“294 THE KING OF THE ISLAND.

a lusty strong fellow, took the Spaniard quite up upon his back,
and carried him away to the boat, and set him down softly upon
the side or gunwale of the canoe, with his feet in the inside of.it,
and then lifted him quite in, and set him close to his father, and
presently stepping out again, launched the boat off, and paddled it
along the shore faster than I could walk, though the wind blew
pretty hard too. So he brought them both safe into our creek ;
and leaving them in the boat, runs away to fetch the other canoe.
As he passed me I spoke to him, and asked him whither he went ?
He told me, “ Go fetch more boat.” So away he went like the
wind, for sure never man or horse ran like him; and he had the
other canoe in the creek almost as soon as I got to it byland. So
he wafted me over, and then went to help our new guests out of
the boat, which he did. But they were neither of them able to
walk, so that poor Friday knew not what to do.

To remedy this, I went to work in my thought, and calling to
Friday to bid them sit down on the bank while he came to me, I
soon made a kind of hand-barrow to lay them on, and Friday and
I carried them up both together upon it between us. But when
we got them to the outside of our wall or fortification, we were at
a worse loss than before, for it was impossible to get them over;
and I was resolved not to break it down. So I set to work
again; and Friday and I, in about two hours’ time, made a very
handsome tent, covered with old sails, and above that with boughs
of trees, being in the space without our outward fence, and between
that and the grove of young wood which I had planted. And here
we made them two beds of such things as I had; namely, of good
rice straw, with blankets laid upon it to lie on, and another to
cover them on each bed.

My island was now peopled, and I thought myself very rich in
subjects. And it was a merry reflection which I frequently made,
how like a king I looked. First of all, the whole country was my
own mere property; so that I had an undoubted right of dominion.
Secondly, my people were perfectly subjected; I was absolute lord
and lawgiver ; they all owed their lives to me, and were ready to
lay down their lives, if there had been occasion of it, for me.
It was remarkable, too, we had but three subjects, and they were