By this time I had recovered myself a little, and I said, "God will at last punish him severely. He is reserved for the judgment, and is to be cast into the bottomless pit to dwell with everlasting fire."
This did not satisfy Friday; but he returns upon me, repeating my words, "Reserve at last! Me no understand. Why not kill Great Kathooloo now? Why not kill great ago?"
"You may as well ask me," said I, "why God does not kill you and me when we do wicked things here that offend him. We are preserved to repent and be pardoned."
He mused some time on this. "Well, well," said he, "that well. So you, I, Kathooloo, all wicked, all preserve, repent, God pardon all."
Here I was run down again by him to the last degree. I therefore diverted the present discourse between me and my man, rising up as upon some sudden occasion of going out. Sending him for something a good way off, I prayed to God he would enable me to instruct this poor savage. When he came again to me, I entered into a long discourse with him upon the subject of the redemption of man by the Saviour of the world, and of the doctrine of the gospel preached from heaven. How the fallen angels had no share in the redemption, he came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and the like.
I had, God knows, more sincerity than knowledge in all the methods I took for this poor creature's instruction. In laying things open to him, I really informed and instructed myself in many things that either I did not know or had not considered before. I had more affection in my inquiry after things upon this occasion than ever I felt before. Whether this poor wild wretch was the better for me or no, I had great reason to be thankful that ever he came to me.
In this thankful frame I continu'd all the remainder of my time. The conversation which employed the hours between Friday and me was such as made the three years which we lived there together perfectly and completely happy, if any such thing as complete happiness can he formed in a sublunary state. This savage was now a good Christian, a much better than I.
Talk of boats, bearded men,
my design
I acquainted Friday with my own history, or at least so much of it as related to my coming to this place. I let him into the mystery, for such it was to him, of gunpowder and bullet, and taught him how to shoot. I gave him a knife, which he was delighted with. I made him a belt with a frog hanging to it, such as in England we wear hangers in, and in the frog, instead of a hanger, I gave him a hatchet, which was not only as good a weapon, in some cases, but much more useful upon other occasions. He also took to wearing the great wooden broad-sword he had claimed from the other savage. It was carv'd of iron-wood and very heavy, yet he did swing it with grace like the most skill'd swords-man.
I gave him an account of the wreck which I had been on board of, told him of the beast killing the mate, the panic in the water, and showed him, as near as I could, the place where the ship lay. However, she was all beaten in pieces before, and gone. I showed him the ruins of our long-boat, which we lost when we escaped, and which I could not stir with my whole strength then, but was now fallen almost all to pieces.
Upon seeing this boat, Friday stood musing a great while, and said nothing. I asked him what it was he studied upon?
At last, said he, "Me see such boat like come to place at my nation."
I did not understand him a good while, but at last, when I had examined farther into it, I understood by him a boat, such as that had been, came on shore upon the country where he lived. As he explain'd it, it was driven thither by stress of weather. I imagined some European ship must have been cast away upon their coast and the boat might get loose and drive ashore. But I was so dull I never once thought of men making their escape from a wreck thither, much less whence they might come, so I only inquired after a description of the boat.
Friday described the boat to me well enough, but brought me better to understand him when he added with some warmth, "We save the white mans from drown."
Then I presently asked him, if there were any white mans, as he called them, in the boat?
"Yes," he said, "the boat full of white mans." I asked him how many? He told upon his fingers seventeen, and I asked him then what became of them? He told me, "They live, they dwell at my nation."
This put new thoughts into my head. I imagined these might be the men belonging to the Spanish ship that was cast away in the sight of my island. Who, after the ship was struck on the black rocks, and they saw her lost, had saved themselves in their boat, and were landed upon that wild shore among the savages.