I turned to go away, and beckoned him to follow me, making signs to him more might come after them. Upon this, he made signs to me he should bury the bodies with sand, that they might not be seen by the rest if they followed. 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 broad hands big enough to bury the first in, 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 him 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, 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. 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. The poor creature lay down and went to sleep.
He was a comely fellow, oddly made, with long straight limbs, not too large or tall, well shaped despite the hunch to his back, and, as I reckon, about twenty-six years of age. The smell of fish did hang about him like a cloud, as if it were his only sustenance. His hands were long and flat, with fingers as long again, and I bethought myself that he could wrap his whole head within them. Likewise were his feet and toes long, and broad, with a tiny claw on each rather than a toenail, yet as I examin'd them more I was amaz'd to see a thin web of skin twixt each splayed toe, as one would see on the feet of a duck.
He had a very good countenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but seem'd to have something very manly in his face. Yet he had all the sweetness and softness of an 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. A great vivacity and sparkling sharpness in his large, dark eyes, 'tho not as wide apart as those of the other savages. The colour of his skin was, again, not quite the slick grey of the other savages, but very dusky. And yet not an ugly, mottled, nauseous dusky, but of a bright kind of a polished slate colour that had in it something very agreeable, tho’ not very easy to describe. His face was round and plump, his nose small and thin, not flat like the Negroes, yet with long slits. A very good mouth, thin lips, and his long, thin teeth well set, and as white as ivory.
I left him sleeping and went to tend my businesses.
My new servant, many lessons,
two monsters
After the savage had slumbered about half an hour he awoke 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 espied me he came running to me, laying himself down again upon the ground with all the possible signs of an humble thankful disposition. At last, he laid his head flat upon the ground close to my foot and set my other foot upon his head as he had done before. After this, he made all the signs to me of subjection, servitude, and submission imaginable. 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. First, I let him know his name should be FRIDAY, which was the day I saved his life. 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. I gave him a cake of bread to do the like, which he complied with and made signs it was very good for him.
I kept there with him all night. As soon as it was day, I beckoned to him to come with me and let him know I would give him some cloathes, 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 showed me the marks he had made to find them again, making signs to me we should dig them up 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. He did, with great submission. I then led him up to the top of the hill to see if his enemies were gone. Pulling out my perspective glass, I looked and saw plainly the place where they had been, but no appearance of them or their canoes. It was plain they were gone and had left their two comrades behind without any search after them.
But I was not content with this discovery. Having now more courage, and consequently more curiosity, I took my man Friday with me. Away we marched to the place where these creatures had been. 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 at the horror of the spectacle. Indeed, it was a dreadful sight, at least it was so to me. Friday made nothing of it. The place was covered with human bones, the ground dyed with their blood, and great pieces of flesh were left here and there, half-eaten, mangled, and scorched. I saw three skulls, five hands, and the bones of three or four legs and feet, and abundance of other parts of bodies. The trees and stones had been marked again as well.
Friday, by his signs, made me understand they brought over four prisoners to feast upon. Three of them were eaten up, and he, pointing to himself, was the fourth. There had been a great battle between them and their next king, whose subject he had been one of, and they had taken a great number of prisoners in order to feast upon them.
Whilst I took the hatchet again to the trees, I caus'd Friday to gather all the skulls, bones, 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 him unnerved by my destruction of the marks, and that he had still a hankering after some of the flesh and was still a cannibal in his nature. I discovered so much abhorrence at the very thoughts of it, I had, by some means, let him know 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. First of all I gave him a pair of linen drawers, which I had out of the poor gunner's chest I found in the wreck. Then I made him a jerkin of goat's-skin, as well as my skill would allow, for I was now grown a tolerable good taylor. I gave him a cap, which I made of hare's-skin. Thus he was cloathed, for the present, tolerably well. It is true, he went awkwardly in these cloathes at first. Wearing the drawers was very awkward to him, and the sleeves of the waistcoat gall'd his shoulders and the inside of his arms, which had many thin folds of flesh much like the fins of a fish. I bethought myself wearing cloathes for him must be as it is for the beast, an unexpected and foreign experience, that is to say, one they had no call for. But after a little easing them where he complained they hurt, 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. That I might do well for him and yet be 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. I bar'd it up in the night, taking in my ladders too. 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.
