Walla-kay advised me in private that in the same way the beast shared its nature with me, so did this island share its nature with those upon it, which is why he at first could not believe I had lived here my many years. He and his son, Friday, were protected as children of the sea, and I had the protection of the beast, but our Spanish friend had none to guard him from the island.
Now having a full supply of food for all the guests I expected, I gave Olegario leave to go over to the main to see what he could do with those he had left behind them there, and to free him from the nature of the island. I gave him a strict charge not to bring any man with him who would not first swear, in the presence of himself and the old savage, that he would no way injure, fight with, or attack the person he should find in the island, and this should be put in writing, and sign’d with their hands. Under these instructions, Olegario and Walla-Kay went away in the boat my man Friday and I had spent so many weeks making. I gave each of them a musket with a firelock on it and about eight charges of powder and ball, charging them to be very good husbands of both and not to use either of them but upon urgent occasions.
I gave them provisions sufficient for themselves for many days, and sufficient for all the Spaniards for about eight days' time. Wishing them a good voyage, I saw them go. They went away with a fair gale on the day the moon was at full, by my account in the month of October, but as for an exact reckoning of days, after I had once lost it I could never recover it again.
Another ship, captives,
my first victory
The day Olegario and Walla-Kay left was the second full moon of October, a rare enough thing to be worth noting, and the beast did seem pleas'd to have the new arrivals gone, for it had ne'er warmed to Friday's father as it had to my man himself. On reflection, I took this to be because Walla-Kay did not renounce his religion to the thing they call'd Kathooloo, and in this, the beast and I were in agreement.
It was no less than eight days all together I had waited for them when again a strange and unforeseen accident intervened, of which the like has not perhaps been heard of in history. I was fast asleep in my hutch one morning, when my man Friday came running in to me, and called aloud, "Master, master, they are come, they are come!"
I jumped up and I went out as soon as I could get my cloathes on. I was surprised when, turning my eyes to the sea, I saw a boat at about a league and a half distance, standing in for the shore, with a shoulder of mutton sail and the wind blowing pretty fair to bring them in. I observ’d they did not come from that side which the shore lay on, but from the southernmost end of the island. I called Friday and bade him lie close, for these were not the people we looked for, and we might not know yet whether they were friends or enemies. I went in to fetch my perspective-glass to see what I could make of them. I climbed up to the top of the hill, to take my view the plainer without being discovered. I had scarce set my foot upon the hill when my eye plainly discover’d a ship lying at an anchor, about two leagues and a half distance from me but not above a league and a half from the shore. By my observation, it appear'd to be an English ship, and the boat appear'd to be an English long-boat.
I cannot express the confusion I was in. The joy of seeing a ship, and one I had reason to believe was manned by my own countrymen, was such as I cannot describe. Yet I had some secret doubts hung about me, I cannot tell from whence they came, bidding me keep upon my guard. In the first place, it occur’d to me to consider what business an English ship could have in that part of the world, since it was not the way to or from any part of the world where the English had any traffic. I knew there had been no storms to drive them in there. If they were English, it was most probable they were here upon no good design. I had better continue as I was than fall into the hands of pirates and murderers.
I had not kept myself long in this posture but I saw the boat draw near the shore, as if they looked for a creek to thrust in at for the convenience of landing. However, as they did not come quite far enough, they did not see the little inlet where Friday and I docked our vessels, but run their boat on shore upon the beach, at about a mile from me, which was very happy for me. Otherwise they would have landed just at my door, and would soon have beaten me out of my castle and perhaps have plundered me of all I had.
When they were on shore, I was satisfy’d they were Englishmen, at least most of them. There were in all eleven men, where of three of them I found were unarmed and bound. When the first four or five of them were jumped on shore, they took those three out of the boat as prisoners. One of the three I could perceive using the most passionate gestures of entreaty, affliction, and despair, even to a kind of extravagance. The other two, I could perceive, lifted up their hands sometimes, and appeared concerned, indeed, but not to such a degree as the first.
I was confounded at the sight, and knew not what the meaning of it should be. Friday called out to me, "O master! you see English mans eat prisoner as well as savage mans."
"Why, Friday," said I, "do you think they are going to eat them then?"