(Continuing from Part 45)
After rescuing the Spaniard and Friday’s father, I felt that my life had changed beyond anything I could have imagined.
For more than twenty years, I had lived without another human companion. Then Friday had come into my life. Now there were four of us on the island.
But the two rescued men were weak and needed care.
I gave them food and water, and Friday helped his father rest comfortably.
The old man had suffered greatly during his captivity. He was exhausted and could hardly walk.
The Spaniard was also in poor condition.
I knew that neither man could immediately begin working.
For several days, our first concern was restoring their strength.
I prepared meals from the supplies I had stored.
We had goat meat, bread, dried grapes, and milk.
The rescued men ate gratefully.
I was pleased that my years of careful farming now allowed me to feed others.
When I first reached the island, I had struggled to find enough food for myself.
Now my fields and goats could support several people, at least for a time.
Friday devoted much of his attention to his father.
He brought him food, helped him move, and remained close whenever possible.
I had never seen Friday so happy.
He seemed to find pleasure in even the smallest service he could perform for the old man.
Sometimes I heard them speaking together in their own language.
Although I could not understand their words, I could recognize their affection.
Their reunion reminded me of my own family.
I wondered whether my parents had lived long enough to know what had become of me.
I also wondered whether I would ever return to England.
These thoughts made me sad, but the presence of my new companions gave me hope.
As the Spaniard recovered, I began asking him questions.
I wanted to know how he had come to this part of the world.
He told me that he had been traveling on a Spanish vessel when disaster struck.
The ship had been wrecked, and several men had escaped in a boat.
After great suffering, they reached the mainland.
There, they had been received by Indigenous people who allowed them to remain.
I immediately remembered what Friday had told me.
“Are there seventeen Europeans living there?” I asked.
The Spaniard confirmed that there were.
Some were Spanish, and others were Portuguese.
They had survived the wreck but possessed few useful supplies.
They had no proper ship and no easy way to leave.
I asked whether they were being held as prisoners.
He explained that they were not.
The people among whom they lived had treated them kindly.
But the Europeans remained poor and helpless because they lacked tools, weapons, and a vessel.
This news interested me greatly.
I had imagined that the men might be captives.
Now I understood that their greatest difficulty was simply finding a way to escape.
I began thinking about what we might accomplish together.
Seventeen additional men could provide enormous help.
With so many workers, we might build a boat large enough to carry us away.
Some of the Europeans might know how to construct or sail a vessel.
Perhaps we could finally return to the world beyond the island.
I asked the Spaniard whether the men would be willing to come here.
He believed they would.
He said that they would gladly accept any reasonable opportunity to escape.
But I had another concern.
If I brought seventeen strangers to my island, could I trust them?
I possessed guns, tools, food, and a secure shelter.
These things had taken years of labor to obtain.
If the men were dishonest, they might seize my possessions and abandon me.
I explained my fear to the Spaniard.
He listened carefully.
Then he assured me that the men had suffered too much to reject an honest offer of help.
He believed they would be grateful.
Still, I was cautious.
I had learned that good intentions did not always protect a person from danger.
I told him that before we attempted anything, I wanted the Europeans to promise that they would not harm me or take control of my island.
They must agree to work together and follow a common plan.
The Spaniard accepted this condition.
He said that he would explain it to the others.
We then began discussing how they might reach the island.
Friday’s father knew the mainland and the surrounding waters.
He could help guide a canoe safely across.
The Spaniard also knew where the Europeans were living.
Together, they might travel to the mainland and bring the men back.
At first, I wanted them to depart immediately.
I was excited by the possibility of escape.
But the Spaniard advised patience.
He reminded me that seventeen additional men would need a great deal of food.
If they arrived before we had enough provisions, we might all suffer from hunger.
I realized that he was right.
My fields and animals supported four people comfortably, but twenty-one men would require much more.
We would need to prepare carefully.
I decided that our first task should be increasing our food supply.
We examined the grain I had stored.
I possessed enough seed to plant a much larger area.
With several people working together, we could cultivate more land than I had ever managed alone.
We began preparing new fields.
Friday helped me clear the ground.
As the Spaniard regained his strength, he joined our work.
Friday’s father also assisted whenever he was able.
We planted barley and rice, hoping for a good harvest.
I also considered the goats.
My herd had grown considerably over the years, but I did not want to kill too many animals before they had produced more young.
We needed to manage them carefully.
I planned to preserve meat and prepare additional food for the men who might arrive.
I also thought about making more bread and drying grapes.
Everything required time.
But for the first time, I had enough help to undertake these larger tasks.
As we worked, I felt a new kind of happiness.
The island was no longer silent.
I heard people talking, walking, and working together.
We shared meals and discussed our plans.
Sometimes we disagreed about the best way to accomplish a task.
Even these small disagreements seemed pleasant to me.
They reminded me that I was once again part of human society.
I had spent years calling myself the ruler of the island.
Now I understood that ruling an empty kingdom was far less satisfying than sharing a home with others.
When evening came, we sat together and considered our progress.
The Spaniard believed that, once our supplies were ready, he and Friday’s father could return to the mainland.
They would explain our plan to the seventeen Europeans and bring them back.
Then we could begin building a vessel large enough for a long voyage.
The idea filled me with hope.
I knew that many difficulties remained.
But escape no longer seemed impossible.
For the first time in many years, I had a plan that depended not only on my own strength but on the cooperation of others.