第76章

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 Mans 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 sometime 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 numbred 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 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，which our Maps place on the Part of America，which reaches from the Mouth of the River Oroonooko 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 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 under stood 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 has 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.