bearded men, as he called them, who came on
shore there in distress.

From this time, I confess I had a mind to venture over, and see if I
could possibly join with those bearded men, who, I made no doubt, were
Spaniards and Portuguese: not doubting but if I could, we might find
some method to escape from thence, being upon the continent, and a good
company together, better than I could from an island forty miles off the
shore, and alone, without help. So, after some days, I took Friday to
work again, by way of discourse; and told him I would give him a boat to
go back to his own nation; and accordingly I carried him to my frigate,
which lay on the other side of the island, and having cleared it of
water (for I always kept it sunk in water,) I brought it out, showed it
him, and we both went into it. I found he was a most dexterous fellow at
managing it, and would make it go almost as swift again as I could. So
when he was in, I said to him, "Well, now, Friday, shall we go to your
nation?" He looked very dull at my saying so; which, it seems, was
because he thought the boat too small to go so far: I then told him I
had a bigger; so the next day I went to the place where the first boat
lay which I had made, but which I could not get into the water. He said
that was big enough: but then, as I had taken no care of it, and it had
lain two or three and twenty years there, the sun had split and dried
it, that, it was in a manner rotten. Friday told me such a boat would do
very well, and would carry "much enough vittle, drink, bread;" that was
his way of talking.

Upon the whole, I was by this time so fixed upon my design of going over
with him to the continent, that I told him we would go and make one as
big as that, and he should go home in it. He answered not one word, but
looked very grave and sad. I asked him what was the matter with him? He
asked me again, "Why you angry mad with Friday? what me done?" I asked
him what he meant: I told him I was not angry with him at all. "No
angry!" says he, repeating the words several times, "why send Friday
home away to my nation?"--"Why," says I, "Friday, did not you say you
wished you were there?"--"Yes, yes," says he, "wish be both there; no
wish Friday there, no master there." In a word, he would not think of
going there without me. "I go there, Friday!" says I, "what shall I do
there?" He returned very quick upon me at this: "You do great deal much
good," says he; "you teach wild