J.M.

COETZEE
FOE First published in 1986

1 'At last I could row no further. My hands were blistered !y bac" was burned !y body ached. #ith a si$h !a"in$ barely a splash I slipped o%erboard. #ith slow stro"es !y lon$ hair floatin$ about !e li"e a flower of the sea li"e an ane!one li"e a &ellyfish of the "ind you see in the waters of 'ra(il I swa! towards the stran$e island for a while swi!!in$ as I had rowed a$ainst the current then all at once free of its $rip carried by the wa%es into the bay and on to the beach. ')here I lay sprawled on the hot sand !y head filled with the oran$e bla(e of the sun !y petticoat *which was all I had escaped with+ ba"in$ dry upon !e tired $rateful li"e all the sa%ed. 'A dar" shadow fell upon !e not of a cloud but of a !an with a da((lin$ halo about hi!. ,-astaway , I said with !y thic" dry ton$ue. ,I a! cast away. I a! all alone., And I held out !y sore hands. ')he !an s.uatted down beside !e. /e was blac"0 a 1e$ro with a head of fu((y wool na"ed sa%e for a pair of rou$h drawers. I lifted !yself and studied the flat face the s!all dull eyes the broad nose the thic" lips the s"in not blac" but a dar" $rey dry as if coated with dust. , A$ua , I said tryin$ 2ortu$uese and !ade a si$n of drin"in$. /e $a%e no reply but re$arded !e as he would a seal or a porpoise thrown up by the wa%es that would shortly e3pire and !i$ht then be cut up for food. At his side he had a spear. I ha%e co!e to the wron$ island I thou$ht and let !y head sin"0 I ha%e co!e to an island of cannibals. '/e reached out and with the bac" of his hand touched !y ar!. /e is tryin$ !y flesh I thou$ht. 'ut by and by !y breathin$ slowed and I $rew cal!er. /e s!elled of fish and of sheepswool on a hot day.

')hen since we could not stay thus fore%er I sat up and a$ain be$an to !a"e !otions of drin"in$. I had rowed all !ornin$ I had not drun" since the ni$ht before I no lon$er cared if he "illed !e afterwards so lon$ as I had water. ')he 1e$ro rose and si$ned !e to follow. /e led !e stiff and sore across sand4 dunes and alon$ a path ascendin$ to the hilly interior of the island. 'ut we had scarcely be$un to cli!b when I felt a sharp hurt and drew fro! !y heel a lon$ blac"4tipped thorn. )hou$h I chafed it the heel .uic"ly swelled till I could not so !uch as hobble for the pain. )he 1e$ro offered !e his bac" indicatin$ he would carry !e. I hesitated to accept for he was a sli$ht fellow shorter than I. 'ut there was no help for it. 5o part4way s"ippin$ on one le$ part4way ridin$ on his bac" with !y petticoat $athered up and !y chin brushin$ his sprin$y hair I ascended the hillside !y fear of hi! abatin$ in this stran$e bac"wards e!brace. /e too" no heed where he set his feet I noted but crushed under his soles whole clusters of the thorns that had pierced !y s"in. 'For readers reared on tra%ellers' tales the words desert isle !ay con&ure up a place of soft sands and shady trees where broo"s run to .uench the castaway's thirst and ripe fruit falls into his hand where no !ore is as"ed of hi! than to drowse the days away till a ship calls to fetch hi! ho!e. 'ut the island on which I was cast away was .uite another place0 a $reat roc"y hill with a flat top risin$ sharply fro! the sea on all sides e3cept one dotted with drab bushes that ne%er flowered and ne%er shed their lea%es. Off the island $rew beds of brown seaweed which borne ashore by the wa%es $a%e off a noiso!e stench and supported swar!s of lar$e pale fleas. )here were ants scurryin$ e%erywhere of the sa!e "ind we had in 'ahia and another pest too li%in$ in the dunes0 a tiny insect that hid between your toes and ate its way into the flesh. E%en Friday's hard s"in was not proof a$ainst it0 there were bleedin$ crac"s in his feet thou$h he paid the! no heed. I saw no sna"es but li(ards ca!e out in the heat of the day to sun the!sel%es so!e s!all and a$ile others lar$e and clu!sy with blue ruffs about their $ills which they would flare out when alar!ed and hiss and $lare. I cau$ht one of the! in a ba$ and tried to ta!e it feedin$ it flies6 but it would not ta"e dead !eat so at last I set it free. Also there were apes *of who! I will say !ore later+ and birds birds e%erywhere0 not only floc"s of sparrows *or so I called the!+ that flitted all day chirrupin$ fro! bush to bush but on the cliffs abo%e the sea $reat tribes of $ulls and !ews and $annets and cor!orants so that the roc"s were white with their droppin$s. And in the sea porpoises and seals and fish of all "inds. 5o if the co!pany of brutes had been enou$h for !e I !i$ht ha%e li%ed !ost happily on !y island. 'ut who accusto!ed to the fullness of hu!an speech can be content with caws and chirps and screeches and the bar"in$ of seals and the !oan of the wind7 'At last we ca!e to the end of our cli!b and !y porter halted to catch his breath. I found !yself on a le%el plateau not far fro! so!e "ind of enca!p!ent. On all sides stretched the shi!!erin$ sea while to the east the ship that had brou$ht !e receded under full sail. 'My one thou$ht was for water. I did not care to what fate I was bein$ borne so lon$ as I could drin". A t the $ate of the enca!p!ent stood a !an dar" s"inned and hea%ily bearded. , A$ua , I said !a"in$ si$ns. /e $estured to the 1e$ro and I saw I was tal"in$ to a European. , Fala in$le(7 , I as"ed as I had learned to say in 'ra(il. /e nodded. )he 1e$ro brou$ht !e a bowl of water. I dran" and he brou$ht !ore. It was the best water I e%er had.

')he stran$er's eyes were $reen his hair burnt to a straw colour. I &ud$ed he was si3ty years of a$e. /e wore *let !e $i%e !y description of hi! all to$ether+ a &er"in and drawers to below his "nees such as we see water!en wear on the )ha!es and a tall cap risin$ in a cone all of these !ade of pelts laced to$ether the fur outwards and a stout pair of sandals. In his belt were a short stic" and a "nife. A !utineer was !y first thou$ht0 yet another !utineer set ashore by a !erciful captain with one of the 1e$roes of the island who! he has !ade his ser%ant. ,My na!e is 5usan 'arton , I said. ,I was cast adrift by the crew of the ship yonder. )hey "illed their !aster and did this to !e., And all at once thou$h I had re!ained dry4eyed throu$h all the insults done !e on board ship and throu$h the hours of despair when I was alone on the wa%es with the captain lyin$ dead at !y feet a handspi"e &uttin$ fro! his eye4soc"et I fell to cryin$. I sat on the bare earth with !y sore foot between !y hands and roc"ed bac" and forth and sobbed li"e a child while the stran$er *who was of course the -ruso I told you of+ $a(ed at !e !ore as if I were a fish cast up by the wa%es than an unfortunate fellow4creature. 'I ha%e told you how -ruso was dressed6 now let !e tell you of his habitation. 'In the centre of the flat hilltop was a cluster of roc"s as hi$h as a house. In the an$le between two of these roc"s -ruso had built hi!self a hut of poles and reeds the reeds artfully thatched to$ether and wo%en in and out of the poles with fronds to for! roof and walls. A fence with a $ate that turned on leather hin$es co!pleted an enca!p!ent in the shape of a trian$le which -ruso ter!ed his castle. #ithin the fence protected fro! the apes $rew a patch of wild bitter lettuce. )his lettuce with fish and birds' e$$s for!ed our sole diet on the island as you shall hear. 'In the hut -ruso had a narrow bed which was all his furniture. )he bare earth for!ed the floor. For his bed Friday had a !at under the ea%es. '8ryin$ !y tears at last I as"ed -ruso for a needle or so!e such instru!ent to re!o%e the thorn fro! !y foot. /e brou$ht out a needle !ade of a fishbone with a hole pierced throu$h the broad end by what !eans I do not "now and watched in silence while I too" out the thorn. ' ,9et !e tell you !y story , said I6 ,for I a! sure you are wonderin$ who I a! and how I co!e to be here. ',My na!e is 5usan 'arton and I a! a wo!an alone. My father was a French!an who fled to En$land to escape the persecutions in Flanders. /is na!e was properly 'erton but as happens it beca!e corrupted in the !ouths of stran$ers. My !other was an En$lishwo!an. ',)wo years a$o !y only dau$hter was abducted and con%eyed to the 1ew #orld by an En$lish!an a factor and a$ent in the carryin$ trade. I followed in search of her. Arri%in$ in 'ahia I was !et with denials and when I persisted with rudeness and threats. )he officers of the -rown afforded !e no aid sayin$ it was a !atter between the En$lish. I li%ed in lod$in$s and too" in sewin$ and searched and waited but saw no trace of !y child. 5o despairin$ at last and !y !eans $i%in$ out I e!bar"ed for 9isbon on a !erchant!an. ',)en days out fro! port as if !y !isfortunes were not $reat enou$h the crew !utinied. 'urstin$ into their captain's cabin they slew hi! heartlessly e%en while he pleaded for his life. )hose of their fellows who were not with the! they clapped in irons. )hey put !e in a boat with the captain's corpse beside !e and set us adrift. #hy they chose to cast !e away I do not "now. 'ut those who! we ha%e abused we custo!arily $row to hate and wish ne%er to lay eyes on a$ain. )he heart of !an is a dar" forest 4 that is one of the sayin$s they ha%e in 'ra(il.

' ,As chance would ha%e it 4 or perhaps the !utiny had been so ordered 4 I was set adrift in si$ht of this island. ' :e!os;' shouted the sea!an fro! the dec" !eanin$ I should ta"e up the oars and row. 'ut I was sha"in$ with terror. 5o while they lau$hed and &eered I drifted hither and thither on the wa%es till the wind ca!e up. ' ,All !ornin$ while the ship drew away *I belie%e the !utineers were of a !ind to beco!e pirates off /ispaniola+ I rowed with the dead captain at !y feet. My pal!s were soon blistered 4 see; 4 but I dared not rest fearin$ that the current would draw !e past your island. #orse by far than the pain of rowin$ was the prospect of bein$ adrift at ni$ht in the %ast e!ptiness of the sea when as I ha%e heard the !onsters of the deep ascend in .uest of prey. ',)hen at last I could row no further. My hands were raw !y bac" was burned !y body ached. #ith a si$h !a"in$ barely a splash I slipped o%erboard and be$an to swi! towards your island. )he wa%es too" !e and bore !e on to the beach. )he rest you "now., '#ith these words I presented !yself to :obinson -ruso in the days when he still ruled o%er his island and beca!e his second sub&ect the first bein$ his !anser%ant Friday. 'I would $ladly now recount to you the history of this sin$ular -ruso as I heard it fro! his own lips. 'ut the stories he told !e were so %arious and so hard to reconcile one with another that I was !ore and !ore dri%en to conclude a$e and isolation had ta"en their toll on his !e!ory and he no lon$er "new for sure what was truth what fancy. )hus one day he would say his father had been a wealthy !erchant whose countin$4house he had .uit in search of ad%enture. 'ut the ne3t day he would tell !e he had been a poor lad of no fa!ily who had shipped as a cabin4boy and been captured by the Moors *he bore a scar on his ar! which was he said the !ar" of the brandin$ iron+ and escaped and !ade his way to the 1ew #orld. 5o!eti!es he would say he had dwelt on his island the past fifteen years he and Friday none but they ha%in$ been spared when their ship went down. ,#as Friday then a child when the ship went down7 I as"ed. ,Aye a child a !ere child a little sla%e boy , replied -ruso. <et at other ti!es as for instance when he was in the $rip of the fe%er *and should we not belie%e that in fe%er as in drun"enness the truth spea"s itself willy4nilly7+ he would tell stories of cannibals of how Friday was a cannibal who! he had sa%ed fro! bein$ roasted and de%oured by fellow cannibals. ,Mi$ht the cannibals not return to reclai! Friday7, I would as" and he would nod. ,Is that why you are fore%er loo"in$ out to sea0 to be warned of the return of the cannibals7, I would pursue6 and he would nod a$ain. 5o in the end I did not "now what was truth what was lies and what was !ere ra!blin$. ''ut let !e return to !y relation. ')ired to the bone I as"ed to lie down and fell at once into a deep sleep. )he sun was sin"in$ when I awo"e and Friday was preparin$ our supper. )hou$h it was no !ore than fish roasted o%er coals and ser%ed with lettuce I ate with $usto. =rateful to ha%e !y belly full and !y feet on solid earth a$ain I e3pressed !y than"s to this sin$ular sa%iour of !ine. I would ha%e told hi! !ore about !yself too about !y .uest for !y stolen dau$hter about the !utiny. 'ut he as"ed nothin$ $a(in$ out instead into the settin$ sun noddin$ to hi!self as thou$h a %oice spo"e pri%ately inside hi! that he was listenin$ to. ',May I as" sir , said I after a while0 ,#hy in all these years ha%e you not built a boat and !ade your escape fro! this island7,

',And where should I escape to7, he replied s!ilin$ to hi!self as thou$h no answer were possible. ',#hy you !i$ht sail to the coast of 'ra(il or !eet a ship and be sa%ed., ,''ra(il is hundreds of !iles distant and full of cannibals , said he. ,As for sailin$4ships we shall see sailin$4ships as well and better by stayin$ at ho!e., ',I be$ to disa$ree , said I. ,I spent two lon$ years in 'ra(il and !et no cannibals there., ',<ou were in 'ahia , said he. ,'ahia is nau$ht but an island on the ri! of the 'ra(ilian forests., '5o I early be$an to see it was a waste of breath to ur$e -ruso to sa%e hi!self. =rowin$ old on his island "in$do! with no one to say hi! nay had so narrowed his hori(on 4 when the hori(on all around us was so %ast and so !a&estic; 4 that he had co!e to be persuaded he "new all there was to "now about the world. 'esides as I later found the desire to escape had dwindled within hi!. /is heart was set on re!ainin$ to his dyin$ day "in$ of his tiny real!. In truth it was not fear of pirates or cannibals that held hi! fro! !a"in$ bonfires or dancin$ about on the hilltop wa%in$ his hat but indifference to sal%ation and habit and the stubbornness of old a$e. 'It was ti!e to retire. -ruso offered to $i%e up his bed but I would not accept preferrin$ to ha%e Friday spread !e a bed of $rass oh the floor. )here I laid !yself down an ar!'s4len$th fro! -ruso *for the hut was s!all+. 9ast ni$ht I had been bound for ho!e6 toni$ht I was a castaway. 9on$ hours I lay awa"e unable to belie%e the chan$e in !y fortunes troubled too by the pain of !y blistered hands. )hen I fell asleep. I awo"e once in the ni$ht. )he wind had dropped6 I could hear the sin$in$ of cric"ets and far away the roar of the wa%es. ,I a! safe I a! on an island all will be well , I whispered to !yself and hu$$ed !yself ti$ht and slept a$ain. 'I was wo"en by the dru!!in$ of rain on the roof. It was !ornin$6 Friday was crouched before the sto%e *I ha%e not yet told you of -ruso's sto%e which was built %ery neatly of stone+ feedin$ the fire blowin$ it into life. At first I was asha!ed that he should see !e abed but then I re!inded !yself of how free the ladies of 'ahia were before their ser%ants and so felt better. -ruso ca!e in and we brea"fasted well on birds' e$$s while the rain dripped here and there throu$h the roof and hissed on the hot stones. In ti!e the rain ceased and the sun ca!e out drawin$ wisps of stea! fro! the earth and the wind resu!ed and blew without respite till the ne3t lull and the ne3t rain. #ind rain wind rain0 such was the pattern of the days in that place and had been for all I "new since the be$innin$ of ti!e. If one circu!stance abo%e all deter!ined !e to escape whate%er the cost it was not the loneliness nor the rudeness of the life nor the !onotony of the diet but the wind that day after day whistled in !y ears and tu$$ed at !y hair and blew sand into !y eyes till so!eti!es I would "neel in a corner of the hut with !y head in !y ar!s and !oan to !yself on and on to hear so!e other sound than the beatin$ of the wind6 or later when I had ta"en to bathin$ in the sea would hold !y breath and dip !y head under the water !erely to "now what it was to ha%e silence. >ery li"ely you will say to yourself0 In 2ata$onia the wind blows all year without let and the 2ata$onians do not hide their heads so why does she7 'ut the 2ata$onians "nowin$ no ho!e but 2ata$onia ha%e no reason to doubt that the wind blows at all seasons without let in all .uarters of the $lobe6 whereas I "now better.

''efore settin$ out to perfor! his island duties -ruso $a%e !e his "nife and warned !e not to %enture fro! his castle6 for the apes he said would not be as wary of a wo!an as they were of hi! and Friday. I wondered at this0 was a wo!an to an ape a different species fro! a !an7 1e%ertheless I prudently obeyed and stayed at ho!e and rested. '5a%e for the "nife all tools on the island were of wood or stone. )he spade with which -ruso le%elled his terraces *I shall ha%e !ore to say of the terraces later+ was a narrow wooden thin$ with a croo"ed handle car%ed all of a piece and hardened in the fire. /is !attoc" was a sharp stone lashed to a stic". )he bowls we ate and dran" fro! were crude bloc"s of wood hollowed out by scrapin$ and burnin$. For there was no clay on the island to !ould and ba"e and such trees as there were were puny stunted by the wind their twisted ste!s seldo! broader than !y hand. It see!ed a $reat pity that fro! the wrec" -ruso should ha%e brou$ht away no !ore than a "nife. For had he rescued e%en the si!plest of carpenter's tools and so!e spi"es and bars and suchli"e he !i$ht ha%e fashioned better tools and with better tools contri%ed a less laborious life or e%en built a boat and escaped to ci%ili(ation. 'In the hut there was nothin$ but the bed which was !ade of poles bound to$ether with thon$s crude in wor"!anship yet sturdy and in a corner a pile of cured apes"ins that !ade the hut s!ell li"e a tanner's storehouse *in ti!e I $rew used to the s!ell and !issed it after I had put the island behind !e6 e%en today when I s!ell new leather I $row drowsy+ and the sto%e in which the e!bers of the last fire were always left ban"ed for !a"in$ new fire was tedious wor". '#hat I chiefly hoped to find was not there. -ruso "ept no &ournal perhaps because he lac"ed paper and in" but !ore li"ely I now belie%e because he lac"ed the inclination to "eep one or if he e%er possessed the inclination had lost it. I searched the poles that supported the roof and the le$s of the bed but found no car%in$s not e%en notches to indicate that he counted the years of his banish!ent or the cycles of the !oon. '9ater when I had $rown freer with hi! I told hi! of !y surprise. ,5uppose , said I ,that one day we are sa%ed. #ould you not re$ret it that you could not brin$ bac" with you so!e record of your years of shipwrec" so that what you ha%e passed throu$h shall not die fro! !e!ory7 And if we are ne%er sa%ed but perish one by one as !ay happen would you not wish for a !e!orial to be left behind so that the ne3t %oya$ers to !a"e landfall here whoe%er they !ay be !ay read and learn about us and perhaps shed a tear7 For surely with e%ery day that passes our !e!ories $row less certain as e%en a statue in !arble is worn away by rain till at last we can no lon$er tell what shape the sculptor's hand $a%e it. #hat !e!ories do you e%en now preser%e of the fatal stor! the prayers of your co!panions your terror when the wa%es en$ulfed you your $ratitude as you were cast up on the shore your first stu!blin$ e3plorations your fear of sa%a$e beasts the disco!forts of those first ni$hts *did you not tell !e you slept in a tree7+7 Is it not possible to !anufacture paper and in" and set down what traces re!ain of these !e!ories so that they will outli%e you6 or failin$ paper and in" to burn the story upon wood or en$ra%e it upon roc"7 #e !ay lac" !any thin$s on this island but certainly ti!e is not one of the!. ,'I spo"e fer%ently I belie%e but -ruso was un!o%ed. ,1othin$ is for$otten , said he6 and then0 ,1othin$ I ha%e for$otten is worth the re!e!berin$.,

