Their first business was to get canoes; and in this they were obliged not
to stick so much upon the honesty of it, but to trespass upon their
friendly savages, and to borrow two large canoes, or periaguas, on
pretence of going out a-fishing, or for pleasure. In these they came
away the next morning. It seems they wanted no time to get themselves
ready; for they had neither clothes nor provisions, nor anything in the
world but what they had on them, and a few roots to eat, of which they
used to make their bread. They were in all three weeks absent; and in
that time, unluckily for them, I had the occasion offered for my escape,
as I mentioned in the other part, and to get off from the island, leaving
three of the most impudent, hardened, ungoverned, disagreeable villains
behind me that any man could desire to meet with--to the poor Spaniards'
great grief and disappointment.
The only just thing the rogues did was, that when the Spaniards came
ashore, they gave my letter to them, and gave them provisions, and other
relief, as I had ordered them to do; also they gave them the long paper
of directions which I had left with them, containing the particular
methods which I took for managing every part of my life there; the way I
baked my bread, bred up tame goats, and planted my corn; how I cured my
grapes, made my pots, and, in a word, everything I did. All this being
written down, they gave to the Spaniards (two of them understood English
well enough): nor did they refuse to accommodate the Spaniards with
anything else, for they agreed very well for some time. They gave them
an equal admission into the house or cave, and they began to live very
sociably; and the head Spaniard, who had seen pretty much of my methods,
together with Friday's father, managed all their affairs; but as for the
Englishmen, they did nothing but ramble about the island, shoot parrots,
and catch tortoises; and when they came home at night, the Spaniards
provided their suppers for them.
The Spaniards would have been satisfied with this had the others but let
them alone, which, however, they could not find in their hearts to do
long: but, like the dog in the manger, they would not eat themselves,
neither would they let the others eat. The differences, nevertheless,
were at first but trivial, and such as are not worth relating, but at
last it broke out into open war: and it began with all the rudeness and
insolence that can be imagined--without reason, without provocation,
contrary to nature, and indeed to common sense; and though, it is true,
the first relation of it came from the Spaniards themselves, whom I may
call the accusers, yet when I came to examine the fellows they could not
deny a word of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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