14 Having now brought all my things on shore and secured them, I went back to my boat, and rode or paddled her along the shore to her old harbour, where I laid her up and made the best of my way to my old habitation, where I found everything safe and quiet. I began now to repose myself, live after my old fashion, and take care of my family affairs, and for a while I lived easy enough, only that I was more vigilant than I used to be, looked out oftener, and did not go abroad so much, and if at any time I did stir with any freedom it was always to the east part of the island, where I was pretty well satisfied the savages never came, and where I could go without so many precautions, and such a load of arms and ammunition as I always carried with me if I went the other way. I lived in this condition near two years more, but my unlucky head, that was always to let me know it was born to make my body miserable, was all these two years filled with projects and designs how, if it were possible, I might get away from this island, for sometimes I was from making another voyage to the wreck, though my reason told me there was nothing left there worth the hazard of my voyage, sometimes for a ramble one way, sometimes another, and I believed verily if I had had the boat that I went from Salyen I should have ventured to sea, bound anywhere I knew not with her. I have been, in all my circumstances, a memento to those who were touched with the general plague of mankind, whence, for ought I know, one half of their miseries flow. I mean that of not being satisfied with the station wherein God and nature hath placed them, for not to look back upon my primitive condition, and the excellent advice of my father, the opposition to which was, as I may call it, my original sin, my subsequent mistakes of the same kind had been the means of my coming into this miserable condition, for had that providence which so happily seated me at the Brazils, as a planter, blessed me with confined desires, and I could have been contented to have gone on gradually, I might have been by this time, I mean in the time of my being in this island, one of the most considerable planters in the Brazils. Nay, I am persuaded that by the improvements I have made in that little time I live there, and the increase I should probably have made if I remained, I might have been worth a hundred thousand moydaris, and what business had I to leave a settled fortune, a well-stocked plantation, improving and increasing, to turn supercargo to Guinea to fetch Negroes, when patience and time would have so increased our stock at home that we could have bought them at our own door from those whose business it was to fetch them. And though it cost us something more, yet the difference of that price was by no means worth saving it so great a hazard. But as this is usually the fate of young heads, so reflection upon the folly of it is as commonly the exercise of more years, or of the dear-bought experience of time, so it was with me now, and yet so deep had the mistake taken root in my temper, that I could not satisfy myself in my station, but was continually pouring upon the means and possibility of my escape from this place. And that I may, with greater pleasure to the reader, bring on the remaining part of my story, it may not be improper to give some account of my first conceptions on the subject of this foolish scheme for my escape, and how and upon what foundation I acted. I am now to be supposed retired into my castle, after my late voyage to the wreck, my frigate laid up and secured under water as usual, and my condition restored to what it was before. I had more wealth, indeed, that I had before, but was not at all the richer, for I had no more use for it than the Indians of Peru had before the Spaniards came there. It was one of the nights and the rainy season in March, the four-and-twentieth year of my first setting foot in this island of solitude. I was lying in my bed, or hammock, awake, very well in health, had no pain, no distemper, no uneasiness of body, nor any uneasiness of mind more than ordinary, but could by no means close my eyes, that is, so as to sleep, no, not a wink all night long, otherwise than as follows. It is impossible to set down the innumerable crowd of thoughts that whirled through that great thoroughfare of the brain, the memory, in this night's time. I ran over the whole history of my life in miniature, or by abridgment, as I may call it, to my coming to this island, and also of that part of my life since I came to this island. In my reflections upon the state of my case since I came on shore on this island, I was comparing the happy posture of my affairs in the first years of my habitations here, with a life of anxiety, fear, and care which I had lived in ever since I had seen the print of a foot in the sand. Not that I did not believe the savages had frequented the island even all the while, and might have been several hundreds of them at times on shore there, but I had never known it, and was incapable of any apprehensions about it. My satisfaction was perfect, though my danger was the same, and I was as happy and not knowing my danger as if I had never really been exposed to it. This furnished my thoughts with very many profitable reflections, and particularly this one. How infinitely good that providence is, which is provided, in its government of mankind, such narrow bounds to his sight and knowledge of things, and though he walks in the midst of so many thousand dangers, the sight of which, if discovered to him, would distract his mind and sink his spirits, he has kept serene and calm by having the events of things hid from his eyes, and knowing nothing of the dangers which surround him. After these thoughts had for some time entertained me, I came to reflect seriously upon the real danger I had been in for so many years in this very island, and how I had walked about in the greatest security, and with all possible tranquillity, even when perhaps nothing but the brow of a hill, a great tree, or the casual approach of night, had been between me and the worst kind of destruction, that is, that of falling into the hands of cannibals and savages, who would have seized on me with the same view as I would on a goat or turtle, and would have thought it no more crime to kill and devour me than I did of a pigeon or a curlew. I would unjustly slander myself if I should say I was not sincerely thankful to my great preserver, to whose singular protection, I acknowledged, with great humanity, all these unknown deliverances were due, and without which I must inevitably have fallen into their merciless hands. When these thoughts were over, my head was for some time taken up in considering the nature of these wretched creatures, I mean the savages, and how it came to pass in the world that the wise governor of all things should give up any of his creatures to such inhumanity, nay, to something so much below even brutality itself as to devour its own kind. But as this ended in some, at that time, fruitless speculations, it occurred to me to inquire what part of the world these wretcheds lived in, how far off the coast was from whence they came, what they ventured over so far from home for, what kind of boats they had, and why I might not order myself and my business so that I might be able to go over thither, as they were, to come to me. I never so much as troubled myself to consider what I should do with myself when I went thither, what would become of me if I fell into the hands of these savages, or how I should escape them if they attacked me, nay, nor so much as how it was possible for me to reach the coast and not to be attacked by some or other of them, without any possibility of delivering myself, and if I should not fall into their hands what I should do for provision, or whether I should bend my course. None of these thoughts I say so much as came in my way, but my mind was wholly bent upon the notion of my passing over in my boat to the mainland. I looked upon my present condition as the most miserable that could possibly be, that I was not able to throw myself into anything but death that could be called worse, and if I reached the shore of the main I might perhaps meet with relief, or I might coast along as I did on the African shore till I came to some inhabited country and where I might find some relief, and after all perhaps I might fall in with some Christian ship that might take me in, and if the worst came to the worst I could but die which would put an end to all these miseries at once. For a note, all this was the fruit of a disturbed mind, an impatient temper, made desperate as it were, by the long continuance of my troubles, and the disappointments I had met in the wreck I had been on board of, and where I had been so near obtaining what I so earnestly longed for, somebody to speak to, and to learn some knowledge from them of the place where I was, and of the probable means of my deliverance. I was agitated wholly by these thoughts, all my calm of mind, in my resignation to Providence, and waiting the issue of the dispositions of heaven, seemed to be suspended, and I had, as it were, no power to turn my thoughts to anything but to the project of a voyage to the main, which came upon me with such force, and such an impetuosity of desire, that it was not to be resisted. When this had agitated my thoughts for two hours or more, with such violence that it set my very blood into a ferment, and my pulse beat as if I had been in a fever, merely with the extraordinary fervor of my mind about it, nature, as if I had been fatigued and exhausted with the very thoughts of it, threw me into a sound sleep. One would have thought I should have dreamed of it, but I did not, nor of anything relating to it, but I dreamed that as I was going out in the morning as usual from my castle, I saw upon the shore two canoes and eleven savages coming to land, and that they had brought with them another savage whom they were going to kill in order to eat him, when on a sudden the savage that they were going to kill jumped away and ran for his life, and I thought in my sleep that he came running into my little thick grove before my fortification to hide himself, and that I seeing him alone and not perceiving that the others sought him that way, showed myself to him, and smiling upon him encouraged him, that he kneeled down to me seeming to pray me to assist him, upon which I showed him my ladder, made him go up and carried him into my cave, and he became my servant, and that as soon as I had got this man I said to myself, Now I may certainly venture to the mainland for this fellow will serve me as a pilot, and will tell me what to do, and whether to go for provisions, and whether not to go for fear of being devoured, what places to venture into, and what to shun. I waked with this thought, and was under such inexpressible impressions of joy at the prospect of my escape in my dream, that the disappointments which I felt upon coming to myself, and finding that it was no more than a dream, were equally extravagant the other way, and threw me into a very great dejection of spirits. Upon this, however, I made this conclusion, that my only way to go