e, and the next day to bury the dead
bodies, which he did accordingly.

And now I made Friday inquire of his father, whether he thought these
savages had escaped the late storm in their canoe? and if so, whether
they would not return with a power too great for us to resist? He
answered, _that he thought it impossible they could outlive the storm;
or, if they were driven southwardly, they would come to a land where
they would as certainly be devoured, as if they were drowned in the sea.
And suppose they had attained their own country, the strangeness of
their fatal and bloody attack, would make them tell their people, that
the rest of them were killed by thunder and lightning, not by the hand
of man, but by two heavenly spirits_ (meaning Friday and me) _who were
sent from above to destroy them. And this_, he said, _he knew because he
heard them say the same to one another_. And indeed he was in the right
on't; for I have heard since, that these four men gave out that whoever
went to that inchanted island, would be destroyed by fire from the gods.

No canoes appearing soon after, as I expected, my apprehensions ceased:
instead of which my former thoughts of a voyage took place, especially
when Friday's father assured me, I should have good usage in his nation.
As to the Spaniard, he told me, that sixteen more of his countrymen and
Portuguese, who had been shipwrecked, made their escape thither; that
though they were in union with the savages, yet they were very miserable
for want of provisions and other necessaries. When I asked him about the
particulars of his voyage, he answered that their ship was bound from
the Rio de la Plata to the Havannah; that when the ship was lost, only
five men perished in the ocean; the rest having saved themselves in the
boat, were now landed on the main continent. 'And what do they intend to
do there?' said I. He replied, they have concerted measures to escape,
by building a vessel, but that they had neither tools nor provisions,
for that all their designs came to nothing. 'Supposing, said I, I should
make a proposal, and invite them here, would they not carry me prisoner
to New Spain?' he answered no; for he knew them to be such honest men,
as would scorn to act such inhuman baseness to their deliverer: That, if
I pleased, he and the old savage would go over to them, talk with them
about it, and bring me an answer: That they should all swear fidelity to
me as their leader, upon the Holy Sa