or before. Besides the pleasure of talking to him, I had a
singular satisfaction in the fellow himself: his simple, unfeigned
honesty appeared to me more and more every day, and I began really to
love the creature; and on his side I believe he loved me more than it was
possible for him ever to love anything before.

I had a mind once to try if he had any inclination for his own country
again; and having taught him English so well that he could answer me
almost any question, I asked him whether the nation that he belonged to
never conquered in battle? At which he smiled, and said--"Yes, yes, we
always fight the better;" that is, he meant always get the better in
fight; and so we began the following discourse:--

_Master_.--You always fight the better; how came you to be taken
prisoner, then, Friday?

_Friday_.--My nation beat much for all that.

_Master_.--How beat? If your nation beat them, how came you to be taken?

_Friday_.--They more many than my nation, in the place where me was; they
take one, two, three, and me: my nation over-beat them in the yonder
place, where me no was; there my nation take one, two, great thousand.

_Master_.--But why did not your side recover you from the hands of your
enemies, then?

_Friday_.--They run, one, two, three, and me, and make go in the canoe;
my nation have no canoe that time.

_Master_.--Well, Friday, and what does your nation do with the men they
take? Do they carry them away and eat them, as these did?

_Friday_.--Yes, my nation eat mans too; eat all up.

_Master_.--Where do they carry them?

_Friday_.--Go to other place, where they think.

_Master_.--Do they come hither?

_Friday_.--Yes, yes, they come hither; come other else place.

_Master_.--Have you been here with them?

_Friday_.--Yes, I have been here (points to the NW. side of the island,
which, it seems, was their side).

By this I understood that my man Friday had formerly been among the
savages who used to come on shore on the farther part of the island, on
the same man-eating occasions he was now brought for; and some time
after, when I took the courage to carry him to that side, being the same
I formerly mentioned, he presently knew the place, and told me he was
there once, when they ate up twenty men, two women, and one child; he
could not tell twenty in English, but he numbered them by laying so many
stones in a row, and pointing to me to tell them over.

I have told this passage, becau