been more charmed by his exceeding
kindness, and his affections more placed upon me, than any other object
whatsoever among his own countrymen. I once had a great mind to try if
he had any hankering inclination to his own country again; and by this
time, having learned the English so well; that he could give me
tolerable answer to any question which I demanded. I asked him whether
that nation to which he belonged, ever conquered in battle? This
question made Friday to smile, and to which he answered, _Yes, yes, we
always fight the better;_ as much as to say, they always got the better
in fight. Upon which we proceeded on the following discourse: _You say_,
said I, _that you always fight the better; why, then, Friday, how came
you to be taken prisoner_?

Friday. _But for all that my nation beat much_.

Master. _How say you, beat? if your nation beat them, how came you to be
taken_?

Friday. _They more many mans than my nation in the place where me was;
they take one, two, three, and me: my nation much over beat them in the
yonder place where me no was, there my nation mans beat one, two, three,
great tousand_.

Master. _Then why did not your men recover you from the hands of your
enemies?_

Friday. _They run one, two, or three, and me: they make all go in the
canoe; my nation have no canoe that time_--

Master. _'Tis very well, Friday; but what does your nation do with the
prisoners they take? Do they carry them away and eat them as these
have done_?

Friday. _Yes, yes, my nation eat mans too, eat up all_.

Master. _To what place do they carry them to be devoured_?

Friday. _Go to other nations where they think_.

Master. _Do they bring them hither_?

Friday. _Yes, come over hither, came over other place_.

Master. _And have you been with them here, Friday_?

Friday. _Yes, me been here_, (pointing to the north-west of the island,
being the side where they used to land.)

Thus having gotten what account I could from my man, I plainly
understood that he had been as bad as any of the rest of the cannibals,
having been formerly among the savages who used to come on shore on the
farthest part of the island, upon the same bloody occasion as he was
brought hither for; and some time after I carried him to that place
where he pointed; and no sooner did he come there, but he presently knew
the ground, signifying to me that he was once there when they ate up
twenty men, two women and a young child; but as he could