about to attempt an escape was to endeavour to get a savage into my possession, and if possible it should be one of their prisoners whom they had condemned to be eaten, and should bring hither to kill. But these thoughts still were attended with this difficulty, that it was impossible to affect this without attacking a whole caravan of them, and killing them all, and this was not only a very desperate attempt, and might miscarry, but on the other hand, I had greatly scrupled the lawfulness of it to myself, and my heart trembled at the thoughts of shedding so much blood, though it was for my deliverance. I need not repeat the arguments which occurred to me against this, they being the same mentioned before, but though I had other reasons to offer now, that is, that those men were enemies to my life, and would devour me if they could, that it was self-preservation in the highest degree to deliver myself from this death of a life, and was acting in my own defence as much as if they were actually assaulting me, and the like. I say, though these things argued for it, yet the thoughts of shedding human blood for my deliverance were very terrible to me, and such as I could by no means reconcile myself too for a great while. However, at last, after many secret disputes with myself, and after great perplexities about it, for all these arguments one way and another struggled in my head a long time, the eager prevailing desire of deliverance at length mastered all the rest, and I resolved, if possible, to get one of these savages into my hands cost what it would. My next thing was to contrive how to do it, and this indeed was very difficult to resolve on, but as I could pitch upon no probable means for it, so I resolved to put myself upon the watch, to see them when they came on shore, and leave the rest to the event, taking such measures as the opportunity should present, let what would be. With these resolutions in my thoughts, I set myself upon the scout as often as possible, and indeed so often that I was heartily tired of it, for it was above a year and a half that I waited, and for great part of that time went out to the west end, and to the southwest corner of the island almost every day, to look for canoes, but none appeared. This was very discouraging, and began to trouble me much, though I cannot say that it did in this case, as it had done some time before, wear off the edge of my desire to the thing, but the longer it seemed to be delayed, the more eager I was for it. In a word, I was not at first so careful to shun the sight of these savages, and avoid being seen by them, as I was now eager to be upon them. Besides I fancied myself able to manage one, nay, two or three savages if I had them, so as to make them entirely slaves to me, to do whatever I should direct them, and to prevent their being able at any time to do me any hurt. It was a great while that I pleased myself with this affair, but nothing still presented itself. All my fancies and schemes came to nothing, for no savages came near me for a great while. About a year and a half after I entertained these notions, and by long musing had, as it were, resolved them all into nothing, for want of an occasion to put them into execution. I was surprised one morning by seeing no less than five canoes all on shore together on my side of the island, and the people who belonged to them all landed and out of my sight. The number of them broke all my measures, for seeing so many, and knowing that they always came four or six or sometimes more in a boat, I could not tell what to think of it, or how to take my measures to attack twenty or thirty men single-handed, so lay still in my castle, perplexed and discomforted. However, I put myself into the same position for an attack that I had formerly provided, and was just ready for action if anything had presented. Having waited a good while, listening to hear if they made any noise, at length being very impatient, I set my guns at the foot of my ladder and clambered up to the top of the hill by my two stages as usual. Standing so, however, that my head did not appear above the hill, so they could not perceive me by any means. Here I observed, by the help of my perspective glass, that they were no less than thirty in number, that they had a fire kindled, and that they had meat dressed. How they had cooked it I knew not, or what it was, but they were all dancing, and I know not how many barbarous gestures and figures their own way round the fire. While I was thus looking on them, I perceived by my perspective two miserable wretches dragged from the boats, where it seems they were laid by, and were now brought out for the slaughter. I perceived one of them immediately fall, being knocked down, I suppose, with a club or wooden sword, for that was their way, and two or three others were at work immediately, cutting him open for their cookery, while the other victim was left standing by himself till they should be ready for him. In that very moment this poor wretch, seeing himself a little at liberty and unbound, Nature inspired him with hopes of life, and he started away from them, and ran with incredible swiftness along the sands, directly towards me, I mean, towards that part of the coast where my habitation was. I was dreadfully frightened, I must acknowledge, when I perceived him run my way, and especially when, as I thought, I saw him pursued by the whole body, and now I expected that part of my dream was coming to pass, and that he would certainly take shelter in my grove, but I could not depend, by any means, upon my dream, that the other savages would not pursue him thither and find him there. However I kept my station, and my spirits began to recover when I found that there was not above three men that followed him, and still more was I encouraged when I found that he outstripped them exceedingly in running, and gained ground on them, so that, if he could but hold out for half an hour, I saw easily he would fairly get away from them all. There was between them and my castle the creek, which I mentioned often in the first part of my story, where I landed my cargoes out of the ship, and this I saw plainly he must necessarily swim over, or the poor wretch would be taken there. But when the savage escaping came thither, he made nothing of it, though the tide was then up, but plunging in, swam through in about thirty strokes, or thereabouts, landed, and ran with exceeding strength and swiftness. When the three persons came to the creek I found that two of them could swim, but the third could not, and that, standing on the other side he looked at the others but went no farther, and soon after went softly back again, which as it happened was very well for him in the end. I observed that the two who swam were yet more than twice as strong swimming over the creek as the fellow was that fled from them. It came very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly, that now was the time to get me a servant, and perhaps a companion or assistant, and that I was plainly called by Providence to save this poor creature's life. I immediately ran down the ladders with all possible expedition, fetched my two guns, for they were both at the foot of the ladders, as I observed before, and getting up again with the same haste to the top of the hill. I crossed towards the sea, and having a very short cut, an all-down hill, placed myself in the way between the pursuers and the pursued. How lowing allowed to him that fled, who, looking back, was at first perhaps as much frightened at me as at them. But I beckoned with my hand to him to come back, and in the meantime I slowly advanced towards the two that followed. Then rushing it once upon the foremost, I knocked him down with a stock of my peace. I was loathed to fire, because I would not have the rest here, though at that distance it would not have been easily heard, and being out of sight of the smoke too, they would not have known what to make of it. Having knocked this fellow down, the other who pursued him stopped, as if he had been frightened, and I advanced towards him, but as I came nearer, I perceived presently he had a bow and arrow, and was fitting it to shoot at me. So I was then obliged to shoot at him first, which I did, and killed him at the first shot. The poor savage who fled but had stopped, though he saw both his enemies fallen and killed, as he thought, yet was so frightened with the fire and noise of my peace that he stood stock still, and neither came forward nor went backward, though he seemed rather inclined to fly than to come on. I hallowed again to him, and made signs to come forward, which he easily understood, and came a little way, then stopped again, and then a little farther, and stopped again, and I could then perceive that he stood trembling as if he had been taken prisoner, and had just been to be killed as his two enemies were. I beckoned to him again to come to me, and gave him all the signs of encouragement that I could think of, and he came nearer and nearer, kneeling down every ten or twelve steps in token of acknowledgment for saving his life. I smiled at him, and looked pleasantly, and beckoned to him to come still nearer.  This it seems was in token of swearing to be my slave forever. I took him up and made much of him, and encouraged him all I could. But there was more work to do yet, for I perceived the savage whom I had knocked down was not killed, but stunned with a blow, and began to come to himself. So I pointed to him, and showed him the savage that he was not dead. Upon this he spoke some words to me, and though I could not understand them, yet I thought they were pleasant to hear, for they were the first sound of a man's voice that I had heard, my own accepted, for above twenty-five years. But there was no time for such reflections now, the savage who was knocked down recovered himself so far as to sit up upon the ground, and I perceived that my savage began to be afraid. But when I saw that, I presented my other piece at the man, as if I would shoot him. Upon this my savage, for so I call him now, made a motion to me to lend him my sword which hung naked in the belt by my side, which I did. He no sooner had it, but he runs to his enemy, and at one blow cut off his head so cleverly, no executioner in Germany could have done it sooner or better, which I thought very strange for one who, I had reason to believe, never saw a sword in his life before, except their own wooden swords. However, it seems, as I learned afterwards, they make their wooden swords so sharp, so heavy, and the wood is so hard that they will even cut off heads with him. Aye, and arms! And that at one blow, too. When he had done this he comes laughing to me in sign of triumph, and brought me the sword again, and with abundance of gestures which I did not understand, laid it down with the head of the savage that he had killed just before me. But that which astonished him most was to know how I killed the other Indians so far off. So pointing to him he made signs to me to let him go to him, and I bade him go, as well as I could. When he came to him he stood like one amazed, looking at him, turning him first on one side, then on the other, looking