ROBINSON CRUSOE. 193

matter, Friday?” says I. “O yonder there,” says he, “one,
two, three canoes ; one, two, three!” By this way of speaking,
I concluded there were six ; but on inquiry I found there were
but three. ‘Well, Friday,” says I, “do not be frightened.”
So I heartened him up as well as I could. However, I saw the
poor fellow was most terribly scared, for nothing ran in his head
but that they were come to look for him, and would cut him in
pieces and eat him; and the poor fellow trembled so that I
scarcely knew what to do with him. I comforted him as well
as I could, and told him I was in as much danger as he, and
that they would eat me as well ashim. “But,” says I, “ Friday,
we must resolve to fight them. ‘Can you fight, Friday?” “Me
shoot,” says he, “but there come many great number.” “No
matter for that,” said I again; “our guns will fright them that
we do not kill.” So I asked him whether, if I resolved to
defend him, he would defend me, and stand by me, and do just
as I bade him. ' He said, “ Me die, when you bid die, master.”
So I went and fetched a good dram of rum and gave him; for
I had been so good a husband of my rum, that I had a great
deal left. When he had drunk it, I made him take the two
fowling-pieces, which we always carried, and loaded them with
large swan-shot, as big as small pistol-bullets. Then I took
four muskets, and loaded them with two slugs, and five small
bullets each ; and my two pistols I loaded with a brace of bullets
each, I hung my great sword, as usual, naked by my side, and
gave Friday his hatchet. When I had thus prepared myself, I
took my perspective-glass, and went up to the side of the hill,
to see what I could discover ; and I found quickly by my glass,
that there were one-and-twenty savages, three prisoners, and
three canoes ; and that their whole business seemed to be the
triumphant banquet upon these three human bodies ; a barbar-
ous feast, indeed! but nothing more than, as I had observed,
was usual with them. I observed also, that they had landed,
not where they had done when Friday made his escape, but
nearer to my creek, where the shore was low, and where a thick
wood came almost close down to the sea. This, with the
abhorrence of the inhuman errand these wretches came about,
filled me with such indignation that I came down again to
Friday, and told him I was resolved to go down to them, and
kill them all ; and asked him if he would stand by me. He had
now got over his fright, and his spirits being a little raised with
the dram I had given him, he was very cheerful, and told me,
as before, he would die when I bid die.
In this fit of fury I divided the arms which I had charged,