',<ou are !ista"en;, I cried. ,I do not wish to dispute but you ha%e for$otten !uch and with e%ery day that passes you for$et !ore; )here is no sha!e in for$ettin$0 it is our nature to for$et as it is our nature to $row old and pass away. 'ut seen fro! too re!ote a %anta$e life be$ins to lose its particularity. All shipwrec"s beco!e the sa!e shipwrec" all castaways the sa!e castaway sunburnt lonely clad in the s"ins of the beasts he has slain. )he truth that !a"es your story yours alone that sets you apart fro! the old !ariner by the fireside spinnin$ yarns of sea4!onsters and !er!aids resides in a thousand touches which today !ay see! of no i!portance such as0 #hen you !ade your needle *the needle you store in your belt+ by what !eans did you pierce the eye7 #hen you sewed your hat what did you use for thread7 )ouches li"e these will one day persuade your country!en that it is all true e%ery word there was indeed once an island in the !iddle of the ocean where the wind blew and the $ulls cried fro! the cliffs and a !an na!ed -ruso paced about in his apes"in clothes scannin$ the hori(on for a sail., '-ruso's $reat head of tawny hair and his beard that was ne%er cut $lowed in the dyin$ li$ht. /e opened and closed his hands sinewy rou$h4s"inned hands toil4hardened. ' ,)here is the bile of seabirds , I ur$ed. ,)here are cuttlefish bones. )here are $ulls' .uills., '-ruso raised his head and cast !e a loo" full of defiance. ,I will lea%e behind !y terraces and walls , he said. ,)hey will be enou$h. )hey will be !ore than enou$h., And he fell silent a$ain. As for !yself I wondered who would cross the ocean to see terraces and walls of which we surely had an abundance at ho!e6 but I held !y peace. '#e continued to sleep in the hut to$ether he and I he on his bed I on the bed of $rass Friday laid for !e and chan$ed e%ery third day %ery thic" and co!fortable. #hen the ni$hts $rew cold I would draw a co%er of s"ins o%er !e for all this ti!e I had no !ore clothes than the petticoat I had co!e ashore in6 but I preferred not to ha%e the s"ins upon !e for to !y nostrils their s!ell was still %ery stron$. '5o!eti!es -ruso "ept !e awa"e with the sounds he !ade in his sleep chiefly the $rindin$ of his teeth. For so far had his teeth decayed that it had $rown a habit with hi! to $rind the! to$ether constantly those that were left to still the ache. Indeed it was no pretty si$ht to see hi! ta"e his food in his unwashed hands and $naw at it on the left side where it hurt hi! less. 'ut 'ahia and the life I had li%ed there had tau$ht !e not to be dainty. 'I drea!ed of the !urdered ship's4!aster. In !y drea! I saw hi! floatin$ southward in his puny boat with the oars crossed on his breast and the u$ly spi"e stic"in$ out of his eye. )he sea was tossed with hu$e wa%es the wind howled the rain beat down6 yet the boat did not sin" but drifted slowly on toward the pro%ince of the iceber$ and would drift there it see!ed to !e ca"ed in ice till the day of our resurrection. /e was a "indly !an 4 let !e say so now lest I for$et 4 who deser%ed a better end. '-ruso's warnin$ a$ainst the apes !ade !e chary of lea%in$ the enca!p!ent. 1e%ertheless on the third day of !y !aroonin$ after -ruso and Friday had $one off to their labours I %entured out and searched the descent till I found the path up which Friday had borne !e and followed it down to the shore watchin$ where I trod for I still had no shoes. I roa!ed alon$ the beach awhile "eepin$ an eye out to sea thou$h it see!ed early yet for rescue to co!e. I waded in the water a!used by the $ay4coloured little fish that stopped to nibble !y toes and taste what "ind of creature I was. -ruso's island is no bad place to be cast away I thou$ht if one !ust be cast away. )hen about

noon I cli!bed the slope and set about collectin$ firewood as I had underta"en to do !i$htily pleased with !y e3cursion. '#hen -ruso returned he "new at once I had been e3plorin$ and burst out in a passion. ,#hile you li%e under !y roof you will do as I instruct;, he cried stri"in$ his spade into the earth not e%en waitin$ till Friday was out of earshot. 'ut if he thou$ht by an$ry loo"s to inspire !e to fear and sla%ish obedience he soon found he was !ista"en. ,I a! on your island Mr -ruso not by choice but by ill luc" , I replied standin$ up *and I was nearly as tall as he+. ,I a! a castaway not a prisoner. If I had shoes or if you would $i%e !e the !eans to !a"e shoes I would not need to steal about li"e a thief., '9ater in the day when !y te!per had cooled I as"ed -ruso's pardon for these tart words and he see!ed to for$i%e !e thou$h $rud$in$ly. )hen I as"ed a$ain for a needle and $ut to !a"e !yself shoes. )o which he replied that shoes were not !ade in a twin"le li"e hand"erchiefs that he would hi!self !a"e !e shoes in due ti!e. 8ays passed howe%er and still I was without shoes. 'I as"ed -ruso about the apes. #hen he first arri%ed he said they had roa!ed all o%er the island bold and !ischie%ous. /e had "illed !any after which the re!ainder had retreated to the cliffs of what he called the 1orth 'luff. On !y wal"s I so!eti!es heard their cries and saw the! leapin$ fro! roc" to roc". In si(e they were between a cat and a fo3 $rey with blac" faces and blac" paws. I saw no har! in the!6 but -ruso held the! a pest and he and Friday "illed the! whene%er they could with clubs and s"inned the! and cured their pelts and sewed the! to$ether to !a"e clothes and blan"ets and suchli"e. 'One e%enin$ as I was preparin$ our supper !y hands bein$ full I turned to Friday and said ,'rin$ !ore wood Friday., Friday heard !e I could ha%e sworn but he did not stir. 5o I said the word ,#ood, a$ain indicatin$ the fire6 upon which he stood up but did no !ore. )hen -ruso spo"e. , Firewood Friday , he said6 and Friday went off and fetched wood fro! the woodpile. 'My first thou$ht was that Friday was li"e a do$ that heeds but one !aster6 yet it was not so. , Firewood is the word I ha%e tau$ht hi! , said -ruso. , #ood he does not "now., I found it stran$e that Friday should not understand that firewood was a "ind of wood as pinewood is a "ind of wood or poplarwood6 but I let it pass. 1ot till after we had eaten when we were sittin$ watchin$ the stars as had $rown to be our habit did I spea" a$ain. '/ow !any words of En$lish does Friday "now7, I as"ed. 'As !any as he needs , replied -ruso. ,)his is not En$land we ha%e no need of a $reat stoc" of words., ' ,<ou spea" as if lan$ua$e were one of the banes of life li"e !oney or the po3 , said I. ,<et would it not ha%e li$htened your solitude had Friday been !aster of En$lish7 <ou and he !i$ht ha%e e3perienced all these years the pleasures of con%ersation6 you !i$ht ha%e brou$ht ho!e to hi! so!e of the blessin$s of ci%ili(ation and !ade hi! a better !an. #hat benefit is there in a life of silence7, ' )o this -ruso $a%e no reply but instead bec"oned Friday nearer. ,5in$ Friday , he said. ,5in$ for Mistress 'arton., '#hereupon Friday raised his face to the stars closed his eyes and obedient to his !aster be$an to hu! in a low %oice. I listened but could !a"e out no tune. -ruso tapped !y "nee. ,)he %oice of !an , he said. I failed to understand his !eanin$6 but he raised a fin$er to his lips to still !e. In the dar" we listened to Friday's hu!!in$.

'At last Friday paused. ,Is Friday an i!becile incapable of speech7, I as"ed. ,Is that what you !ean to tell !e7, *For I repeat I found Friday in all !atters a dull fellow.+ '-ruso !otioned Friday nearer. ,Open your !outh , he told hi! and opened his own. Friday opened his !outh. ,9oo" , said -ruso. I loo"ed but saw nothin$ in the dar" sa%e the $lint of teeth white as i%ory. ,9a4la4la , said -ruso and !otioned to Friday to repeat. ,/a4ha4ha , said Friday fro! the bac" of his throat. ,/e has no ton$ue , said -ruso. =rippin$ Friday by the hair he brou$ht his face close to !ine. ,8o you see7, he said. ,It is too. dar" , said I. ,9a4la4la , said -ruso. ,/a4ha4ha , said Friday. I drew away and -ruso released Friday's hair. ,/e has no ton$ue , he said. ,)hat is why he does not spea". )hey cut out his ton$ue., 'I stared in a!a(e!ent. ,#ho cut out his ton$ue7, ',)he sla%ers., ' ,)he sla%ers cut out his ton$ue and sold hi! into sla%ery7 )he sla%e4hunters of Africa7 'ut surely he was a !ere child when they too" hi!. #hy would they cut out a child's ton$ue7, '-ruso $a(ed steadily bac" at !e. )hou$h I cannot now swear to it I belie%e he was s!ilin$. ,2erhaps the sla%ers who are Moors hold the ton$ue to be a delicacy , he said. ,Or perhaps they $rew weary of $listenin$ to Friday's wails of $rief that went on day and ni$ht. 2erhaps they wanted to pre%ent hi! fro! e%er tellin$ his story0 who he was where his ho!e lay how it ca!e about that he was ta"en. 2erhaps they cut out the ton$ue of e%ery cannibal they too" as a punish!ent. /ow will we e%er "now the truth7, ',It is a terrible story , I said. A silence fell. Friday too" up our utensils and retired into the dar"ness. ,#here is s the &ustice in it7 First a sla%e and now a castaway too. :obbed of his childhood and consi$ned to a life of silence. #as 2ro%idence sleepin$7, 'If 2ro%idence were to watch o%er all of us , said a$o ,who would be left to pic" the cotton and cut su$ar4cane7 For the business of the world to prosper 2ro%idence !ust so!eti!es wa"e and so!eti!es sleep as lower creatures do., /e saw I shoo" !y head so went on. ,<ou thin" I !oc" 2ro%idence perhaps it is the doin$ of 2ro%idence that Friday finds hi!self on an island under a lenient !aster rather than in 'ra(il under the planter's lash or in Africa where the forests tee! with cannibals. 2erhaps it is for the best thou$h we do not see it so that he should be here and that I should be here and now that you should be here., '/itherto I had found Friday a shadowy creature and paid hi! little !ore attention than I would ha%e $i%en any house4sla%e in 'ra(il. 'ut now I be$an to loo" on hi! 4 I could not help !yself 4 with the horror we reser%e for the !utilated. It was no co!fort that his !utilation was secret closed behind his lips *as so!e other !utilations are hidden by clothin$+ that outwardly he was li"e any 1e$ro. Indeed it was the %ery secretness of his loss that caused !e to shrin" fro! hi!. I could not spea" while he was about without bein$ aware how li%ely were the !o%e!ents of the ton$ue in !y own !outh. I saw pictures in !y !ind of pincers $rippin$ his ton$ue and a "nife slicin$ into it as !ust ha%e happened and I shuddered. I co%ertly obser%ed hi! as he ate and with distaste heard the tiny cou$hs he $a%e now and then to clear his throat saw how he did his chewin$ between his front teeth li"e a fish. I cau$ht !yself flinchin$ when he ca!e near or holdin$ !y breath so as not to ha%e to s!ell hi!. 'ehind his bac" I wiped the utensils his hands had touched. I was asha!ed to beha%e thus but for a ti!e was not !istress of !y own actions. 5orely I re$retted that -ruso had e%er told !e the story.

')he ne3t day after our con%ersation when -ruso returned fro! his terraces I was wal"in$ about in sandals. 'ut if I e3pected than"s for the labour I had sa%ed hi! I recei%ed none. ,A little patience and you would ha%e had better shoes than that , he said. )his was %ery li"ely true for the sandals were clu!sily !ade. <et I could not let his words pass. ,2atience has turned !e into a prisoner , I retorted. #hereupon -ruso wheeled about an$rily and pic"ed up the s"ins fro! which I had cut !y shoes and hurled the! with all his !i$ht o%er the fence. '5eein$ that he was not to be !ollified I too" !yself off down the path to the shore and wandered there till I ca!e to a place where the beach was co%ered in seaweed that had been washed ashore and lay rottin$ and where clouds of fleas or sand4fleas rose at e%ery step. )here I paused !y te!per coolin$. /e is bitter I told !yself and why should he not be7 After years of un.uestioned and solitary !astery he sees his real! in%aded and has tas"s set upon hi! by a wo!an. I !ade a %ow to "eep a ti$hter rein on !y ton$ue. #orse fates !i$ht ha%e befallen !e than to be abandoned on an island ruled o%er by a country!an with the foresi$ht to swi! ashore with a "nife at his belt and a sla%e at his side. I !i$ht as easily ha%e been cast away alone on an island infested with lions and sna"es or on an island where rain ne%er fell or else on the island ho!e of so!e forei$n ad%enturer $one !ad with solitude na"ed bestial li%in$ on raw flesh. '5o I returned in a contrite spirit and went to -ruso and as"ed his pardon for ta"in$ the s"ins and $ratefully accepted the food Friday had set aside. #hen I lay down to sleep that ni$ht I see!ed to feel the earth sway beneath !e. I told !yself it was a !e!ory of the roc"in$ of the ship co!in$ bac" unbidden. 'ut it was not so0 it was the roc"in$ of the island itself as it floated on the sea. I thou$ht0 It is a si$n a si$n I a! beco!in$ an island4dweller. I a! for$ettin$ what it is to li%e on the !ainland. I stretched out !y ar!s and laid !y pal!s on the earth and yes the roc"in$ persisted the roc"in$ of the island as it sailed throu$h the sea and the ni$ht bearin$ into the future its frei$ht of $ulls and sparrows and fleas and apes and castaways all unconscious now sa%e !e. I fell asleep s!ilin$. I belie%e it was the first ti!e I s!iled since I e!bar"ed for the 1ew #orld. ')hey say 'ritain is an island too a $reat island. 'ut that is a !ere $eo$rapher's notion. )he earth under our feet is fir! in 'ritain as it ne%er was on -ruso's island. '1ow that I had shoes I too" to wal"in$ the shoreline e%ery day as far in either direction as I could. I told !yself I was "eepin$ watch for a sail. 'ut too often !y eyes would settle on the hori(on in a "ind of fi3ity till lulled by the beatin$ of the wind and the roar of the wa%es and the crunch of the sand under !y feet I would fall into a wa"in$ slu!ber. I found a hollow in the roc"s where I could lie sheltered fro! the wind and $a(e out to sea. In ti!e I $rew to thin" of this as !y pri%ate retreat the one place reser%ed for !e on an island owned by another6 thou$h in truth the island no !ore belon$ed to -ruso than to the ?in$ of 2ortu$al or indeed to Friday or the cannibals of Africa. ')here is !ore !uch !ore I could tell you about the life we li%ed0 how we "ept the fire s!oulderin$ day and ni$ht6 how we !ade salt6 how lac"in$ soap we cleaned oursel%es with ash. Once I as"ed -ruso whether he "new no way of fashionin$ a la!p or a candle so that we should not ha%e to retire when dar"ness fell li"e brutes. -ruso responded in the followin$ words0 ,#hich is easier0 to learn to see in the dar" or to "ill a whale and seethe it down for the sa"e of a candle7, )here were !any tart retorts I !i$ht

ha%e !ade6 but re!e!berin$ !y %ow I held !y ton$ue. )he si!ple truth was -ruso would broo" no chan$e on his island. 'I had been there about a !onth when one !ornin$ -ruso ca!e ho!e fro! the terraces co!plainin$ he was unwell. 5eein$ he was shi%erin$ I put hi! to bed and co%ered hi! war!ly. ,It is the old fe%er that ca!e with !e , he said. ,)here is no cure it !ust run its course., 'For twel%e days and ni$hts I nursed hi! so!eti!es holdin$ hi! down when fits of ra%in$ o%ertoo" hi! when he sobbed or beat with his fists and shouted in 2ortu$uese at fi$ures he saw in the shadows. One ni$ht indeed when for hours he had been !oanin$ and shi%erin$ his hands and feet cold as ice I lay down beside hi! holdin$ hi! in !y ar!s to war! hi! fearin$ he would die otherwise. In !y e!brace he at last fell asleep and I slept too thou$h uneasily. 'All this ti!e Friday !ade no effort to help !e but on the contrary shunned the hut as thou$h we two had the pla$ue. At daybrea" he would set off with his fishin$4spear6 returnin$ he would put his catch down beside the sto%e $utted and scaled and then retire to a far corner of the $arden where he would sleep curled on his side li"e a cat or else play o%er and o%er a$ain on his little reed flute a tune of si3 notes always the sa!e. )his tune of which he see!ed ne%er to tire $rew so to annoy !e that one day I !arched o%er and dashed the flute fro! his hands and would ha%e scolded hi! too whether or not he understood had I not feared to wa"e -ruso. Friday spran$ to his feet his eyes wide with surprise for I had ne%er lost patience with hi! before or indeed paid hi! !uch heed. ')hen -ruso be$an to !end. )he wild $litter in his eye abated the lines of his face softened his bouts of ra%in$ ended he slept peacefully. /is appetite ca!e bac". 5oon he was wal"in$ fro! hut to $arden unaided and $i%in$ Friday orders. 'I $reeted his return to health with $ladness. In 'ra(il I had seen youn$er !en carried off by the fe%er6 there had been a ni$ht and a day indeed when I was sure -ruso was dyin$ and loo"ed forward with dis!ay to bein$ left alone with Friday. It was the %i$orous life he li%ed I belie%e that sa%ed -ruso 4 the %i$orous life and the si!ple diet not any s"ill of !ine. '5hortly hereafter we had a $reat stor! the wind howlin$ and rain fallin$ in torrents. In one of the $usts part of the roof of the hut was torn off and the fire we $uarded so &ealously drowned. #e !o%ed the bed to the last dry corner6 e%en there the floor soon turned to !ud. 'I had thou$ht Friday would be terrified by the cla!our of the ele!ents *I had ne%er "nown such a stor! and pitied the poor !ariners at sea+. 'ut no Friday sat under the ea%es with his head on his "nees and slept li"e a baby. 'After two ni$hts and a day the rain abated and we ca!e out to stretch our li!bs. #e found the $arden near washed away and where the path had led down the hillside a $ully as deep as !y waist had been cut by the waters. )he beach was co%ered in seaweed tossed up by the wa%es. )hen it be$an to rain a$ain and for a third ni$ht we retired to our !iserable shelter hun$ry cold unable to !a"e fire. ')hat ni$ht -ruso who had see!ed .uite !ended co!plained of bein$ hot and tossed off his clothes and lay pantin$. )hen he be$an to ra%e and throw hi!self fro! side to side as if unable to breathe till I thou$ht the bed would brea". I $ripped hi! by the shoulders and tried to soothe hi! but he beat !e away. =reat tre!ors ran throu$h hi!6 he $rew stiff as a board and be$an to bellow about Masa or Massa a word with no

!eanin$ I can disco%er. #o"en by the din Friday too" out his flute and be$an to play his da!nable tune till what with the rain and the wind and -ruso's shoutin$ and Friday's !usic I could ha%e belie%ed !yself in a !adhouse. 'ut I continued to hold -ruso and soothe hi! and at last he $rew still and Friday ceased his noise and e%en the rain $rew softer. I stretched !yself out a$ainst -ruso to war! his body with !ine6 in ti!e the tre!blin$ $a%e out and both he and I slept. 'I ca!e to !yself in dayli$ht in an unfa!iliar silence the stor! ha%in$ at last blown itself out. A hand was e3plorin$ !y body. 5o befuddled was I that I thou$ht !yself still aboard the ship in the 2ortu$uese captain's bed. 'ut then I turned and saw -ruso's wild hair and the $reat beard he ne%er cut and his yellow eyes and I "new it was all true I was indeed cast away on an island with a !an na!ed -ruso who thou$h an En$lish!an was as stran$e to !e as a 9aplander. I pushed his hand away and !ade to rise but he held !e. 1o doubt I !i$ht ha%e freed !yself for I was stron$er than he. 'ut I thou$ht /e has not "nown a wo!an for fifteen years why should he not ha%e his desire7 5o I resisted no !ore but let hi! do as he wished. #hen I left the hut Friday was nowhere in si$ht for which I was $lad. I wal"ed so!e distance then sat down to collect !yself. Around !e in the bushes settled a floc" of sparrows coc"in$ their heads curiously .uite unafraid ha%in$ "nown no har! fro! !an since the be$innin$ of ti!e. #as I to re$ret what had passed between -ruso and !e7 #ould it ha%e been better had we continued to li%e as brother and sister or host and $uest or !aster and ser%ant or whate%er it was we had been7 -hance had cast !e on his island chance had thrown !e in his ar!s. In a world of chance is there a better and a worse7 #e yield to a stran$er's e!brace or $i%e oursel%es to the wa%es6 for the blin" of an eyelid our %i$ilance rela3es6 we are asleep6 and when we awa"e we ha%e lost the direction of our li%es. #hat are these blin"s of an eyelid a$ainst which the only defence is an eternal and inhu!an wa"efulness7 Mi$ht they not be the crac"s and chin"s throu$h which another %oice other %oices spea" in our li%es7 'y what ri$ht do we close our ears to the!7 )he .uestions echoed in !y head without answer. 'I was wal"in$ one day at the north end of the island on the 'luff when I spied Friday below !e bearin$ on his shoulder a lo$ or bea! nearly as lon$ as hi!self. #hile I watched he crossed the shelf of roc" that stretched out fro! the cliff4face launched his lo$ upon the water 4 which was deep at that place 4 and straddled it. 'I had often obser%ed Friday at his fishin$ which he did standin$ on the roc"s waitin$ till a fish swa! below hi! and then dartin$ his spear at it with $reat de3terity. /ow he could spear fish belly4 down upon his clu!sy %essel was not plain to !e. ''ut Friday was not fishin$. After paddlin$ out 1 so!e hundred yards fro! the shelf into the thic"est of 9the seaweed he reached into a ba$ that hun$ about his nec" and brou$ht out handfuls of white fla"es which he be$an to scatter o%er the water. At first I thou$ht this was bait to lure the fish to hi!6 but no when he had strewn all his fla"es he turned his lo$ boat about and steered it bac" to the led$e where he landed it with $reat difficulty throu$h the swell. '-urious to find what he had been castin$ on the #a%es I waited that e%enin$ till he had $one to fill water4bowls. )hen I searched under his !at and disco%ered a little ba$ with a drawstrin$ and turnin$ found so!e few white petals and buds fro! the bra!bles that were at the ti!e flowerin$ on parts of island. 5o I concluded he had been !a"in$ an

offerin$ to the $od of the wa%es to cause the fish to plentifully or perfor!in$ so!e other such superstitious obser%ance. )he sea continuin$ cal! the ne3t day I crossed the roc"s below the 'luff as Friday had done till I stood at the ed$e of the shelf. )he water was cold and dar"6 when I thou$ht of co!!ittin$ !yself to those depths and swi!!in$ out whether on a lo$ or not a!on$ the circlin$ ar!s of the seaweed where no doubt cuttlefish hun$ in stealth waitin$ for prey to swi! into the $rasp I shi%ered. Of Friday's petals not a trace was left. ,/itherto I had $i%en to Friday's life as little thou$ht as I would ha%e a do$'s or any other du!b beast's 4 less indeed for I had a horror of his !utilated state which !ade !e shut hi! fro! !y !ind and flinch away when he ca!e near !e. )his castin$ of petals was the first si$n I had that a spirit or soul 4call it what you will 4stirred beneath that dull and unpleasin$ e3terior. ',#here did the ship $o down on which you and Friday sailed7, I as"ed -ruso. '/e indicated a part of the coast I had ne%er %isited. ' ,If we could di%e to the wrec" e%en now , I said ,we !i$ht sa%e fro! it tools of the $reatest utility. A saw for instance or an a3e both of which we lac". )i!bers too we !i$ht loosen and brin$ bac". Is there no way to e3plore the wrec"7 Mi$ht Friday not swi! out to it or float out on a lo$ and then di%e down with a rope tied about his !iddle for safety7, ' ,)he ship lies on the bed of the ocean bro"en by the wa%es and co%ered in sand , -ruso replied. ,#hat has sur%i%ed the salt and seawor! will not be worth the sa%in$. #e ha%e a roof o%er our heads !ade without saw or a3e. #e sleep we eat we li%e. #e ha%e no need of tools., '/e spo"e as if tools were heathenish in%entions. <et I "new if I had swu! ashore with a saw tied to !y an"le he would ha%e ta"en it and used it !ost happily. '9et !e tell you of -ruso's terraces. ')he terraces co%ered !uch of the hillside at the eastern end of the island where they were best sheltered fro! the wind. )here were twel%e le%els of terracin$ at the ti!e I arri%ed each so!e twenty paces deep and ban"ed with stone walls a yard thic" and at their hi$hest as hi$h as a !an's head. #ithin each terrace the $round was le%elled and cleared6 the stones that !ade up the walls had been du$ out of the earth or borne fro! elsewhere one by one. I as"ed -ruso how !any stones had $one into the walls. A hundred thousand or !ore he replied. A !i$hty labour I re!ar"ed. 'ut pri%ately I thou$ht0 Is bare earth ba"ed by the sun and walled about to be preferred to pebbles and bushes and swar!s of birds7 ,Is it your plan to clear the whole island of $rowth and turn it into terraces7, I as"ed. ,It would be the wor" of !any !en and !any lifeti!es to clear the whole island , he replied6 by which I saw he chose to understand only the letter of !y .uestion. ,And what will you be plantin$ when you plant7, I as"ed. ,)he plantin$ is not for us , said he. ,#e ha%e nothin$ to plant 4 that is our !isfortune., And he loo"ed at !e with such sorry di$nity I could ha%e bit !y ton$ue. ,)he plantin$ is reser%ed for those who co!e after us and ha%e the foresi$ht to brin$ seed. I only clear the $round for the!. -learin$ $round and pilin$ stones is little enou$h but it is better than sittin$ in idleness., And then with $reat earnestness he went on0 ,I as" you to re!e!ber not e%ery !an who bears the !ar" of the castaway is a castaway at heart., 'I reflected lon$ on these words but they re!ained dar" to !e. #hen I passed the terraces and saw this !an no lon$er youn$ labourin$ in the heat of the day to lift a $reat