at the wound the bullet had made, which it seems was just in his breast where it had made a hole, and no great quantity of blood had followed, but he had bled inwardly for he was quite dead. He took up his bow and arrows and came back, so I turned to go away and beckoned him to follow me, making signs to him that more might come after them. Upon this he made signs to me that he should bury them with sand, that they might not be seen by the rest if they followed, and so I made signs to him again to do so. He fell to work, and in an instant he had scraped a hole in the sand with his hands big enough to bury the first in, and then dragged him into it and covered him, and did so by the other also. I believe he had buried them both in a quarter of an hour. Then, calling away, I carried him not to my castle, but quite away to my cave, on the farther part of the island, so I did not let my dream come to pass in that part that he came into my grove for shelter. Here I gave him bread and a bunch of raisins to eat, and a draft of water, which I found he was indeed in great distress for, from his running, and having refreshed him I made signs for him to go and lie down to sleep, showing him a place where I had laid some rice straw, and a blanket upon it, which I used to sleep upon myself sometimes, so the poor creature lay down and went to sleep. He was a comely, handsome fellow, perfectly well-made, with straight, strong limbs, not too large, tall, and well-shaped, and as I reckon about twenty-six years of age, he had a very good countenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but seemed to have something very manly in his face, and yet he had all the sweetness and softness of a European in his countenance, too, especially when he smiled. His hair was long and black, not curled like wool, his forehead very high and large, and a great vivacity and sparkling sharpness in his eyes. The color of his skin was not quite black, but very tawny, and yet not an ugly, yellow, nauseous tawny, as the Brazilians and Virginians and other natives of America are, but of a bright kind of a done olive color that had in it something very agreeable, though not very easy to describe. His face was round and plump, his nose small, not flat, like the negroes, a very good mouth, thin lips, and his fine teeth well set and as white as ivory. After he had slumbered, rather than slept, about half an hour, he awoke again and came out of the cave to me, for I had been milking my goats which I had in the enclosure just by. When he aspired me he came running to me, laying himself down again upon the ground with all the possible signs of a humble, thankful disposition, making a great many antique gestures to show it. At last he lays his head flat upon the ground, close to my foot, and sets my other foot upon his head as he had done before, and after this made all the signs to me of subjection, servitude, and submission imaginable, to let me know how he would serve me so long as he lived. I understood him in many things, and let him know I was very well pleased with him. In a little time I began to speak to him, and teach him to speak to me, and first I let him know his name should be Friday, which was the day I saved his life. I called him so for the memory of the time. I likewise taught him to say Master, and then let him know that was to be my name. I likewise taught him to say Yes and No, and to know the meaning of them. I gave him some milk in an earthen pot, and let him see me drink it before him, and sopped my bread in it, and gave him a cake of bread to do the like, which he quickly complied with and made signs that it was very good for him. I kept there with him all that night, but as soon as it was day I beckoned to him to come with me, and let him know I would give him some clothes, at which he seemed very glad, for he was stark naked. As we went by the place where he had buried the two men, he pointed exactly to the place, and showed me the marks that he had made to find them again, making signs to me that we should dig them up again and eat them. At this I appeared very angry, expressed my abhorrence of it, made as if I would vomit at the thoughts of it, and beckoned with my hand to him to come away, which he did immediately with great submission. I then led him up to the top of the hill to see if his enemies were gone, and pulling out my glass I looked and saw plainly the place where they had been, but no appearance of them or their canoes, so it was plain they were gone and had left their two comrades behind them without any search after them. But I was not content with this discovery, but having now more courage and consequently more curiosity, I took my man Friday with me, giving him the sword in his hand, with the bow and arrows at his back, which I found he could use very dexterously, making him carry one gun for me, and I too for myself, and a way we marched to the place where these creatures had been, for I had a mind now to get some further intelligence of them. When I came to the place my very blood ran chill in my veins, and my heart sunk within me, at the horror of the spectacle. Indeed it was a dreadful sight. At least it was so to me, though Friday made nothing of it. The place was covered with human bones, the ground died with their blood, and great pieces of flesh left here and there, half eaten, mangled and scorched, and in short all the tokens of the triumphant feast they had been making there, after a victory over their enemies. I saw three skulls, five hands, and the bones of three or four legs and feet, and abundance of other parts of the bodies. And Friday, by his signs, made me understand that they brought over four prisoners to feast upon, that three of them were eaten up, and that he, pointing to himself, was the fourth, that there had been a great battle between them and their next king, of whose subjects it seems he had been one, and that they had taken a great number of prisoners, all which were carried to several places by those who had taken them in the fight, in order to feast upon them, as was done here by these wretches upon those they brought hither. I caused Friday to gather all the skulls, bone, flesh, and whatever remained, and lay them together in a heap, and make a great fire upon it, and burn them all to ashes. I found Friday had still a hankering stomach after some of the flesh, and was still a cannibal in his nature, but I showed so much abhorrence at the very thoughts of it, and at the least appearance of it, that he durst not discover it, for I had, by some means, let him know that I would kill him if he offered it. When he had done this, we came back to our castle, and there I fell to work for my man Friday, and first of all I gave him a pair of linen drawers, which I had out of the poor gunner's chest I mentioned, which I found in the wreck, and which with a little alteration fitted him very well, and then I made him a jerkin of goat skin, as well as my skill would allow, for I was now grown a tolerably good tailor, and I gave him a cap which I made of hair's skin, very convenient and fashionable enough, and thus he was clothed for the present tolerably well, and was mighty well pleased to see himself almost as well clothed as his master. It is true he went awkwardly in these clothes at first, wearing the drawers was very awkward to him, and the sleeves of the waistcoat galled his shoulders and the inside of his arms, but a little easing them where he complained they hurt him, and using himself to them he took to them at length very well. The next day, after I came home to my hutch with him, I began to consider where I should lodge him, and that I might do well for him and yet be perfectly easy myself, I made a little tent for him in the vacant place between my two fortifications, in the inside of the last, and in the outside of the first. As there was a door or entrance there into my cave, I made a formal framed door case, and a door to it, of boards, and set it up in the passage a little within the entrance, and causing the door to open in the inside, I barred it up in the night, making in my ladders too, so that Friday could no way come at me in the inside of my innermost wall, without making so much noise in getting over that it must needs awaken me, for my first wall had now a complete roof over it of long poles, covering all my tent, and leaning up to the side of the hill, which was again laid across with smaller sticks, instead of laths, and then thatched over a great thickness with the rice straw, which was strong like reeds, and at the hole or place which was left to go in or out by the ladder I had placed a kind of trap door, which, if it had been attempted on the outside, would not have opened at all, but would have fallen down and made a great noise. As to weapons I took them all into my side every night. But I needed none of all this precaution, for never man had a more faithful, loving, sincere servant than Friday was to me, without passions, sullenness, or designs, perfectly obliged and engaged, his very affections were tied to me, like those of a child to a father. And I daresay he would have sacrificed his life to save mine upon any occasion whatsoever. The many testimonies he gave me of this put it out of doubt, and soon convinced me that I needed to use no precautions for my safety on his account. This frequently gave me occasion to observe, and that with wonder, that however it had pleased God in his providence, and in the government of the works of his hands, to take from so great a part of the world of his creatures the best uses to which their faculties and the powers of their souls are adapted, yet that he has bestowed upon them the same powers, the same reason, the same affections, the same sentiments of kindness and obligation, the same passions and resentments of wrongs, the same sense of gratitude, sincerity, fidelity, and all the capacities of doing good and receiving good that he has given to us, and that when he pleases to offer them occasions of exerting these, they are as ready, nay, more ready, to apply them to the right uses for which they were bestowed than we are. This made me very melancholy sometimes, in reflecting, as the several occasions presented, how mean a use we make of all these, even though we have these powers enlightened by the great lamp of instruction, the spirit of God, and by the knowledge of his word added to our understanding. And why it has pleased God to hide the like-saving knowledge from so many millions of souls, who, if I might judge by this poor savage, would make a much better use of it than we did. From hence I sometimes was led too far, to invade the sovereignty of providence, and, as it were, arraign the justice of so arbitrary a disposition of things, that should hide that sight from some and reveal it to others, and yet expect a like duty from both. But I shut it up and check my thoughts with this conclusion. First, that we did not know by what light and law these should be condemned, but that as God was necessarily, and by the nature of his being, infinitely holy and just. So it could not be, but if these creatures were all sentenced to absence from himself, it was on account of sinning against that