any one of you, yet it is but reasonable that, while you
stay here, the woman any of you takes shall be maintained by the man that
takes her, and should be his wife--I mean," says he, "while he continues
here, and that none else shall have anything to do with her." All this
appeared so just, that every one agreed to it without any difficulty.

Then the Englishmen asked the Spaniards if they designed to take any of
them? But every one of them answered "No." Some of them said they had
wives in Spain, and the others did not like women that were not
Christians; and all together declared that they would not touch one of
them, which was an instance of such virtue as I have not met with in all
my travels. On the other hand, the five Englishmen took them every one a
wife, that is to say, a temporary wife; and so they set up a new form of
living; for the Spaniards and Friday's father lived in my old habitation,
which they had enlarged exceedingly within. The three servants which
were taken in the last battle of the savages lived with them; and these
carried on the main part of the colony, supplied all the rest with food,
and assisted them in anything as they could, or as they found necessity
required.

But the wonder of the story was, how five such refractory, ill-matched
fellows should agree about these women, and that some two of them should
not choose the same woman, especially seeing two or three of them were,
without comparison, more agreeable than the others; but they took a good
way enough to prevent quarrelling among themselves, for they set the five
women by themselves in one of their huts, and they went all into the
other hut, and drew lots among them who should choose first.

Him that drew to choose first went away by himself to the hut where the
poor naked creatures were, and fetched out her he chose; and it was worth
observing, that he that chose first took her that was reckoned the
homeliest and oldest of the five, which made mirth enough amongst the
rest; and even the Spaniards laughed at it; but the fellow considered
better than any of them, that it was application and business they were
to expect assistance in, as much as in anything else; and she proved the
best wife of all the parcel.

When the poor women saw themselves set in a row thus, and fetched out one
by one, the terrors of their condition returned upon them again, and they
firmly believed they were now going to be devoured. Accordingly, when