426 HOW TO CHOOSE A WIFE.

here, and that none else shall have anything to do with her.” All
this appeared so just, that every one agreed to it without any diffi-
culty,

Then the Englishmen asked the Spaniards if they designed to
take any of them. But every one of them answered, “ No.”
Some of them said they had wives in Spain, and the others did not
like women that were not Christians; and all together declared
that they would not touch one of them; which was an instance of
such virtue as I have not met with in all my travels. On the other
hand, to be short, the five Hnglishmen took them every one a wile;
that is to say, a temporary wife: and so they set up a new form of
living ; for the Spaniards and Friday’s father lived in my old habi-
tation, which they had enlarged exceedingly within. ‘The three
servants which were taken in the late battle of the savages lived
with them; and these carried on the main part of the colony,
supplying all the rest with food, and assisting them in anything as
they could, or as they found necessity required.

But the wonder of this story was, how five such refractory, ill-
matched fellows should agree about these women, and that two of
them should not pitch upon the same woman, especially seeing two
or three of them were, without comparison, more agreeable than
the other. But they took a good way enough to prevent quarrel-
ling among themselves; for they set the five women by themselves
in one of their huts, and they went all into the other hut and drew
lots among them who should choose first.

He that drew to choose first, went away by himself to the hut
where the poor naked creatures were, and fetched out her he chose ;
and it was worth observing that he that chose first took her that
was reckoned the homeliest and the oldest of the five, which made
mirth enough among the rest ; and even the Spaniards laughed at
it. But the fellow considered better than any of them, that it was
application and business that they were to expect assistance in as
much as anything else; and she proved the best wife of all the
parcel.

When the poor women saw themselves set in a row thus, and
fetched out one by one, the terrors of their condition returned upon
them again and they firmly believed that they were nowa going to be