书城公版Robinson Crusoe
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第75章

After I had been two or three Days return'd to my Castle,I thought that,in order to bring Friday off from his horrid way of feeding,and from the Relish of a Cannibal's Stomach,I ought to let him taste other Flesh;so I took him out with me one Morning to the Woods:I went indeed intending to kill a Kid out of my own Flock,and bring him home and dress it. But as I was going,I saw a She Goat lying down in the Shade,and two young Kids sitting by her;I catch'd hold of Friday,hold says I,stand still;and made Signs to him not to stir,immediately I presented my Piece,shot and kill'd one of the Kids. The poor Creature who had at a Distance indeed seen me kill the Savage his Enemy,but did not know,or could imagine how it was done,was sensibly surpriz'd,trembled,and shook,and look'd so amaz'd,that I thought he would have sunk down. He did not see the Kid I shot at,or perceive I had kill'd it,but ripp'd up his Wastcoat to feel if he was not wounded,and as I found,presently thought I was resolv'd to kill him;for he came and kneel'd down to me,and embraceing my Knees,said a great many Things I did not understand;but I could easily see that the meaning was to pray me not to kill him.

I soon found a way to convince him that I would do him no harm,and taking him up by the Hand laugh'd at him,and pointed to the Kid which I had kill'd,beckoned to him to run and fetch it,which he did;and while he was wondering and looking to see how the Creature was kill'd,I loaded my Gun again,and by and by I saw a great Fowl like a Hawk sit upon a Tree within Shot;so to let Friday understand a little what I would do,I call'd him to me again,pointed at the Fowl which was indeed a Parrot,tho' I thought it had been a Hawk,I say pointing to the Parrot,and to my Gun,and to the Ground under the Parrot,to let him see I would make it fall,I made him understand that I would shoot and kill that Bird;accordingly I fir'd and bad him look,and immediately he saw the Parrot fall,he stood like one frighted again,notwithstanding all I had said to him;and I found he was the more amaz'd,because he did not see me put any Thing into the Gun;but thought that there must be some wonderful Fund of Death and Destruction in that Thing,able to kill Man,Beast,Bird,or any Thing near,or far off;and the Astonishment this created in him was such,as could not wear off for a long Time;and I believe,if I would have let him,he would have worshipp'd me and my Gun:As for the Gun it self,he would not so much as touch it for several Days after;but would speak to it,and talk to it,as if it had answer'd him,when he was by himself;which,as I afterwards learn'd of him,was to desire it not to kill him.

Well,after his Astonishment was a little over at this,I pointed to him to run and fetch the Bird I had shot,which he did,but stay'd some Time;for the Parrot not being quite dead,was flutter'd away a good way off from the Place where she fell;however,he found her,took her up,and brought her to me;and as I had perceivd his Ignorance about the Gun before,I took this Advantage to charge the Gun again,and not let him see me do it,that 1 might be ready for any other Mark that might present;but nothing more offer'd at that Time;so I brought home the Kid,and the same Evening I took the Skin off,and cut it out as well as I could;and having a Pot for that purpose,I boil'd,or stew'd some of the Flesh,and made some very good Broth;and after I had begun to eat some,I gave some to my Man,who seem'd very glad of it,and lik'd it very well;but that which was strangest to him,was,to see me eat Salt with it;he made a Sign to me,that the Salt was not good to eat,and putting a little into his own Mouth,he seem'd to nauseate it,and would spit and sputter at it,washing his Mouth with fresh Water after it;on the other hand,I took some Meat in my Mouth without Salt,and I pretended to spit and sputter for want of Salt,as fast as he had done at the Salt;but it would not do,he would never care for Salt with his Meat,or in his Broth;at least not a great while,and then but a very little.

Having thus fed him with boil'd Meat and Broth,I was resolv'd to feast him the next Day with roasting a Piece of the Kid;this 1 did by hanging it before the Fire,in a String,as I had seen many People do in England,setting two Poles up,one on each side the Fire,and one cross on the Top,and tying the String to the Cross-stick,letting the Meat turn continually:This Friday admir'd very much;but when he came to taste the Flesh,he took so many ways to tell me how well he lik'd it,that I could not but understand him;and at last he told me he would never eat Man's Flesh any more,which I was very glad to hear.

The next Day I set him to work to beating some Corn out,and sifting it in the manner I us'd to do,as I observ'd before and he soon understood how to do it as well as I,especially after he had seen what the Meaning of it was,and that it was to make Bread of;for after that I let him see me make my Bread,and bake it too,and in a little Time Friday was able to do all the Work for me,as well as I could do it my self.

I begun now to consider,that having two Mouths to feed,instead of one,I must provide more Ground for my Harvest,and plant a larger Quantity of Corn,than I us'd to do;so I mark'd out a larger Piece of Land,and began the Fence in the same Manner as before,in which Friday not only work'd very willingly,and very hard;but did it very chearfully,and I told him what it was for;that it was for Corn to make more Bread,because he was now with me,and that I might have enough for him,and my self too:He appear'd very sensible of that Part,and let me know,that he thought I had much more Labour upon me on his Account,than I had for my self;and that he would work the harder for me,if I would tell him what to do.