light which, as the scripture says, was a law to themselves, and by such rules as their consciences would acknowledge to be just, though the foundation was not discovered to us. And secondly, that still as we are all the clay in the hand of the potter, no vessel could say to him, why hast thou formed me thus? But to return to my new companion. I was greatly delighted with him, and made it my business to teach him everything that was proper to make him useful, handy, and helpful. But especially to make him speak, and understand me when I spoke, and he was the aptest scholar that ever was, and particularly was so merry, so constantly diligent, and so pleased when he could but understand me, or make me understand him, that it was very pleasant for me to talk to him. Now my life began to be so easy that I began to say to myself that could I but have been safe for more savages, I cared not if I was never to remove from the place where I lived. End of Chapter 14 Chapter 15 of Robinson Crusoe This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, and is read by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe Chapter 15 Friday's Education After I had been two or three days returned to my castle, I thought that, in order to bring Friday off from his hard way of feeding, and from the relish of a cannibal's stomach, I ought to let him taste other flesh, so I took him out with me one morning to the woods. I went, indeed, intending to kill a kid out of my own flock, and bring it home and dress it, but as I was going I saw a she-goat lying down in the shade, and two young kids sitting by her. I catched hold of Friday. Hold! said I. Stand still! I made signs to him not to stir. Immediately I presented my peace, shot and killed one of the kids. The poor creature, who at a distance indeed, seen me kill the savage, his enemy, but did not know, nor could imagine how it was done, was sensibly surprised, trembled and shook, and looked so amazed that I thought he would have sunk down. He did not see the kid I shot at, or perceive I had killed it, but ripped up his waistcoat to feel whether he was not wounded, and as I found presently, thought I was resolved to kill him, for he came and kneeled down to me, and embracing my knees, said a great many things I did not understand, but I could easily see the meaning was to pray me not to kill him. I soon found a way to convince him that I would do him no harm, and taking him up by the hand, laughed at him, and pointing to the kid which I had killed, back into him to run and fetch it, which he did, and while he was wondering, and looking to see how the creature was killed, I loaded my gun again. By and by I saw a great fowl like a hawk, sitting upon a tree within shot. So to let Friday understand a little what I would do, I called him to me again, pointed at the fowl, which was indeed a parrot, though I thought it had been a hawk. I say, pointing to the parrot, and to my gun, and to the ground under the parrot, to let him see I would make it fall, I made him understand that I would shoot and kill that bird. Accordingly I fired and bade him look, and immediately he saw the parrot fall. He stood like one frightened again, notwithstanding all I had said to him, and I found he was the more amazed, because he did not see me put anything into the gun, but thought that there must be some wonderful fund of death and destruction in that thing, able to kill man, beast, bird, or anything near or far off. And the astonishment this created in him was such as could not wear off for a long time, and I believe, if I would have let him, he would have worshipped me and my gun. As for the gun itself he would not so much as touch it for several days after, but he would speak to it and talk to it, as if it had answered him when he was by himself, which as I afterwards learned of him was to desire it not to kill him. Well, after his astonishment was a little over at this, I pointed to him to run and fetch the bird I had shot, which he did, but stayed some time, for the parrot, not being quite dead, had fluttered away a good distance from the place where she fell. However he found her, took her up, and brought her to me, and as I had perceived his ignorance about the gun before, I took this advantage to charge the gun again, and not to let him see me do it, that I might be ready for any other mark that might present, but nothing more offered at that time. So I brought home the kid, and the same evening I took the skin off, and cut it out as well as I could, and having a pot fit for that purpose, I boiled or stewed some of the flesh, and made some very good broth. After I had begun to eat some, I gave some to my man, who seemed very glad of it, and liked it very well, but that which was strangest to him was to see me eat salt with it. He made a sign to me that the salt was not good to eat, and putting a little into his own mouth, he seemed to nauseate it, and would spit and sputter at it, washing his mouth with fresh water after it. On the other hand, I took some meat into my mouth without salt, and I pretended to spit and sputter for want of salt, as much as he had done at the salt. But it would not do. He would never care for salt with meat or in his broth, at least, not for a great while, and then but a very little. Having thus fed him with boiled meat and broth, I was resolved to feast him the next day by roasting a piece of the kid. This I did by hanging it before the fire on a string, as I had seen many people do in England, setting two poles up, one on each side of the fire, and one across the top, and tying the string to the cross-stick, letting the meat turn continually. This Friday admired very much, but when he came to taste the flesh he took so many ways to tell me how well he liked it, that I could not but understand him, and at last he told me, as well as he could, he could never eat man's flesh any more, which I was very glad to hear. The next day I set him to work beating some corn out, and sifting it in the manner I used to do, as I observed before, and he soon understood how to do it as well as I, especially after he had seen what the meaning of it was, and that it was to make bread of, for after that I let him see me make my bread and bake it, too, and in a little time Friday was able to do all the work for me as well as I could do it myself. I began now to consider that having two mouths to feed instead of one, I must provide more ground for my harvest and plant a larger quantity of corn than I used to do. So I marked out a larger piece of land and began defense in the same manner as before, in which Friday worked not only very willingly and very hard, but did it very cheerfully, and I told him what it was for, that it was for corn to make more bread, because he was now with me, and that I might have enough for him and myself, too. He appeared very sensible of that part, and let me know that he thought I had much more labor upon me on his account than I had for myself, and that he would work the harder for me if I would tell him what to do. This was the pleasantest year of all the life I led in this place. Friday began to talk pretty well and understand the names of almost everything I had occasion to call for, and of every place I had to send him to, and talk to great deal to me, so that in short, I began now to have some use for my tongue again, which indeed I had very little occasion for before. Besides the pleasure of talking to him, I had a singular satisfaction in the fellow himself. His simple, unfaigned honesty appealed to me more and more every day, and I began really to love the creature, and on his side I believed he loved me more than it was possible for him ever to love anything before. I had a mind once to try if he had any inclination for his own country again, and having taught him English so well that he could answer me almost any question, I asked him whether the nation that he belonged to never conquered him battle, at which he smiled and said, Yes, yes, we always fight the better. That is, he meant always get the better in a fight, and so we began the following discourse. You always fight the better? How came you to be taken prisoner, then, Friday? Friday, my nation beat much for all that. Master, how beat?  Friday, they more many than my nation, in the place where me was, they take one, two, three, and me. My nation overbeat them in the underplace, where me know was, their my nation take one, two, great thousand. Master, but why did not your side recover you from the hands of your enemies then? Friday, they run one, two, three, and me, and make go in the canoe, my nation have no canoe that time. Master, well, Friday, and what does your nation do with the men they take? Do they carry them away and eat them, as these did?  Master, where do they carry them? Friday, go to other place, where they think? Master, do they come hither? Friday, yes, yes, they come hither, come other else place. Master, have you been here with them? Friday, yes, I have been here, points to the northwest side of the island, which it seems was their side. By this I understood that my man Friday had formerly been among the savages he used to come on shore on the farther part of the island, on the same man-eating occasions he was now brought for, and some time after, when I took the courage to carry him to that side, being the same I formerly mentioned, he presently knew the place, and told me he was there once, when they ate up 20 men, two women, and one child. He could not tell 20 in English, but he numbered them by laying so many stones in a row, and pointing to me to tell them over. I have told this passage because it introduces what follows, that after this discourse I had with him, I asked him how far it was from our island to the shore, and whether the canoes were not often lost. He told me there was no danger, no canoes ever lost, but that after a little way out to sea there was a current in wind, always one side in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. This I understood to be no more than the sets of the tide, as going out or coming in, but I afterwards understood it was occasioned by the great draft and reflux of the mighty river Orinoco, in the mouth or gulf of which river, as I found afterwards, our island lay, and that this land, which I perceived to be west and northwest, was the great island Trinidad, on the north point of the mouth of the river. I asked Friday a thousand questions about the country, the inhabitants, the sea, the coast, and what nations were near. He told me all he knew was the greatest openness imaginable. I asked him the names of the several nations of his sort of people, but could get no other name than Carribs. From whence I easily understood that these were the Carabes, which are maps placed on the part of America which reaches from the mouth of the river Orinoco to Guiana, and onwards to St. Martha. He told me that up a great way beyond the moon, that was beyond the setting of the moon, which must be west from their country, there dwelt white bearded men, like me, and pointed to my great whiskers, which I mentioned before, and that they had killed much man's, that was his word, by all which I understood he meant the Spaniards, whose