stone out of the earth or patiently choppin$ at the $rass while he waited year after year for so!e sa%iour castaway to arri%e in a boat with a sac" of corn at his feet I found it a foolish "ind of a$riculture. It see!ed to !e he !i$ht occupy his ti!e as well in di$$in$ for $old or di$$in$ $ra%es first for hi!self and Friday and then if he wished for all the castaways of the future history of the island and for !e too. ')i!e passed with increasin$ tediousness. #hen I had e3hausted !y .uestions to -ruso about the terraces and the boat he would not build and the &ournal he would not "eep and the tools he would not sa%e fro! the wrec" and Friday's ton$ue there was nothin$ left to tal" of sa%e the weather. -ruso had no stories to tell of the life he had li%ed as a trader and planter before the shipwrec". /e did not care how I ca!e to be in 'ahia or what I did there. #hen I spo"e of En$land and of all the thin$s I intended to see and do when I was rescued he see!ed not to hear !e. It was as thou$h he wished his story to be$in with his arri%al on the island and !ine to be$in with !y arri%al and the story of us to$ether to end on the island too. 9et it not by any !eans co!e to pass that -ruso is sa%ed I reflected to !yself6 for the world e3pects stories fro! its ad%enturers better stories than tallies of how !any stones they !o%ed in fifteen years and fro! where and to where6 -ruso rescued will be a deep disappoint!ent to the world6 the idea of a -ruso on his island is a better thin$ than the true -ruso ti$ht4lipped and sullen in an alien En$land. I spent !y days wal"in$ on the cliffs or alon$ the shore or else sleepin$. I did not offer to &oin -ruso in his wor" on the terraces for I held it a stupid labour. I !ade a cap with flaps to tie o%er !y ears6 I wore this and so!eti!es closed !y ears with plu$s too to shut out the sound of the wind. 5o I beca!e deaf as Friday was !ute6 what difference did it !a"e on an island where no one spo"e7 )he petticoat I had swu! ashore in was in tatters. My s"in was as brown as an Indian's. I was in the flower of !y life and now this had befallen !e. I did not weep6 but so!eti!es I would find !yself sittin$ on the bare earth with !y hands o%er !y eyes roc"in$ bac" and forth and !oanin$ to !yself and would not "now how I had $ot there. #hen Friday set food before !e I too" it with dirty fin$ers and bolted it li"e a do$. I s.uatted in the $arden heedless of who saw !e. And I watched and watched the hori(on. It !attered not who ca!e 5paniard or Musco%ite or cannibal so lon$ as I escaped. ')his was the dar"est ti!e for !e this ti!e of despair and lethar$y6 I was as !uch a burden on -ruso now as he had been on !e when he ra%ed with fe%er. ')hen step by step I reco%ered !y spirits and be$an to apply !yself a$ain to little tas"s. )hou$h !y heart was no war!er towards -ruso I was $rateful he had suffered !y !oods and not turned !e out. '-ruso did not use !e a$ain. On the contrary he held hi!self as distant as if nothin$ had passed between us. For this I was not sorry. <et I will confess had I been con%inced I was to spend the rest of !y days on the island I would ha%e offered !yself to hi! a$ain or i!portuned hi! or done whate%er was necessary to concei%e and bear a child6 for the !orose silence which he i!pressed upon our li%es would ha%e dri%en !e !ad to say nothin$ of the prospect of passin$ !y last years alone with Friday. 'One day I as"ed -ruso whether there were laws on his island and what such laws !i$ht be6 or whether he preferred to follow his inner dictates trustin$ his heart to $uide hi! on the path of ri$hteousness.

',9aws are !ade for one purpose only , he told !e0 ,to hold us in chec" when our desires $row i!!oderate. As lon$ as our desires are !oderate we ha%e no need of laws., ',I ha%e a desire to be sa%ed which I !ust call i!!oderate , I said. ,It burns in !e ni$ht and day I can thin" of nothin$ else., ' ,I do not wish to hear of your desire , said -ruso. ,It concerns other thin$s it does not concern the island it is not a !atter of the island. On the island there is no law e3cept the law that we shall wor" for our bread which is a co!!and!ent., And with that he strode away. ')his answer did not satisfy !e. If I was but a third !outh to feed doin$ no useful labour on the terraces what held -ruso bac" fro! bindin$ !e hand and foot and tossin$ !e fro! the cliffs into the sea7 #hat had held Friday bac" all these years fro! beatin$ in his !aster's head with a stone while he slept so brin$in$ sla%ehood to an end and inau$uratin$ a rei$n of idle+6 ness7 And what held -ruso bac" fro! tyin$ Friday to a post e%ery ni$ht li"e a do$ to sleep the !ore secure or fro! blindin$ hi! as they blind asses in 'ra(il7 It see!ed to !e that all thin$s were possible on the island all tyrannies and cruelties thou$h in s!all6 and if in despite of what was possible we li%ed at peace one with another surely this was proof that certain laws un"nown to us held sway or else that we had been followin$ the pro!ptin$s of our hearts all this ti!e and our hearts had not betrayed us. ',/ow do you punish Friday when you punish hi!7, I as"ed on another occasion. ',)here is no call to punish Friday , replied -ruso. ,Friday has li%ed with !e for !any years. /e has "nown no other !aster. /e follows !e in all thin$s., ' ,<et Friday has lost his ton$ue , said I the words utterin$ the!sel%es. ',Friday lost his ton$ue before he beca!e !ine , said -ruso and stared at !e in challen$e. I was silent. 'ut I thou$ht0 #e are all punished e%ery day. )his island is our punish!ent this island and one another's co!pany to the death. 'My &ud$!ent on -ruso was not always so harsh. One e%enin$ seein$ hi! as he stood on the 'luff with the sun behind hi! all red and purple starin$ out to sea his staff in his hand and his $reat conical hat on his head I thou$ht0 /e is a truly "in$ly fi$ure6 he is the true "in$ of his island. I thou$ht bac" to the %ale of !elancholy throu$h which I had passed when I had dra$$ed about listlessly weepin$ o%er !y !isfortune. If I had then "nown !isery how !uch deeper !ust the !isery of -ruso not ha%e been in his early days7 Mi$ht he not &ustly be dee!ed a hero who had bra%ed the wilderness and slain the !onster of solitude and returned fortified by his %ictory7 'I used once to thin" when I saw -ruso in this e%enin$ posture that li"e !e he was searchin$ the hori(on for a sail. 'ut I was !ista"en. /is %isits to the 'luff belon$ed to a practice of losin$ hi!self in the conte!plation of the wastes of water and s"y. Friday ne%er interrupted hi! durin$ these retreats6 when once I innocently approached hi! I was rebuffed with an$ry words and for days afterwards he and I did not spea". )o !e sea and s"y re!ained sea and s"y %acant and tedious. I had not the te!pera!ent to lo%e such e!ptiness. 'I !ust tell you of the death of -ruso and of our rescue. 'One !ornin$ a year and !ore after I beca!e an islander Friday brou$ht his !aster ho!e fro! the terraces wea" and faintin$. I saw at once the fe%er had returned. #ith so!e forebodin$ I undressed hi! and put hi! to bed and prepared to de%ote !yself to his care wishin$ I "new !ore of cuppin$ and bloodlettin$.

')his ti!e there was no ra%in$ or shoutin$ or stru$$lin$. -ruso lay pale as a $host a cold sweat standin$ out on his body his eyes wide open his lips so!eti!es !o%in$ thou$h I could !a"e out no word. I thou$ht0 /e is a dyin$ !an I cannot sa%e hi!. ')he %ery ne3t day as if the spell of -ruso's $a(e on the waters had been bro"en a !erchant!an na!ed the @ ohn /obart !a"in$ for 'ristol with a car$o of cotton and indi$o cast anchor off the island and sent a party ashore. Of this I "new nothin$ till Friday suddenly ca!e sca!perin$ into the hut and snatched up his fishin$4spears and dashed off towards the cra$s where the apes were. )hen I ca!e out and saw the ship below and the sailors in the ri$$in$ and the oars of the rowboat dippin$ in the wa%es and I $a%e a $reat cry of &oy and fell to !y "nees. 'Of the arri%al of stran$ers in his "in$do! -ruso had his first inti!ation when three sea!en lifted hi! fro! his bed into a litter and proceeded to bear hi! down the path to the shore6 and e%en then he li"ely thou$ht it all a drea!. 'ut when he was hoisted aboard the / obart and s!elled the tar and heard the crea" of ti!bers he ca!e to hi!self and fou$ht so hard to be free that it too" stron$ !en to !aster hi! and con%ey hi! below. ',)here is another person on the island , I told the ship's4!aster. ,/e is a 1e$ro sla%e his na!e is Friday and he is fled a!on$ the cra$s abo%e the north shore. 1othin$ you can say will persuade hi! to yield hi!self up for he has no understandin$ of words or power of speech. It will cost $reat effort to ta"e hi!. 1e%ertheless I beseech you to send your !en ashore a$ain6 inas!uch as Friday is a sla%e and a child it is our duty to care for hi! in all thin$s and not abandon hi! to a solitude worse than death., 'My plea for Friday was heeded. A new party was sent ashore under the co!!and of the third !ate with orders by no !eans to har! Friday since he was a poor si!pleton but to effect what was needed to brin$ hi! aboard. I offered to acco!pany the party but -aptain 5!ith would not allow this. '5o I sat with the captain in his cabin and ate a plate of salt por" and biscuit %ery $ood after a year of fish and dran" a $lass of Madeira and told hi! !y story as I ha%e told it to you which he heard with $reat attention. ,It is a story you should set down in writin$ and offer to the boo"sellers , he ur$ed 4 ,)here has ne%er before to !y "nowled$e been a fe!ale castaway of our nation. It will cause a $reat stir., I shoo" !y head sadly. ,As I relate it to you !y story passes the ti!e well enou$h , I replied6 ,but what little I "now of boo"4writin$ tells !e its char! will .uite %anish when it is set down baldly in print. A li%eliness is lost in the writin$ down which !ust be supplied by art and I ha%e no art., ,As to art I cannot pronounce bein$ only a sailor , said -aptain 5!ith6 ,but you !ay depend on it the boo"sellers will hire a !an to set your story to ri$hts and put in a dash of colour too here and there., ,I will not ha%e any lies told , said I. )he captain s!iled. ,)here I cannot %ouch for the! , he said0 ,their trade is in boo"s not in truth., ,I would rather be the author of !y own story than ha%e lies told about !e , I persisted 4 ,If I cannot co!e forward as author and swear to the truth of !y tale what will be the worth of it7 I !i$ht as well ha%e drea!ed it in a snu$ bed in -hichester., 'At this &uncture we were su!!oned abo%e dec". )he landin$ party was on its way bac" and to !y &oy I !ade out the dar" fi$ure of Friday a!on$ the sailors. ,Friday Friday;, I called as the boat ca!e alon$side and s!iled to show that all was well the

sea!en were friends not foes. 'ut when he was brou$ht aboard Friday would not !eet !y eye. #ith sun"en shoulders and bowed head he awaited whate%er was to befall hi!. ,-an he not be ta"en to his !aster7, I as"ed the captain 4 ,#hen he sees Mr -ruso is well cared for perhaps he will accept that we !ean no har!., '5o while sail was hoisted and the head of the ship put about I led Friday below to the cabin where -ruso lay. ,/ere is your !aster Friday , I said. ,/e is sleepin$ he has ta"en a sleepin$ drau$ht. <ou can see that these are $ood people. )hey will brin$ us bac" to En$land which is your !aster's ho!e and there you will be set free. <ou will disco%er that life in En$land is better than life e%er was on the island., 'I "new of course that Friday did not understand the words. 'ut it had been !y belief fro! early on that Friday understood tones that he could hear "indness in a hu!an %oice when "indness was sincerely !eant. 5o I went on spea"in$ to hi! sayin$ the sa!e words o%er and o%er layin$ !y hand on his ar! to soothe hi!6 I $uided hi! to his !aster's bedside and !ade hi! "neel there till I felt cal! o%erta"e us and the sailor who escorted us be$an to yawn and shuffle. 'It was a$reed that I should sleep in -ruso's cabin. As for Friday I pleaded that he not be .uartered with the co!!on sea!en. ,/e would rather sleep on the floor at his !aster's feet than on the softest bed in -hristendo! , I said. 5o Friday was allowed to sleep under the transo!s a few paces fro! the door of -ruso's cabin6 fro! this little den he barely stirred for the duration of the %oya$e e3cept when I brou$ht hi! to %isit his !aster. #hene%er I spo"e to hi! I was sure to s!ile and touch his ar! treatin$ hi! as we treat a fri$htened horse. For I saw that the ship and the sailors !ust be awa"enin$ the dar"est of !e!ories in hi! of the ti!e when he was torn fro! his ho!eland and transported into capti%ity in the 1ew #orld. #e were used with $reat ci%ility throu$hout the %oya$e. )he ship's sur$eon %isited -ruso twice a day and by lettin$ blood afforded hi! !uch relief. 'ut to !e he would pri%ately sha"e his head. ,<our husband is sin"in$ , he would say 4 ,I fear we ca!e too late., *I should tell you that -aptain 5!ith had proposed that I call -ruso !y husband and declare we had been shipwrec"ed to$ether to !a"e !y path easier both on board and when we should co!e ashore in En$land. If the story of 'ahia and the !utineers $ot about he said it would not easily be understood what "ind of wo!an I was. I lau$hed when he said this4what "ind of wo!an was I in truth7 4 but too" his ad%ice and so was "nown as Mrs -ruso to all on board. 'One ni$ht at dinner 4 I ate all this ti!e at the captain's table 4 he whispered in !y ear that he would be honoured if I would consent to pay hi! a %isit in his cabin afterwards for a $lass of cordial. I pretended to ta"e his offer as !ere $allantry and did not $o. /e pressed !e no further but continued to beha%e as courteously as before. In all I found hi! a true $entle!an thou$h a !ere ship's4!aster and the son of a pedlar as he told !e.+ 'I brou$ht -ruso his food in bed and coa3ed hi! to eat as if he were a child. 5o!eti!es he see!ed to "now where he was at other ti!es not. One ni$ht hearin$ hi! rise I lit a candle and saw hi! standin$ at the cabin door pressin$ a$ainst it not understandin$ that it opened inwards. I ca!e o%er to hi! and touched hi! and found his face wet with tears. ,-o!e !y -ruso , I whispered and $uided hi! bac" to his bun" and soothed hi! till he slept a$ain.

'On the island I belie%e -ruso !i$ht yet ha%e sha"en off the fe%er as he had done so often before. For thou$h not a youn$ !an he was %i$orous. 'ut now he was dyin$ of woe the e3tre!est woe. #ith e%ery passin$ day he was con%eyed farther fro! the "in$do! he pined for to which he would ne%er find his way a$ain. /e was a prisoner and I despite !yself his $aoler. '5o!eti!es in his sleep he would !utter in 2ortu$uese as he see!ed always to do when the by$one past ca!e bac" to hi!. )hen I would ta"e his hand or lie beside hi! and tal" to hi!. ,8o you re!e!ber !y -ruso , I would say ,how after the $reat stor! had ta"en away our roof we would lie at ni$ht and watch the shootin$ stars and wa"e in the $lare of the !oon thin"in$ it was day7 In En$land we will ha%e a roof o%er our heads that no wind can tear off. 'ut did it not see! to you that the !oon of our island was lar$er than the !oon of En$land as you re!e!ber it and the stars !ore nu!erous7 2erhaps we were nearer the !oon there as we were certainly nearer the sun. ',<et , I would pursue ,if we were nearer the hea%ens there why was it that so little of the island could be called e3traordinary7 #hy were there no stran$e fruits no serpents no lions7 #hy did the cannibals ne%er co!e7 #hat will we tell fol" in En$land when they as" us to di%ert the!7, ',-ruso , I say *it is not the sa!e ni$ht it is a different ni$ht we are plou$hin$ throu$h the wa%es the roc" of En$land loo!s closer and closer+ ,is there not so!eone you ha%e for$otten in 'ra(il7 Is there not a sister awaitin$ your return on your 'ra(ilian estates and a faithful steward "eepin$ the accounts7 -an we not $o bac" to your sister in 'ra(il and sleep in ha!!oc"s side by side under the $reat 'ra(ilian s"y full of stars7, I lie a$ainst -ruso6 with the tip of !y ton$ue I follow the hairy whorl of his ear. I rub !y chee"s a$ainst his harsh whis"ers I spread !yself o%er hi! I stro"e his body with !y thi$hs. ,I a! swi!!in$ in you !y -ruso , I whisper and swi!. /e is a tall !an I a tall wo!an. )his is our couplin$0 this swi!!in$ this cla!berin$ this whisperin$. 'Or I spea" of the island. ,#e will %isit a corn factor I pro!ise !y -ruso , I say. ,#e will buy a sac" of corn the best there is. #e will ta"e ship a$ain for the A!ericas and be dri%en fro! our course by a stor! and be cast up on your island. #e will plant the terraces and !a"e the! bloo!. #e will do all this., 'It is not the words it is the fer%our with which I spea" the!0 -ruso ta"es !y hand between his hu$e bony hands and brin$s it to his lips and weeps. '#e were yet three days fro! port when -ruso died. I was sleepin$ beside hi! in the narrow bun" and in the ni$ht heard hi! $i%e a lon$ si$h6 then afterwards I felt his le$s be$in to $row cold and lit the candle and be$an to chafe his te!ples and wrists6 but by then he was $one. 5o I went out and spo"e to Friday. ,<our !aster is dead Friday , I whispered. 'Friday lay in his little recess wrapped in the old watch4coat the sur$eon had found for hi!. /is eyes $linted in the candleli$ht but he did not stir. 8id he "now the !eanin$ of death7 1o !an had died on his island since the be$innin$ of ti!e. 8id he "now we were sub&ect to death li"e the beasts7 I held out a hand but he would not ta"e it. 5o I "new he "new so!ethin$6 thou$h what he "new I did not "now. '-ruso was buried the ne3t day. )he crew stood bare4headed the captain said a prayer two sailors tilted the bier and -ruso's re!ains sewn in a can%as shroud with the last stitch throu$h his nose *I saw this done as did Friday+ wrapped about with a $reat chain slid into the wa%es. )hrou$hout the cere!ony I felt the curious eyes of the sailors

on !e *I had seldo! been on dec"+. 1o doubt I !ade a stran$e si$ht in a dar" coat borrowed fro! the captain o%er sailor's pantaloons and apes"in sandals. 8id they truly thin" of !e as -ruso's wife or had tales already reached the! 4 sailors' haunts are full of $ossip 4 of the En$lishwo!an fro! 'ahia !arooned in the Atlantic by 2ortu$uese !utineers7 8o you thin" of !e Mr Foe as Mrs -ruso or as a bold ad%enturess7 )hin" what you !ay it was I who shared -ruso's bed and closed -ruso's eyes as it is I who ha%e disposal of all that -ruso lea%es behind which is the story of his island.'

