not explain the
number in English, he did it by so many stones in a row, making a sign
to me to count them.

This passage I have the rather mentioned, because it led to things more
important and useful for me to know; for after I had this satisfactory
discourse with him, my next question was, how far it was from the island
to the shore, and whether the canoes were not often lost in the ocean?
to which he answered, _there was no danger, that no canoes were ever
lost; but that after a little way out to the sea, there was a strong
current and a wind always one way in the afternoon_. This I thought at
first to be no more than the sets of the tide, of going out or coming
in; but I afterwards understood it was occasioned by the great-draught
and reflux of the mighty river Oroonoko, in the mouth or gulf of which I
imagined my kingdom lay: and that the land which I perceived to the W.
and N.W. must be the great island Trinidad, on the north of the river. A
thousand questions (if that would satisfy me) did I ask Friday about the
nature of the country, the sea, the coasts, the inhabitants, and what
nations were nearest them: To which questions the poor fellow declared
all he knew with the greatest openness & utmost sincerity. When I
demanded of him the particular names of the various nations of his sort
of people, he could only answer me in general that they were called
_Carrabee_. Hence it was I considered that these must be the Carribees,
so much taken notice of by our maps to be on that part of America, which
reaches from the mouth of the river Oroonoko to Guiana, and so on to St.
Martha. Then Friday proceeded to tell me, _that up a great way beyond
the moon_, as much as to say, beyond the setting of the moon, which must
be W. from their country, _there dwelt white-bearded men, such as I
was_, pointing to my whiskers, _and that they kill much mans_. I was not
ignorant with what barbarity the Spaniards treated these creatures; so
that I presently concluded it must be them, whose cruelties had spread
throughout America, to be remembered even to succeeding generations.

Well, you may be sure, this knowledge, which the imperfect knowledge of
my man had led me to, was very comfortable to me, and made me so curious
as to ask him how I might depart from this island, & get amongst those
white men? He told me, _Yes, yes, I might go in two canoes_. In two
canoes, thought I, what does my man mean? surely he means one for
himself, and a