cruelties in America had been spread over the whole country, and were remembered by all the nations from father to son. I inquired if he could tell me how I might go from this island, and get among those white men. He told me, Yes, yes, you may go in too canoe. I could not understand what he meant, or make him describe to me what he meant by too canoe, till at last with great difficulty, I found he meant it must be in a large boat, as big as two canoes. This part of Friday's intercourse I began to relish very well, and from this time I entertained some hopes that, one time or other, I might find an opportunity to make my escape from this place, and that this poor savage might be a means to help me. During the long time that Friday had now been with me, and that he began to speak to me and understand me, I was not wanting to lay a foundation of religious knowledge in his mind, particularly I asked him one time, who made him? The creature did not understand me at all, but thought I had asked who was his father. But I took it up by another handle, and asked him who made the sea, the ground we walked on, and the hills and woods. He told me, it was one Benamucchi that lived beyond all. He could describe nothing of this great person but that he was very old, much older, he said, than the sea or land, than the moon or the stars. I asked him then, if this old person had made all things, why did not all things worship him? He looked very grave, and with a perfect look of innocence said, all things say, oh, to him. I asked him if the people who die in his country went away anywhere? He said, yes, they all went to Benamucchi. Then I asked him whether those they eat up went thither, too. He said, yes. From these things I began to instruct him in the knowledge of the true God. I told him that the great maker of all things lived up there, pointing up towards heaven, that he governed the world by the same power and providence by which he made it, that he was omnipotent, and could do everything for us, give everything to us, take everything from us, and thus by degrees I opened his eyes. He listened with great attention, and received with pleasure the notion of Jesus Christ being sent to redeem us, and of the manner of making our prayers to God, and as being able to hear us, even in heaven. He told me one day, that if our God could hear us, up beyond the sun, he must needs be a greater God than there Benamucchi, who lived but a little way off, and yet could not hear till they went up to the great mountains where he dwelt, to speak to them. I asked him if he ever went thither to speak to him. He said, no, they never went that were young men, none went thither but the old men. Whom he called their O-o-wokaki, that is, as I made him explain to me, their religious or clergy, and what they went to say, O, so he called saying prayers, and then came back and told them what Benamucchi said. By this I observed that there is priestcraft even among the most blinded ignorant pagans in the world, and the policy of making a secret of religion in order to preserve the veneration of the people to the clergy, not only to be found in the Roman, but perhaps among all religions in the world, even among the most brutish and barbarous savages. I endeavored to clear up this fraud to my man Friday, and told him that the pretense of their old men going up to the mountains to say, O, to their God Benamucchi was a cheat, and their bringing word from thence what he said was much more so, that if they met with any answer, or spake with any one there, it must be with an evil spirit. And then I entered into a long discourse with him about the devil, the origin of him, his rebellion against God, his enmity to man, the reason of it, his setting himself up in the dark parts of the world to be worshipped instead of God and as God, and the many stratagems he made use of to delude mankind to their ruin, how he had a secret access to our passions and to our affections, and to adapt his snares to our inclinations so as to cause us even to be our own tempters and run upon our destruction by our own choice. I found it was not so easy to imprint right notions in his mind about the devil as it was about the being of a God. Nature assisted all my arguments to evidence to him even the necessity of a great first cause, an overruling governing power, a secret directing providence, and of the equity and justice of paying homage to him that made us and the like.  And the poor creature puzzled me once in such a manner by a question merely natural and innocent that I scarce knew what to say to him. I had been talking a great deal to him of the power of God, his omnipotence, his aversion to sin, his being a consuming fire to the workers of iniquity, how as he had made us all he could destroy us in all the world in a moment, and he listened with great seriousness to me all the while. After this I had been telling him how the devil was God's enemy in the hearts of men, and used all his malice and skill to defeat the good designs of providence and to ruin the kingdom of Christ and the world and the like. Well, says Friday, but you say God is so strong, so great. Is he not much strong, much might as the devil? Yes, yes, says I. Friday, God is stronger than the devil. God is above the devil, and therefore we pray to God to tread him down under our feet and enable us to resist his temptations and quench his fiery darts. But, says he again, if God much stronger, much might as the wicked devil, why God no kill the devil, so make him no more do wicked? I was strangely surprised at this question, and after all, though I was now an old man, yet I was but a young doctor and ill-qualified for a casualist or a solver of difficulties, and at first I could not tell what to say, so I pretended not to hear him and asked him what he said, but he was too earnest for an answer to forget his question, so that he repeated it in the very same broken words as above. By this time I had recovered myself a little, and I said, God will at last punish him severely, he is reserved for the judgment, and is to be cast into the bottomless pit to dwell with everlasting fire.   He mused some time on this. Well, well, says he mighty affectionately, that well, so you, I, devil, all wicked, all preserve, repent, God pardon all. Here I was runned down again by him to the last degree, and it was a testimony to me how the mere notions of nature, though they will guide reasonable creatures to the knowledge of a God, and of a worship or homage due to the supreme being of God, as the consequence of our nature, yet nothing but divine revelation can form the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and of redemption purchased for us, of a mediator of the New Covenant, and of an intercessor at the footstool of God's throne. I say, nothing but a revelation from heaven can form these in the soul, and that therefore the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I mean the word of God, and the Spirit of God, just for the guide and sanctifier of His people, are the absolutely necessary instructors of the souls of men in the saving knowledge of God and the means of salvation. I therefore diverted the present discourse between me and my man, rising up hastily as upon some sudden occasion of going out, then sending him for something a good way off, I seriously prayed to God that he would enable me to instruct savingly this poor savage, assisting, by his Spirit, the heart of the poor ignorant creature to receive the light of the knowledge of God in Christ, reconciling him to himself, and would guide me so to speak to him from the word of God, that his conscience might be convinced, his eyes opened, and his soul saved. When he came again to me, I entered into a long discourse with him upon the subject of the redemption of man by the Savior of the world, and of the doctrine of the gospel preached from heaven, that is, of repentance towards God and faith in our blessed Lord Jesus. I then explained to him as well as I could why our blessed Redeemer took not on him the nature of angels but the seed of Abraham, and how, for that reason, the fallen angels had no share in the redemption, that he came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and the like. I had, God knows, more sincerity than knowledge in all the methods I took for this poor creature's instruction, and must acknowledge what I believe all that act upon the same principle will find, that in laying things open to him I really informed and instructed myself in many things that either I did not know or had not fully considered before, but which occurred naturally to my mind upon searching into them for the information of this poor savage, and I had more affection in my inquiry after things after this occasion than ever I felt before, so that, whether this poor, wild wretch was better for me or no, I had great reason to be thankful that ever he came to me, my grief set lighter upon me, my habitation grew comfortable to me beyond measure, and when I reflected that in the solitary life which I have been confined to, I had not only been moved to look up to heaven myself and to seek the hand that it brought me here, but was now to be made an instrument under providence to save the life and for all I knew, the soul of a poor savage, and bring him to the true knowledge of religion and of the Christian doctrine, that he might know Christ Jesus, in whom is life eternal. I say, when I reflected upon all these things a secret joy ran through every part of my soul, and I frequently rejoiced that ever I was brought to this place, which I had so often thought the most dreadful of all afflictions that could possibly have befallen me. I continued in this thankful frame all the remainder of my time, and the conversation which employed the hours between Friday and me was such as made the three years which we lived there together perfectly and completely happy, if any such thing as complete happiness can be formed in a sub-lunary state. This 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 restored penitents. We adhere the word of God to read, and no farther off from his spirit to instruct than if we had been in England. I always applied myself in reading the Scripture to let him know, as well as I could, the meaning of what I read, and he again, by his serious inquiries and questionings, made me, as I said before, a much better scholar in the Scripture knowledge than I ever should have been by my own mere private reading. Another thing I cannot refrain from observing here also, from experience in this retired part of my life, that is, 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 received 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 Savior for life and salvation, to a stated Reformation in practice, and obedience to all God's commands, and this without any teacher or instructor, I mean human. So the same plain instruction sufficiently served to the enlightening the 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, wrangling strife, and contention which have happened in the world about religion, whether niceties and doctrines or schemes of church government, they were all perfectly useless to us, and for all I can