'April 1Bth '#e are now settled in lod$in$s in -loc" 9ane off 9on$ Acre. I $o by the na!e Mrs -ruso which you should bear in !ind. I ha%e a roo! on the second floor. Friday has a bed in the cellar where I brin$ hi! his !eals. 'y no !eans could I ha%e abandoned hi! on the island. 1e%ertheless a $reat city is no place for hi!. /is confusion and distress when I conducted hi! throu$h the streets this last 5aturday wrenched !y heartstrin$s. 'Our lod$in$ is to$ether fi%e shillin$s a wee". #hate%er you send I shall be $rateful for. 'I ha%e set down the history of our ti!e on the island as well as I can and enclose it herewith. It is a sorry li!pin$ affair *the history not the ti!e itself+ 4,the ne3t day , its refrain $oes ,the ne3t dayC the ne3t day, 4 but you will "now how to set it ri$ht. '<ou will wonder how I ca!e to choose you $i%en that a wee" a$o I did not so !uch as "now your na!e. I ad!it when I first laid eyes on you I thou$ht you were a lawyer or a !an fro! the E3chan$e. 'ut then one of !y fellow4ser%ants told !e you were Mr Foe the author who had heard !any confessions and were reputed a %ery secret !an. It was rainin$ *do you re!e!ber7+6 you paused on the step to fasten your cloa" and I ca!e out too and shut the door behind !e. ,If I !ay be so bold sir , I said *those were the words bold words+. <ou loo"ed !e up and down but did not reply and I thou$ht to !yself0 #hat art is there to hearin$ confessions7 4 the spider has as !uch art that watches and waits. ,If I !ay ha%e a !o!ent of your ti!e0 I a! see"in$ a new situation., ,5o are we all see"in$ a new situation , you replied. ,'ut I ha%e a !an to care for a 1e$ro !an who can ne%er find a situation since he has lost his ton$ue , I said ,I hoped that you !i$ht ha%e place for !e and for hi! too in your establish!ent., My hair was wet by now I had not e%en a shawl. :ain dripped fro! the bri! of your hat. ,I a! in e!ploy here but a! used to better thin$s , I pursued 4 ,<ou ha%e not heard a story before li"e !ine. I a! new4returned fro! far4off parts. I ha%e been a castaway on a desert island. And there I was the co!panion of a sin$ular !an., I s!iled not at you but at what

I was about to say. ,I a! a fi$ure of fortune Mr Foe. I a! the $ood fortune we are always hopin$ for., ' #as it effrontery to say that7 #as it effrontery to s!ile7 #as it the effrontery that aroused your interest7' 'April ADth ')han" you for the three $uineas. I ha%e bou$ht Friday a drayer's woollen &er"in also woollen hose. If there is underlinen you can spare I should welco!e it. /e wears clothes without !ur!ur thou$h he will not yet wear shoes. '-an you not ta"e us into your house7 #hy do you "eep !e apart7 -an you not ta"e !e in as your close ser%ant and Friday as your $ardener7 'I cli!b the staircase *it is a tall house tall and airy with !any fli$hts of stairs+ and tap at the door. <ou are sittin$ at a table with your bac" to !e a ru$ o%er your "nees your feet in pantoufles $a(in$ out o%er the fields thin"in$ stro"in$ your chin with your pen waitin$ for !e to set down the tray and withdraw. On the tray are a $lassful of hot water into which I I ha%e s.uee(ed a citron and two slices of buttered toast. <ou call it your first brea"fast.EEEEE ')he roo! is barely furnished. )he truth is it is6 not a roo! but a part of the attic to which you re!o%e yourself for the sa"e of silence. )he table and chair stand on a platfor! of boards before the I window. Fro! the door of the attic to this platfor! boards are laid to for! a narrow wal"4way. Otherwise there are only the ceilin$4boards on which one treads at one's peril and the rafters and o%erhead the $rey rooftiles. 8ust lies thic" on the floor6 when the wind $usts under the ea%es there are flurries in the dust and fro! the corners !oanin$ noises. )here are !ice too. 'efore you $o downstairs you !ust shut your papers away to preser%e the! fro! the !ice. In the !ornin$s you brush !ouse droppin$s fro! the table. ')here is a ripple in the window4pane. Mo%in$ your head you can !a"e the ripple tra%el o%er the cows $ra(in$ in the pasture o%er the plou$hed land beyond o%er the line of poplars and up into the s"y. 'I thin" of you as a steers!an steerin$ the $reat hul" of the house throu$h the ni$hts and days peerin$ ahead for si$ns of stor!. '<our papers are "ept in a chest beside the table. )he story of -ruso's island will $o there pa$e by pa$e as you write it to lie with a heap of other papers0 a census of the be$$ars of 9ondon bills of !ortality fro! the ti!e of the $reat pla$ue accounts of tra%els in the border country reports of stran$e and surprisin$ apparitions records of the wool trade a !e!orial of the life and opinions of 8ic"ory -ron"e *who is he7+6 also boo"s of %oya$es to the 1ew #orld !e!oirs of capti%ity a!on$ the Moors chronicles of the wars in the 9ow -ountries confessions of notorious lawbrea"ers and a !ultitude of castaway narrati%es !ost of the! I would $uess riddled with lies. '#hen I was on the island I lon$ed only to be elsewhere or in the word I then used to be sa%ed. 'ut now a lon$in$ stirs in !e I ne%er thou$ht I would feel. I close !y eyes and !y soul ta"es lea%e of !e flyin$ o%er the houses and streets the woods and pastures bac" to our old ho!e -ruso's and !ine. <ou will not understand this lon$in$ after all I ha%e said of the tediu! of our life there. 2erhaps I should ha%e written !ore about the pleasure I too" in wal"in$ barefoot in the cool sand of the co!pound !ore

about the birds the little birds of !any %arieties whose na!es I ne%er "new who! I called sparrows for want of a better na!e. #ho but -ruso who is no !ore could truly tell you -ruso's story7 I should ha%e said less about hi! !ore about !yself. /ow to be$in with did !y dau$hter co!e to be lost and how followin$ her did I reach 'ahia7 /ow did I sur%i%e a!on$ stran$ers those two lon$ years7 8id I li%e only in a roo!in$4 house as I ha%e said7 #as 'ahia an island in the ocean of the 'ra(ilian forest and !y roo! a lonely island in 'ahia7 #ho was the captain whose fate it beca!e to drift fore%er in the southern!ost seas clothed in ice7 I brou$ht bac" not a feather not a thi!bleful of sand fro! -ruso's island. A ll I ha%e is !y sandals. #hen I reflect on !y story I see! to e3ist only as the one who ca!e the one who witnessed the one who lon$ed to be $one0 a bein$ without substance a $host beside the true body of -ruso. Is that the fate of all storytellers7 <et I was as !uch a body as -ruso. I ate and dran" I wo"e and slept I lon$ed. )he island was -ruso's *yet by what ri$ht7 by the law of islands7 is there such a law7+ but I li%ed there too I was no bird of passa$e no $annet or albatross to circle the island once and dip a win$ and then fly on o%er the boundless ocean. :eturn to !e the substance I ha%e lost Mr Foe0 that is !y entreaty. For thou$h !y story $i%es the truth it does not $i%e the substance of the truth *I see that clearly we need not pretend it is otherwise+. )o tell the truth in all its substance you !ust ha%e .uiet and a co!fortable chair away fro! all distraction and a window to stare throu$h6 and then the "nac" of seein$ wa%es when there are fields before your eyes and of feelin$ the tropic sun when it is cold6 and at your fin$ertips the words with which to capture the %ision before it fades. I ha%e none of these while you ha%e all.

April A1st

In !y letter yesterday I !ay ha%e see!ed to !oc" the art of writin$. I as" your pardon I was un&ust. 'elie%e !e there are ti!es when as I thin" of you labourin$ in your attic to brin$ life to your thie%es and courtesans and $renadiers !y heart aches with pity and I lon$ only to be of ser%ice. I thin" of you *for$i%e !e the fi$ure+ as a beast of burden and your house as a $reat wa$on you are conde!ned to haul a wa$on full of tables and chairs and wardrobes and on top of these a wife *I do not e%en "now whether you ha%e a wife;+ and un$rateful children and idle ser%ants and cats and do$s all eatin$ your %ictuals burnin$ your coal yawnin$ and lau$hin$ careless of your toil. In the early !ornin$s lyin$ in !y war! bed I see! to hear the shuffle of your footsteps as draped in a ru$ you cli!b the stairs to your attic. <ou seat yourself your breathin$ is hea%y you li$ht the la!p you pinch your eyes shut and be$in to $rope your way bac" to where you were last ni$ht throu$h the dar" and cold throu$h the rain o%er fields where sheep lie huddled to$ether o%er forests o%er the seas to Flanders or where%er it is that your captains and @iers !ust now too be$in to stir and set about rt day in their li%es while fro! the corners of pattic the !ice stare at you twitchin$ their whis E%en on 5undays the wor" proceeds as thou$h re$i!ents of foot would sin" into e%erlastin$ were they not roused daily and

sent into action. In the throes of a chill you plod on wrapped in scar%es blowin$ your nose haw"in$ spittin$. 5o!e you are so weary that the candleli$ht swi!s before your eyes. <ou lay your head on your ar!s in a !o!ent are asleep a blac" stripe across the paper where the pen slips fro! your $rasp. <our !outh sa$s open you snore softly you s!ell *for$i%e i second ti!e+ li"e an old !an. /ow I wish it in !y power to help you Mr Foe; -losin$ !y I $ather !y stren$th and send out a %ision of the island to han$ before you li"e a substantial body with birds and fleas and fish of all hues and li(ards bas"in$ the sun flic"in$ out their blac" ton$ues and roc"s co%ered in barnacles and rain dru!!in$ on the roof4 fronds and wind unceasin$ wind0 so that it will be there for you to draw on whene%er you ha%e need.' 'April ABth '<ou as"ed how it was that -ruso did not sa%e a sin$le !us"et fro! the wrec"6 why a !an so fearful of cannibals should ha%e ne$lected to ar! hi!self. '-ruso ne%er showed !e where the wrec" lay but it is !y con%iction that it lay and lies still in the deep water below the cliffs in the north of the island. At the hei$ht of the stor! -ruso leapt o%erboard with the youthful Friday at his side and other ship!ates too it !ay be6 but they two alone were sa%ed by a $reat wa%e that cau$ht the! up and bore the! ashore. 1ow I as"0 #ho can "eep powder dry in the belly of a wa%e7 Further!ore0 #hy should a !an endea%our to sa%e a !us"et when he barely hopes to sa%e his own life7 As for cannibals I a! not persuaded despite -ruso's fears that there are cannibals in those oceans. <ou !ay with ri$ht reply that as we do not e3pect to see shar"s dancin$ in the wa%es so we should not e3pect to see cannibals dancin$ on the strand6 that cannibals belon$ to the ni$ht as shar"s belon$ to the depths. All I say is0 #hat I saw I wrote. I saw no cannibals6 and if they ca!e after ni$htfall and fled before the dawn they left no footprint behind. 'I drea!ed last ni$ht of -ruso's death and wo"e with tears coursin$ down !y chee"s. 5o I lay a lon$ while the $rief not liftin$ fro! !y heart. )hen I went downstairs to our little courtyard off -loc" 9ane. It was not yet li$ht6 the s"y was clear. Fnder these sa!e tran.uil stars I thou$ht floats the island where we li%ed6 and on that island is a hut and in that hut a bed of soft $rass which perhaps still bears the i!print fainter e%ery day of !y body. 8ay by day the wind pic"s at the roof and the weeds creep across the terraces. In a year in ten years there will be nothin$ left standin$ but a circle of stic"s to !ar" the place where the hut stood and of the terraces only the walls. And of the walls they will say )hese are cannibal walls the ruins of a cannibal city fro! the $olden a$e lie cannibals. For who will belie%e they were built by one !an and a sla%e in the hope that one day a seafarer would co!e with a sac" of corn for the! to sow7 <ou re!ar"ed it would ha%e been better had -ruso rescued not only !us"et and powder and ball but a carpenter's chest as well and built hi!self a boat. I do not wish to be captious but we li%ed on an island so buffeted by the wind that there was not a tree did not+w twisted and bent. #e !i$ht ha%e built a raft a croo"ed "ind of raft but ne%er a boat. '<ou as"ed also after -ruso's apes"in clothes. Alas these were ta"en fro! our cabin and tossed o%erboard i$norant sailors. If you so desire I will !a"e s"etches of us as we were on the island wearin$ the clothes we wore.

')he sailor's blouse and pantaloons I wore on board ship I ha%e $i%en to Friday. Moreo%er he has his &er"in and his watch4coat. /is cellar $i%es on to the yard so he is free to wander as he pleases. 'ut he rarely $oes abroad bein$ too fearful. /ow he fills his ti!e I do not "now for the cellar is bare sa%e for his cot and the coal4bin and so!e bro"en stic"s of furniture. '<et the story that there is a cannibal in -loc" 9ane has plainly $ot about for yesterday I found three boys 1 at the cellar door peerin$ in on Friday. I chased the! off after which they too" up their stand at the end of the lane chantin$ the words0 ,-annibal Friday ha%e you ate your !a! today7, 'Friday $rows old before his ti!e li"e a do$ loc"ed up all its life. I too fro! li%in$ with an old !an and sleepin$ in his bed ha%e $rown old. )here are ti!es when I thin" of !yself as a widow. If there was a wife left behind in 'ra(il she and I would be sisters now of a "ind. 'I ha%e the use of the scullery two !ornin$s of the wee" and a! turnin$ Friday into a laundry!an6 for otherwise idleness will destroy hi!. I set hi! before the sin" dressed in his sailor clothes his feet bare as e%er on the cold floor *he will not wear shoes+. ,#atch !e Friday;, I say and be$in to soap a petticoat *soap !ust be introduced to hi! there was no soap in his life before on the island we used ash or sand+ and rub it on the washin$4board. ,1ow do Friday;, I say and stand aside. #atch and 8o0 those are !y two principal words for Friday and with the! I acco!plish !uch. It is a terrible fall I "now fro! the freedo! of the island where he could roa! all day and hunt birds' e$$s and spear fish when the terraces did not call. 'ut surely it is better to learn useful tas"s than to lie alone in a cellar all day thin"in$ I "now not what thou$hts7 '-ruso would not teach hi! because he said Friday had no need of words. 'ut -ruso erred. 9ife on the island before !y co!in$ would ha%e been less tedious had he tau$ht Friday to understand his !eanin$s and de%ised ways by which Friday could e3press his own !eanin$s as for e3a!ple by $esturin$ with his hands or by settin$ out pebbles in shapes standin$ for words. )hen -ruso !i$ht ha%e spo"en to Friday after his !anner and Friday responded after his and !any an e!pty hour been whiled away. For I cannot belie%e that the life Friday led before he fell into -ruso's hands was bereft of interest thou$h he was but a child. I would $i%e !uch to hear the truth of how he was captured by the sla%e4traders and lost his ton$ue. '/e is beco!e a $reat lo%er of oat!eal $obblin$ down as !uch porrid$e in a day as would feed a do(en 5cots!en. Fro! eatin$ too !uch and lyin$ abed he is $rowin$ stupid. 5eein$ hi! with his belly ti$ht as a dru! and his thin shan"s and his listless air you would not belie%e he was the sa!e !an who brief !onths stood poised on the roc"s the seaspray dancin$ about hi! the sunli$ht $lancin$ on his li!bs his spear raised ready in an instant to stri"e a fish. '#hile he wor"s I teach hi! the na!es of thin$s. I hold up a spoon and say ,5poon Friday;, and $i%e the spoon into his hand. )hen I say ,5poon;, and I hold out !y hand to recei%e the spoon6 hopin$ thus I that in ti!e the word 5poon will echo in his !ind willy4nilly whene%er his eye falls on a spoon. '#hat I fear !ost is that after years of speechlessness the %ery notion of speech !ay be lost to hi!. #hen I ta"e the spoon fro! his hand *but is it truly a spoon to hi! or a !ere thin$7 4 I do not "now+ and say 5poon how can I be sure he does not thin" I a! I chatterin$ to !yself as a !a$pie or an ape does for the pleasure of hearin$ the noise I

!a"e and feelin$ the play of !y ton$ue as he hi!self used to find pleasure in playin$ his flute7 And whereas one !ay ta"e a dull child and twist his ar! or pinch his ear till at last he repeats after us 5poon what can I do with Friday7 ,5poon Friday;, I say6 ,For"; ?nife;, I thin" of the root of his ton$ue closed behind those hea%y lips li"e a toad in eternal winter and I shi%er. ,'roo! Friday;, I say and !a"e !otions of sweepin$ and press the broo! into his hand. 'Or I brin$ a boo" to the scullery. ,)his is a boo" Friday , I say. ,In it is a story written by the renowned Mr Foe. <ou do not "now the $entle!an but at this %ery !o!ent he is en$a$ed in writin$ another story which is your story and your !aster's and !ine. Mr Foe has not !et you but he "nows of you fro! what I ha%e told hi! usin$ words. )hat is part of the !a$ic of words. )hrou$h the !ediu! of words I ha%e $i%en Mr Foe the particulars of you and Mr -ruso and of !y year on the island and the years you and Mr -ruso spent there alone as far as I can supply the!6 and all these particulars Mr Foe is wea%in$ into a story which will !a"e us fa!ous throu$hout the land and rich too. )here will be no !ore need for you to li%e in a cellar. <ou will ha%e !oney with which to buy your way to Africa or 'ra(il as the desire !o%es you bearin$ fine $ifts and be reunited with your parents if they re!e!ber you and !arry at last and ha%e children sons and dau$hters. And I will $i%e you your own copy of our boo" bound in leather to ta"e with you. I will show you how to trace your na!e in it pa$e after pa$e so that your children !ay see that their father is "nown in all parts of the world where boo"s are read. Is writin$ not a fine thin$ Friday7 A re you not filled with &oy to "now that you will li%e fore%er after a !anner7, '/a%in$ introduced you thus I open your boo" and read fro! it to Friday. ,)his is the story of Mrs >eal another hu!ble person who! Mr Foe has !ade fa!ous in the course of his writin$ , I say. ,Alas we shall ne%er !eet Mrs >eal for she has passed away6 and as to her friend Mrs 'arfield she li%es in -anterbury a city so!e distance to the south of us on this island where we find oursel%es na!ed 'ritain6 I doubt we shall e%er $o there., ')hrou$h all !y chatter Friday labours away at the washin$4board. I e3pect no si$n that he has understood. It is enou$h to hope that if I !a"e the air around hi! thic" with words !e!ories will be teborn in hi! which died under -ruso's rule and with the! the reco$nition that to li%e in silence is to li%e li"e the whales $reat castles of flesh floatin$ lea$ues apart one fro! another or li"e the spiders sittin$ each alone at the heart of his web which to hi! is the entire world. Friday !ay ha%e lost his ton$ue but he has not lost his ears 4 that is what I say to !yself. )hrou$h is ears Friday !ay yet ta"e in the wealth stored in stories and so learn that the world is not as the island see!ed to teach hi! a barren and a silent place *is that the secret !eanin$ of the word story do you thin"0 a storin$4place of !e!ories7+. 'I watch his toes curl on the floorboards of the cobblestones and "now that he cra%es the softness of earth under his feet. /ow I wish there were a $arden I could ta"e hi! to; -ould he and I not %isit your $arden in 5to"e 1ewin$ton7 #e should be as .uiet as $hosts. ,5pade Friday;, I should whisper offerin$ the spade to his hand6 and then0 ,8i$;, 4 which is a word his !aster tau$ht hi! 4 ,)urn o%er the soil pile up the weeds for burnin$. Feel the spade. Is it not a fine sharp tool7 It is an En$lish spade !ade in an En$lish s!ithy.,

'5o watchin$ his hand $rip the spade watchin$ his eyes I see" the first si$n that he co!prehends what I a! atte!ptin$0 not to ha%e the beds cleared *I a! sure you ha%e your own $ardener+ not e%en to sa%e hi! fro! idleness or for the sa"e of his health to brin$ hi! out of the dan"ness of his cellar but to build a brid$e of words o%er which when one day it is $rown sturdy enou$h he !ay cross to the ti!e before -ruso the ti!e before he lost his ton$ue when he li%ed i!!ersed in the prattle of words as unthin"in$ as a fish in water6 fro! where he !ay by steps return as far as he is able to the world of words in which you Mr Foe and I and other people li%e. ' Or I brin$ out your shears and show hi! their use. ,/ere in En$land , I say ,it is our custo! to $row hed$es to !ar" the li!its of our property. 8oubtless that would not be possible in the forests of Africa. 'ut here we $row hed$es and then cut the! strai$ht so that our $ardens shall be neatly !ar"ed out., I lop at the hed$e till it beco!es clear to Friday what I a! doin$0 not cuttin$ a passa$e throu$h your hed$e not cuttin$ down your hed$e but cuttin$ one side of it strai$ht. ,1ow Friday ta"e the shears , I say0 ,-ut;,6 and Friday ta"es the shears and cuts in a clean line as I "now he is capable of doin$ for his di$$in$ is i!peccable. 'I tell !yself I tal" to Friday to educate hi! out of dar"ness and silence. 'ut is that the truth7 )here are ti!es when bene%olence deserts !e and I use words only as the shortest way to sub&ect hi! to !y will. At such ti!es I understand why -ruso preferred not to disturb his !uteness. I understand that is to say why a !an will choose to be a sla%eowner. 8o you thin" if less of !e for this confession7' 'April A8th My letter of the ABth is returned unopened. I pray there has been so!e si!ple !ista"e. I enclose the sa!e herewith.' 'May 1s t 'I ha%e %isited 5to"e 1ewin$ton and found the bailiffs in occupation of your house. It is a cruel thin$ to say but I al!ost lau$hed to learn this was the reason for your silence you had not lost interest and turned your bac" on us. <et now I !ust as" !yself0 #here shall I send !y letters7 #ill you continue to write our story while you are in hidin$7 #ill you still contribute to our "eep7 Are Friday and I the only persona$es you ha%e settled in lod$in$s while you write their story or are there !any !ore of us dispersed about 9ondon 4 old ca!pai$ners fro! the wars in Italy cast4off !istresses penitent hi$hway!en prosperous thie%es7 /ow will you li%e while you are in hidin$7 /a%e you a wo!an to coo" your !eals and wash your linen7 -an your nei$hbours be trusted7 :e!e!ber0 the bailiffs ha%e their spies e%erywhere. 'e wary of public houses. If you are harried co!e to -loc" 9ane.' 'May 8th 'I !ust disclose I ha%e twice been to your house in the past wee" in the hope of hearin$ tidin$s. 8o not be annoyed. I ha%e not re%ealed to Mrs )hrush who I a!. I say only that I

ha%e !essa$es for you !essa$es of the ut!ost i!portance. On !y first %isit Mrs )hrush plainly $a%e to "now she did not belie%e !e. 'ut !y earnestness has now won her o%er. 5he has accepted !y letters pro!isin$ to "eep the! safe which I ta"e to be a !anner of sayin$ she will send the! to you. A! I ri$ht7 8o they reach you7 5he confides that she frets for your welfare and lon$s for the departure of the bailiffs. ,)he bailiffs ha%e .uartered the!sel%es in your library. One sleeps on the couch the other it see!s in two ar!chairs drawn to$ether. )hey send out to the ?in$'s Ar!s for their !eals. )hey are prepared to wait a !onth two !onths a year they say to ser%e their warrant. A !onth I can belie%e but not a year they do not "now how lon$ a year can be. It was one of the! an odious fellow na!ed #il"es who opened the door to !e the second ti!e. /e fancies I carry !essa$es between you and Mrs )hrush. /e pinned !e in the passa$eway before I left and told !e of the Fleet of how !en ha%e spent their li%es there abandoned by their fa!ilies castaways in the %ery heart of the city. #ho will sa%e you Mr Foe if you are arrested and consi$ned to the Fleet7 I thou$ht you had a wife but Mrs )hrush says you are widowed !any years. '<our library ree"s of pipes!o"e. )he door of the I lar$er cabinet is bro"en and the $lass not so !uch as swept up. Mrs )hrush says that #il"es and his friend had a wo!an with the! last ni$ht. 'I ca!e ho!e to -loc" 9ane in low spirits. )here are ti!es when I feel !y stren$th to be li!itless when I can bear you and your troubles on !y bac" and the bailiffs as well if need be and Friday and -ruso and the island. 'ut there are other ti!es when a pall of weariness falls o%er !e and I lon$ to be borne away to a new life in a far4 off city where I will ne%er hear your na!e or -ruso's a$ain. -an you not press on with your writin$ Mr Foe so that Friday can speedily be returned to Africa and I liberated fro! this drab e3istence I lead7 /idin$ fro! the bailiffs is surely tedious and writin$ a better way than !ost of passin$ the ti!e. )he !e!oir I wrote for you I wrote sittin$ on !y bed with the paper on a tray on !y "nees !y heart fearful all the while that Friday would deca!p fro! the cellar to which he had been consi$ned or ta"e a stroll and be lost in the !a(es and warrens of -o%ent =arden. <et I co!pleted that !e!oir in three days. More is at sta"e in the history you write I will ad!it for it !ust not only tell the truth about us but please its readers too. #ill you not bear it in !ind howe%er that !y life is drearily suspended till your writin$ is done7' 'May 19th )he days pass and I ha%e no word fro! you. A patch of dandelions 4 all we ha%e for flowers in -loc" 9ane 4 is pushin$ up a$ainst the wall beneath !y window. 'y noon the roo! is hot. I will stifle if su!!er co!es and I a! still confined. I lon$ for the ease of wal"in$ abroad in !y shift as I did on the island. ')he three $uineas you sent are spent. -lothes for Friday were a hea%y e3pense. )he rent for this wee" is owed. I a! asha!ed to co!e downstairs and coo" our poor supper of peas and salt. ')o who! a! I writin$7 I blot the pa$es and toss the! out of the window. 9et who will read the!.' EE

