by Daniel Defoe
I soon found a way to convince him that I would do him no harm, and taking him up by the hand laugh’d at him, and pointed to the kid which I had kill’d, beckon’d to him to run and fetch it, which he did; and while he was wondering and looking to see how the creature was kill’d, I loaded my gun again, and by and by I saw a great fowl like a hawk sit upon a tree within shot; so to let Friday understand a little what I would do, I call’d him to me again, pointed at the fowl which was indeed a parrot, tho’ 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 fir’d, and bad him look, and immediately he saw the parrot fall, he stood like one frighted again, notwithstanding all I had said to him; and I found he was the more amaz’d, 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 worshipp’d me and my gun: As for the gun itself, he would not so much as touch it for several days after; but would speak to it, and talk to it, as if it had answer’d him, when he was by himself; which, as I afterwards learn’d 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 stay’d some time; for the parrot not being quite dead, was flutter’d away a good way off from the place where she fell; however, he found her, took her up, and brought her to me; and as I had perceiv’d his ignorance about the gun before, I took this advantage to charge the gun again, and not let him see me do it, that I might be ready for any other mark that might present; but nothing more offer’d at that time; so I brought home the kid, and the same evening took the skin off, and cut it out as well as I could; and having a pot for that purpose, I boil’d or stew’d some of the flesh, and made some very good broth; and after I had begun to eat some, I gave some to my man, who seem’d very glad of it, and lik’d 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 seem’d 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 in my mouth without salt, and I pretended to spit and sputter for want of salt, as fast as he had done at the salt; but it would not do, he would never care for salt with his meat, or in his broth; at least, not a great while, and then but a very little.
Having thus fed him with boil’d meat and broth, I was resolv’d to feast him the next day with roasting a piece of the kid; this I did by hanging it before the fire, in a string, as I had seen many people do in England, setting two poles up, one on each side the fire, and one cross on the top, and tying the string to the cross-stick, letting the meat turn continually: This Friday admir’d very much; but when he came to taste the flesh, he took so many ways to tell me how well he lik’d it, that I could not but understand him; and at last he told me he would never eat man’s flesh any more, which I was very glad to hear.
The next day I set him to work to beating some corn out, and sifting it in the manner I used to do, as I observ’d 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 begun 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 mark’d out a larger piece of land, and began the fence in the same manner as before, in which Friday not only work’d 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 appear’d very sensible of that part, and let me know that he thought I had much more labour upon me on his account, than I had for my self; 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 every thing I had occasion to call for, and of every place I had to send him to, and talk’d a 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; that is to say, about speech; besides the pleasure of talking to him, I had a singular satisfaction in the fellow himself; his simple unfeign’d honesty appear’d to me more and more every day, and I began really to love the creature; and on his side, I believe he lov’d me more than it was possible for him ever to love any thing before.
I had a mind once to try if he had any hankering inclination to his own country again, and having learn’d him English so well that he could answer me almost any questions, I ask’d him whether the nation that he belong’d to never conquer’d in battle? At which he smil’d, and said, Yes, yes, we always fight the better; that is, he meant always get the better in fight; and so we began the following discourse: You always fight the better, said I, How came you to be taken prisoner then, Friday?
Friday, My nation beat much, for all that.
Master, How beat; if your nation beat them, how come you to be taken?
Friday, They more many than my nation in the place where me was; they take one, two, three, and me; my nation over beat them in the yonder place, where me no was; there 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?
Friday, Yes, my nation eat man’s too, eat all up.
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 been here; [points to the N. W. side of the island, which it seems was their side.]
By this I understood, that my man Friday had formerly been among the savages, who us’d to come on shore on the farther part of the island, on the same man eating occasions that 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 mention’d, he presently knew the place, and told me, he was there once when they eat up twenty men, two women, and one child; he could not tell twenty in English; but he numbered them by laying so many stones on a row, and pointing to me to tell them over.
I have told this passage, because it introduces what follows; that after I had had this discourse with him, I ask’d 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 the sea, there was a current, and a wind, always one way in the morning, 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 occasion’d by the great draft and reflux of the mighty river Oroonooko; in the mouth, or the gulph of which river, as I found afterwards, our island lay; and this land which I perceiv’d to the W. and N. W. was the great island Trinidad, on the north point of the mouth of the river: I ask’d Friday a thousand questions about the country, the inhabitants, the sea, the coast, and what nation were near; he told me all he knew with the greatest openness imaginable; I ask’d him the names
of the several nations of his sort of people; but could get no other name than Caribs; from whence I easily understood, that these were the Caribbees,53 which our maps place on that part of America which reaches from the mouth of the river Oroonooko to Guiana, and onwards to St. Martha:54 He told me, that up a great way beyond the moon, that was, beyond the setting of the moon, which must be W. from their country, there dwelt white bearded men, like me, and pointed to my great whiskers, which I mention’d before; and that they had kill’d much mans, that was his word; by all which I understood, he meant the Spaniards, whose cruelties in America had been spread over the whole countries, and was remember’d by all the nations from father to son.