yet see, they have been so to the rest of the world. We had the sure guide to heaven, that is, the word of God, and we had, blessed be God, comfortable views of the Spirit of God teaching and instructing by His word, leading us into all truth, 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 of religion, which have made such confusion in the world, would have been to us if we could have obtained it. But I must go on with a 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 pretty fluently, though in broken English to me, I acquainted him with my own history, or at least so much of it as related to my coming to this place, how I had lived there, and how long I led 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 described to him the country of Europe, particularly England, which I came from, how we lived, how we worshiped God, how we behaved 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 showed him as near as I could the place where she lay, but she was all beaten in pieces before and gone. I showed him the ruins of our boat, which we lost when we escaped, 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, using a great while, and said nothing. I asked him what it was he studied 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 examined further into it, I understood by him that a boat, such as that had been, came on shore upon the country where he lived. That is, as he explained it, was driven thither by stress of weather. I presently imagined 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 their escape from a wreck thither. Much less whence they might come, so I only inquired after a description of the boat. Friday described the boat to me well enough, but brought me better to understand him when he added with some warmth, We save the white man's from drown! Then I presently asked if there were any white man's, as he called them, in the boat.  I asked him how many. He told upon his fingers, seventeen. I asked 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 imagined that these might be the men belonging to the ship that was cast away in the 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 saved themselves and their boat, and were landed upon that wild shore among the savages. Upon this I inquired of him more critically what was become of them. He assured me they live still there, that they had been there about four years, that the savages left them alone and gave them victuals to live on. I asked him how it came to pass they did not kill 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 upon the top of the hill at the east side of the island, from whence, as I have said, I had in a clear day discovered the main or continent of America, Friday, the weather being very serene, looks very earnestly towards the mainland, 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 asked him what was the matter. Oh joy, says he, Oh glad! There see my country, there my nation! I observed an extraordinary sense of pleasure appeared in his face, and his eyes sparkled, and his countenance discovered a strange eagerness, as if he had a mind to be in his own country again. 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 wronged the poor honest creature very much, for which I was very sorry afterwards. However, as my jealousy increased, and held some weeks, I was a little more circumspect, and not so familiar and kind to him as before, in which I was certainly 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 appeared 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 everything 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 continents, I called to him and said, Friday, do you not wish yourself in your own country, your own nation? Yes, he said, I be much oh glad to be at my own nation. What would you do there, said I, would you turn wild again, eat men's flesh again, and be as savage as you were before?  They tell them to live good, tell them to pray God, tell them to eat cornbread, cattle flesh, milk, no eat man again.  He looked grave at that, and then said, No, no! They no kill me, they willing love learn. He meant by this they would be willing to learn. He added they learned much of the bearded men's that came in the boat. Then I asked him if he would go back to them. He smiled at that, and told me that 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 killed his enemies and saved his life, and so he would make them love me.  From this time I confess I had a mind to venture over, and see if I could possibly join with those bearded men, who I made no doubt were Spaniards and Portuguese, not doubting but if I could, we might find some method to escape from vents, being upon the continent, and a good company together, better than I could from an island forty miles off the shore, alone and 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 carried him to my frigate, which lay on the other side of the island, and having cleared it of water, for I always kept it sunk in water, I brought it out, showed it him, and we both went into it. I found he was a most dexterous fellow at managing it, and would make it go almost as swift again as I could. So when he was in I said to him, Well now, Friday, shall we go to your nation? He looked very dull at my saying so, which it seems was because he thought the boat was too small to go so far. I then told him I had a bigger, so the next day I went to the place where the first boat lay which I had made, and which I could not get into the 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 so split and dried it that it was rotten. Friday told me such a boat would do very well, and would carry much enough fiddle, drink, bread. That was his way of talking. End of Chapter 15 Chapter 16 of Robinson Crusoe This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, and is read by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. Chapter 16 Rescue of Prisoners from Cannibals Upon the whole I was by this time so fixed 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 answered not one word, but looked very grave and sad. I asked him what was the matter with him. He asked me again. Why you angry mad with Friday? What me done? I asked him what he meant. I told him I was not angry with him at all. No angry? Says he, repeating the word several times, Why send Friday home away to my nation? Why, says I, Friday did you not say you wished you were there? Yes, yes, says he, wish we 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 turned very quick upon me at this. You do great deal much good, says he. You teach wild man's be good, sober, tame man's. You tell them no God, pray God, and live new life. Alas, Friday, says I, thou knowest not what thou sayest, I am but a niggered man myself. Yes, yes, says he, you teach me good, you teach them good. No, no, Friday, says I, you shall go without me. Leave me here to live by myself as I did before. He looked confused again at that word, and running to one of the hatchets which he used to wear, he takes it up hastily and gives it to me. What must I do with this? says I to him.  What must I kill you for? said I again. He returns very quick. What you send Friday away for?  This he spoke so earnestly that I saw tears stand at his eyes. In a word I so plainly discovered 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, had that nothing could 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 myself, so I had not the least thought or intention or desire of undertaking it. But still I found a strong inclination to attempting my escape, founded on the supposition gathered from the discourse 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 abilt a little fleet, not a periagua or canoes, but even of good large vessels, but the main thing I looked 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 pitched 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 color and smell. Friday wished to burn the hollow or cavity of this tree out, to make it for a boat, but I showed him how to cut it with tools, which, after I had showed him how to use, heated very handily, and in about a month's hard labor we finished it and made it very handsome, especially when, with our axes, which I showed him how to handle, we cut and hewed the outside 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 rollers, into the water. But when she was in, she would have carried twenty men with great ease. When she was in the water, though she was so big, it amazed me to see with what dexterity and how swift my man Friday could manage her, turn her and paddle her along. So I asked him if he would, and if we might venture 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 knew nothing of, and that was, to make a mast and a sail, and to fit her with an anchoring cable. As to a mast, that was easy enough to get, so I pitched 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 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 that they were all rotten, and indeed most of them were so. However I found two pieces which appeared pretty good, and with these I went to work, and with a great deal of pains and awkward stitching, you may be sure, for want of needles. I at length made a three-quartered 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, as 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, that is, rigging and fitting my masts and sails, for I finished them very complete, making a small stay, and a sail or foresail to it, to assist if we should turn to windward, and, what was more than all, I fixed a rudder to the stern of her to steer with. I was but a bungling shipwright, yet as I knew the usefulness and even necessity of such a thing, I applied 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 failed, I think it cost me almost as much labour as making the boat. After this was done I had my man Friday to teach as to what belonged to the navigation of my boat, though he knew very well how to paddle a canoe, he knew nothing of what belonged to a sail and a rudder, and was the most amazed when he saw me work the boat to and again in the sea by the rudder, and how the sail jibbed and filled this way or that way as the course we sail changed. I say when he saw this he stood like one astonished and amazed. However with a little use I made all these things familiar to him, and he became an expert sailor, except that of the 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 in these 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 nobody 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, though 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 delivered, 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. I went on, however, with my husbandry, digging, planting, and fencing as usual. I gathered and cured my grapes, and did every necessary thing as before. The rainy season was in the meantime of Pommy, when I kept more within doors than at other times. We had stowed 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 hauling her up to the shore at high watermark, 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 across 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 thatched as a house, and thus we waited for the months of November and December in which I designed to make my adventure. When the settled season began to come in, as the thought of my design returned 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's time to open the dock and launch out our boat. I was busy one morning upon something of this kind when I called to Friday and bid him to go to the seashore and see if he could find a turtle or a tortoise, a thing which we generally got once a week, for the sake of the eggs as well as the flesh. Friday had not been long gone when he came running back and flew over my outer wall or fence, like one that felt not the ground or the steps he set his foot on, and before I had time to speak to him he cries out to me, Oh, master, oh, master, oh, sorrow, oh, bad! What's the matter, Friday? says I. Oh, yonder there, says he, one, two, three canoes, one, two, three! By this way of speaking I concluded there were six, but on inquiry I found there were but three. Well, Friday, says I, did not be frightened. So I heartened him up as well as I could.  