')he house in 1ewin$ton is closed up Mrs )hrush and the ser%ants are departed. #hen I pronounce your na!e the nei$hbours $row ti$ht4lipped. #hat has happened7 /a%e the bailiffs trac"ed you down7 #ill you be able to proceed with your writin$ in prison7' 'May A9th '#e ha%e ta"en up residence in your house fro! which I now write. Are you surprised to hear this7 )here were spider4webs o%er the windows already which we ha%e swept away. #e will disturb nothin$. #hen you return we will %anish li"e $hosts without co!plaint. 'I ha%e your table to sit at your window to $a(e throu$h. I write with your pen on your paper and when the sheets are co!pleted they $o into your chest. '5o your life continues to be li%ed thou$h you are $one. 'All I lac" is li$ht. )here is not a candle left in the house. 'ut perhaps that is a blessin$. 5ince we !ust 1 "eep the curtains drawn we will $row used to li%in$ in $loo! by day in dar"ness by ni$ht. 'It is not wholly as I i!a$ined it would be. #hat I I thou$ht would be your writin$4table is not a table but a bureau. )he window o%erloo"s not woods and pastures but your $arden. )here is no ripple in the $lass. )he chest is not a true chest but a dispatch bo3. 1e%ertheless it is all close enou$h. 8oes it surprise as !uch as it does !e this correspondence between thin$s as they are and the pictures we ha%e of the! in our !inds7' EE '#e ha%e e3plored your $arden Friday and I. )he flower4beds are sadly o%er$rown but the carrots and beans are prosperin$. I will set Friday to wor" weedin$. '#e li%e here li"e the hu!blest of poor relations four best linen is put away6 we eat off the ser%ants' plate. )hin" of !e as the niece of a second cousin co!e down in the world to who! you owe but the barest of duties. 'I pray you ha%e not ta"en the step of e!bar"in$ for the colonies. My dar"est fear is that an Atlantic stor! will dri%e your ship on to uncharted roc"s and spill you up on a barren isle. ')here was a ti!e in -loc" 9ane I will confess when I felt $reat bitterness a$ainst you. /e has turned his !ind fro! us I told !yself as easily as if we were two of his $renadiers in Flanders for$ettin$ that while his $renadiers fall into an enchanted sleep whene%er he absents hi!self Friday and I continue to eat and drin" and fret. )here see!ed no course open to !e but to ta"e to the streets and be$ or steal or worse. 'ut now that we are in your house peace has returned. #hy it should be so I do not "now but toward this house 4 which till last !onth I had ne%er clapped eyes on 4 I feel as we feel toward the ho!e we were born in. All the noo"s and crannies all the odd hidden corners of the $arden ha%e an air of fa!iliarity as if in a for$otten childhood I here played $a!es of hide and see".' EE

'/ow !uch of !y life consists in waitin$; In 'ahia I did little but wait thou$h what I was waitin$ for I so!eti!es did not "now. On the island I waited all the ti!e for rescue. /ere I wait for you to appear or for the boo" to be written that will set !e free of -ruso and Friday. 'I sat at your bureau this !ornin$ *it is afternoon now I sit at the sa!e bureau I ha%e sat here all day+ and too" out a clean sheet of paper and dipped pen in in" 4 your pen your in" I "now but so!ehow the pen beco!es !ine while I write with it as thou$h $rowin$ out of !y hand 4 and wrote at the head0 )he Fe!ale -astaway. 'ein$ a )rue Account of a <ear 5pent on a 8esert Island. #ith Many 5tran$e G-ircu!stances 1e%er /itherto :elated., )hen I !ade a list of all the stran$e circu!stances of the year I could re!e!ber0 the !utiny and !urder on the portu$uese ship -ruso's castle -ruso hi!self with his lion's !ane and apes"in clothes his %oiceless sla%e Friday the %ast terraces they had built all bare of $rowth the terrible stor! that tore the roof off our house and heaped the beaches with dyin$ fish. 8ubiously I thou$ht0 Are these enou$h stran$e circu!stances to !a"e a story of7 /ow lon$ before I a! dri%en to in%ent new and stran$er circu!stances0 the sal%a$e of tools and !us"ets fro! -ruso's ship6 the buildin$ of a boat or at least a s"iff and a %enture to sail to the !ainland6 a landin$ by cannibals on the island followed by a s"ir!ish and !any bloody deaths6 and at last the co!in$ of a $olden4haired stran$er with a sac" of corn and the plantin$ of the terraces7 Alas will the day e%er arri%e when we can !a"e a story without stran$e circu!stances7 ')hen there is the !atter of Friday's ton$ue. On te island I accepted that I should ne%er learn how Friday lost his ton$ue as I accepted that I should ne%er learn how the apes crossed the sea. 'ut what we can accept in life we cannot accept in history. )o tell !y story and be silent on Friday's ton$ue is no better than offerin$ a boo" for sale with pa$es in it .uietly left e!pty. <et the only ton$ue that can tell Friday's secret is the ton$ue he has lost; '5o this !ornin$ I !ade two s"etches. One showed the fi$ure of a !an clad in &er"in and drawers and a conical hat with whis"ers standin$ out in all directions and $reat cat4eyes. ?neelin$ before hi! was the fi$ure of a blac" !an na"ed sa%e for drawers holdin$ his hands behind his bac" *the hands were tied but that could not be seen+. In his left hand the whis"ered fi$ure $ripped the li%in$ ton$ue of the other6 in his ri$ht hand he held up a "nife. 'Of the second s"etch I will tell you in a !o!ent. 'I too" !y s"etches down to Friday in the $arden. ,-onsider these pictures Friday , I said ,then tell !e0 which is the truth7, I held up the first. ,Master -ruso , I said pointin$ to the whis"ered fi$ure. ,Friday , I said pointin$ to the "neelin$ fi$ure. ,?nife , I said pointin$ to the "nife. ,-ruso cut out Friday's ton$ue , I said6 and I stuc" out !y own ton$ue and !ade !otions of cuttin$ it. ,Is that the truth Friday7, I pressed hi! loo"in$ deep into his eyes0 ,Master -ruso cut out your ton$ue7, '*Friday !i$ht not "now the !eanin$ of the word truth I reasoned6 ne%ertheless if !y picture stirred so!e recollection of the truth surely a cloud would pass o%er his $a(e6 for are the eyes not ri$htly called the !irrors of the soul7+ '<et e%en as I spo"e I be$an to doubt !yself. For if Friday's $a(e indeed beca!e troubled !i$ht that not be because I ca!e stridin$ out of the house de!andin$ that he loo" at pictures so!ethin$ I had ne%er done before7 Mi$ht the picture itself not confuse hi!7 *For e3a!inin$ it anew I reco$ni(ed with cha$rin that it !i$ht also be ta"en to

show -ruso as a beneficent father puttin$ a lu!p of fish into the !outh child Friday.+ And how did he understand !y sture of puttin$ out !y ton$ue at hi!7 #hat if a!on$ the cannibals of Africa puttin$ out the ton$ue has the sa!e !eanin$ as offerin$ the lips has a!on$st us7 Mi$ht you not then flush with sha!e when a wo!an puts out her ton$ue and you ha%e no ton$ue witch which to respond7 'I brou$ht out !y second s"etch. A$ain there was depicted little Friday his ar!s stretched behind hi! !outh wide open6 but now the !an with the "nife as a sla%e4trader a tall blac" !an clad in a burnous the "nife was sic"le4shaped. 'ehind this Moor wa%ed the pal!4trees of Africa. ,5la%e4trader , I said pointin$ to the !an. ,Man who catches boys and sells the! as sla%es. 8id a sla%e4trader cut out your ton$ue Friday7 #as it a sla%e4trader or Master -ruso7, ''ut Friday's $a(e re!ained %acant and I be$an to disheartened. #ho after all was to say he did lose his ton$ue at the a$e when boy4children a!on$ the @ews are cut6 and if so how could he re!e!ber the loss7 #ho was to say there do not e3ist entire tribes in Africa a!on$ who! the !en are !ute and speech is reser%ed to wo!en7 #hy should it not be so7 )he world is !ore %arious than we e%er $i%e it credit for4that is one of the lessons I was tau$ht by 'ahia. #hy should such tribes not e3ist and procreate and flourish and be content7 Or if there was indeed a sla%e4trader a Moorish sla%e4trader with a hoo"ed "nife was !y picture of hi! at all li"e the Moor Friday re!e!bered7 Are Moors all tall and clad in white burnouses7 2erhaps the Moor $a%e orders to a trusty sla%e to cut out the ton$ues of the capti%es a wi(ened blac" sla%e in a loin4cloth. ,Is this a faithful representation of the !an who cut out your ton$ue7, 4 was that what Friday in his way understood !e to be as"in$7 If so what answer could he $i%e but 1o7 And e%en if it was a Moor who cut out his ton$ue his Moor was li"ely an inch taller than !ine or an inch shorter6 wore blac" or blue not white6 was bearded not clean4sha%en6 had a strai$ht "nife not a cur%ed one6 and so forth. '5o standin$ before Friday I slowly tore up !y pictures. A lon$ silence fell. For the first ti!e I noted how lon$ Friday's fin$ers were folded on the shaft of the spade. ,Ah Friday;, I said. ,5hipwrec" is a $reat le%eller and so is destitution but we are not le%el enou$h yet., And then thou$h no reply ca!e nor e%er would I went on $i%in$ %oice to all that lay in !y heart. ,I a! wastin$ !y life on you Friday on you and your foolish story. I !ean no hurt but it is true. #hen I a! an old wo!an I will loo" bac" on this as a $reat waste of ti!e a ti!e of bein$ wasted by ti!e. #hat are we doin$ here you and 1 a!on$ the sober bur$esses of 1ewin$ton waitin$ for a !an who will ne%er co!e bac"7, 'If Friday had been anyone else I would ha%e wished hi! to ta"e !e in his ar!s and co!fort !e for seldo! had I felt so !iserable. 'ut Friday stood li"e a statue. I ha%e no doubt that a!on$st Africans the hu!an sy!pathies !o%e as readily as a!on$st us. 'ut the unnatural years Friday had spent with -ruso had deadened his heart !a"in$ hi! cold incurious li"e an ani!al wrapt entirely in itself.' '@une 1st '8urin$ the rei$n of the bailiffs as you will understand the nei$hbours shunned your house. 'ut today a $entle!an who introduced hi!self as Mr 5u!!ers called. I thou$ht it

prudent to tell hi! I was the new house"eeper and Friday the $ardener. I was plausible enou$h I belie%e to con%ince hi! we are not $ipsies 'who ha%e chanced on an e!pty house and settled in. )he house itself is clean and neat e%en the library and Friday was at wor" in the $arden so the lie did not see! too $reat. 'I wonder so!eti!es whether you do not wait i!patiently in your .uarter of 9ondon for tidin$s that the castaways are at last flitten and you are free to co!e ho!e. 8o you ha%e spies who peer in at the windows to see whether we are still in occupation7 8o you pass by the house yourself daily in thic" dis$uise7 Is the truth that your hidin$4 place is not in the bac" alleys of 5horeditch or #hitechapel as we all sur!ise but in this sunny %illa$e itself7 Is Mr 5u!!ers of your party7 /a%e you ta"en up residence in his attic where you pass the ti!e perusin$ throu$h a spy$lass the life we lead7 If so you will belie%e !e when I say the life we lead $rows less and less distinct fro! the life we led on -ruso's island. 5o!eti!es I wa" e up not "nowin$ where I a!. )he world is full of islands said -ruso once. /is words rin$ truer e%ery day. 'I write !y letters I seal the! I drop the! in the bo3. One day when we are departed you will tip the! out and $lance throu$h the!. ,'etter had there been only -ruso and Friday , you will !ur!ur to yourself0 ,'etter without the wo!an., <et where would you be without the wo!an7 #ould -ruso ha%e co!e to you of his own accord7 -ould you ha%e !ade up -ruso and Friday and the island with its fleas and apes and li(ards7 I thin" not. Many stren$ths you ha%e but in%ention is not one of the!.' EE 'A stran$er has been watchin$ the house a $irl. 5he stands across the street for hours on end !a"in$ no effort to conceal herself. 2assers4by stop and tal" to her but she i$nores the!. I as"0 Is she another of the bailiffs' spies or is she sent by you to obser%e us7 5he wears a $rey cloa" and cape despite the su!!er's heat and carries a bas"et. 'I went out to her today the fourth day of her %i$il. ,/ere is a letter for your !asters , I said without prea!ble and dropped a letter in her bas"et. 5he stared in surprise. 9ater I found the letter pushed bac" under the door unopened. I had addressed it to #il"es the bailiff. If the $irl were in the bailiffs' ser%ice I reasoned she could not refuse to ta"e a letter to the!. 5o I tied in a pac"et all the letters I had written you and went out a second ti!e. 'It was late in the afternoon. 5he stood before !e stiff as a statue wrapped in her cloa". ,#hen you see Mr Foe $i%e hi! these , I said and presented the letters. 5he shoo" her head. ,#ill you not see Mr Foe then7, I as"ed. A$ain she shoo" her head. ,#ho are you7 #hy do you watch Mr Foe's house7, I pursued wonderin$ whether I had to do with another !ute. '5he raised her head. ,8o you not "now who I sa!7 she said. /er %oice was low her lip tre!bled. ',I ha%e ne%er set eyes on you in !y life , said I. 'All the colour drained fro! her face. ,)hat is not she whispered6 and let fall the hood of her cape shoo" free her hair which was ha(el4brown. ,)ell !e your na!e and I will "now better , said I ,My na!e is 5usan 'arton , she whispered6 by which I "new I was con%ersin$ with a !adwo!an. ',And why do you watch !y house all day 5usan 'arton7, I as"ed holdin$ !y %oice le%el. ' ,)o spea" with you , she replied.

,'And what is !y na!e7, ',<our na!e is 5usan 'arton too., ' ,And who sends you to watch !y house7 Is it Mr Foe7 8oes Mr Foe wish us to be $one7, 'I "now no Mr Foe , said she. ,I co!e only to you., 'And what !ay your business be with !e7, '8o you not "now , said she in a %oice so low I barely hear 4 ,8o you not "now whose child I a!7 'I ha%e ne%er set eyes on you in !y life , said I. lose child are you7, )o which she !ade no reply but bowed her head and be$an to weep standin$ c"u!sily with her hands at her sides her bas"et at her feet. ')hin"in$ )his is so!e poor lost child who does "now who she is I put an ar! about her to co!fort her. 'ut as I touched her she of a sudden dropped to her "nees and e!braced !e sobbin$ as if her heart would brea". ',#hat is it child7, said I tryin$ to brea" her $rip on !e. ',<ou do not "now !e you do not "now !e;, she cried. ' ,It is true I do not "now you but I "now your na!e you told !e it is 5usan 'arton the sa!e na!e as !ine., 'At this she wept e%en harder. ,<ou ha%e for$otten !e;, she sobbed. ,'I ha%e not for$otten you for I ne%er "new you. 'ut you !ust $et up and dry your tears., '5he allowed !e to raise her and too" !y hand"erchief and dried her eyes and blew her nose. I thou$ht0 #hat a $reat blubberin$ lu!p; ,1ow you !ust tell !e , said I0 ,/ow do you co!e to "now !y na!e7, *For to Mr 5u!!ers I presented !yself si!ply as the new house"eeper6 to no one in 1ewin$ton ha%e I $i%en !y na!e.+ ' ,I ha%e followed you e%erywhere , said the $irl. ',E%erywhere7, said I s!ilin$. ',E%erywhere , said she. ' ,I "now of one place where you ha%e not followed !e , said I. ' ,I ha%e followed you e%erywhere , said she. ',8id you follow !e across the ocean7, said I. ' ,I "now of the island , said she. 'It was as if she had struc" !e in the face. ,<ou "now nothin$ of the island , I retorted. ' ,I "now of 'ahia too. I "now you were scourin$ 'ahia for !e., ''y these words she betrayed fro! who! she had her intelli$ence. 'urnin$ with an$er a$ainst her and a$ainst you I turned on !y heel and sla!!ed the door behind !e. For an ho ur she waited at her post then toward e%enin$ departed. '#ho is she and why do you send her to !e7 Is she sent as a si$n you are ali%e7 5he is not !y dau$hter. 8o you thin" wo!en drop children and for$et the! as sna"es lay e$$s7 Only a !an could I entertain such a fancy. If you want !e to .uit the house $i%e the order and I will obey. #hy send a child in an old wo!an's clothes a child with a round face and a little O of a !outh and a story of a lost !other7 5he is !ore your dau$hter than she e%er was !ine.' EE

A brewer. 5he says that her father was a brewer. )hat she was born in 8eptford in May of 1HDA. )hat I a! her !other. #e sit in your drawin$4roo! and I e3plain to her that I ha%e ne%er li%ed in 8eptford in !y life that I ha%e ne%er "nown a brewer that I ha%e a dau$hter it is true but !y dau$hter is lost she is not that dau$hter. 5weetly she sha"es her head and be$ins a second ti!e the story of the brewer =eor$e 9ewes !y husband. ,)hen your na!e is 9ewes if that is the na!e of your father , I interrupt. ,It !ay be !y na!e in law but it is not !y na!e in truth , says she. ,If we were to be spea"in$ of na!es in truth , say I ,!y na!e would not be 'arton., ,)hat is not what I !ean , says she. ,)hen what do you !ean7, say I. ,I a! spea"in$ of our true na!es our %eritable na!es , says she. '5he returns to the story of the brewer. )he brewer haunts $a!in$4houses and loses his last penny. /e borrows !oney and loses that too. )o escape his creditors he flees En$land and enlists as a $renadier in the 9ow -ountries where he is later ru!oured to perish. I a! left destitute with a dau$hter to care for. I ha%e a !aidser%ant na!ed A!y or E!!y. A!y or E!!y as"s !y dau$hter what life she !eans to follow when she $rows up *this is her earliest !e!ory+. 5he replies in her childish way that she !eans to be a $entlewo!an. A!y or E!!y lau$hs0 Mar" !y words A!y says the day will yet arri%e when we three shall be ser%ants to$ether. ,I ha%e ne%er had a ser%ant in !y life whether na!ed A!y or E!!y or anythin$ else , I say. *Friday was not !y sla%e but -ruso's and is a free !an now. /e cannot e%en be said to be a ser%ant so idle is his life.+ ,<ou confuse !e with so!e other person., '5he s!iles a$ain and sha"es her head. ,'ehold the si$n by which we !ay "now our true !other , she says and leans forward and places her hand beside !ine. ,5ee , she says ,we ha%e the sa!e hand. )he sa!e hand and the sa!e eyes., 'I stare at the two hands side by side. My hand is lon$ hers short. /er fin$ers are the plu!p unfor!ed fin$ers of a child. /er eyes are $rey !ine brown. #hat "ind of bein$ is she so serenely blind to the e%idence of her senses7 ' ,8id a !an send you here7, I as" 4 ,A $entle!an of !iddle hei$ht with a !ole on his chin here7, ',1o , she says. ',I do not belie%e you , I say. ,I belie%e you &were sent here and now I a! sendin$ you away. I re.uest you to $o away and not to trouble !e a$ain., '5he sha"es her head and $rips the ar! of her chair )he air of cal! %anishes. ,I will not be sent away;, 5he says throu$h clenched teeth. '>ery well , say I ,if you wish to stay stay., And I withdraw loc"in$ the door behind !e and poc"etin$ the "ey. 'In the hallway I encounter Friday standin$ listlessly in a corner *he stands always in corners ne%er in the open0 he !istrusts space+. ,It is nothin$ Friday , I tell hi!. ,It is only a poor !ad $irl co!e to &oin us. In Mr Foe's house there are !any !ansions. #e are yet only a castaway and a du!b sla%e and now a !adwo!an. )here is place yet for lepers and acrobats and pirates and whores to &oin our !ena$erie. 'ut pay no heed to !e. =o bac" to bed and sleep., And I brush past hi!. 'I tal" to Friday as old wo!en tal" to cats out of leliness till at last they are dee!ed to be witches shunned in the streets.

