The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
Children's literature
I then led him up to the top of the hill, to see if his enemies
were gone; and pulling out my glass I looked, and saw plainly the
place where they had been, but no appearance of them or their
canoes; so that it was plain they were gone, and had left their
two comrades behind them, without any search after them.
We came back to our castle, and there I fell to work for my man
Friday; and first of all I gave him a pair of linen drawers, which
I had out of the poor gunner's chest I mentioned, which I found in
the wreck, and which, with a little alteration, fitted him very
well; and then I made him a jerkin of goat's skin, as well as my
skill would allow (for I was now grown a tolerably good tailor);
and I gave him a cap which I made of hare's skin, very convenient,
and fashionable enough; and thus he was clothed, for the present,
tolerably well, and was mighty well pleased to see himself almost
as well clothed as his master. It is true he went awkwardly in
these clothes at first: wearing the drawers was very awkward to
him, and the sleeves of the waistcoat galled his shoulders and the
inside of his arms; but a little easing them where he complained
they hurt him, and using himself to them, he took to them at
length very well.
The next day, after I came home to my hutch with him, I began to
consider where I should lodge him; and that I might do well for
him and yet be perfectly easy myself, I made a little tent for him
in the vacant place between my two fortifications, in the inside
of the last, and in the outside of the first. As there was a door
or entrance there into my cave, I made a formal framed door-case,
and a door to it, of boards, and set it up in the passage, a
little within the entrance; and, causing the door to open in the
inside, I barred it up in the night, taking in my ladders, too;
so that Friday could no way come at me in the inside of my
innermost wall without making so much noise in getting over that
it must needs awaken me; for my first wall had now a complete roof
over it of long poles, covering all my tent, and leaning up to the
side of the hill; which was again laid across with smaller sticks,
instead of laths, and then thatched over a great thickness with
the rice-straw, which was strong, like reeds; and at the hole or
place which was left to go in or out by the ladder I had placed a
kind of trap-door, which, if it had been attempted on the outside,
would not have opened at all, but would have fallen down and made
a great noise. As to weapons, I took them all into my side every
night. But I needed none of all this precaution; for never man had
a more faithful, loving, sincere servant than Friday was to me;
without passions, sullenness, or designs, perfectly obliged and
engaged; his very affections were tied to me, like those of a
child to a father, and I dare say he would have sacrificed his
life to save mine upon any occasion whatsoever; the many
testimonies he gave me of this put it out of doubt, and soon
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account