登陆注册
16698100000079

第79章

I describ'd to him the Country of Europe,and particularly England,which I came from;how we liv'd,how we worshipp'd God,how we behav'd to one another;and how we traded in Ships to all Parts of the World:I gave him an Account of the Wreck which I had been on board of,and shew'd him as near as I could,the Place where she lay;but she was all beaten in Pieces before,and gone.

I shew'd him the Ruins of our Boat,which we lost when we escap'd,and which I could not stir with my whole Strength then;but was now fallen almost all to Pieces:Upon seeing this Boat,Friday stood musing a great while,and said nothing;I ask'd him what it was he study'd upon,at last says he,me see such Boat like come to Place at my Nation.

I did not understand him a good while;but at last,when I had examin'd farther into it,I understood by him,that a Boat,such as that had been,came on Shore upon the Country where he liv'd;that is,as he explain'd it,was driven thither by Stress of Weather:I presently imagin'd,that some European Ship must have been cast away upon their Coast,and the Boat might get loose,and drive a Shore;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 enquir'd after a Deion of the Boat.

Friday describ'd 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 ask'd him,if there was any white Mans,as he call'd them,in the Boat;yes,he said,the Boat full white Mans:I ask'd him how many;he told upon his Fingers seventeen:I ask'd him then what become of them;he told me,they live,they dwell at my Nation.

This put new Thoughts into my Head;for I presently imagin'd,that these might be the Men belonging to the Ship,that was cast away in Sight of my Island,as I now call it;and who after the Ship was struck on the Rock,and they saw her inevitably lost,had sav'd themselves in their Boat,and were landed upon that wild Shore among the Savages.

Upon this,I enquir'd of him more critically,What was become of them? He assur'd 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 ask'd 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 no eat 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 upon the Top of the Hill,at the East Side of the Island,from whence as have said,I had in a clear Day discover'd the Main,or Continent of America;Friday,the Weather being very serene,looks very earnestly towards the Main Land,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 ask'd him,What was the Matter? O joy! Says he,O glad! There see my Country,there my Nation!

I observ'd an extraordinary Sense of Pleasure appear'd in his Face,and his Eyes sparkled,and his Countenance discover'd 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 again,he would not only forget all his Religion,but all his Obligation to me;and would be forward enough to give his Countrymen an Account of me,and come back perhaps with a hundred or two of them,and make a Feast upon me,at which he might be as merry as he us'd to be with those of his Enemies,when they were taken in War.

But I wrong'd the poor honest Creature very much,for which I was very sorry afterwards. However as my Jealousy encreased,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 with the best Principles,both as a religious Christian,and as a grateful Friend,as appeared afterwards to my full Satisfaction.

While 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 spight of all my Uneasiness he made me at last entirely his own again,nor did he in the least perceive that I was Uneasie,and therefore I could not suspect him of Deceit.

One Day walking up the same Hill,but the Weather being haizy at Sea,so that we could not see the Continent,I call'd to him,and said,Friday,do not you wish your self in your own Country,your own Nation? Yes,he said,he be much O glad to be at his own Nation. What would you do there said I,would you turn Wild again,eat Mens Flesh again,and be a Savage as you were before? He lookt full of Concern,and shaking his Head said,No no,Friday tell them to live Good,tell them to pray God,tell them to eat Corn bread,Cattleflesh,Milk,no eat Man again:Why then said I to him,They will kill you. He look'd grave at that,and then said,No,they no kill me,they willing love learn:He meant by this,they would be willing to learn. He added,they learn'd much of the Bearded-Mans that come in the Boat. Then I ask'd him if he would go back to them? He smil'd at that,and told me he could not swim so far. I told him I would make a Canoe for him. He told me,he would go,if I would go with him. I go! says I,why they will Eat me if I come there! No,no,says he,me make they no Eat you;me make they much Love you:He meant he would tell them how I had kill'd his Enemies,and sav'd his Life,and so he would make them love me;then he told me as well as he could,how kind they were to seventeen White-men,or Bearded-men,as he call'd them,who came on Shore there in Distress.

同类推荐
  • 蓝山集

    蓝山集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 王家营志

    王家营志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大般涅槃经

    大般涅槃经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 牧令须知

    牧令须知

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • THE COMPLEAT ANGLER

    THE COMPLEAT ANGLER

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • TFBOYS——许你一世安然

    TFBOYS——许你一世安然

    万水千山,海角天涯,我迎一场白雪,许你一冬温暖;我展一弯愁眉,许你一脸笑靥;我居一方偏隅,许你一世安然。
  • 辛丑年

    辛丑年

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 五十三区

    五十三区

    胯下的哈雷摩托骑的还不熟练,枪法也很不准,皮衣大了一号,雪茄还没抽惯,刚刚洗劫完一家便利商店的他发动引擎,后座塞了满满一大包食物和饮料,还有几本过期的杂志,哈雷加速启动,黑暗中有几个饥饿而怪异的阴影趁机快速溜进凌乱的便利店,他按动引爆器,身后的便利店发出巨大的爆炸,阴影被炸的从玻璃窗飞出,重重摔在对面的街上,火光照亮了他的似乎在微笑的侧脸:“这座城,就叫做53区吧!”一个月前,他是一名普通的系统工程师,现在,他是这个曾有一千万人的大城市里唯一的人类,但,不是唯一的活物。
  • 破灭蚩尤神

    破灭蚩尤神

    上古年间,黄帝大战蚩尤,最终蚩尤被封印,他的元神转世投胎,这一世,小涛他一直觉得自己是一个平凡的人,心地善良,但是那些所谓的正道的修真人士却一直伤害他和他身边的人,这让他忍无可忍。
  • 逆天之倾世狂妃

    逆天之倾世狂妃

    “嘿,你是猴子请来的救兵吗?”“哼。”“哎,叫你一声你敢答应吗?”“哼。”“你再哼,信不信我点你穴。”“哼。”“……你赢了”
  • 炫舞之传奇梦

    炫舞之传奇梦

    用一双魔幻的手,打出天下所有冷眼人。在我手下,你们输得不冤。
  • 四姐妹的幸福爱恋

    四姐妹的幸福爱恋

    辰:遇见你,是上帝的恩赐,我会用心守护你。雪儿:碰到你,亦是上帝的恩赐,我会用心爱你。一场打赌,一次意外,命运圈住了这四个姐妹。。。
  • 制霸老公,请放手

    制霸老公,请放手

    她为了保住父亲生前的心血,被迫和他分手。从此他们形同陌路却又日日相见。他和别人相亲高调喊话,让众人关注。“相亲就相亲,我不在乎,我不在乎,我不在乎!”她无动于衷。正式订婚时她却意外出现,包中藏刀。“你敢和别人结婚,我就敢死在当场。”“张兮兮,是不是我把手里的股份给你,你就会和我睡。”他邪魅的问道。“你就不能把股份分几次给我,多睡几次!”捂脸~~
  • 春晓惜炀

    春晓惜炀

    假如人生不曾相遇、我不会相信、有那么一种人可以百看不厌,有那么一种人初遇就觉得温暖!这就是命中注定!
  • 商女妖娆,霸主夫君请休妻

    商女妖娆,霸主夫君请休妻

    一朝穿越,她重生为商人之女。似乎挣钱成了她的消遣。消遣的余时,她和他开始了一段荡人心肠的爱情曲谱。【情节虚构,请勿模仿】