'9ater I return to the drawin$4roo!. )he $irl is ittin$ in an ar!chair her bas"et at her feet "nittin$. <ou will har! your eyesi$ht "nittin$ in this li$ht , I say. 5he lays down her "nittin$. ,)here is one circu!stance you !isunderstand , I continue. ,)he world is full of stories of !others searchin$ for sons and dau$hters they $a%e away once lon$ a$o. 'ut there no stories of dau$hters searchin$ for !others. )here are no stories of such .uests because they do not occur. )hey are not part of life., ',<ou are !ista"en , says she. ,<ou are !y !other I ha%e found you and now I will not lea%e you., ',I will ad!it I ha%e indeed lost a dau$hter. 'ut I did not $i%e her away she was ta"en fro! !e and you are not she. I a! lea%in$ the door unloc"ed. 8epart when you are ready., ,)his !ornin$ when I co!e downstairs she is still there sprawled in the ar!chair bundled in her cloa" asleep. 'endin$ o%er her I see that one eye is half open and the eyeball rolled bac". I sha"e her. ,It is ti!e to $o , I say. ,1o , says she. 1e%ertheless fro! the "itchen I hear the door close and the latch clic" behind her. ',#ho brou$ht you up after I abandoned you7, I as"ed. ,)he $ipsies , she replied. ,)he $ipsies;, I !oc"ed 4 ,It is only in boo"s that children are stolen by $ipsies; <ou !ust thin" of a better story;, 'And now as if !y troubles are not enou$h Friday has fallen into one of his !opes. Mopes are what -ruso called the! when without reason Friday would lay down his tools and disappear to so!e se.uestered corner of the island and then a day later co!e bac" and resu!e his chores as if nothin$ had inter%ened. 1ow he !opes about the passa$eways or stands at the door lon$in$ to escape afraid to %enture out6 or else lies abed and pretends not to hear when I call hi!. ,Friday Friday , I say seatin$ !yself at his bedside sha"in$ !y head driftin$ despite !yself into issueless collo.uies I conduct with hi! ,how could I ha%e foreseen when I was carried by the wa%es on to your island and beheld you with a spear in your hand and the sun shinin$ li"e a halo behind your head that our path would ta"e us to a $loo!y house in En$land and a season of e!pty waitin$7 #as I wron$ to choose Mr Foe7 And who is this child he sends us this !ad child7 8oes he send her as a si$n7 #hat is she a si$n of7 ',Oh Friday how can I !a"e you understand the cra%in$s felt by those of us who li%e in a world of speech to ha%e our .uestions answered; It is li"e our desire when we "iss so!eone to feel the lips we "iss respond to us. Otherwise would we not be content to bestow our "isses on statues the cold statues of "in$s .ueens and $ods and $oddesses7 #hy do you thin" we do not "iss statues and sleep with statues in our beds !en with the statues of wo!en and wo!en with the statues of !en statues car%ed in postures of desire7 8o you thin" it is only because !arble is cold7 9ie lon$ enou$h with a statue in your bed with war! co%ers o%er the two of you and the !arble will $row war!. 1o it is not because the statue is cold but because it is dead or rather because it has ne%er li%ed and ne%er will. ,'e assured Friday by sittin$ at your bedside and tal"in$ of desire and "isses I do not !ean to court you. )his is no $a!e in which each word has a second !eanin$ in which the words say '5tatues are cold' i and !ean ''odies are war! ' or say 'I cra%e an answer' !ean 'I cra%e an e!brace.' 1or is the denial I now !a"e a false denial of the "ind de!anded at least in En$land *I a! i$norant of the custo!s of your country+ by !odesty. If I were courtin$ I would court directly you !ay be sure. 'ut I a! not

courtin$. I a! tryin$ to brin$ it ho!e to you who ha%e ne%er for all I "now spo"en a word in your life and certainly ne%er will what it is to spea" into a %oid day after day without answer. And I use a si!ilitude0 I say that the desire for answerin$ speech is li"e the desire for the e!brace of the e!brace by another bein$. 8o I !a"e !y !eanin$ clear7 <ou are %ery li"ely a %ir$in Friday. 2erhaps you are e%en unac.uainted with the parts of $eneration. <et surely you feel howe%er obscurely so!ethin$ within you that draws you toward a wo!an of your own "ind and not toward an ape or a fish. And what you want to achie%e with that wo!an thou$h you !i$ht pu((le fore%er o%er the !eans were she not to assist you is what I too want to achie%e and co!pared in !y si!ilitude to an answerin$ "iss. ' ,/ow dis!al a fate it would be to $o throu$h life un"issed; <et if you re!ain in En$land Friday will that not beco!e your fate7 #here are you to !eet a wo!an of your own people7 #e are not a nation rich in sla%es. I thin" of a watch4do$ raised with "indness but "ept fro! birth behind a loc"ed $ate. #hen at last such a do$ escapes the $ate ha%in$ been left open let us say the world appears to it so %ast so stran$e so full of troublin$ si$hts and s!ells that it snarls at the first creature to approach and leaps at its throat after which it is !ar"ed down as %icious and chained to a post for the rest of its days. I do not say that you are %icious Friday I do not say that you will e%er be chained that is not the i!port of !y story. :ather I wish to point to how unnatural a lot it is for a do$ or any other creature to be "ept fro! its "ind6 also to thow the i!pulse of lo%e which ur$es us toward our own "ind perishes durin$ confine!ent or loses its way. Alas !y stories see! always to ha%e !ore applications than I intend so that I !ust $o bac" and laboriously e3tract the ri$ht application and apolo$i(e for the wron$ ones and efface the!. 5o!e people are born storytellers6 I it would see! a! not. ',And can we be sure that Mr Foe whose house this is who! you ha%e ne%er !et to who! I entrusted the story of the island did not wee"s a$o pass away in a hidin$4 hole in 5horeditch7 If so we shall be fore%er obscure. /is house will be sold under our feet to pay the creditors. )here will be no !ore $arden. <ou will ne%er see Africa. )he chill of winter will return and you will ha%e to wear shoes. #here in En$land will we find a last broad enou$h for your feet7 ' ,Or else I !ust assu!e the burden of our story. 'ut what shall I write7 <ou "now how dull our life was in truth. #e faced no perils no ra%enous beasts not e%en serpents. Food was plentiful the sun was !ild. 1o pirates landed on our shores no freebooters no cannibals sa%e yourself if you can be called a cannibal. 8id -ruso truly belie%e I wonder that you were once a cannibal child7 #as it his dar" fear that the cra%in$ for hu!an flesh would co!e bac" to you that you would one ni$ht slit his throat and roast his li%er and eat it7 #as his tal" of cannibals rowin$ fro! if island to island in search of !eat a warnin$ a !as"ed warnin$ a$ainst you and your appetites7 #hen you showed your fine white teeth did -ruso's heart .uail7 /ow I wish you could answer; ',<et all in all I thin" the answer !ust be 1o. 5urely -ruso !ust ha%e felt the tediu! of life on the island as "eenly in his way as I did in !ine and perhaps you in yours and therefore ha%e !ade up the ro%in$ cannibals to spur hi!self to %i$ilance. For the dan$er of island life the dan$er of which -ruso said ne%er a word was the dan$er of abidin$ sleep. /ow easy it would ha%e been to prolon$ our slu!bers farther and farther into the hours of dayli$ht till at last loc"ed ti$ht in sleep's e!brace we star%ed to death *I allude to -ruso and !yself but is the sleepin$ sic"ness not also one of the scour$es of

Africa7+; 8oes it not spea" %olu!es that the first and only piece of furniture your !aster fashioned was a bed7 /ow different would it not ha%e been had he built a table and stool and e3tended his in$enuity to the !anufacture of in" and writin$4tablets and then sat down to "eep an authentic &ournal of his e3ile day by day which we !i$ht ha%e brou$ht bac" to En$land with us and sold to a boo"seller and so sa%ed oursel%es this e!broil!ent with Mr Foe; ' ,Alas we will ne%er !a"e our fortunes Friday by bein$ !erely what we are or were. )hin" of the spectacle we offer0 your !aster and you on the terraces I on the cliffs watchin$ for a sail. #ho would wish to read that there were once two dull fellows on a roc" in the sea who filled their ti!e by di$$in$ up stones7 As for !e and !y yearnin$s for sal%ation one is as soon sated with yearnin$ as one is with su$ar. #e be$in to understand why Mr Foe pric"ed up his ears when he heard the word -annibal why he lon$ed for -ruso to ha%e a !us"et and a carpenter's chest. 1o doubt he would ha%e preferred -ruso to be youn$er too and his senti!ents towards !e !ore passionate. ','ut it $rows late and there is !uch to do before ni$htfall. Are we the only fol" in En$land I wonder without la!p or candle7 5urely this is an e3traordinary e3istence we lead; For let !e assure you Friday this is not how En$lish!en li%e. )hey do not eat carrots !ornin$ noon and ni$ht and li%e indoors li"e !oles and $o to sleep when the sun sets. 9et us only $row rich and I will show you how different li%in$ in En$land can be fro! li%in$ on a roc" in the !iddle of the ocean. )o!orrow Friday to!orrow I !ust settle down to !y writin$ before the bailiffs co!e bac" to e3pel us and we ha%e neither carrots to eat nor beds to sleep in. ',<et despite what I say the story of the island was not all tediu! and waitin$. )here were touches of !ystery too were there not7 ' ,First the terraces. /ow !any stones did you and your !aster !o%e7 )en thousand7 A hundred thousand7 On an island without seed would you and he not ha%e been as fruitfully occupied in waterin$ the stones where they lay and waitin$ for the! to sprout7 If your !aster had truly wished to be a colonist and lea%e behind a colony would he not ha%e been better ad%ised *dare I say this7+ to plant his seed in the only wo!b there was7 )he farther I &ourney fro! his terraces the less they see! to !e li"e fields waitin$ to be planted the !ore li"e to!bs0 those to!bs the e!perors of E$ypt erected for the!sel%es in the desert in the buildin$ of which so !any sla%es lost their li%es. /as that li"eness e%er occurred to you Friday6 or did news of the e!perors of E$ypt not reach your part of Africa7 ',5econd *I continue to na!e the !ysteries+0 how did you co!e to lose your ton$ue7 <our !aster says the sla%ers cut it out6 but I ha%e ne%er heard of such a practice nor did I e%er !eet a sla%e in 'ra(il who was du!b. Is the truth that your !aster cut it out hi!self and bla!ed the sla%ers7 If so it was truly an unnatural cri!e li"e chancin$ upon a stran$er and slayin$ hi! for no other cause than to "eep hi! fro! tellin$ the world who slew hi!. And how would your !aster ha%e acco!plished it7 5urely no sla%e is so sla%ish as to offer up his parts to the "nife. 8id -ruso bind you hand and foot and force a bloc" of wood between your teeth and then hac" out your ton$ue7 Is that how the act was dorie7 A "nife let us re!e!ber was the sole tool -ruso sa%ed fro! the wrec". 'ut where did he find the rope with which to bind you7 8id he co!!it the cri!e while you slept thrustin$ his fist into your !outh and cuttin$ out your ton$ue while you were still befuddled7 Or was there so!e berry nati%e to the island whose &uice s!u$$led into

your food sent you into a deathli"e sleep7 8id -ruso cut out your ton$ue while you were insensible7 'ut how did he staunch the bleedin$ stu!p7 #hy did you not cho"e on your blood7 ,Fnless your ton$ue was not cut off but !erely split with a cut as neat as a sur$eon's that drew little blood yet !ade speech e%er afterward i!possible. Or let us say the sinews that !o%e the ton$ue were cut and not the ton$ue itself the sinews at the base of the ton$ue. I $uess !erely I ha%e not loo"ed into your !outh. #hen your !aster as"ed !e to loo" I would not. An a%ersion ca!e o%er !e that we feel for all the !utilated. #hy is that so do you thin"7 'ecause they put us in !ind of what we would rather for$et0 how easily at the stro"e of a sword or a "nife wholeness and beauty are fore%er undone7 2erhaps. 'ut toward you I felt a deeper re%ulsion. I could not put out of !ind the softness of the ton$ue its softness and wetness and the fact that it does not li%e in the li$ht6 also how helpless it is before the "nife once the barrier of the teeth has been passed. )he ton$ue is li"e the heart in that way is it not7 5a%e that we do not die when a "nife pierces the ton$ue. )o that de$ree we !ay say the ton$ue belon$s to the world of play whereas the heart belon$s to the world of earnest. ' ,<et it is not the heart but the !e!bers of play that ele%ate us abo%e the beasts0 the fin$ers with which we touch the cla%ichord or the flute the ton$ue with which we &est and lie and seduce. 9ac"in$ !e!bers of play what is there left for beasts to do when they are bored but sleep7 ' ,And then there is the !ystery of your sub!ission. #hy durin$ all those years alone with -ruso did you sub!it to his rule when you !i$ht easily ha%e slain hi! or blinded hi! and !ade hi! into your sla%e in turn7 Is there so!ethin$ in the condition of sla%ehood that in%ades the heart and !a"es a sla%e a sla%e for life as the whiff of in" clin$s fore%er to a school!aster7 ' ,)hen if I !ay be plain 4 and why !ay I not be plain since tal"in$ to you is li"e tal"in$ to the walls7 4why did you not desire !e neither you nor your !aster7 A wo!an is cast ashore on your island a tall wo!an with blac" hair and dar" eyes till a few hours past the co!panion of a sea4captain besotted with lo%e of her. 5urely desires "ept ban"ed for !any years !ust ha%e fla!ed up within you. #hy did I not catch you stealin$ $lances fro! behind a roc" while I bathed7 8o tall wo!en who rise up out of the sea dis!ay you7 8o they see! li"e e3iled .ueens co!e to reclai! the islands !en ha%e stolen fro! the!7 'ut perhaps I a! un&ust perhaps that is a .uestion for -ruso alone6 for what ha%e you e%er stolen in your life you who are yourself stolen7 1e%ertheless did -ruso in his way and do you in your way belie%e I ca!e to clai! do!inion o%er you and is that why you were wary of !e7 ',I as" these .uestions because they are the .uestions any reader of our story will as". I had no thou$ht when I was washed ashore of beco!in$ a castaway's wife. 'ut the reader is bound to as" why it was that in all the ni$hts I shared your !aster's hut he and I did not co!e to$ether !ore than once as !an and wo!an do. Is the answer that our island was not a $arden of desire li"e that in which our first parents went na"ed and coupled as innocently as beasts7 I belie%e your !aster would ha%e had it be a $arden of labour6 but lac"in$ a worthy ob&ect for his labours descended to carryin$ stones as ants carry $rains of sand to and fro for want of better occupation. ',And then there is the final !ystery0 #hat were you about when you paddled out to sea upon your lo$ and scattered petals on the water7 I will tell you what I ha%e

concluded that you scattered the petals o%er the place where your ship went down and scattered the! in !e!ory of so!e person who perished in the wrec" perhaps a father or a !other or a sister or a brother or perhaps a whole fa!ily or perhaps a dear friend. On the sorrows of Friday I ,once thou$ht to tell Mr Foe but did not a story entire of itself !i$ht be built6 whereas fro! the indifference of -ruso there is little to be s.uee(ed. ',I !ust $o Friday. <ou thou$ht that carryin$ stones was the hardest of labours. 'ut when you see !e at Mr Foe's des" !a"in$ !ar"s with the .uill thin" of each !ar" as a stone and thin" of the paper as the island and i!a$ine that I !ust disperse the stones o%er the face of the island and when that is done and the tas"!aster is not satisfied *was -ruso e%er satisfied with your labours7+ !ust pic" the! up a$ain *which in the fi$ure is scorin$ out the !ar"s+ and dispose the! accordin$ to another sche!e and so forth day after day6 all of this because Mr Foe has run away fro! his debts. 5o!eti!es I belie%e it is I who ha%e beco!e the sla%e. 1o doubt you would s!ile if you could understand.', EE '8ays pass. 1othin$ chan$es. #e hear no word fro! you and the townsfol" pay us no !ore heed than if we were $hosts. I ha%e been once to 8alston !ar"et ta"in$ a tablecloth and a case of spoons which I sold to buy necessaries. Otherwise we e3ist by the produce of your $arden. ')he $irl has resu!ed her station at the $ate. I try to i$nore her. '#ritin$ pro%es a slow business. After the flurry of the !utiny and the death of the 2ortu$uese captain after I ha%e !et -ruso and co!e to "now so!ewhat of the life he leads what is there to say7 )here was too little desire in -ruso and Friday0 too little desire to escape too little desire for a new life. #ithout desire how is it possible to !a"e a story7 It was an island of sloth despite the terracin$. I as" !yself what past historians of the castaway state ha%e done 4 whether in despair they ha%e not be$un to !a"e up lies. '<et I perse%ere. A painter en$a$ed to paint a dull scene 4 let us say two !en di$$in$ in a field 4 has !eans at hand to lend allure to his sub&ect. /e can set the $olden hues of the first !an's s"in a$ainst the sooty hues of the second's creatin$ a play of li$ht a$ainst dar". 'y artfully representin$ their attitudes he can indicate which is !aster which sla%e. And to render his co!position !ore li%ely he is at liberty to brin$ into it what !ay not be there on the day he paints but !ay be there on other days such as a pair of $ulls wheelin$ o%erhead the bea" of one parted in a cry and in one corner upon a faraway cra$ a band of apes. ')hus we see the painter selectin$ and co!posin$ and renderin$ particulars in order to body forth a pleasin$ fullness in his scene. )he storyteller by contrast *for$i%e !e I would not lecture you on storytellin$ if you were here in the flesh;+ !ust di%ine which episodes of his history hold pro!ise of fullness and tease fro! the! their hidden !eanin$s braidin$ these to$ether as one braids a rope. ')easin$ and braidin$ can li"e any craft be learned. 'ut as to deter!inin$ which episodes hold pro!ise *as oysters hold pearls+ it is not without &ustice that this art is called di%inin$. /ere the writer can of hi!self effect nothin$0 he !ust wait on the $race of illu!ination. /ad I "nown on the island that it would one day fall to !e to be our storyteller I would ha%e been !ore (ealous to interro$ate -ruso. ,-ast your thou$hts

bac" -ruso , I would ha%e said as I lay beside hi! in the dar" 4 ,-an you recall no !o!ent at which the purpose of our life here has been all at once illu!inated7 As you ha%e wal"ed on the hillsides or cla!bered on the cliffs in .uest of e$$s ha%e you ne%er been struc" of a sudden by the li%in$ breathin$ .uality of this island as if it were so!e $reat beast fro! before the Flood that has slept throu$h the centuries insensible of the insects scurryin$ on its bac" scratchin$ an e3istence for the!sel%es7 Are we insects -ruso in the $reater %iew7 Are we no better than the ants7, Or when he lay dyin$ on the /obart I !i$ht ha%e said0 ,-ruso you are lea%in$ us behind you are I $oin$ where we cannot follow you. Is there no last word you wish to spea" fro! the %anta$e of one departin$7 Is there not so!ethin$ you wish to confess7', EE '#e trud$e throu$h the forest the $irl and I. It is autu!n we ha%e ta"en the coach to Eppin$ now we are !a"in$ our way to -heshunt thou$h lea%es lie so thic" underfoot $old and brown and red that I cannot be sure we ha%e not strayed fro! the path. ')he $irl is behind !e. ,#here are you ta"in$ !e7, she as"s for the hundredth ti!e. ,I a! ta"in$ you to see your real !other , I reply. ,I "now who is !y real !other , she says 4 ,<ou are !y real !other., ,<ou will "now your true !other when you see her , I reply 4 ,#al" faster we !ust be bac" before ni$htfall., 5he trots to "eep pace with !e. '8eeper into the forest we $o !iles fro! hu!an habitation. ,9et us rest , I say. 5ide by side we seat oursel%es a$ainst the trun" of a $reat oa". Fro! her bas"et she brin$s forth bread and cheese and a flas" of water. #e eat and drin". '#e plod on. /a%e we lost our way7 5he "eeps fallin$ behind. ,#e will ne%er be bac" before dar" , she co!plains. ,<ou !ust trust !e , I reply. 'In the dar"est heart of the forest I halt. ,9et us rest a$ain , I say. I ta"e her cloa" fro! her and spread it o%er the lea%es. #e sit. ,-o!e to !e , I say and put an ar! around her. A li$ht tre!blin$ runs throu$h her body. It is the second ti!e I ha%e allowed her to touch !e. ,-lose your eyes , I say. It is so .uiet that we can hear the brushin$ of our clothes the $rey stuff of hers a$ainst the blac" stuff of !ine. /er head lies on !y shoulder. In a sea of fallen lea%es we sit she and I two substantial bein$s. ' ,I ha%e brou$ht you here to tell you of your parenta$e , I co!!ence. ,I do not "now who told you that your father was a brewer fro! 8eptford who. fled to the 9ow -ountries but the story is false. <our father is a !an na!ed 8aniel Foe. /e is the !an who set you to watchin$ the house in 1ewin$ton. @ust as it was he who told you I a! your !other I will %ouch he is the author of the story of the brewer. /e !aintains whole re$i!ents in Flanders., '5he !a"es to spea" but I hush her. ' ,I "now you will say it is not true , I continue. ,I "now you will say you ha%e ne%er !et this 8aniel Foe. 'ut as" yourself by what a$ency did the news reach you that your true !other was one 5usan 'arton who li%ed at such and such a house in 5to"e 1ew in$ton7, ',My na!e is 5usan 'arton , she whispers.

