Part 16 (1/2)

21 in all

Those that were in the canoe worked hard to get out of gun-shot; and though Friday made two or three shot at them, I did not find that he hit any of them: Friday would fain 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 their canoes, and devour us by mere multitudes; so I consented to pursue the 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 alive, bound hand and foot, as the Spaniard was, for the slaughter, and al what the matter was; for he had not been able to look up over the side of the boat, he was tied so hard, neck and heels, and had been tied so long, that he had really little life in his, or rushes, which they had bound him with, and would have helped hiroaned , it seems still, that he was only unbound in order to be killed

When Friday came to him, I bade hi out ive the poor wretch a dra delivered, revived him, and he sat up in the boat; but when Friday came to hear him speak, and looked in his face, it would have moved any one to tears, to have seen how Friday kissed hihed, hallooed, ju his hands, beat his own face and head, and then sung and juood while before I could make him speak to me, or tell me as the matter; but when he came a little to himself, he told me that it was his father

It was 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 froances of his affection after this; for he went into the boat and out of the boat a great many times: when he went in to him, he would sit down by him, open his breast, and hold his father's head close to his bosoether, to nourish it: then he took his ar, and chafed and rubbed theave him soreat deal of good

This action put an end to our pursuit of the canoe with the other savages, ere now gotten alht; and it was happy for us that we did not; for it blew so hard within two hours after, and before they could be gotten a quarter of their way, and continued blowing so hard all night, and that froainst them, that I could not suppose their boat could live, or that they ever reached to their own coast

But to return to Friday: he was so busy about his father, that I could not find in ht he could leave hihing, and pleased to the highest extreiven his father any bread? He shook his head, and said, ”None: ugly dog eat all up self” So I 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 ave hiiven his father these raisins, but I saw him come out of the boat, and run away as if he had been bewitched

He ran at such a rate (for he was the swiftest fellow of 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 hallooed too after him, it was all one; away he went, and in a quarter of an hour I saw hih not so fast as he went; and as he came nearer, I found his pace was slacker, because he had so in his hand

When he ca, or pot, to bring his father soet two ave me, but the water he carried to his father: however, as I was very thirsty too, I took a little sip of it: this water revived his father iven hi with thirst

When his father had drank, I called him, to know if there was any water left? he said, ”Yes;” and I bade hiive it to the poor Spaniard, as in as much want of it as his father; and I sent one of the cakes, that Friday brought, to the Spaniard too, as indeed very weak, and was reposing hireen place, under the shade of a tree, and whose limbs were also very stiff, and very e he had been tied with: when I saw that, upon Friday's co to him with the water, he sat up and drank, and took the bread, and began to eat, I went to hiave him a handful of raisins: he looked up in ratitude and thankfulness that could appear in any countenance; but was so weak, notwithstanding he had so exerted hiht, that he could not stand 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 sa; and at last he found he was not to be seen; at which he started up, and, without speaking a word, fleith that swiftness to hiround 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 I then spoke to the Spaniard to let Friday help him up, if he could, and load hi, where I would take care of hi fellow, took the Spaniard quite up upon his back, and carried hiunnel of the canoe, with his feet in the inside of it, and then lifted them quite in, and set hiain, 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 the them in the boat, runs away to fetch the other canoe As he passed me, I spoke to him, and asked him whither he went? He told me, ”Go fetch more boat;” so away he went, like the wind; for sure never man or horse ran like him, and he had the other canoe in the creek alot to it by land; so he wafted uests 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 re to Friday to bid them sit down on the bank while he came to me, I soon made a kind of hand-barrow to lay theether upon it between us; but e got them to the outside of our wall or fortification, ere at a worse loss than before; for it was iet 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 handsohs of trees, being in the space without our outward fence, and between that and the grove of young hich I had planted: and here we ood rice-straith blankets laid upon it to lie on, and another to cover theht myself very rich in subjects; and it was aI looked: first of all, the whole country was ht of dominion: 2dly, My people were perfectly subjected: I was absolute lord and lawgiver; 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 an and a cannibal; and the Spaniard was a Papist: however, I allowed liberty of conscience throughout my dominions: but this by the way

