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第6章 对话孙智

　　Among the rest of the supplies sent to my tenants in the island, Isent them by the sloop three milch cows and five calves; abouttwenty-two hogs, among them three sows; two mares, and a stone-horse. For my Spaniards, according to my promise, I engaged threeBrazil women to go, and recommended it to them to marry them, anduse them kindly. I could have procured more women, but Iremembered that the poor persecuted man had two daughters, and thatthere were but five of the Spaniards that wanted partners; the resthad wives of their own, though in another country. All this cargoarrived safe, and, as you may easily suppose, was very welcome tomy old inhabitants, who were now, with this addition, between sixtyand seventy people, besides little children, of which there were agreat many. I found letters at London from them all, by way ofLisbon, when I came back to England.

　　I could hold no longer: I took him in my arms and embraced himeagerly. "How far," said I to him, "have I been from understandingthe most essential part of a Christian, viz. to love the interestof the Christian Church, and the good of other men's souls! Iscarce have known what belongs to the being a Christian." - "Oh,sir! do not say so," replied he; "this thing is not your fault." -"No," said I; "but why did I never lay it to heart as well as you?"- "It is not too late yet," said he; "be not too forward to condemnyourself." - "But what can be done now?" said I: "you see I amgoing away." - "Will you give me leave to talk with these poor menabout it?" - "Yes, with all my heart," said I: "and oblige them togive heed to what you say too." - "As to that," said he, "we mustleave them to the mercy of Christ; but it is your business toassist them, encourage them, and instruct them; and if you give meleave, and God His blessing, I do not doubt but the poor ignorantsouls shall be brought home to the great circle

　　They went out presently to go up to the top of the hill, where Iused to go; but they being strong, and a good company, nor alone,as I was, used none of my cautions to go up by the ladder, andpulling it up after them, to go up a second stage to the top, butwere going round through the grove unwarily, when they weresurprised with seeing a light as of fire, a very little way fromthem, and hearing the voices of men, not of one or two, but of agreat number.

　　My nephew knew nothing how far my distemper of wandering wasreturned upon me, and I knew nothing of what he had in his thoughtto say, when that very morning, before he came to me, I had, in agreat deal of confusion of thought, and revolving every part of mycircumstances in my mind, come to this resolution, that I would goto Lisbon, and consult with my old sea-captain; and if it wasrational and practicable, I would go and see the island again, andwhat was become of my people there. I had pleased myself with thethoughts of peopling the place, and carrying inhabitants fromhence, getting a patent for the possession and I know not what;when, in the middle of all this, in comes my nephew, as I havesaid, with his project of carrying me thither in his way to theEast Indies.

　　The first thing, however, which I inquired into, that I might beginwhere I left off, was of their own part; and I desired the Spaniardwould give me a particular account of his voyage back to hiscountrymen with the boat, when I sent him to fetch them over. Hetold me there was little variety in that part, for nothingremarkable happened to them on the way, having had very calmweather and a smooth sea. As for his countrymen, it could not bedoubted, he said, but that they were overjoyed to see him (it seemshe was the principal man among them, the captain of the vessel theyhad been shipwrecked in having been dead some time): they were, hesaid, the more surprised to see him, because they knew that he wasfallen into the hands of the savages, who, they were satisfied,would devour him as they did all the rest of their prisoners; thatwhen he told them the story of his deliverance, and in what mannerhe was furnished for carrying them away, it was like a dream tothem, and their astonishment, he said, was somewhat lik

their game.

　　They did so, and desperately resolved that they would venture uponthem: but while they were animating one another to the work, threeof them, who were a little before the rest, called out aloud tothem, and told them that they had found - Tom Jeffry: they all ranup to the place, where they found the poor fellow hanging up nakedby one arm, and his throat cut. There was an Indian house just bythe tree, where they found sixteen or seventeen of the principalIndians, who had been concerned in the fray with us before, and twoor three of them wounded with our shot; and our men found they wereawake, and talking one to another in that house, but knew not theirnumber.

　　Among the rest of the supplies sent to my tenants in the island, Isent them by the sloop three milch cows and five calves; abouttwenty-two hogs, among them three sows; two mares, and a stone-horse. For my Spaniards, according to my promise, I engaged threeBrazil women to go, and recommended it to them to marry them, anduse them kindly. I could have procured more women, but Iremembered that the poor persecuted man had two daughters, and thatthere were but five of the Spaniards that wanted partners; the resthad wives of their own, though in another country. All this cargoarrived safe, and, as you may easily suppose, was very welcome tomy old inhabitants, who were now, with this addition, between sixtyand seventy people, besides little children, of which there were agreat many. I found letters at London from them all, by way ofLisbon, when I came back to England.

　　W.A. - Yes, yes, my dear, He is infinitely good and infinitelygreat, and able to punish too; and sometimes, to show His justiceand vengeance, He lets fly His anger to destroy sinners and makeexamples; many are cut off in their sins.