But I needed none of all this precaution. Never man had a more faithful, loving, sincere servant than Friday was to me. His very affections were tied to me like those of a child to a father. I dare say he would have sacrificed his life for the saving of mine. The many testimonies he gave me of this put it out of doubt and soon convinced me I needed to use no precautions as to my safety on his account.
I was delighted with Friday 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 spoke. He was the aptest scholar that ever was and was so merry, so diligent, and so pleased when he could but understand me, or make me understand him, that it was
very pleasant to me to talk to him.
After I had been two or three days returned to my castle, I thought 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. 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," and made signs to him not to stir. I presented my piece, shot, and kill’d one of the kids. The poor creature, who had indeed seen me kill the savage, his enemy, but did not know how it was done, was surprised, trembled, and looked so amazed 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. He came and kneel’d down to me and, embracing my knees, said a great many things I did not understand. I could see the meaning was to pray me not to kill him.
I laughed at him, and pointing to the kid which I had killed, beckoned to him to run and fetch it, which he did. I brought home the kid and the same evening I took the skin off and cut it out as well as I could. 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. The next day we roasted a piece of the kid. When Friday 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. At last he told me, as well as he could, 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. He soon understood how to do it as well as I, especially after he had seen what the meaning of it was. After that I let him see me make my bread and bake it too. 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. I marked out a larger piece of land and began the fence in the same manner as before, on which Friday work'd not only very willingly and very hard, but did it very cheerfully. I told him it was for corn to make more bread because he was now with me. He appeared very sensible of that part, and let me know he thought I had much more labour upon me on his account than I had for myself. He would work the harder for me if I would tell him what to do.
Thus three weeks pass’d and I observ'd there was a point I had not consider'd, viz. in the many years upon this island, the nature of the beast had grown to be commonplace to me. It was as much a part of my routine as making my bread or drying raisins or milking my goats. Now it was the first night of the moon, and Friday, in his cheerful way, follow'd me every where I would go in my day and would follow me out at night. Thus, it was with great difficulty I explain'd he must stay within the castle this night while I went down the hill and away. This upset him greatly, and he made it known to me that he must follow me and keep me safe. With much effort he then told me that his people were much afraid of this island at night, for their god had set a monster loose on it which kill'd all things.
At this I laughed, for it was clear to me their monster was the beast, and it seem'd I had been safer here than I had first thought. I told him his monster did not frighten me, and, in what was a small lie, that I kept the monster imprison'd and chayn'd up for many days of the month, only setting it free to run for three nights so it would stay in good spirits and behave. Altho', upon reflection, this was not a lie at all, which pleas'd me. I told him again he could not follow, and I climb'd up the ladder and over the wall. He did cry for me to return, and his laments recall'd to my mind little Xury, the boy who had escap'd with me from the Moors of Sallee. I did then observe that little Xury would be a man now, older than was I when I first awoke on this island.
I walk'd a little ways from my castle till I was well away and hidden from Friday's eyes. Then I removed my cloathes and placed them upon a tree branch, as I had on the shores of Africk and my first nights here. I resolv'd, as the moon rose and bath'd me in her light, that I should make a cabinet for my cloathes outside the castle, perhaps three or four to place across my territory, so I could always find drawers each morning at the least.
Then the mantle of the beast did fall upon me, and it howl'd long and hard. It howl'd as it did to hunt and afore the kill, and ran cross the hilltops barking, and I knew, even deep within its skin, that it want'd to put great fear into Friday. It smell'd his relation to the savages, and to the dark church, and to the great totem, and it wanted Friday to know terror and know not to take any action against me. Had I not made my castle so well, I believe the beast would have kill'd Friday that first night.
