by Daniel Defoe
There was between them and my castle, the creek which I mention’d often at the first part of my story, when 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, tho’ the tide was then up, but plunging in, swam thro’ in about thirty strokes or thereabouts, landed and ran on 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 look’d at the other, but went no farther; and soon after went softly back again, which as it happen’d, was very well for him in the main.
I observ’d, that the two who swam, were yet more than twice as long swimming over the creek, as the fellow was, that fled from them: It came now very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly, that now was my time to get me a servant, and perhaps a companion or assistant; and that I was call’d plainly by Providence to save this poor creature’s life; I immediately run down the ladders with all possible expedition, fetch’d my two guns, for they were both but at the foot of the ladders, as I observ’d above; and getting up again, with the same haste, to the top of the hill, I cross’d toward the sea; and having a very short cut, and all down hill, clapp’d myself in the way, between the pursuers, and the pursu’d; hollowing aloud to him that fled, who looking back, was at first perhaps as much frighted at me, as at them; but I beckon’d with my hand to him, to come back, and in the mean time I slowly advanc’d towards the two that follow’d; then rushing at once upon the foremost, I knock’d him down with the stock of my piece; I was loath to fire, because I would not have the rest hear; though at that distance it would not have been easily heard, and being out of sight of the smoke too, they would not have easily known what to make of it: Having knock’d this fellow down, the other who pursu’d with him stopp’d, as if he had been frighted; and I advanc’d a-pace towards him; but as I came nearer, I perceiv’d presently he had a bow and arrow, and was fitting it to shoot at me; so I was then necessitated to shoot at him first, which I did, and kill’d him at the first shoot; the poor savage who fled, but had stopp’d; though he saw both his enemies fallen, and kill’d, as he thought; yet was so frighted with the fire, and noise of my piece; that he stood stock still, and neither came forward or went backward, tho’ he seem’d rather enclin’d to fly still, than to come on; I hollow’d again to him, and made signs to come forward, which he easily understood, and came a little way, then stopp’d again, and then a little farther, and stopp’d again, and I cou’d then perceive that he stood trembling, as if he had been taken prisoner, and had just been to be kill’d,50 as his two enemies were; I beckon’d 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 acknowledgement for my saving his life: I smil’d at him, and look’d pleasantly, and beckon’d to him to come still nearer; at length he came close to me, and then he kneel’d down again, kiss’d the ground, and laid his head upon the ground, and taking me by the foot, set my foot upon his head; this, it seems, was in token of swearing to be my slave for ever; I took him up, and made much of him, and encourag’d him all I could. But there was more work to do yet, for I perceiv’d the savage who I knock’d down, was not kill’d, but stunn’d with the blow, and began to come to himself; so I pointed to him, and showing him the savage, that he was not dead; upon this he spoke some words to me, and tho’ 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 excepted, for above twenty five years. But there was no time for such reflections now the savage, who was knock’d down recover’d himself so far, as to sit up upon the ground, and I perceiv’d 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 a belt by my side; so I did; he no sooner had it, but he runs to his enemy, and at one blow cut off his head as cleaverly, 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 learn’d afterwards, they make their wooden swords so sharp, so heavy, and the wood is so hard, that they will cut off heads even with them, ay 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 kill’d, just before me.
But that which astonish’d him most, was to know how I had kill’d the other Indian so far off, so, pointing to him, he made signs to me to let him go to him, so I bad him go, as well as I could; when he came to him, he stood like one amaz’d, looking at him, turn’d him first on one side, then on t’other, look’d 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 follow’d, but he had bled inwardly, for he was quite dead; he took up his bow and arrows, and came back, so I turn’d to go away, and beckon’d to him to follow me, making signs to him, that more might come after them.
Upon this he sign’d to me, that he should bury them with sand, that they might not be seen by the rest if they follow’d; and so I made signs again to him to do so; he fell to work, and in an instant he had scrap’d a hole in the sand, with his hands, big enough to bury the first in, and then dragg’d him into it, and cover’d him, and did so also by the other; I believe he had bury’d them both in a quarter of an hour; then calling him away, I carry’d 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, viz. That he came into my grove for shelter.
Here I gave him bread, and a bunch of raisins to eat, and a draught of water, which I found he was indeed in great distress for, by his running; and having refresh’d him, I made signs for him to go lie down and sleep; pointing to a place where I had laid a great parcel of rice straw, and a blanket upon it, which I used to sleep upon my self sometimes; so the poor creature laid down, and went to sleep.
