The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Chapter 13, 14, 15

I did not understand him a good while; but at last, when I had examined further into it, I understood by him that a boat, such as that had been, came on shore upon the country where he lived—that is, as he explained it, was driven thither by stress of weather. I presently imagined that some European ship must have been cast away upon their coast, and the boat might get loose, and drive ashore: but was so dull, that I never once thought of men making escape from a wreck thither, much less whence they might come—so I only inquired after a description of the boat.

Friday described the boat to me well enough; but brought me better to understand him, when he added, with some warmth, “We save the white mans from drown.” Then I presently asked him, if there were any white mans, as he called them, in the boat? “Yes,” he said, “the boat full of white mans.” I asked him, how many? He told upon his fingers seventeen. I asked him, what became of them? He told me, “They live, they dwell at my nation.”

This put new thoughts into my head again; for I presently imagined, that these might be the men belonging to the ship that was cast away in sight of my island, as I now called it; and who, after the ship was struck on the rock, and they saw her inevitably lost, had saved themselves in their boat, and were landed upon that wild shore among the savages.

Upon this I inquired of him more critically, what was become of them? He assured me they lived still there, that they had been there about four years, that the savages let them alone, and gave them victuals to live. I asked him how it came to pass they did not kill them, and eat them? He said, “No, they make brother with them”—that is, as I understood him, a truce; and then he added, They eat no mans but when make the war fight”—that is to say, they never eat any men, but such as come to fight with them, and are taken in battle.

It was after this some considerable time, that being on the top of the hill, at the east side of the island, from whence, as I have said, I had in a clear day discovered the main or continent of America, Friday, the weather being very serene, looks very earnestly towards the mainland, and, in a kind of surprise, falls a-jumping and dancing, and calls out to me, for I was at some distance from him: I asked him what was the matter? “Oh, joy!” says he, “Oh, glad! there see my country, there my nation!”

I observed an extraordinary sense of pleasure appeared in his face, and his eyes sparkled, and his countenance discovered a strange eagerness, as if he had a mind to be in his own country again; and this observation of mine put a great many thoughts into me, which made me at first not so easy about my new man Friday as I was before; and I made no doubt but that if Friday could get back to his own nation, he would not only forget all his religion, but all his obligations to me; and would be forwarded enough to give his countrymen an account of me, and come back, perhaps, with an hundred or two of them, and make a feast upon me, at which he might be as merry as he used to be with those of his enemies, when they were taken in war.

But I wronged the poor honest creature very much, for which I was very sorry afterwards; however, as my jealousy increased, and held me some weeks, I was a little more circumspect, and not so familiar and kind to him as before; in which I was certainly in the wrong, too, the honest, grateful creature having no thought about it but what consisted of the best principles, both as a religious Christian and as a grateful friend, as appeared afterwards to my full satisfaction.

Whilst my jealousy of him lasted, you may be sure I was every day pumping him, to see if he would discover any of the new thoughts which I suspected were in him; but I found every thing he said was so honest and so innocent, that I could find nothing to nourish my suspicion; and in spite of all my uneasiness, he made me at last entirely his own again—nor did he in the least perceive that I was uneasy—and therefore I could not suspect him of deceit.

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