I enquir’d if he could tell me how I might come from this island, and get among those white men; he told me, yes, yes, I might go in two canoe; I could not understand what he meant, or make him describe to me what he meant by two canoe, till at last with great difficulty, I found he meant it must be in a large great boat, as big as two canoes.
This part of Friday’s discourse began to relish with me very well, and from this time I entertain’d 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 to do it.
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 ask’d him one time who made him? The poor creature did not understand me at all, but thought I had ask’d who was his father; but I took it by another handle, and ask’d him who made the sea, the ground we walk’d on, and the hills and woods; he told me it was one old Benamuckee, that liv’d beyond all: He could describe nothing of this great person, but that he was very old; much older he said than the sea, or the land; than the moon, or the stars: I ask’d him then, if this old person had made all things, why did not all things worship him? He look’d very grave, and with a perfect look of innocence, said, All things do say O to him: I ask’d him if the people, who die in his country, went away any where; he said, yes, they all went to Benamuckee; then I ask’d him whether these 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 liv’d up there, pointing up towards Heaven: That he governs the world by the same power and Providence by which he had made it: That he was omnipotent, could do every thing for us, give every thing to us, take every thing from us; and thus by degrees I open’d his eyes. He listen’d with great attention, and receiv’d with pleasure the notion of Jesus Christ being sent to redeem us, and of the manner of making our prayers to God, and his being able to hear us, even into 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 their Benamuckee, who liv’d but a little way off, and yet could not hear, till they went up to the great mountains where he dwelt, to speak to him; I ask’d him if ever he went thither, to speak to him; He said no, they never went that were young men; none went thither but the old men, who he call’d their Oowocakee, that is, as I made him explain it to me, their religious, or clergy, and that they went to say O, (so he call’d saying prayers) and then came back, and told them what Benamuckee said: By this I observ’d, that there is priestcraft, even amongst the most blinded ignorant pagans in the world; and the policy of making a secret religion, in order to preserve the veneration of the people to the clergy, is 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 endeavour’d to clear up this fraud, to my man Friday, and told him, that the pretence of their old men going up to the mountains to say O to their God Benamuckee, 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 enter’d into a long discourse with him about the Devil, the original 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 worship’d instead of God, and as God;55 and the many stratagems he made use of to delude mankind to his ruin; how he had a secret access to our passions, and to our affections, to adapt his snares so to our inclinations, as to cause us even to be our own tempters, and to 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 cause56 and over-ruling governing power; a secret directing Providence, and of the equity and justice of paying homage to him that made us, and the like. But there appear’d nothing of all this in the notion of an evil spirit, of his original, his being, his nature, and above all, of his inclination to do evil, and to draw us in to do so too; and the poor creature puzzl’d me once in such a manner, by a question meerly 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 dreadful aversion to sin, his being a consuming fire57 to the workers of iniquity;58 how, as he had made us all, he could destroy us and all the world in a moment; and he listen’d 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 in 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.59 But, says he again, if God much strong, much might as the Devil, why God no kill the Devil, so make him no more do wicked?
I was strangely surpris’d at his question, and after all, tho’ I was now an old man, yet I was but a young doctor, and ill enough qualify’d for a casuist, or a solver of difficulties: And at first I could not tell what to say, so I pretended not to hear him, and ask’d 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 reserv’d for the judgment, and is to be cast into the bottomless-pit, to dwell with everlasting fire.60 This did not satisfie Friday, but he returns upon me, repeating my words, RESERVE, AT LAST, me no understand; but, why not kill the Devil now, not kill great ago? You may as well ask me, said I, why God does not kill you and I, when we do wicked things here that offend him? We are preserv’d to repent and be pardon’d: He muses a while at this; well, well, says he, mighty affectionately, that well; so you, I, Devil, all wicked, all preserve, repent, God pardon all. Here I was run down again by him to the last degree, and it was a testimony to me, how the meer 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 a redemption purchas’d for us, of a mediator of the new covenant,61 and of an intercessor, at the foot-stool of God’s throne;62 I say, nothing but a revelation from Heaven, can form these in the soul, and that therefore the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; I mean, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God promis’d 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 pray’d 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 to speak so to him from the Word of God, as his conscience might be convinc’d, his eyes open’d, and his soul sav’d. When he came again to me, I entred into a long discourse with him upon the subject of the redemption of man by the Saviour of the world, and of the doctrine of the Gospel preach’d from Heaven, viz. of repentance towards God, and faith in our blessed Lord Jesus. I then explain’d to him, as well as I could, why our Blessed Redeemer took not on him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham,63 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,64 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 inform’d and instructed myself in many things, that either I did not know, or had not fully consider’d before; but which occurr’d naturally to my mind, upon my searching into them, for the information of this poor savage; and I had more affection in my enquiry after things upon this occasion, than ever I felt before; so that whether this poor wild wretch was the 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 this solitary life, which I had been confin’d to, I had not only been mov’d myself to look up to Heaven, and to seek to the hand that had brought me there; but was now to be made an instrument under Providence to save the life, and for ought 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, to know whom is life eternal.65 I say, when I reflected upon all these things, a secret joy run through every part of my soul, and I frequently rejoyc’d 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.