I comforted him as well as I could, and told him I was 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. No matter for that, said I again. Our guns will fright them that we do not kill. So I asked him whether, if I resolved to defend him, he would defend me and stand by me and do just as I bid him.  So I went and fetched a good drum of rum and gave him, for I had been so good a husband of my rum that I had a great deal left. When we had drunk it, I made him take the two fouling pieces, which we always carried, and loaded them with large swan-shot, as big as small pistol-bullets. Then I took four muskets, and loaded them with two slugs and five small bullets each, and my two pistols I loaded with a brace of bullets each. I hung my great sword, as usual, naked by my side, and gave Friday his hatchet. When I had thus prepared myself I took my perspective glass and went up to the side of the hill to see what I could discover, and I found quickly by my glass that there were one in twenty savages, three prisoners and three canoes, and that their whole business seemed to be the triumphant banquet upon these three human bodies, a barbress feast indeed. But nothing more than, as I had observed, was usual with them. I observed also that they had landed not where 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 to the sea. This with the abhorrence of the inhuman errand these wretches came about, filled me with such indignation that I came down again to Friday, and told him I was resolved to go down to them and kill them all, and asked him if he would stand by me.  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 three guns upon his shoulder, and I took one pistol and the other three guns myself, and in this posture we marched out. I took a small bottle of rum in 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 speak a word. In this posture I fetched a compass to my right hand of near a mile, as well to get over the creek as to get into the wood, so that I could come within shot of them before I should be discovered, which I had seen by my glass it was easy to do. While I was making this march, my former thoughts returning, I began to abate my resolution. I did not mean that I entertained any fear of their number, for as they were naked, unarmed wretches, it is certain I was superior to them, nay, though I had been alone. But it occurred to my thoughts what call, what occasion, much less what necessity I was in to go and dip my hands in blood, to attack people who had neither done or intended me any wrong. Who as to me were innocent, and whose barbarous customs were their own disaster, being in them a token indeed of God's having left them with the other nations of that part of the world to such stupidity and to such inhuman courses, but did not call me to take upon me to be a judge of their actions, much less an executioner of his justice, that whenever he thought fit he would take the cause into his own hands, and by national vengeance punish them as a people for national crimes. But that, in the meantime, it was none of my business, that it was true Friday might justify it, because he was a declared enemy and in a state of war with those very particular people, and it was lawful for him 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 I went, that I resolved I would only go and place myself near them that I might observe their barbarous feast, and that I would act then as God should direct, but that unless something offered that was more a call to me than yet I knew of, I would not meddle with them. With this resolution I entered the wood, and with all possible weariness and silence, Friday, following close at my heels, I marched till I came to the skirts of the wood on the side which was next to them, only that one corner of the wood lay between me and them. Here I called softly to Friday, and showing him a great tree which was just at the corner of the wood, I bade him go to the tree and bring me word if he could see there plainly what they were doing.  He told me it was not one of their nation, but one of the bearded men he had told me of, that came to their country in the boat. I was filled with horror at the very naming of the white bearded man, and going to the tree I saw plainly by my glass a white man who lay upon the beach of the sea with his hands and feet tied with flags, or things like rushes, and that he was a European, and had clothes on. There was another tree, and a little thicket beyond it, about fifty yards nearer to them than the place where I was, which by going a little way about I saw I might come at, undiscovered, and that then I should be within half a shot of them, so I withheld my passion, though I was indeed enraged to the highest degree. And going back about twenty paces I got behind 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 of them at the distance of about eighty yards. I had now not a moment to lose, for nineteen of the dreadful wretches sat upon the ground all close huddled together, and had just sent the other two to butcher the poor Christian, and to bring him perhaps limb by limb to their 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. Friday said 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 fouling piece upon the ground, and Friday did the like by his, and with the other musket I took my aim at the savages, bidding him to do the like. Then asking 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 shot he killed two of them, and wounded three more, and on my side I killed one and wounded two. They were, you may be sure, in a dreadful consternation, 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, for they knew not from whence their destruction came. Friday kept his eyes close upon me, that, as I had bit him, he might observe what I did. So as soon as the first shot was made, I threw down the piece and took up the fouling piece, and Friday did the like.  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 fired again among the amazed wretches, and so did Friday, and as our pieces were now loaded with what I call swan-shot, or small pistol-bullets, we found only two drop, but so many were wounded that they ran about yelling and screaming like mad creatures, all bloody, and most of them miserably wounded, whereof three more fell quickly after, though not quite dead. Now, Friday, says I, laying down the discharged pieces and taking up the musket which was yet loaded, follow me, which he did with a great deal 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, I shouted as loud as I could, and bade Friday do so, too, and running as fast as I could, which, by the way, was not very fast, being loaded with arms as I was, I made directly towards the poor victim, who was, as I said, lying upon the beach or shore between the place where they sat and the sea. The two butchers who were just going to work with him had left him at the surprise of our first fire, and fled in a terrible fright to the seaside, and had jumped into a canoe, and three more of the rest made the same way. I turned to Friday and bade him step forwards in fire at them. He understood me immediately, and running about forty yards to be nearer to them, he shot at them, and I thought he had killed them all, for I fall them all fall of a heap into the boat, though I saw two of them up again quickly. However he killed two of them, and wounded the third, so that he lay 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 the flags that bound the poor victim, and loosing his hands and feet I lifted him up and asked him in the Portuguese tongue what he was. He answered in Latin, Christianus, but was so weak and faint that he could scarce stand or speak. I took my bottle out of my pocket and gave it him, making signs that he'd should drink, which he did, and I gave him a piece of bread which he ate. Then I asked him what countryman he was, and he said Espanol, and being a little recovered, let me know by all the signs he could possibly make how much he was in my debt for his deliverance. Senor, said I, with as much Spanish as I could make up, we will talk afterwards, but we must fight now. If you have any strength left, take this pistol and sword and lay about you. He took them very thankfully, and no sooner had he the arms in his hands but, as if they had put new vigor into him, he flew upon his murderers like a fury, 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 much frightened with the noise of our pieces that they fell down from ear amazement and fear, and had no more power to attempt their own escape than their flesh had to resist our shot, and that was the case of those five that Friday shot at in the boat, for as three of them fell with the hurt they received, so the other two fell with a fright. I kept my piece in my hand, still without firing, being willing to keep my charge ready, because I had given the Spaniard my pistol and sword. So I called to Friday, and bade him run up to the tree from whence we first fired, and fetched the arms which lay there that had been discharged, which he did with great swiftness, and then giving him my musket, I sat down myself to load all the rest again, and bade them come to me when they wanted. While I was loading these pieces there happened a fierce engagement between the Spaniard and one of the savages who made at him with one of their great wooden swords, the weapon that was to have killed him before, if I had not prevented it. The Spaniard, who was as bold and brave as could be imagined, though weak, had fought the Indian a good while and had cut two great wounds on his head, but the savage being a stout lusty fellow closing in with him had thrown him down, being faint, and was ringing my sword out of his hand, when the Spaniard, though undermost, wisely quitting the sword, drew the pistol from his girdle, 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 with no weapon in his hand but his hatchet, and with that he dispatched those three, who, as I said before, were wounded at first and fallen, and all the rest he could come up with. And the Spaniard coming to me for a gun I gave him one of the felling-pieces, with which he pursued two of the savages and wounded them both, but as he was