(Continuing from Part 40)
After Friday came to live with me, my life on the island changed greatly.
For more than twenty years, I had worked, eaten, and rested alone. Now I had someone to speak to and someone who could help me with my daily tasks.
I was grateful for his company, but I knew that we had much to learn about each other.
Friday understood only a few English words.
I had taught him his new name, along with the words “Master,” “yes,” and “no.”
He remembered them quickly.
I began teaching him the names of ordinary things.
I pointed to the table, the door, the ladder, and my tools.
I repeated each word slowly.
Friday listened carefully and tried to pronounce it.
Sometimes he made mistakes, but he rarely forgot a word after learning it.
I was surprised by how quickly he improved.
Before long, he could understand simple instructions.
He could bring me a tool, carry water, or help gather firewood when I asked him.
I also began teaching him about my daily routine.
He watched how I cared for the goats and how I stored grain.
He learned where I kept my tools and how I protected my food from rain and animals.
Friday was strong, cheerful, and willing to work.
His help made many tasks much easier.
I no longer needed to carry every heavy object alone.
We could finish work in a few hours that might previously have taken me an entire day.
One of my first concerns was clothing.
Friday had worn very little when I rescued him.
I wanted to give him clothes suitable for the island’s weather.
I found some materials among my possessions and began making garments for him.
I prepared a pair of loose trousers and a short jacket.
I also gave him a covering for his head.
The clothes were simple and rather rough.
I was not a skilled tailor, and my tools were limited.
But they were useful.
At first, Friday seemed uncomfortable wearing them.
He was not accustomed to having so much cloth around his body.
He moved awkwardly and looked down at himself with surprise.
I could not help smiling.
After a few days, he became more comfortable.
Soon he wore the clothes without difficulty.
I also made him a place to sleep near my own shelter.
I wanted him close enough that we could speak and work together, but I arranged a separate sleeping space for him.
This was another sign of the authority I assumed over him.
At the time, I considered myself responsible for directing his life, although he was an adult who had his own knowledge and abilities.
As the days passed, I became increasingly pleased with his company.
He was good-natured and often smiled.
He enjoyed learning new things.
He also showed great curiosity about objects he had never seen before.
My guns interested him especially.
He had watched me fire a gun when I rescued him, and the sound had frightened him.
He did not understand how such a weapon could kill a man from a distance.
I explained its use as well as I could.
I showed him the powder, the shot, and the way the gun was loaded.
I warned him never to point it at anyone carelessly.
At first, he seemed to think that the weapon possessed some mysterious power.
But after watching me use it, he began to understand that it was a tool made by human hands.
One day, I took him hunting.
We walked into an area where wild goats often fed.
When I saw a young goat at a suitable distance, I raised my gun.
Friday watched closely.
I fired.
The goat fell.
Friday was astonished.
He looked at the animal, then at my gun.
He seemed almost afraid to touch it.
I showed him that the goat had been killed by the shot.
Then I explained that we would take it home for food.
This gave me an opportunity to teach him another important lesson.
I wanted him to become accustomed to eating goat meat rather than human flesh.
I prepared the meat over a fire.
Friday watched every step.
He had eaten meat before, but he was interested in my method of cooking.
When it was ready, I gave him a portion.
He tasted it carefully.
Then he smiled and showed that he liked it.
I was delighted.
I told him that we had plenty of goats and would not need to eat anything else.
Friday seemed satisfied.
I also gave him bread.
At first, he was unfamiliar with it.
He examined the food and tasted a small piece.
Soon he began to enjoy it.
I taught him how grain was planted, harvested, and prepared for cooking.
He watched me grind the grain and make dough.
Then he helped with the work.
I discovered that he learned practical tasks even faster than words.
Once he understood what needed to be done, he could often repeat the process without assistance.
I also showed him how I milked the goats.
He laughed when he first saw the milk flowing into a container.
He seemed surprised that I collected it for drinking.
I offered him some.
He tasted it and found it pleasant.
Later, I showed him the butter and cheese I had learned to make.
These foods were new to him, but he soon enjoyed them.
As Friday’s English improved, I began asking questions about his life before coming to the island.
At first, he could answer only through gestures and short phrases.
But gradually, I learned more.
He came from the mainland that I could sometimes see across the water.
He belonged to a community that lived near the coast.
His people traveled in canoes and knew the surrounding waters well.
I asked him about the men who had brought him to the island.
He explained that they were enemies of his people.
He had been captured during fighting and taken away as a prisoner.
I began to understand that the groups visiting the island were not all from the same community.
Different peoples fought one another and sometimes took prisoners.
Friday had been one of those unfortunate captives.
I was glad that I had saved him.
But I also realized how much danger he had faced before we met.
One evening, after we had finished our work, Friday sat beside me outside the shelter.
The sun was setting, and the air was cool.
I pointed toward the distant mainland.
“Your country?” I asked.
“Yes,” Friday answered.
He looked across the sea for a long time.
I wondered what he was thinking.
Perhaps he remembered his family.
Perhaps he missed the people and places he had known.
I had spent years longing for England.
Now I understood that Friday might feel the same longing for his own home.
For the first time, I began to think more deeply about his life beyond the island.
He was not merely someone who could help me work.
He had a history, a family, and a country of his own.
I hoped that as his English improved, he would tell me more.