rom this
time I made it a rule, day by day, to find out if there were grounds for
my fears or not. I said, "Do you not wish to be once more in your own
land?"

"Yes! I be much O glad to be at my own land."

"What would you do there? Would you turn wild, and be as you were?"

"No, no, I would tell them to be good, tell them eat bread, corn, milk,
no eat man more!"

"Why, they would kill you!"

"No, no, they no kill; they love learn."

He then told me that some white men, who had come on their shores in a
boat, had taught them a great deal.

"Then will you go back to your land with me?"

He said he could not swim so far, so I told him he should help me to
build a boat to go in. Then he said, "If you go, I go."

"I go? why they would eat me!"

"No, me make them much love you."

Then he told me as well as he could, how kind they had been to some
white men. I brought out the large boat to hear what he thought of it,
but he said it was too small. We then went to look at the old ship's
boat, which, as it had been in the sun for years, was not at all in a
sound state. The poor man made sure that it would do. But how were we to
know this? I told him we should build a boat as large as that, and that
he should go home in it. He spoke not a word, but was grave and sad.

"What ails you?" said I.

"Why, you grieve mad with your man?"

"What do you mean? I am not cross with you."

"No cross? no cross with me? Why send your man home to his own land,
then?"

"Did you not tell me you would like to go back?"

"Yes, yes, we both there; no wish self there, if you not there!"

"And what should I do there?"

"You do great deal much good! you teach wild men be good men; you tell
them know God, pray God, and lead new life."

We soon set to work to make a boat that would take us both. The first
thing was to look out for some large trees that grew near the shore, so
that we could launch our boat when it was made. My slave's plan was to
burn the wood to make it the right shape; but as mine was to hew it,
I set him to work with my tools; and in two months' time we had made a
good strong boat; but it took a long while to get her down to the shore.

Friday had the whole charge of her; and, large as she was, he made her
move with ease, and said, "he thought she go there well, though great
blow wind!" He did not know that I meant to make a mast and sail. I cut
down a young fir tree for the mast, and then I set to work at the