not able to run, they both got from him into the wood, where Friday pursued them, and killed one of them, 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 to those two who were left in the canoe, which three in the canoe, with one wounded, that we knew not whether he died or no, were all that escaped our hands of one in twenty. The account of the hole is as follows. Three killed at our first shot from the tree, two killed at the next shot, two killed by Friday in the boat, two killed by Friday of those at first wounded, one killed by Friday in the wood, three killed by the Spaniard, 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 gunshot, and though Friday made two or three shots at them, I did not find that he hid any of them. Friday would feign have had me take one of their canoes and pursue them, and indeed I was very anxious about their escape, lest, carrying the news home to their people, they should come back perhaps with 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 was surprised to find another poor creature lie there, bound hand and foot as the Spaniard was for the slaughter, and almost dead with fear, not knowing what was the matter, for he had not been able to look up over the side of the boat, but he was tied so hard, neck and heels, and had been tied so long that he had really but little life in him. I immediately cut the twisted flags or rushes which they had bound him with, and would have helped him up, but he could not stand or speak, but groaned most piteously, believing it seems still that he was only unbound in order to be killed. When Friday came to him I bade him, speak to him, and tell him of his deliverance, and pulling out my bottle made him give the poor wretch a dram, which with the news of his being delivered revived him, and he sat up in the boat. But when Friday came to hear him speak and look in his face, it would have moved anyone to tears to have seen how Friday kissed him, embraced him, hugged him, cried, laughed, hallowed, jumped about, danced, sang, then cried again, rung his hands, beat his own face and head, and then sang and jumped about again like a distracted creature. It was a good while before I could make him speak to me, or tell me what was the matter, but when he came 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 and filial affection had worked in this poor savage at the sight of his father, and of his being delivered from death. Nor indeed can I describe half the extravagances of his affection after this, for he went into the boat and out of the boat a great many times. When he went into him he would sit down by him, open his breast and hold his father's head close to his bosom for many minutes together to nourish it. Then he took his arms and ankles, which were numbed and stiff with the binding, and chafed and rubbed them with his hands, and I, perceiving what the case was, gave him some rum out of my bottle to rub them with, which did them a great deal of good. This affair put an end to our pursuit of the canoe with the other savages, who were now almost out of sight, and it was happy for us that we did not, for it blew so hard within two hours after, and before they could be got a quarter of their way, and continue blowing so hard all night, and that from the northwest which was against them, that I could not suppose their boat could live, or that they ever reached their own coast. But to return to Friday, he was so busy about his father that I could not find in my heart to take him off for some time. But after I thought he could leave him a little, I called him to me, and he came jumping and laughing, and pleased to the highest extreme. Then I asked him if he had given his father any bread. He shook his head, and said, None! Ugly dog, eat up all self! I then gave him a cake of bread out of a little pouch I carried on purpose. I also gave him a dram for himself, but he would not taste it, but carried it to his father. I had in my pocket two or three 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 of the boat, and run away as if he had been bewitched, for he was the swiftest fellow on his feet that ever I saw. I say, he ran at such a rate that he was out of sight, as it were, in an instant. And though I called, and hallowed out, too, after him, it was all one, away he went, and in a quarter of an hour I saw him come back again, though not so fast as he went. And as he came nearer I found his paced slacker, because he had something in his hand. When he came up to me I found he had been quite home for an earthen jug or pot, to bring his father some fresh water. And that 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 thirsty, too, I took a little of it. The water revived his father more than all the rums 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 water left. He said, Yes! And I bade him give it to the poor Spaniard, who was in as much want of it as his father. And I sent one of the cakes that Friday brought to the Spaniard, too, who was indeed very weak, and was reposing himself upon a green place under the shade of a tree, and whose limbs were also very stiff and very much swelled with the rude bandage he had been tied with. When I saw that upon Fridays coming to him with the water he sat up and drank, and took the bread and began to eat, I went to him and gave him a handful of raisins. He looked up in my face with all the tokens of gratitude and thankfulness that could appear in any countenance, but was so weak, not withstanding he had so exerted himself in the fight, that he could not stand up upon his feet. He tried to do it two or three times, but was really not able. His ankles were so swelled and so painful to him. So I bade him sit still, and caused Friday to 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 perhaps less, all the while he was here, turned his head about to see if his father was in the same place and posture as he left him sitting, and at last he found he was not to be seen, at which he started up, and without speaking a word, flew with that swiftness to him that one could scarce perceive his feet to touch the ground as he went. But when he came, he only found he had laid himself down to ease his limbs, so Friday came back to me presently. And then I spoke to the Spaniard to let Friday help him up, if he could, and lead him to the boat, and then he should carry him to our dwelling, where I would take care of him. But Friday, a lusty, strong fellow, took the Spaniard upon his back and carried him away to the boat, and set him down softly upon the side or gunnel of the canoe, 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 could walk, though the wind blew pretty hard, too. So he 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, and asked him whether he went. He told me, Go fetch more boat! So away he went like the wind, for sure never man or horse ran like him, and he had the other canoe in the creek almost as soon as I got to it by land. So he 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 poor Friday knew not what to do. To remedy this, I went to work in my thought, and calling to Friday to bid them sit down on the bank when he came to me, I soon made a kind of hand-barrow to lay them on, and Friday and I carried them both up together upon it, between us. But when we got them to the outside of our wall, or fortification, we were 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, 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 in the space without our outward fence, and between that and the grove of young wood which I had planted. And here we made them two beds of such things as I had, that is, 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 I looked. First of all, the whole country was my own property, so that I had an undoubted right of dominion. Secondly, my people were perfectly subjected. I was absolutely lord and law-giver. They all owed their lives to me, and were ready to lay down their lives if there had been occasion for it, for me. It was remarkable, too, I had but three subjects, and they 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, but this is by the way. As soon as I had secured my two weak, rescued prisoners, and given them shelter and a place to rest them upon, I began to think of making some provision for them. And the first thing I did, I ordered Friday to take a 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 into small pieces, I set Friday to work boiling and stewing, and made them a very good dish, I assure you, of flesh and broth. And as I cooked it without doors, for I made no fire within my inner wall, so I carried it all into the new tent. And having set a table there for them, I sat down and ate my own dinner also with them, and, as well as I could, cheered them and encouraged them. Friday was my interpreter, especially to his father, and indeed to the Spaniard too, for the Spaniard spoke the language of the savages pretty well. After we had dined, or rather, supped, I ordered Friday to take one of the canoes, and go and fetch our muskets and other firearms, which for one of time we had left upon the place of battle, and the next day I ordered him to go and bury the dead bodies of the savages, which lay open to the sun, and would presently be offensive. I also ordered him to bury the hard remains of their barbarous feast, which I could not think of doing myself, nay, I could not bear to see them if I went that way, all which he punctually performed and effaced the very appearance of the savages being 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 new subjects, and first I set Friday to inquire of his father what he thought of the escape of the savages and that canoe, and whether we might expect a return of them, with the power too great for us to resist. His first opinion was that the savages and the boat never could had lived out the storm which blew that night they went off, but must of necessity be drowned, or driven south to those other shores, where they were as sure to 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 knew not. But it was his opinion that they were so dreadfully frightened with the manner of their being attacked, the noise and the fire, that he believed they would tell the people they were all killed by thunder and lightning, not by the hand of man, and that the two which appeared, that is, Friday and I, were two heavenly spirits or furies come down to destroy them, and not men with weapons. This he said he knew, because he heard them all cry out so in their language one to another, for it was impossible for them to conceive that a man could dart fire and speak thunder and kill at a distance without lifting up the hand as was done now, and this old savage was in the right, for as I understood since, by other hands, the savages never attempted to go over to the island afterwards, they were so terrified with the accounts given by those four men, for it seems they did escape the sea, that they believed whoever went to that enchanted island would be destroyed with fire from the gods. This however I knew not, and therefore was under continual 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 have ventured upon a hundred of them, fairly in the open field, at any time.