indeed most of them were so; however, I found two pieces which appear’d pretty good, and with these I went to work, and with a great deal of pains, and awkward tedious stitching (you may be sure) for want of needles, I at length made a three-corner’d ugly thing, like what we call in England, a shoulder of mutton sail, to go with a boom at bottom, and a little short sprit at the top, such as usually our ship’s long-boats sail with, and such as I best knew how to manage; because it was such a one as I had to the boat, in which I made my escape from Barbary, as related in the first part of my story.
I was near two months performing this last work, viz. rigging and fitting my mast and sails; for I finish’d them very compleat, making a small stay, and a sail, or foresail to it, to assist, if we should turn to windward; and which was more than all, I fix’d a rudder to the stern of her, to steer with; and though I was but a bungling shipwright, yet as I knew the usefulness, and even necessity of such a thing, I apply’d myself with so much pains to do it, that at last I brought it to pass, though considering the many dull contrivances I had for it that fail’d, I think it cost me almost as much labour as making the boat.
After all this was done too, I had my man Friday to teach as to what belong’d to the navigation of my boat; for tho’ he knew very well how to paddle a canoe, he knew nothing what belong’d to a sail, and a rudder; and was the most amaz’d when he saw me work the boat too and again in the sea by the rudder, and how the sail gyb’
d, and fill’d this way, or that way, as the course we sail’d chang’d; I say, when he saw this, he stood like one astonish’d, and amaz’d: However, with a little use, I made all these things familiar to him; and he became an expert sailor, except that as to the compass, I could make him understand very little of that. On the other hand, as there was very little cloudy weather, and seldom or never any fogs in those parts, there was the less occasion for a compass, seeing the stars were always to be seen by night, and the shore by day, except in the rainy seasons, and then no body cared to stir abroad, either by land or sea.
I was now entered on the seven and twentieth year of my captivity in this place; tho’ the three last years that I had this creature with me, ought rather to be left out of the account, my habitation being quite of another kind than in all the rest of the time. I kept the anniversary of my landing here with the same thankfulness to God for his mercies, as at first; and if I had such cause of acknowledgment at first, I had much more so now, having such additional testimonies of the care of Providence over me, and the great hopes I had of being effectually and speedily deliver’d; for I had an invincible impression upon my thoughts, that my deliverance was at hand, and that I should not be another year in this place: However, I went on with my husbandry, digging, planting, fencing, as usual; I gather’d and cur’d my grapes, and did every necessary thing as before.
The rainy season was in the mean time upon me, when I kept more within doors than at other times; so I had stow’d our new vessel as secure as we could, bringing her up into the creek, where, as I said, in the beginning, I landed my rafts from the ship, and haling her up to the shore, at high water mark, I made my man Friday dig a little dock, just big enough to 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 cross the end of it, to keep the water out; and so she lay dry, as to the tide, from the sea; and to keep the rain off, we laid a great many boughs of trees, so thick, that she was as well thatch’d as a house; and thus we waited for the month of November and December, in which I design’d to make my adventure.