He was a comely handsome fellow, perfectly well made, with straight strong limbs, not too large; tall and well shap’d, and, as I reckon, about twenty six years of age. He had a very good countenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but seem’d to have something very manly in his face, and yet he had all the sweetness and softness of an European in his countenance too, especially when he smil’d. His hair was long and black, not curl’d like wool; his forehead very high, and large, and a great vivacity and sparkling sharpness in his eyes. The colour of his skin was not quite black, but very tawny; and yet not of an ugly yellow nauseous tawny, as the Brasilians, and Virginians, and other natives of America are; but of a bright kind of a dun olive colour, that had in it something very agreeable, tho’ 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 white as ivory. After he had slumber’d, rather than slept, about half an hour, he wak’d again, and comes out of the cave to me; for I had been milking my goats which I had in the enclosure just by: When he espy’d me, he came running to me, laying himself down again upon the ground, with all the possible signs of an humble thankful disposition, making a many antick gestures to shew 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 as long as he liv’d; I understood him in many things, and let him know, I was very well pleas’d with him; in a little time I began to speak to him, and teach him to speak to me; and first, I made him know his name should be Friday, which was the day I sa
v’d his life; I call’d 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 sop my bread, in it; and I gave him a cake of bread, to do the like, which he quickly comply’d 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 beckon’d to him to come with me, and let him know I would give him some clothes, at which he seem’d very glad, for he was stark naked: As we went by the place where he had bury’d the two men, he pointed exactly to the place, and shew’d 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 appear’d very angry, express’d my abhorrence of it, made as if I would vomit at the thoughts of it, and beckon’d 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 look’d and saw plainly the place where they had been, but no appearance of them, or of their canoes; so that it was plain that 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 takes 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 dextrously, making him carry one gun for me, and I two for myself, and away we march’d to the place, where these creatures had been; for I had a mind now to get some fuller 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, tho’ Friday made nothing of it: The place was cover’d with human bones, the ground dy’d with their blood, great pieces of flesh left here and there, half eaten, mangled and scorch’d; 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, whose subjects it seems he had been one of; and that they had taken a great number of prisoners, all which were carry’d to several places by those that 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 caus’d Friday to gather all the skulls, bones, flesh, and whatever remain’d, and lay them together on 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 discover’d 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 offer’d it.
When we 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 linnen drawers, which I had out of the poor gunner’s chest I mention’d, and which I found in the wreck; and which, with a little alteration fitted him very well; then I made him a jerkin of goat’s-skin, as well as my skill would allow; and I was now grown a tolerable good taylor; and I gave him a cap, which I had made of a hare-skin, very convenient, and fashionable enough; and thus he was cloth’d for the present, tolerably well, and was mighty well pleas’d to see himself almost as well cloth’d as his master: It is true, he went awkwardly in these things at first; wearing the drawers was very awkward to him, and the sleeves of the wast-coat gall’d his shoulders, and the inside of his arms; but a little easing them, where he complain’d they hurt him, and using himself to them, at length he took to them 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; and as there was a door, or entrance there into my cave, I made a formal fram’d 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 on the inside, I barr’d it up in the night, taking 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 waken me; for my first wall had now a compleat roof over it of long poles, covering all my tent, and leaning up to the side of the hill, which was again laid cross with smaller sticks instead of laths, and then thatch’d 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 plac’d a kind of trap-door, which if it had been attempted on the outside, would not have open’d at all, but would have fallen down, and made a great noise; and as to weapons, I took them all in to 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 oblig’d and engag’d; his very affections were ty’d to me, like those of a child to a father; and I dare say, he would have sacrific’d his life for the saving mine, upon any occasion whatsoever; the many testimonies he gave me of this, put it out of doubt, and soon convinc’d me, that I needed to use no precautions, as to my safety on his account.
This frequently gave me occasion to observe, and that with wonder, that however it had pleas’d 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 bestow’d 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 to them occasions of exerting these, they are as ready, nay, more ready to apply them to the right uses for which they were bestow’d, than we are. And 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 enlighten’d 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 pleas’d 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 light from some, and reveal it to others, and yet expect a like duty from both: But I shut it up, and check’d my thoughts with this conclusion, (1st) that we did not know by what light and law these should be condemn’d; but that as God was necessarily, and by the nature of his being, infinitely holy and just, so it could not be, but that if these creatures were all sentenc’d to absence from himself, it was on account of sinning against that light which, as the Scripture says, was a law to themselves,51 and by such rules as their consciences would acknowledge to be just, tho’ the foundation was not discover’d to us: And (2d) that still as we are all the clay in the hand of the potter, no vessel could say to him, Why hast thou form’d me thus?52
But to return to my new companion; I was greatly delighted with him, and made it my business to teach him every thing that was proper to make him useful, handy, and helpful; but especially to make him speak, and understand me when I spake, and he was the aptest s
cholar that ever was, and particularly was so merry, so constantly diligent, and so pleas’d, when he could but understand me or make me understand him, that it was very pleasant to me to talk to him; and now my life began to be so easy, that I began to say to my self, that could I but have been safe from more savages, I cared not if I was never to remove from the place while I liv’d.
After I had been two or three days return’d to my castle, I thought that, in order to bring Friday off from his horrid 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 him 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 catch’d hold of Friday, hold, says I, stand still; and made signs to him not to stir, immediately I presented my piece, shot and kill’d one of the kids. The poor creature who had at a distance indeed seen me kill the savage, his enemy, but did not know, or could imagine how it was done, was sensibly surpris’d, trembled, and shook, and look’d so amaz’d, that I thought he would have sunk down. He did not see the kid I had shot at, or perceive I had kill’d it, but ripp’d up his wast-coat to feel if he was not wounded, and as I found, presently thought I was resolv’d to kill him; for he came and kneel’d down to me, and embracing my knees, said a great many things I did not understand; but I could easily see that the meaning was to pray me not to kill him.
