"My nation beat much for all that," he replied.
"How beat? If your nation beat them, how came you to be taken?"
He struggled for words. "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."
"But why did not your side recover you from the hands of your enemies then?"
"They run one, two, three, and me, and make go in the canoe. My nation have no canoe that time."
It came to my thoughts what the results of this great fight had been. "Well, Friday," said I, "and what does your nation do with the men they take? Do they carry them away and eat them, as these did?"
"Yes, my nation eat mans too." He nodded. "Eat all up."
"Where do they carry them?"
"Go to other place, where they think."
"Do they come hither?"
"Yes, yes, they come hither. Come other else place."
"Have you been here with them?"
"Yes, I have been here." And with this did he point to the south-west of the island, which was their side.
By this I understood my man Friday had been among the savages who used to come on shore on the farther part of the island, to the dark church and its totem, on the same man-eating occasions he was now brought for.
I have told this passage because it introduces what follows. After I had this discourse with him, I asked him how far it was from our island to the shore, and whether the canoes were not often lost. He told me there was no danger, no canoes ever lost. After a little way out to sea, there was a current and wind, always one way in the morning, the other in the afternoon.
This I understood to be no more than the sets of the tyde, as going out or coming in. I afterwards understood it was occasioned by the great draft and reflux of the mighty river Oroonoko, in the gulf of which river, as I found afterwards, our island lay. This land which I perceived to the west and north west was the great island Trinidad, on the north point of the mouth of the river. I asked Friday a thousand questions about the country, the inhabitants, the coast, and what nations were near. He told me all he knew, with the greatest openness imaginable. I asked him the names of the several nations of his sort of people, but could get no other name than Caribs, from whence I understood these were the Caribbees, which our maps place on the part of America which reaches from the mouth of the river Oroonoko to Guiana.
He told me up a great way beyond the moon, that was, beyond the setting of the moon, which must be west from their country, there dwelt white bearded men, like me, and pointed to my great whiskers, which I mentioned before. They had killed much mans. By all which I understood, he meant the Spaniards, whose cruelties in America had been spread over the whole country, and were remembered by all the nations, from father to son. I enquir'd if he could tell me how I might go from this island and get among those white men.
"Yes, yes," he told me, "you may go in two canoe." I could not understand what he meant, or make him describe to me what he meant by two canoe, till, at last, with great difficulty, I found he meant it must be in a large boat, as big as two canoes. This part of Friday's discourse began to relish with me very well. From this time I entertain’d some hopes that, one time or other, I might find an opportunity to make my way away from this cursed place, and this poor savage might be a means to help me.
During the long time Friday had now been with me, and he began to speak to me and understand me, I was wanting to lay a foundation of Christian knowledge in his mind. Particularly I asked him one time, Who made him? The poor creature did not understand me at all, but thought I had asked him who was his father. Once he understood my question, he told me it was one Great Kathooloo, that lived beyond all. He could describe nothing of this great person, but that he was very old, much older than the sea or the land, than the moon or the stars, and slept and dreamt for many years. At his mention of dreams, many of my old apprehensions did arise, and I did continue in a cautious manner.
I asked him then, if this old person had made all things, why did not all things worship him? He looked very grave, and said, "All things say O to him."
I asked him if the people who die in his country went away any where? "Yes, they all went to Kathooloo."