',)hat is s!all proof. <ou will find !any 5usan 'artons in this "in$do! if you are willin$ to hunt the! down. I repeat0 what you "now of your parenta$e co!es to you in the for! of stories and the stories ha%e but a sin$le source., ',#ho is !y true !other then7, she says. ',<ou are father4born. <ou ha%e no !other. )he pain you feel is the pain of lac" not the pain of loss. #hat you hope to re$ain in !y person you ha%e in I truth ne%er had., ' ,Father4born , she says 4 ,It is a word I ha%e ne%er 'eard before., 5he sha"es her head. '#hat do I !ean by it father4born7 I wa"e in the $rey of a 9ondon dawn with the word still faintly in !y ears. )he street is e!pty I obser%e fro! the #indow. Is the $irl $one fore%er7 /a%e I e3pelled her banished her lost her at last in the forest7 #ill she sit by the oa" tree till the fallin$ lea%es co%er her her and her bas"et and nothin$ is left to !eet the eye but a field of browns and $olds7' EE '8ear Mr Foe '5o!e days a$o Friday disco%ered your robes *the robes in the wardrobe that is+ and your wi$s. Are they the robes of a $uild4!aster7 I did not "now there was a $uild of authors. ')he robes ha%e set hi! dancin$ which I had ne%er seen hi! do before. In the !ornin$s he dances in the "itchen where the windows face east. If the sun is shinin$ he does his dance in a patch of sunli$ht holdin$ out his ar!s and spinnin$ in a circle his eyes shut hour after hour ne%er $rowin$ fati$ued or di((y. In the afternoon he re!o%es hi!self to the drawin$ roo! where the window faces west and does his dancin$ there. 'In the $rip of the dancin$ he is not hi!self. /e is beyond hu!an reach. I call his na!e and a! i$nored I put out a hand and a! brushed aside. All the while he dances he !a"es a hu!!in$ noise in his throat deeper than his usual %oice6 so!eti!es he see!s to be sin$in$. 'For !yself I do not care how !uch he sin$s and dances so lon$ as he carries out his few duties. For I will not del%e while he spins. 9ast ni$ht I decided I would ta"e the robe away fro! hi! to brin$ hi! to his senses. /owe%er when I stole into his roo! he was awa"e his hands already $rippin$ the robe which was spread o%er the bed as thou$h he read !y thou$hts. 5o I retreated. 'Friday and his dancin$0 I !ay be!oan the tediu! of life in your house but there is ne%er a lac" of thin$s to write of. It is as thou$h ani!alcules of words lie dissol%ed in your in"4well ready to be dipped up and flow fro! the pen and ta"e for! on the paper. Fro! downstairs to upstairs fro! house to island fro! the $irl to Friday0 it see!s necessary only to establish the poles the here and the there the now and the then 4 I after that the words of the!sel%es do the &ourneyin$ .1 had not $uessed it was so easy to be an author. <ou will find the house %ery bare on your return. 'First the bailiffs plundered it *I cannot use a "inder ter!+ and now I too ha%e been ta"in$ odds and ends I *I "eep an in%entory you ha%e only to as" and I will6 send it+. Fnhappily I a! forced to sell in the .uarters where thie%es sell and to accept the prices thie%es recei%e. On !y e3cursions I wear a blac" dress and bonnet I found upstairs in the trun" with the initials M. @. on the lid *who is M. @.7+. In this $arb I beco!e older than !y years as I picture !yself a

widow of forty in straitened circu!stances. <et despite !y precautions I lie awa"e at ni$ht picturin$ how I !i$ht be sei(ed by so!e rapacious shop"eeper and held for the constables till I a! forced to $i%e away your candlestic"s as a bribe for !y freedo!. '9ast wee" I sold the one !irror not ta"en by the bailiffs the little !irror with the $ilt fra!e that stood on your cabinet. 8are I confess I a! happy it is $one7 /ow I ha%e a$ed; In 'ahia the sallow 2ortu$uese wo!en would not belie%e I had a $rown dau$hter. 'ut life with -ruso put lines on !y brow and the house of Foe has only deepened the!. Is your house a house of sleepers li"e the ca%e where !en close their eyes in one rei$n and wa"e in another with lon$ white beards7 'ra(il see!s as far away as the a$e of Arthur. Is it possible I ha%e a dau$hter there $rowin$ farther fro! !e e%ery day as I fro! her7 8o the cloc"s of 'ra(il run at the sa!e pace as ours7 #hile I $row old does she re!ain fore%er youn$7 And how has it co!e about that in the day of the twopenny post I share a house with a !an fro! the dar"est ti!es of barbaris!7 5o !any .uestions;' EE '8ear Mr Foe 'I a! $rowin$ to understand why you wanted -ruso to ha%e a !us"et and be besie$ed by cannibals. I thou$ht it was a si$n you had no re$ard for the truth. I for$ot you are a writer who "nows abo%e all how !any words can be suc"ed fro! a cannibal feast how few fro! a wo!an cowerin$ fro! the wind. It is all a !atter of words and the nu!ber of words is it not7 'Friday sits at table in his wi$ and robes and eats pease puddin$. I as" !yself0 8id hu!an flesh once pass those lips7 )ruly cannibals are terrible6 but !ost terrible of all is to thin" of the little cannibal children their eyes closin$ in pleasure as they chew the tasty fat of their nei$hbours. I shi%er. For surely eatin$ hu!an flesh is li"e fallin$ into sin0 ha%in$ fallen once you disco%er in yourself a taste for it and fall all the !ore readily thereafter. I shi%er as I watch Friday dancin$ in the "itchen with his robes whirlin$ about hi! and the wi$ flappin$ on his head and his eyes shut and his thou$hts far away not on the island you !ay be sure not on the pleasures of di$$in$ and carryin$ but on the ti!e before when he was a sa%a$e a!on$ sa%a$es. Is it not only a !atter of ti!e before the new Friday who! -ruso created is slou$hed off and the old Friday of the cannibal forests returns7 /a%e I !is&ud$ed -ruso all this ti!e0 was it to punish hi! for his sins that he cut out Friday's ton$ue7 'etter had he drawn his teeth instead;' EE '5earchin$ throu$h a chest of drawers so!e days a$o for ite!s to ta"e to !ar"et I ca!e across a case of recorders you !ust once ha%e played0 perhaps you played the bi$ bass recorder while your sons and dau$hters played the s!aller ones. *#hat has happened to your sons and dau$hters7 -ould they not be trusted to shelter you fro! the law7+ I too" out the s!allest of these the soprano and set it aside where Friday would find it. )he ne3t !ornin$ I heard hi! toyin$ with it6 soon he had so far !astered it as to play the tune of si3 notes I will fore%er associate with the island and -ruso's first sic"ness. )his he played o%er and o%er all !ornin$. #hen I ca!e to re!onstrate I found hi! spinnin$

slowly around with the flute to his lips and his eyes shut6 he paid no heed to !e perhaps not e%en hearin$ !y words. /ow li"e a sa%a$e to !aster a stran$e instru!ent 4 to the e3tent that he is able without a ton$ue 4 and then be content fore%er to play one tune upon it; It is a for! of incuriosity is it not a for! of sloth. 'ut I di$ress. '#hile I was polishin$ the bass flute and idly blowin$ a few notes upon it it occurred to !e that if there were any lan$ua$e accessible to Friday it would be the lan$ua$e of !usic. 5o I closed the door and practised the blowin$ and the fin$erin$ as I had seen people do till I could play Friday's little tune tolerably well and one or two others to !y ear !ore !elodious. All the while I was playin$ which I did in the dar" to spare the candle Friday lay awa"e downstairs in his own dar" listenin$ to the deeper tones of !y flute the li"e of which he could ne%er ha%e heard before. '#hen Friday co!!enced his dancin$ and flute playin$ this !ornin$ I was ready0 I sat upstairs on !y bed !y le$s crossed and played Friday's tune first in unison with hi! then in the inter%als when fte was not playin$6 and went on playin$ as lon$ as he did till !y hands ached and !y head reeled. )he !usic we !ade was not pleasin$0 there was a subtle discord all the ti!e thou$h we see!ed to be playin$ the sa!e notes. <et our instru!ents were !ade to play to$ether else why were they in the sa!e case7 '#hen Friday fell silent awhile I ca!e downstairs to the "itchen. ,5o Friday , I said and s!iled 4 ,we are beco!e !usicians to$ether., And I raised !y flute and blew his tune a$ain till a "ind of content!ent ca!e o%er !e. I thou$ht0 It is true I a! not con%ersin$ with Friday but is this not as $ood7 Is con%ersation not si!ply a species of !usic in which first the one ta"es up the refrain and then the other7 8oes it !atter what the refrain of our con%ersation is any !ore than it !atters what tune it is we play7 And I as"ed !yself further0 Are not both !usic and con%ersation li"e lo%e7 #ho would %enture to say that what passes between lo%ers is of substance *I refer to their lo%e!a"in$ not their tal"+ yet is it not true that so!ethin$ is passed between the! bac" and forth and they co!e away refreshed and healed for a while of their loneliness7 As lon$ as I ha%e !usic in co!!on with Friday perhaps he and I will need no lan$ua$e. And if there had been !usic on our island if Friday and I had filled the e%enin$ with !elody perchance who can say7 4 -ruso !i$ht at last ha%e relented and pic"ed up the third pipe and learned to fin$er it if his fin$ers had not by then been too stiff and the three of us !i$ht ha%e beco!e a consort *fro! which you !ay conclude Mr Foe that what we needed fro! the wrec" was not a chest of tools but a case of flutes+. 'For that hour in your "itchen I belie%e I was at 1 ease with the life that has befallen !e. ''ut alas &ust as we cannot e3chan$e fore%er the sa!e utterances 4 ,=ood day sir, 4 ,=ood day, and belie%e we are con%ersin$ or perfor! fore%er the sa!e !otion and call it lo%e!a"in$ so it is with !usic0 we cannot fore%er play the sa!e tune and be content. Or so at least it is with ci%ili(ed people. )hus at last I could not restrain !yself fro! %aryin$ the tune first !a"in$ one note into two half4notes then chan$in$ two of the notes entirely turnin$ it into a new tune and a pretty one too so fresh to !y ear that I was sure Friday would follow !e. 'ut no Friday persisted in the old tune and the two tunes played to$ether for!ed no pleasin$ counterpoint but on the contrary &an$led and &arred. 8id Friday in truth so !uch as hear !e I be$an to wonder7 I ceased playin$ and his eyes *which were always closed when he did his flute4playin$ and spinnin$+ did not open6 I

blew lon$ blasts and the lids did not so !uch as flutter. 5o now I "new that all the ti!e I had stood there playin$ to Friday's dancin$ thin"in$ he and I !ade a consort he had been insensible of !e. And indeed when I stepped forward in so!e pi.ue and $rasped at hi! to halt the infernal spinnin$ he see!ed to feel !y touch no !ore than if it had been a fly's6 fro! which I concluded that he was in a trance of possession and his soul !ore in Africa than in 1ewin$ton. )ears ca!e to !y eyes I a! asha!ed to say6 all the elation of !y disco%ery that throu$h the !ediu! of !usic I !i$ht at last con%erse with Friday was dashed and bitterly I be$an to reco$ni(e that it !i$ht not be !ere dullness that "ept hi! shut up in hi!self nor the accident of the loss of his ton$ue nor e%en an incapacity to distin$uish speech fro! babblin$ but a disdain for intercourse with !e. #atchin$ hi! whirlin$ in his dance I had to hold bac" an ur$e to stri"e hi! and tear the wi$ and robes away and thus rudely teach hi! he was not alone on this earth. '/ad I struc" Friday I now as" !yself would he ha%e borne the blow !ee"ly7 -ruso ne%er chastised hi! that I saw. /ad the cuttin$ out of his ton$ue tau$ht hi! eternal obedience or at least the outward for! of obedience as $eldin$ ta"es the fire out of a stallion7' EE ,8ear Mr Foe I ha%e written a deed $rantin$ Friday his freedo! si$ned it in -ruso's na!e. )his I ha%e sewn into tittle ba$ and hun$ on a cord around Friday's nec". 'If Friday is not !ine to set free whose is he7 1o can be the sla%e of a dead hand. If -ruso had widow I a! she6 if there are two widows I a! first. #hat life do I li%e but that of -ruso's widow7 On -ruso's island I was washed ashore6 fro! at all else has flowed. I a! the wo!an washed shore. 'I write fro! on the road. #e are on the road to 'ristol. )he sun is shinin$. I wal" ahead Friday follows carryin$ the pac" which contains our pro%isions as well as so!e few ite!s fro! the house and the wi$ fro! which he will not be parted. )he robes he wears instead of a coat. '1o doubt we !a"e a stran$e si$ht the barefoot wo!an in breeches and her blac" sla%e *!y shoes pinch the old apes"in sandals are fallen apart+. #hen passers4by stop to .uestion us I say that I a! on !y way to !y brother in 5lou$h that !y foot!an and I were robbed of our horses and clothes and %aluables by hi$hway!en. )his story earns !e curious loo"s. #hy7 Are there no !ore hi$hway!en on the roads7 #ere all the hi$hway!en han$ed while I was in 'ahia7 8o I see! an unli"ely owner of horses and %aluables7 Or is !y air too blithe to befit one stripped bare !ere hours before7 'In Ealin$ we passed a cobbler's. I too" out one of the boo"s fro! the pac" a %olu!e of ser!ons handso!ely bound in calf and offered to e3chan$e it for new shoes. )he cobbler pointed to your na!e on the flyleaf. ,Mr Foe of 5to"e 1ewin$ton , I said ,lately deceased., ,/a%e you no other boo"s7, as"ed he. I offered hi! the 2il$ri!a$es of 2urchas the first %olu!e and for that he $a%e !e a pair of shoes stoutly !ade and well4fittin$. <ou will protest that he $ained by the e3chan$e. 'ut a ti!e co!es when there are !ore i!portant thin$s than boo"s. ,#ho is the blac"fellow7, the cobbler as"ed. ,/e is a sla%e

who is now free that I a! ta"in$ to 'ristol to find hi! a passa$e bac" to his own people., ,It is a lon$ road to 'ristol , said the cobbler 4 ,8oes he spea" En$lish7 ,/e understands so!e thin$s but he does not spea" , I replied. A hundred !iles and !ore to 'ristol0 how !any !ore .uestioners how !any !ore .uestions7 #hat a boon to be stric"en speechless too; ')o you Mr Foe a &ourney to 'ristol !ay call to !ind hearty !eals at roadside inns and di%ertin$ encounters with stran$ers fro! all wal"s of life. 'ut re!e!ber a wo!an alone !ust tra%el li"e a hare one ear fore%er coc"ed for the hounds. If it happens we are set upon by footpads what protection will Friday afford !e7 /e ne%er had call to protect -ruso6 indeed his upbrin$in$ has tau$ht hi! to not so !uch as raise a hand in self4defence. #hy should he re$ard an assault on !e as of concern to hi!7 /e does not understand that I a! leadin$ hi! to freedo!. /e does not "now what freedo! is. Freedo! is a word less than a word a noise one of the !ultitude of noises I !a"e when I open !y !outh. /is !aster is dead now he has a !istress 4 that is all he "nows. /a%in$ ne%er wished for a !aster why should he $uard his !istress7 /ow can he $uess that there is any $oal to our ra!blin$ that without !e he is lost7 ,'ristol is a $reat port , I tell hi!. ,'ristol is where we landed when the ship brou$ht us bac" fro! the island. 'ristol is where you saw the $reat chi!ney belchin$ s!o"e that so a!a(ed you. Fro! 'ristol ships sail to all corners of the $lobe principally to the A!ericas but also to Africa which was once your ho!e. In 'ristol we will see" out a ship to ta"e you bac" to the land of your birth or else to 'ra(il and the life of a free!an there.', EE <esterday the worst ca!e to pass. #e were stopped on the #indsor road by two drun"en soldiers who !ade their intention on !y person all too plain. I bro"e away and too" to the fields and escaped with Friday at !y heels in !ortal terror all the while we ran that they would shoot upon us. 1ow I pin !y hair up under !y hat and wear a coat at all ti!es hopin$ to pass for a !an. In the afternoon it be$an to rain. #e sheltered under a hed$e trustin$ it was but a shower. 'ut the rain had truly set in. 5o at last we trud$ed on wet to bone till we ca!e to an alehouse. #ith so!e !is$i%in$ I pushed the door open and led Friday in !a"in$ for a table in the obscurest corner. I do not "now whether the people of that place ne%er seen a blac" !an before or ne%er seen a wo!an in breeches or si!ply ne%er seen such a bedra$$led pair but all speech died as we entered and we crossed the roo! in a silence in which I could plainly hear the splashin$ of water fro! the ea%es outside. I thou$ht to !yself0 )his is a $reat !ista"e better we had sou$ht out a hayric" and sheltered there hun$ry or not. 'ut I put on a bold face and pulled out a chair for Friday indicatin$ to hi! that he should sit. Fro! under the sodden robe ca!e the sa!e s!ell I had s!elled when the sailors brou$ht hi! aboard ship0 a s!ell of fear. ')he inn"eeper hi!self ca!e to our table. I as"ed ci%illy for two !easures of s!all beer and a plate of bread and cheese. /e !ade no reply but stared pointedly at Friday and then at !e. ,)his is !y !anser%ant , I said 4 ,/e is as clean as you or I.,

,-lean or dirty he wears shoes in this house , he replied. I coloured. ,If you will attend to ser%in$ us I will attend to !y ser%ant's dress , I said. ,)his is a clean house we do not ser%e strollers or $ipsies , said the inn"eeper and turned his bac" on us. As we !ade our way to the door a lout stuc" out his foot causin$ Friday to stu!ble at which there was !uch $uffawin$. '#e s"ul"ed under hed$erows till dar"ness fell and then crept into a barn. I was shi%erin$ by this ti!e in !y wet clothes. Feelin$ about in the dar" I ca!e to a crib filled with clean hay. I stripped off !y clothes and burrowed li"e a !ole into the hay but still found no war!th. 5o I cli!bed out a$ain and donned the sodden clothes and stood !iserably in the dar" !y teeth chatterin$. Friday see!ed to ha%e disappeared. I could not e%en hear his breathin$. As a !an born in the tropic forest he should ha%e felt the cold !ore "eenly than I6 yet he wal"ed barefoot in the dead of winter and did not co!plain. ,Friday , I whispered. )h ere was no reply. 'In so!e despair and not "nowin$ what else to do I stretched out !y ar!s and with !y head thrown 1 bac" be$an to turn in Friday's dance. It is a way of dryin$ !y clothes I told !yself0 I dry the! by creatin$ a bree(e. It is a way of "eepin$ war!. Otherwise I shall perish of cold. I felt !y &aw rela3 and heat or the illusion of heat be$in to steal throu$h ferny li!bs. I danced till the %ery straw see!ed to war! under !y feet. I ha%e disco%ered why Friday dances in En$land I thou$ht s!ilin$ to !yself6 which if we had re!ained at Mr Foe's I should ne%er ha%e learned. And I should ne%er ha%e !ade this disco%ery had I not been soa"ed to the s"in and then set down in the dar" in an e!pty barn. Fro! which we !ay infer that there is after all desi$n in our li%es and if we wait lon$ enou$h we are bound to see that desi$n unfoldin$6 &ust as obser%in$ a carpet4!a"er we !ay see at first $lance only a tan$le of threads6 yet if we are patient flowers be$in to e!er$e under our $a(e and prancin$ unicorns and turrets. ')hin"in$ these thou$hts spinnin$ round !y eyes closed a s!ile on !y lips I fell I belie%e into a "ind of trance6 for when ne3t I "new I was standin$ still breathin$ hea%ily with so!ewhere at !y !ind's ed$e inti!ation that I had been far away that I had wondrous si$hts. #here a! I7 I as"ed !yself ad crouched down and stro"ed the floor6 and when it ca!e bac" to !e that I was in 'er"shire a $reat pan$ wrenched !y heart6 for what I had seen in !y trance whate%er it had been 4 I could su!!on bac" nothin$ distinct yet felt a $low of after4!e!ory if you can understand that 4 had been a !essa$e *but fro! who!7+ to tell !e there were other li%es open to !e than this one in which I trud$ed with Friday across the En$lish countryside a life of which I was already heartily sic". And in that sa!e instant I understood why Friday had danced all day in your house0 it was to re!o%e hi!self or his spirit fro! 1ewin$ton and En$land and fro! !e too. For was it to be wondered at that Friday found life with !e as burdenso!e as I found life with hi!7 As lon$ as we two are cast in each other's co!pany I thou$ht perhaps it is best that we dance and spin and transport oursel%es. ,It is your turn to dance Friday , I called into the dar"ness and cli!bed into !y crib and piled hay upon !yself and fell asleep. 'At first li$ht I awo"e $lowin$ with war!th cal! and refreshed. I disco%ered Friday asleep on a hurdle behind the door and shoo" hi! surprised to find hi! so slu$$ish for I had thou$ht sa%a$es slept with one eye open. 'ut li"ely he had lost his sa%a$e habits on the island where he and -ruso had no ene!ies.'

