"Yes," he said, "we venture over in her very well, tho’ great blow wind."
However, I had a farther design he knew nothing of, and that was to make a mast and a sail, and to fit her with an anchor and cable. As to a mast, that was easy enough to get. I pitched upon a straight young cedar tree which I found near the place. I set Friday to work to cut it down and gave him directions how to shape and order it. But as to the sail, that was my particular care. I knew I had old sails, or rather pieces of old sails enough. But as I had had them now six and twenty years by me, I did not doubt but they were all rotten, and, indeed, most of them were so. However, I found two pieces which appeared pretty good, and with these I went to work. With a great deal of pains and awkward stitching I, at length, made a three-cornered ugly thing, like what we call in England a shoulder of mutton sail, to go with a boom at bottom.
I was near two months performing this last work, viz. rigging and fitting my mast and sails. I finished them very complete, making a small stay, and a fore-sail to it, to assist, if we should turn to windward. More than all, I fixed a rudder to the stern of her to steer with. I was but a bungling shipwright, yet as I knew the usefulness and necessity of such a thing, I applied myself with so much pains to do it that at last I brought it to pass. Tho’, considering the many dull contrivances I had for it that failed, I think it cost me almost as much labour as making the boat.
After all this was done, I had my man Friday to teach as to what belonged to the navigation of my boat. Tho’ he knew very well how to paddle a canoe, he knew nothing what belonged to a sail and a rudder, and was the most amazed when he saw me work the boat to and again in the sea by the rudder. I say, when he saw this, he stood like one astonished and amazed. However, with a little use, I made all these things familiar to him, and he became an expert sailor.
The dark church again, my battle-orders,
Friday's reunion
I was now entered on the six and twentieth year of my captivity in this place. Tho’ the two last years I had this man with me ought rather to be left out of the account, my habitation being quite of another kind than in all the rest of the time. I kept the anniversary of my landing here with the same thankfulness to God for his mercies as at first. I had an invincible impression upon my thoughts that my deliverance was at hand, and I should not be another year in this place. I went on, however, with my digging, planting, and fencing as usual, and did every necessary thing as before.
The rainy season was, in the mean time, upon me, when I kept more within doors than at other times. We had stowed our new vessel as secure as we could, bringing her up into the creek, where, as I said in the beginning, I landed my rafts from the ship. Hauling her up to the shore at high-water mark, I made my man Friday dig a little dock, just big enough to hold her and just deep enough to give her water enough to float in. Then, when the tyde was out, we made a strong dam across the end of it, to keep the water out. She lay dry as to the tyde from the sea. To keep the rain off we laid a great many boughs of trees, so thick she was as well thatched as a house. Thus we waited for the months of November and December, in which I designed to make my escape.
When the settled season began to come in, as the thought of my design returned with the fair weather, I was preparing daily for the voyage. The first thing I did was to lay by a certain quantity of provisions, being the stores for our voyage. I intended in a week or a fortnight's time to open the dock and launch out our boat. I was busy one after noon upon something of this kind, when I called to Friday and bid him go to the sea-shore and see if he could find a tortoise, a thing which we generally got once a week, for the sake of the eggs as well as the flesh. Friday had not been long gone when he came running back and flew over my outer-wall like one that felt not the ground or the steps he set his feet on. Before I had time to speak to him, he cries out to me, "O master! O master! O sorrow! O bad!"
"What's the matter, Friday?" said I.
"O yonder, there," said he. "One, two, three canoe. One, two, three!"
"Well, Friday," said I, "do not be frightened." However, I saw the poor fellow was most scared, for nothing ran in his head but that they were come to look for him, and would cut him in pieces and eat him. The poor fellow trembled so I scarce knew what to do with him. I comforted him as well as I could, and told him I was in as much danger as he, and they would eat me as well as him. "But," said I, "Friday, we must resolve to fight them. Can you fight, Friday?!"
"Me shoot," said he. "But there come many great number."
"No matter," said I, again. "Our guns will fright them that we do not kill." So I asked him whether he would stand by me and do just as I bid him.