Robinson Crusoe |
I was on the summit of the hill, on the east side of the island, where on a clear day I spotted the American continent. Friday looked very carefully towards the continent and in a kind of outburst he began to jump and dance and called me yelling, because I was at a certain distance from him. I asked him what had happened to him.
-Oh, joy! - he said - . Oh, joy! I see my land, I see my country!
I noticed that an immense sensation of pleasure appeared in his face, and that his eyes were both sparkling, and that his ways revealed an extraordinary yearning, as if he desperately wanted to go back to his land. Many ideas came to my mind from what I was observing, which at the beginning made me hesitant about my new servant, Friday, unlike before. There is no doubt in my mind that if Friday could return with his people, not only will he forget about his religion, but also about his gratitude towards me; and also he would be daring enough to talk about me to his people, and return to me with a hundred or two of them, and have a party, which would bring him a lot of joy such as the one he felt when his enemies were taken to prison during the war. But I was very unfair with this poor and honest person, something which I regretted later.
Since my suspicion grew until it became dominating, for several weeks, I was a little more circumspect, and not so familiar and friendly with him as I was before.
After several days, I told Friday that I would give him a boat to return to his land; and that is how I took him to see my little boat, which was on the other side of the island. After draining the water out, because I always kept it sunken, I put it to float, I showed it to him and we both went inside. I saw that he was technically skilled in maneuvering it, that he knew how to make it sail with such ease and quickness just like I am used to doing. So when he was inside I told him:
-Well, Friday, are we going to your land?
He was shocked to hear me say this, apparently because he believed that the boat was too small to go so far. Then I told him that I had a bigger boat. So the next day I went to the place where the first boat I made was sitting, but I was unable to take it down to the water. He said that it was large enough; but the problem was that since I did not take care of it and left it out there for twenty or twenty-three years, the sun had cracked and dried it; so the boat was useless. Friday told me that a boat like this would be great and could carry "much enough food, drink, bread" - that was the way he spoke.
By that time I was already so obsessed with my intention to cross the sea with him and reach the continent, that after all I told him that we were going to make a boat as big as this one so that he could go back to his country. He did not answer, not even a word, instead he was very serious and sad. I asked him what was wrong. And he in return asked me this question: -Why you very angry with Friday? What I do?
I asked him what he meant and I told him that I was not at all angry with him. –You not angry! Not angry! – He yelled and repeated several times. –Why send Friday outside the home to my land?
-But how! Didn’t you say you wanted to be there?
-Yes, yes - he replied - wanting to be there the two, not wanting Friday there and master not there. In sum, he never thought about going there without me.
-But, Friday - I said - if I go with you, what am I going to do there?
To this he replied to me with much liveliness:
-You do much, much good, your teach savages be good men, wise men, peaceful; you teach them know God, pray God and live new life.
-Wow, Friday! – I said- I don't know what to say, I am nothing but an ignorant person.
-Yes, yes – he insisted- you teach me well, you teach them well.
-No, no, Friday, you will go without me, and you will leave me here to live like before.
Again he seemed to be very confused by these words. He rushed towards one of the hatches he used to carry, grabbed it, came up to me and gave it to me.
-What do I do with this? -I asked.
-You kill Friday – he said.
-And why should I kill you?
He replied with much liveliness:
-Why send Friday away? Take, kill Friday; not send Friday away?
He said this with so much excitement that I saw tears in his eyes. In other words, I evidently witness the extreme affection he had for me and the firmness of his decision. I told him then, and repeated later, that I would never send him away from me, if he wanted to stay with me.
Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe
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