I next gave him a very particular description of the territories of Europe, and in a particular manner of Old England, the place of my nativity.  I laid, before him the manner of our worshipping God, our behaviour one to another, and how we trade in ships to every part of the universe.  I then told him my misfortunes in being shipwrecked, showing him, as near as I could the place where the ship lay, which had been gone long before; but I brought him to the ruins of my boat which before my whole strength could not move, but now was a most rotten, and fallen to pieces.  I observed my man Friday to view this boat with uncommon curiosity; which, when he had done, he stood pondering a great while, and said nothing.  At last, said I, “Friday, what makes you ponder so much?” He replied, O master, me see like boat come to place at my nation.

It was some time, indeed, before I understood what my man meant; but examining strictly into it, I plainly found, that such another boat resembling mine, had come up on the country where he dwelt:  that is to say, by his farther explanation, that the boat was driven there through stress of weather.  It then came into my mind that some European ship having been cast away, the poor distressed creatures were forced to have recourse to the boat to save their lives; and being all, as I thought drowned, I never concerned my self to ask any thing concerning, them, but my only inquiry was about the boat, and what description my man could give of it.

Indeed Friday answered my demands very well; making everything very plain to my understanding:  but beyond measure was I satisfied, when he told me with great warmth and ardour. O master, we save white mans from drown; upon which I immediately asked him, If there were any white mans, as he called them in the boat? Yes, yes, said he, the boat full, very full of white mans “How many, Friday?” said I. Hereupon he numbered his fingers, and counted seventeen.  And when I asked him what became of them all, and whether they lived or not? he replied, Yes master, they all live, they be live among my nation. This information put fresh thoughts into my head, that these must be those very men who before I concluded had been swallowed up in the ocean, after they had left the ship that had struck upon the rocks of my kingdom, and after escaping the fury of the deep, landed upon the wild shore, and committed themselves to the fury of the devouring Indians.

The manner of their cruelties to one another, which consequently, as I thought, must be acted with greater barbarity to strangers, created in me a great anxiety, and made me still more curious to ask Friday concerning them.  He told me, he was sure they still lived there, having resided among them above four years, and that the savages gave them victuals to live upon:  “But pray, Friday,” said I, “whence proceeded all this good nature and generosity?  How came it to pass that they did not kill and eat