Besides the pleasure of talking to him, I had a singular satisfaction in the fellow himself: his simple, unfeigned honesty appeared to me more and more every day, and I began really to love the creature; and on his side I believe he loved me more than it was possible for him ever to love anything before.
I had a mind once to try if he had any inclination for his own country again; and having taught him English so well that he could answer me almost any questions, I asked him whether the nation that he belonged to never conquered in battle. At which he smiled, and said, "Yes, yes, we always fight the better"; that is, he meant, always get the better in fight; and so we began the following discourse:
Master.—You always fight the better; how came you to be taken prisoner, then, Friday?
Friday.—My nation beat much for all that.
Master.—How beat? If your nation beat them, how came you to be taken?
Friday.—They more many than my nation, in the place where me was: they take one, two, three and me: my nation over-beat them in the yonder place, where me no was; there my nation take one, two, great thousand.
Master.—But why did not your side recover you from the hands of your enemies, then?
Friday.—They run, one, two, three, and me, and make go in the canoe; my nation have no canoe that time.
Master.—Well, Friday, and what does your nation do with the men they take; do they carry them away and eat them, as these did?
Friday.—Yes, my nation eat mans too, eat all up.