t was for corn to make more bread,
because he was now with me, and that I might have enough for him and
myself too. He appeared very sensible of that part, and let me know that
he thought I had much more labour upon me on his account, than I had for
myself; and that he would work the harder for me, if I would tell him
what to do.

This was the pleasantest year of all the life I led in this place;
Friday began to talk pretty well, and understand the names of almost
every thing I had occasion to call for, and of every place I had to send
him to, and talked a great deal to me; so that, in short, I began now to
have some use for my tongue again, which, indeed, I had very little
occasion for before, that is to say, about speech. 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 any
thing before.

I had a mind once to try if he had any hankering inclination to 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