SCENE OF FILIAL AFFECTION. 801

As soon as Friday had told me he saw people, I caused the English
ancient to be spread and fired three guns, to give them notice we
were friends; and in about half a quarter of an hour after, we per-
ceived a smoke rise from the side of the creek: so I immediately
ordered a boat out, taking Friday with me, and hanging out a
white flag, or flag of truce, I went directly on shore, taking with
me the young friar I mentioned, to whom I had told the whole
story of my living there, and the manner of it, and every particu-
lar both of myself and those I left there; and who was on that
account extremely desirous to go with me. We had besides about
sixteen men very well armed, if we had found any new guests there
which we did not know of; but we had no need of weapons.

As we went on shore upon the tide of flood, near high water,
we rowed directly into the creek, and the first man I fixed my eye
upon was the Spaniard whose life I had saved, and whom I knew
by his face perfectly well; as to his habit, I shall describe it after-
wards. I ordered nobody to go on shore at first but myself, but
there was no keeping Friday in the boat; for the affectionate
creature had spied his father at a distance, a good way off of the
Spaniards, where indeed I saw nothing of him; and if they had
not let him go on shore, he would have jumped into the sea. He
was no sooner on shore but he flew away to his father like an
arrow out of a bow. It would have made any man have shed
tears in spite of the firmest resolution to have seen the first trans-
ports of this poor fellow’s joy when he came to his father; how he
embraced him, kissed him, stroked his face, took him up in his
arms, set him down upon a tree, and lay down by him, then stood
and looked at him, as any one would look at a strange picture, fora
quarter of an hour together; then lie down on the ground and
stroke his legs, and kiss them, and then get up again and stare at
him; one would have thought the fellow bewitched. But it
would have made a dog laugh to see how the next day his passion
ran out another way. In the morning he walked along the shore to
and again with his father several hours, always leading him by the
hand, as if he had been a lady; and every now and then he would
come to fetch something or other for him to the boat, either a
lump of sugar, or a dram, a biscuit ‘cake, or something or other