As soon as I had secured iven thean to think ofI did, I ordered Friday to take a yearling goat, betwixt a kid and a goat, out of my particular flock, to be killed: then I cut off the hind quarter, and, chopping it into s, and ood dish, I assure you, of flesh and broth; having put some barley and rice also into the broth; and as I cooked it without doors, (for I made no fire within my inner wall) so I carried it all into the new tent; and having set a table there for them, I sat down and ate my dinner also with theed the 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 fire-arms, which, for want of time, we had left upon the place of battle; and the next day I ordered hies, which lay open to the sun, and, would presently be offensive; and I also ordered him to bury the horrid remains of their barbarous feast, which I kneere prettymyself; nay, I could not, bear to see them, if I went that way: all which he punctually perfor there; so that when I went again, I could scarce knohere 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 t subjects; and first I set Friday to inquire of his father, what he thought of the escape of the savages in that canoe? and whether he reat for us to resist? His first opinion was, that the savages in the boat never could live out the storht 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 frighted with theattacked, the noise, and the fire, that he believed they would tell their people they were all killed by thunder and lightning, and not by the hand of man; and that the thich appeared (viz Friday and I) were two heavenly spirits or furies come down to destroy them, and not men eapons This, he said, he knew, because he heard thee to one another; for it was impossible for them to conceive that a man should 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 of that part never atteo over to the island afterwards They were so terrified with the accounts given by these 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 uard, I and all my army; for as there were now four of us, I would have ventured a hundred of them fairly in the open field at any ti, the fear of their cohts of a voyage to thelikewise assured by Friday's father, that I e froo

But hts were a little suspended, when I had a serious discourse with the Spaniard, and when I understood, that there were sixteenbeen cast away, and made their escape to that side, lived there at peace indeed with the savages, but were very sore put to it for necessaries, and indeed for life: I asked hie; and found they were a Spanish shi+p, bound fro directed to leave their loading there, which was chiefly hides and silver, and to bring back what European goods they could uese seamen on board, whom they took out of another wreck; that five of their own men were drohen first the shi+p was lost; and that these escaped through infinite dangers and hazards, and arrived almost starved on the cannibal coast, where they expected to have been devoured every moment

He told me, they had some arms with them, but they were perfectly useless, for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washi+ng of the sea having spoiled all their powder, but a little which they used at their first landing to provide theht would beco any escape? He said, they hadneither vessel, nor tools to build one, or provisions of any kind, their counsels always ended in tears and despair

I asked hiht they would receive a proposal froht tend towards an escape; and whether, if they were all here, it ht not be done? I told hie of ratitude was no inherent virtue in the nature of ations they had received, so es they expected: I told him, it would be very hard, that I should be the instrument of their deliverance, and that they should afterwards lishman was certain to be made a sacrifice, what necessity, or what accident soever, brought hies, and be devoured alive, than fall into the merciless claws of the priests, and be carried into the Inquisition I added, that otherwise I was persuaded, if they were all here, we h to carry us all away either to the Brasils southward, or to the islands or Spanish coast northward: but that if in requital they should, when I had put weapons into their hands, carry ht be ill used for my kindness to them, and make reat deal of candour and ingenuity, that their condition was so miserable, and they were so sensible of it, that he believed they would abhor the thought of using any man unkindly that should contribute to their deliverance; and that, if I pleased, he would go to them with the old ain, and bring me their answer: that he would make conditions with them upon their sole, as their commander and captain; and that they should swear upon the holy Sacrao to such Christian country as I should agree to, and no other; and to be directed wholly and absolutely by my orders, till they were landed safely in such country as I intended; and that he would bring a contract from them under their hands for that purpose

Then he told me, he would first swear toas he lived, till I gave him order; and that he would take my side to the last drop of blood, if there should happen the least breach of faith a his countrymen

He told me, they were all of thereatest distress i neither weapons or clothes, nor any food, but at the es; out of all hopes of ever returning to their own country: and that he was sure, if I would undertake their relief, they would live and die by me