Because of this, when I awoke the next day, I did not return to the castle but instead went to my bower, or summer house as I call'd it, and spent much time in reflection. I bethought myself, and the beast, that Friday was a loyal servant, and that he had cast off the rituals his people had rais'd him within. He would no longer eat the flesh of men, and would not raise his hand against me. I long observ'd these things, and made them clear to the beast as well. When the moon rose for the second night, the beast was tamer in its mood, yet still did howl and race cross the hills, tho' I knew this was now in the manner of wolves, that it but establish'd its place as above Friday in our small family and second only to me.
The next day I return'd to the castle, where Friday was much reliev'd to see me, and bowed and made his many signs of thanks. He had scarce moved since I left, and had eaten nothing lest he upset me somehow by doing so. I gave him some milk and bread, and we went to the shore and found a turtle, the flesh of which pleas'd him. I show'd him how to cook the eggs in the shell, as it is call'd, and then told him I would need to spend one more night away so they would be his supper, to cook when he became hungry, and eat with another cake of bread. I was surpris'd that this announcement met with no cries this time, and Friday gave a solemn nod and smiled at me. I ask'd if he had been so worry'd afore about food. He shook his head and made it known that he had fear'd I was leaving him and would not return.
When I ask'd why this did not worry him now, he smiled at me again with his thin white teeth and pointed up into the sky, where the last full moon had already risen in the after noon sky. He tilted his head back and did give a low howl. Then he gave me a most meaningful look with his large, dark eyes, spread his long fingers to show the tiny webs of flesh betwixt them, and set it against my chest. Afore I could speak, he placed the hand against his own chest, then back to mine, and spoke a few words in the little English he had learnt so far. Altho' his words were few, his meaning was most clear to me.
He had no fear, for he knew we were both monsters.
Old beliefs, the moving island,
the fallen
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. He talked a great deal to me. In short, I began now to have some use for my tongue again. Besides the pleasure of talking to him, I had a singular satisfaction in the fellow himself. His simple unfeigned honesty appeared to me more and more every day, and I began to love the creature. On his side, I believe he loved 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. Having taught him English so well he could answer me almost any question, I asked him whether the nation that he belonged to never conquered in battle? At which he smiled, and said, "Yes, yes, we always fight the better." That is, he meant, always get the better in fight. So we began the following discourse:
"You always fight the better," said I. "How came you to be taken prisoner then, Friday?"
"My nation beat much for all
that," he replied.
"How beat? If your nation beat them, how came you to be taken?"
He struggled for words. "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."
"But why did not your side recover you from the hands of your enemies then?"
"They run one, two, three, and me, and make go in the canoe. My nation have no canoe that time."
It came to my thoughts what the results of this great fight had been. "Well, Friday," said I, "and what does your nation do with the men they take? Do they carry them away and eat them, as these did?"
"Yes, my nation eat mans too." He nodded. "Eat all up."
"Where do they carry them?"
"Go to other place, where they think."
"Do they come hither?"
"Yes, yes, they come hither. Come other else place."
"Have you been here with them?"
"Yes, I have been here." And with this did he point to the south-west of the island, which was their side.
By this I understood my man Friday had been among the savages who used to come on shore on the farther part of the island, to the dark church and its totem, on the same man-eating occasions he was now brought for.
I have told this passage because it introduces what follows. After I had this discourse 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. After a little way out to sea, there was a current and wind, always one way in the morning, the other in the afternoon.
This I understood to be no more than the sets of the tyde, as going out or coming in. I afterwards understood it was occasioned by the great draft and reflux of the mighty river Oroonoko, in the gulf of which river, as I found afterwards, our island lay. This land which I perceived to the west and north west 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 coast, and what nations were near. He told me all he knew, with 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 Caribs, from whence I understood these were the Caribbees, which our maps place on the part of America which reaches from the mouth of the river Oroonoko to Guiana.
The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe Page 16
