f before me and my gun, with the greatest worship and
adoration. As for the gun in particular, he would not so much as touch
it for several days after, but would come & communicate his thoughts to
it, & talk to it, as if the senseless piece had understood and answered
him; all this I could perceive him do, when he thought my back was
turned, the chief intent of which was, to desire it not to kill him, as
I afterwards came to understand.

I never strove to prevent his admiration, nor hinder him from those
comical gestures he used on such occasions; but when his astonishment
was a little over, I make tokens to him to run and fetch the parrot that
I had shot; which accordingly he did, staying some time longer than
usual, by reason the bird not being quite dead, had fluttered some way
further from the place where she fell. In the mean time, as he was
looking for her, I took the advantage of charging my gun again, that so
I might be ready for any other mark that offered; but nothing more
occurred at that time. So I brought home the kid, and the same evening
took off the skin and divided the carcase as well as I could. Part of
the flesh I stewed and boiled in a pot I had for this purpose. And then
spreading my table, I sat down, giving my man some of it to eat, who was
wonderfully pleased and seemed to like it very well: but what was the
most surprising to him was to see me eat salt with it: upon which he
made me understand, that the salt was very bad for me; when putting a
little into his mouth, he seemed to nauseate it in such a manner as to
spit and sputter at it, and then washed his mouth with fresh water: but
to shew him how contrary his opinion was to mine, I put some meat into
my mouth without salt and feigned to spit and sputter as much for the
want of it, as he had done at it; yet all this proved of no
signification to Friday; and it was a long while before he could endure
salt in his meat or broth, and even then but a small quantity.

Thus having fed him sufficiently with boiled meat and broth at that
time, the next day I was resolved to feast him with a roasted piece of
the kid. And having no spit to fasten it, nor jack to turn it, I made
use of that common artifice which many of the common people of England
have, that is to let two poles upon each side of the fire, and one cross
on top, hanging the meat thereon with a string, and so turning round
continually, roast it, in the same manner as we read bloody tyrants