396 BREAKING OUT OF STRIFE.

behind me, that any man could desire to meet with, to the poor
Spaniards’ great grief and disappointment, you may be sure.

The only just thing the rogues did was, that when the Spaniards
came on shore they gave my letter to them, and gave them pro-
visions 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 how 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 whom under-
stood English well enough; nor did they refuse to accommodate
the Spaniards with everything 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, and Friday’s
father together, managed all their affairs: for as for the English-
men, 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, would the
other but have 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, and would not let others eat neither.
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 rela-
tion 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. :

But before I come to the particulars of this part, I must supply

a defect in my former relation; and this was, that I forgot to set

down among the rest, that just as we were weighing the anchor to

set sail, there happened a little quarrel on board our ship, which

I was afraid once would have turned to a second mutiny; nor was