men
to see me alive, having acted as the principal man on board, the captain
of the shipwrecked vessel dying before; nor was their surprise less, as
knowing I was taken prisoner by the savages of another nation, they had
thought me long since entombed in their monstrous bowels. But when I
showed them the arms, ammunition, and provisions I had brought for them,
they looked upon me as a second Joseph advanced in Pharoah's court, and
immediately prepared to come along with me. Indeed they were obliged to
trespass upon their friendly savages, by borrowing two of their canoes,
under a pretext for fishing; and they came away the next morning, but
without any provisions of their own, except a few roots which served
them instead of bread. After three weeks absence we arrived at our
habitation. Here we met with three English sailors, who, I confess, gave
us provisions, and that letter of direction you had left for us, which
informed us how to bring up tame goats, plant corn, cure grapes, make
pots, and, in short, every thing that was necessary for our life. As, in
particular, I knew your method best, so taking Friday's father to assist
me, we managed all the affairs; nor were the rest of the Spaniards
wanting in their kind offices, dressing food for the Englishmen, who did
nothing but ramble and divert themselves in the woods, either shooting
parrots, or catching tortoises. But we had not been long ashore, before
we were informed of two more Englishmen, unnaturally turned out of their
common place of residence, by the three others above mentioned; this
made my Spaniards and me (whom they now looked upon as their governor in
your absence) endeavour to persuade them to take them in, that we might
be as one family; but all our intreaties were in vain, so that the poor
fellows finding nothing to be done without industry, pitched their tents
on the north side of the island, a little inclining to the west, for
fear of savages. Here they built two huts, one to lodge, and the other
to lay their stores in; for my good natured Spaniards giving them some
seeds, they dug and planted as I had done, and began to live prettily.
But while they were thus comfortably going on, the three unnatural
brutes, their countrymen, in a mere bullying humour, insulted them by
saying, 'the governor (meaning you) had given them a possession of the
island, and d-mn 'em they should build no houses upon their ground,
without paying rent.' The two honest men (for s