the English sailor came in and fetched out one of them, the rest set up a
most lamentable cry, and hung about her, and took their leave of her with
such agonies and affection as would have grieved the hardest heart in the
world: nor was it possible for the Englishmen to satisfy them that they
were not to be immediately murdered, till they fetched the old man,
Friday's father, who immediately let them know that the five men, who
were to fetch them out one by one, had chosen them for their wives. When
they had done, and the fright the women were in was a little over, the
men went to work, and the Spaniards came and helped them: and in a few
hours they had built them every one a new hut or tent for their lodging
apart; for those they had already were crowded with their tools,
household stuff, and provisions. The three wicked ones had pitched
farthest off, and the two honest ones nearer, but both on the north shore
of the island, so that they continued separated as before; and thus my
island was peopled in three places, and, as I might say, three towns were
begun to be built.

And here it is very well worth observing that, as it often happens in the
world (what the wise ends in God's providence are, in such a disposition
of things, I cannot say), the two honest fellows had the two worst wives;
and the three reprobates, that were scarce worth hanging, that were fit
for nothing, and neither seemed born to do themselves good nor any one
else, had three clever, careful, and ingenious wives; not that the first
two were bad wives as to their temper or humour, for all the five were
most willing, quiet, passive, and subjected creatures, rather like slaves
than wives; but my meaning is, they were not alike capable, ingenious, or
industrious, or alike cleanly and neat. Another observation I must make,
to the honour of a diligent application on one hand, and to the disgrace
of a slothful, negligent, idle temper on the other, that when I came to
the place, and viewed the several improvements, plantings, and management
of the several little colonies, the two men had so far out-gone the
three, that there was no comparison. They had, indeed, both of them as
much ground laid out for corn as they wanted, and the reason was,
because, according to my rule, nature dictated that it was to no purpose
to sow more corn than they wanted; but the difference of the cultivation,
of the planting, of the fences, and indeed, of everything else, was eas