EE 'I do not wish to !a"e our &ourney to 'ristol see! !ore full of incident than it has truly been. 'ut I !ust tell you of the dead babe. '5o!e !iles outside Marlborou$h as we were wal"in$ steadily enou$h down an e!pty road !y eye fell on a parcel lyin$ in the ditch. I sent Friday to fetch it thin"in$ I "now not what perhaps that it was a bundle of clothes fallen fro! a carria$e6 or perhaps I was si!ply curious. 'ut when I be$an to unwind the wrappin$4cloth I found it to be bloody and was afraid to $o on. <et where there is blood there is fascination. 5o I went on and unwrapped the body stillborn or perhaps stifled all bloody with the afterbirth of a little I $irl perfectly for!ed her hands clenched up by her ears her features peaceful barely an hour or two in the world. #hose child was she7 )he fields around us were e!pty. /alf a !ile away stood a cluster of cotta$es6 but how welco!e would we be if li"e accusers we returned to their doorstep that which they cast out7 Or what if they too" the child to be and laid hands on !e and haled !e before the !a$istrates7 5o I wrapped the babe a$ain in its windin$4cloth and laid it in the botto! of the ditch and $uiltily led Friday away fro! that place. )ry thou$h I !i$ht I could not put fro! !y thou$hts the little sleeper who would ne%er awa"e the pinched eyes that would ne%er see the s"y the curled fin$ers that would ne%er open. #ho was the child but I in another life7 Friday and I slept a!on$ a $ro%e of trees that ni$ht *it was the ni$ht I tried to eat acorns I was. hun$ry+. I had slept but a !inute when I awo"e with a start thin"in$ I !ust $o bac" to where the child was hid before the crows $ot to her the crows and the rats6 and before I $athered !y wits had e%en stu!bled to !y feet. I lay down a$ain with !y coat o%er !y ears and tears coursin$ down !y chee"s. My thou$hts ran to Friday I could not stop the! it was an effect of the hun$er. /ad I not been there to restrain hi! would he in his hun$er ha%e eaten the babe7 I told !yself I did hi! wron$ to thin" of hi! as a cannibal or worse a de%ourer of the dead. 'ut -ruso had planted the seed in !y !ind and now I could not loo" on Friday's lips without callin$ to !ind what !eat !ust once ha%e passed the!. ' I $rant without reser%e that in such thin"in$ lie the seeds of !adness. #e cannot shrin" in dis$ust fro! our nei$hbour's touch because his hands that are clean now were once dirty. #e !ust culti%ate all of us a certain i$norance a certain blindness or society will not be tolerable. If Friday forswore hu!an flesh durin$ his fifteen years on the island why should I not belie%e he had forsworn it fore%er7 And if in his heart of hearts he re!ained a cannibal would a war! li%in$ wo!an not !a"e a better !eal than the cold stiff corpse of a child7 )he blood ha!!ered in !y ears6 the crea" of a branch or a cloud passin$ across the !oon !ade !e thin" Friday was upon !e6 thou$h part of !e "new he was the sa!e dull blac"fellow as e%er another part o%er which I had no !astery insisted on his bloodlust. 5o I slept not a win" till the li$ht paled and I saw Friday dead asleep a few paces away his horny feet that see!ed ne%er to feel the cold stic"in$ out fro! under his robe.' EE ')hou$h we wal" in silence there is a bu(( of words in !y head all addressed to you. In the dar" days of 1ewin$ton I belie%ed you were dead0 you had star%ed in your lod$in$s

and been $i%en a pauper's burial6 you had been hunted down and co!!itted to the Fleet to perish of !isery and ne$lect. 'ut now a stron$er certainty has co!e o%er !e which I cannot e3plain. <ou are ali%e and well and as we !arch down the 'ristol road I tal" to you as if you were beside !e !y fa!iliar $host !y co!panion. -ruso too. )here are ti!es when -ruso co!es bac" to !e !orose as e%er he was in the old days *which I can bear+.' EE 'Arri%in$ in Marlborou$h I found a stationer's and for half a $uinea sold hi! 2a"enha!'s )ra%els in Abyssinia in .uarto fro! your library. )hou$h $lad to be relie%ed of so hea%y a boo" I was sorry too for I had no ti!e to read in it and learn !ore of Africa and so be of $reater assistance to Friday in re$ainin$ his ho!eland. Friday is not fro! Abyssinia I "now. 'ut on the road to Abyssinia the tra%eller !ust pass throu$h !any "in$do!s0 why should Friday's "in$do! not be one of these7 ')he weather re!ainin$ fine Friday and I sleep under hed$erows. For prudence sa"e we lie low for we !a"e an irre$ular couple. ,Are you his !istress7, as"ed an old !an of us as we sat on the church steps yesterday eatin$ our bread. #as it a saucy .uestion7 )he fellow see!ed in earnest. ,/e is a sla%e whose !aster set hi! free on his deathbed , I replied 4 ,I acco!pany hi! to 'ristol where he will ta"e ship for Africa and his nati%e land., ,5o you are returnin$ to Africa , said the old !an turnin$ to Friday. ,/e has no speech , I put in 4 ,/e lost his ton$ue as a child now he spea"s only in $estures. In $estures and actions., ,<ou will ha%e !any stories to tell the! in Africa will you not7, said the old fellow spea"in$ louder as we do to deaf people. Friday re$arded hi! e!ptily but he would not be deterred. ,<ou ha%e seen !any si$hts I a! sure , he continued 4 ,$reat cities ships as bi$ as castles. <ou will not be belie%ed when you relate all you ha%e seen., ,/e has lost his ton$ue there is no lan$ua$e in which he can spea" not e%en his own , said I hopin$ the fellow would $o away. 'ut perhaps he too was deaf. ,Are you $ipsies then7, said he 4 ,Are you $ipsies you and he7, For a !o!ent I was lost for words. ,/e has been a sla%e now he is returnin$ to Africa , I repeated. ,Aye , he said ,but we call the! $ipsies when they roa! about with their dirty faces !en and wo!en all hi$$ledy4pi$$ledy to$ether loo"in$ for !ischief., And he $ot to his feet and faced !e propped on his stic" as thou$h darin$ !e to $ainsay hi!. ,-o!e Friday , I !ur!ured and we left the s.uare. 'I a! a!used now to thin" of this s"ir!ish but then I was sha"en. 9i%in$ li"e a !ole in your house has .uite ta"en away !y nut4brown island hue6 but it is true on the road I ha%e barely washed feelin$ none the worse for it. I re!e!ber a shipload of $ipsies dar" and !istrustful fol" cast out of =alicia in 5pain steppin$ ashore in 'ahia on to a stran$e continent. )wice ha%e Friday and I been called $ipsies. #hat is a $ipsy7 #hat is a hi$hway!an7 #ords see! to ha%e new !eanin$s here in the west country. A! I beco!e a $ipsy un"nown to !yself7' EE

'<esterday we arri%ed in 'ristol and !ade directly for the doc"s which Friday showed e%ery si$n of reco$ni(in$. )here I stopped e%ery sea!an who passed as"in$ whether he "new of a ship sailin$ for Africa or the East. At last we were directed toward an India!an standin$ out on the road due to sail for )rinco!alee and the spice islands. 'y $reat $ood fortune a li$hter &ust then berthed that had been con%eyin$ stores to it and the first !ate stepped ashore. As"in$ his pardon for our tra%el4stained appearance assurin$ hi! we were not $ipsies I presented Friday as a for!er sla%e fro! the A!ericas happily now free who wished to !a"e his way ho!e to Africa. :e$rettably I went on Friday was !aster of neither En$lish nor any other lan$ua$e ha%in$ lost his ton$ue to the sla%e4 catchers. 'ut he was dili$ent and obedient and as"ed for no !ore than to wor" his passa$e to Africa as a dec"4hand. 'At this the !ate s!iled. ,Africa is a $reat place !ada! $reater than I can tell you , he said. ,8oes your !an "now where he wishes to be set down7 /e !ay be put ashore in Africa and still be farther fro! his ho!e than fro! here to Musco%y., 'I shru$$ed off his .uestion. ,#hen the ti!e co!es I a! con%inced he will "now , I said 4 ,Our feelin$ for ho!e is ne%er lost. #ill you ta"e hi! or no7, ,/as he e%er sailed before7, as"ed the !ate. ,/e has sailed and been shipwrec"ed too , I replied 4 ,/e is a !ariner of lon$ standin$., '5o the !ate consented to ta"e us to the !aster of the India!an. #e followed hi! to a coffeehouse where the !aster sat huddled with two !erchants. After a lon$ wait we were presented to hi!. A$ain I related the story of Friday and his desire to return to Africa. ,/a%e you been to Africa !ada!7, as"ed the captain. ,1o sir I ha%e not , I replied ,but that is neither here nor there., ,And you will not be acco!panyin$ your !an7, ,I will not., ,)hen let !e tell you , said he0 ,One half of Africa is desert and the rest a stin"in$ fe%er4ridden forest. <our blac"fellow would be better off in En$land. 1e%ertheless if he is set on it I will ta"e hi!., At which !y heart leapt. ,/a%e you his papers of !anu!ission7, he as"ed. I !otioned to Friday *who had stood li"e a stic" throu$h these e3chan$es understandin$ nothin$+ that I wished to open the ba$ about his nec" and showed the captain the paper si$ned in -ruso's na!e which see!ed to please hi!. ,>ery well , said he poc"etin$ the paper ,we will put your !an ashore where%er in Africa he instructs us. 'ut now you !ust say your farewells0 we sail in the !ornin$., '#hether it was the captain's !anner or whether the $lance I cau$ht passin$ between hi! and the !ate I cannot say but suddenly I "new all was not as it see!ed to be. ,)he paper is Friday's , I said holdin$ out !y hand to recei%e it4,It is his only proof that he is a free !an., And when the captain had returned the paper to !e I added0 ,Friday cannot co!e aboard now for he has belon$in$s to fetch fro! our roo!s in the city., 'y which they $uessed I had seen throu$h their sche!e *which was to sell Friday into sla%ery a second ti!e+0 the captain shru$$ed his shoulders and turned his bac" to !e and that was the end of that. '5o the castle I had built in the air na!ely that Friday should sail for Africa and I return to 9ondon !y own !istress at last ca!e tu!blin$ about !y ears. #here a ship's4 !aster was honest I disco%ered he would not accept so unpro!isin$ a dec"4hand as Friday. Only the !ore unscrupulous 4 of who! I !et a host in the days that followed4

pretended to welco!e us seein$ !e no doubt as an easy dupe and Friday as their =od4 sent prey. One of these clai!ed to be sailin$ for -alicut !a"in$ port at the -ape of =ood /ope on the way where he pro!ised to set Friday ashore6 while his true destination as I learned fro! the wharf!aster was @a!aica. '#as I too suspicious7 All I "now is I would not sleep easy toni$ht if Friday were on the hi$h seas destined a second ti!e all unwittin$ly for the plantations. A wo!an !ay bear a child she does not want and rear it without lo%in$ it yet be ready to defend it with her life. )hus it has beco!e in a !anner of spea"in$ between Friday and !yself. I do not lo%e hi! but he is !ine. )hat is why he re!ains in En$land. )hat is why he is here.'

)he staircase was dar" and !ean. My "noc" echoed as if on e!ptiness. 'ut I "noc"ed a second ti!e and heard a shufflin$ and fro! behind the door a %oice his %oice low and cautious. 'It is I 5usan 'arton ' I announced 4 'I a! alone with Friday.' #hereupon the door opened and he stood before !e the sa!e Foe I had first set eyes on in ?ensin$ton :ow but leaner and .uic"er as thou$h %i$ilance and a spare diet a$reed with hi!. 'May we co!e in7' I said. /e !ade way and we entered his refu$e. )he roo! was lit by a sin$le window throu$h which poured the afternoon sun. )he %iew was to the north o%er the roofs of #hitechapel. For furniture there was a table and chair and a bed slo%enly !ade6 one corner of the roo! was curtained off. 'It is not as I i!a$ined it ' I said. 'I e3pected dust thic" on the floor and $loo!. 'ut life is ne%er as we e3pect it to be. I recall an author reflectin$ that after death we !ay find oursel%es not a!on$ choirs of an$els but in so!e .uite ordinary place as for instance a bath4house on a hot afternoon with spiders do(in$ in the corners6 at the ti!e it will see! li"e any 5unday in the country6 only later will it co!e ho!e to us that we are in eternity.' 'It is an author I ha%e not read.' ')he idea has re!ained with !e fro! !y childhood. 'ut I ha%e co!e to as" about another story. )he history of oursel%es and the island 4 how does it pro$ress7 Is it written7' 'It pro$resses but pro$resses slowly 5usan. It is a slow story a slow history. /ow did you find your way to !e7' ''y $ood fortune entirely. I !et your old house"eeper Mrs )hrush in -o%ent =arden after Friday and I ca!e bac" fro! 'ristol *I wrote you letters on the 'ristol road

I ha%e the! with !e I will $i%e the! to you+. Mrs )hrush directed us to the boy who runs errands for you with a to"en that we were to be trusted and he led us to this house.' 'It is e3cellent that you ha%e co!e for there is !ore I !ust "now about 'ahia that only you can tell !e.' ''ahia is not part of !y story ' I replied 'but let !e tell you whate%er I can. 'ahia is a city built on hills. )o con%ey car$oes fro! the harbour to their warehouses the !erchants ha%e therefore spanned a $reat cable with pulleys and windlasses. Fro! the streets you see bales of car$o sail o%erhead on the cable all day. )he streets are a4bustle with people $oin$ about their business sla%e and free 2ortu$uese and 1e$ro and Indian and half4breed. 'ut the 2ortu$uese wo!en are seldo! to be seen abroad. For the 2ortu$uese are a %ery &ealous race. )hey ha%e a sayin$0 In her life a wo!an has but three occasions to lea%e the house for her baptis! her weddin$ and her burial. A wo!an who $oes abroad freely is thou$ht a whore. I was thou$ht a whore. 'ut there are so !any whores there or as I prefer to call the! free wo!en that I was not daunted. In the cool of the e%enin$ the free wo!en of 'ahia don their finest clothes put hoops of $old about their nec"s and $olden bracelets on their ar!s and orna!ents of $old in their hair and wal" the streets6 for $old is cheap there. )he !ost handso!e are the wo!en of colour or !ulatas as they are called. )he -rown has failed to halt the pri%ate traffic in $old which is !ined in the interior and sold by the !iners to the $olds!iths. Alas I ha%e nothin$ to show you of the craft of these e3cellent s!iths not e%en a pin. All I had was ta"en fro! !e by the !utineers. I ca!e ashore on the island with nothin$ but the clothes I wore red as a beetroot fro! the sun !y hands raw and blistered. It is no wonder I failed to char! -ruso.' 'And Friday7' 'Friday7' '8id Friday e%er $row ena!oured of you7' '/ow are we e%er to "now what $oes on in the heart of Friday7 'ut I thin" not.' I turned to Friday who had been s.uattin$ all the while by the door with his head on his "nees. '8o you lo%e !e Friday7' I called softly. Friday did not so !uch as raise his head. '#e ha%e li%ed too close for lo%e Mr Foe. Friday has $rown to be !y shadow. 8o our shadows lo%e us for all that they are ne%er parted fro! us7' Foe s!iled. ')ell !e !ore of 'ahia ' he said. ')here is !uch to be said of 'ahia. 'ahia is a world in itself. 'ut why7 'ahia is not the island. 'ahia was but a steppin$ stone on !y way.' )hat !ay not be so ' replied Foe cautiously. ':ehearse your story and you will see. )he story be$ins in 9ondon. <our dau$hter is abducted or elopes I do not "now which it does not !atter. In .uest of her you sail to 'ahia for you ha%e intelli$ence that she is there. In 'ahia you spend no less than two years two fruitless years. /ow do you li%e all this ti!e7 /ow do you clothe yourself7 #here do you sleep7 /ow do you pass the days7 #ho are your friends7 )hese are .uestions that are as"ed which we !ust answer. And what has been the fate of your dau$hter7 E%en in the $reat spaces of 'ra(il a dau$hter does not %anish li"e s!o"e. Is it possible that while you are see"in$ her she is see"in$ you7 'ut enou$h of .uestions. At last you despair. <ou abandon your .uest and depart. 5hortly thereafter your dau$hter arri%es in 'ahia fro! the bac"lands in search of you. 5he hears tal" of a tall En$lishwo!an who has ta"en ship for 9isbon and follows. 5he haunts the doc"s of 9isbon and Oporto. :ou$h sailors thin" her a blessed si!pleton and

treat her with "indness. 'ut no one has heard of a tall En$lishwo!an off a ship fro! 'ahia. Are you on the A(ores $a(in$ out to sea !ournin$ li"e Ariadne7 #e do not "now. )i!e passes. <our dau$hter despairs. )hen chance brin$s to her ears the story of a wo!an rescued fro! an island where she has been !arooned with an old !an and his blac" sla%e. Is this wo!an by so!e chance her !other7 5he follows a trail of ru!our fro! 'ristol to 9ondon to the house where the wo!an had briefly ta"en ser%ice *this is the house on ?ensin$ton :ow+. )here she learns the wo!an's na!e. It is the sa!e as hers. '#e therefore ha%e fi%e parts in all0 the loss of the dau$hter6 the .uest for the dau$hter in 'ra(il6 abandon!ent of the .uest and the ad%enture of the island6 assu!ption of the .uest by the dau$hter6 and reunion of the dau$hter with her !other. It is thus that we !a"e up a boo"0 loss then .uest then reco%ery6 be$innin$ then !iddle then end. As to no%elty this is lent by the island episode 4 which is properly the second part of the !iddle 4 and by the re%ersal in which the dau$hter ta"es up the .uest abandoned by her !other.' All the &oy I had felt in findin$ !y way to Foe fled !e. I sat hea%y4li!bed. ')he island is not a story in itself ' said Foe $ently layin$ a hand on !y "nee. '#e can brin$ it to life only by settin$ it within a lar$er story. 'y itself it is no better than a waterlo$$ed boat driftin$ day after day in an e!pty ocean till one day hu!bly and without co!!otion it sin"s. )he island lac"s li$ht and shade. It is too !uch the sa!e throu$hout. It is li"e a loaf of bread. It will "eep us ali%e certainly if we are star%ed of readin$6 but who will prefer it when there are tastier confections and pastries to be had7' 'In the letters you did not read ' I said 'I told you of !y con%iction that if the story see!s stupid that is only because it so do$$edly holds its silence. )he shadow whose lac" you feel is there0 it is the loss of Friday's ton$ue.' Foe !ade no reply and I went on. ')he story of Friday's ton$ue is a story unable to be told or unable to be told by !e. )hat is to say !any stories can be told of Friday's ton$ue but the true story is buried within Friday who is !ute. )he true story will not be heard till by art we ha%e found a !eans of $i%in$ %oice to Friday. 'Mr Foe ' I proceeded spea"in$ with $atherin$ difficulty 'when I li%ed in your house I would so!eti!es lie awa"e upstairs listenin$ to the pulse of blood in !y ears and to the silence fro! Friday below a silence that rose up the stairway li"e s!o"e li"e a wellin$ of blac" s!o"e. 'efore lon$ I could not breathe I would feel I was stiflin$ in !y bed. My lun$s !y heart !y head were full of blac" s!o"e. I had to sprin$ up and open the curtains and put !y head outside and breathe fresh air and see for !yself that there were stars still in the s"y. 'In !y letters I ha%e told you the story of Friday's dancin$. 'ut I ha%e not told you the whole story. 'After Friday disco%ered your robes and wi$ and too" the! as his li%ery he would spend entire days spinnin$ and dancin$ and sin$in$ after his fashion. #hat I did not tell you was that for his dancin$ he would wear nothin$ but the robes and wi$. #hen he stood still he was co%ered to the an"les6 but when he spun the robes would stand out stiffly about hi! so !uch so that one !i$ht ha%e supposed the purpose of his dancin$ was to show forth the na"edness underneath. '1ow when -ruso told !e that the sla%ers were in the habit of cuttin$ out the ton$ues of their prisoners to !a"e the! !ore tractable I confess I wondered whether he

!i$ht not be e!ployin$ a fi$ure for the sa"e of delicacy0 whether the lost ton$ue !i$ht stand not only for itself but for a !ore atrocious !utilation6 whether by a du!b sla%e I was to understand a sla%e un!anned. '#hen I heard the hu!!in$ that first !ornin$ and ca!e to the door and was !et with the spectacle of Friday at his dancin$ with his robes flyin$ about hi! I was so confounded that I $aped without sha!e at what had hitherto been %eiled fro! !e. For thou$h I had seen Friday na"ed before it had been only fro! a distance0 on our island we had obser%ed the decencies as far as we could Friday not least of usJ 'I ha%e told you of the abhorrence I felt when -ruso opened Friday's !outh to show !e he had no ton$ue. #hat -ruso wanted !e to see what I a%erted !y eyes fro! seein$ was the thic" stub at the bac" of the !outh which e%er afterwards I pictured to !yself wa$$in$ and strainin$ under the sway of e!otion as Friday tried to utter hi!self li"e a wor! cut in half contortin$ itself in death4throes. Fro! that ni$ht on I had continually to fear that e%idence of a yet !ore hideous !utilation !i$ht be thrust upon !y si$ht. 'In the dance nothin$ was still and yet e%erythin$ was still. )he whirlin$ robe was a scarlet bell settled upon Friday's shoulders and enclosin$ hi!6 Friday was the dar" pillar at its centre. #hat had been hidden fro! !e was re%ealed. I saw6 or I should say !y eyes were open to what was present to the!. 'I saw and belie%ed I had seen thou$h afterwards I re!e!bered )ho!as who also saw but could not be brou$ht to belie%e till he had put his hand in the wound. 'I do not "now how these !atters can be written of in a boo" unless they are co%ered up a$ain in fi$ures. #hen I first heard of you I was told you were a %ery secret !an a cler$y!an of sorts who in the course of your wor" heard the dar"est of confessions fro! the !ost desperate of penitents. I will not "neel before hi! li"e one of his $allows4birds I %owed with a !outh full of unspea"able confidences0 I will say in plain ter!s what can be said and lea%e unsaid what cannot. <et here I a! pourin$ out !y dar"est secrets to you; <ou are li"e one of those notorious libertines who! wo!en ar! the!sel%es a$ainst but a$ainst who! they are at last powerless his %ery notoriety bein$ the seducer's shrewdest weapon.' '<ou ha%e not told !e all I need to "now of 'ahia ' said Foe. 'I told !yself *ha%e I not confessed this before7+0 /e is li"e the patient spider who sits at the heart of his web waitin$ for his prey to co!e to hi!. And when we stru$$le in his $rasp and he opens his &aws to de%our us and with our last breath we cry out he s!iles a thin s!ile and says0 ,I did not as" you to co!e %isitin$ you ca!e of your own will.', A lon$ pause fell between us. ')ossed on shores I ne%er thou$ht to %isit' 4 the words ca!e to !e unbidden. #hat was their !eanin$7 Fro! the street below ca!e the noise of a wo!an scoldin$. On and on went her tirade. I s!iled 4 I could not help !yself 4 and Foe s!iled too. 'As for 'ahia ' I resu!ed 'it is by choice that I say so little of it. )he story I desire to be "nown by is the story of the island. <ou call it an episode but I call it a story in its own ri$ht. It co!!ences with !y bein$ cast away there and concludes with the death of -ruso and the return of Friday and !yself to En$land full of new hope. #ithin this lar$er story are inset the stories of how I ca!e to be !arooned *told by !yself to -ruso+ and of -ruso's shipwrec" and early years on the island *told by -ruso to !yself+ as well as the story of Friday which is properly not a story but a pu((le or hole in the narrati%e *I

picture it as a buttonhole carefully cross4stitched around but e!pty waitin$ for the button+. )a"en in all it is a narrati%e with a be$innin$ and an end and with pleasin$ di$ressions too lac"in$ only a substantial and %aried !iddle in the place where -ruso spent too !uch ti!e tillin$ the terraces and I too !uch ti!e tra!pin$ the shores. Once you proposed to supply a !iddle by in%entin$ cannibals and pirates. )hese I would not I accept because they were not the truth. 1ow you propose to reduce the island to an episode in the history of a wo!an in search of a lost dau$hter. )his too I re&ect. '<ou err !ost tellin$ly in failin$ to distin$uish between !y silences and the silences of a bein$ such as Friday. Friday has no co!!and of words and therefore no defence a$ainst bein$ re4shaped day by day in confor!ity with the desires of others. I say he is a cannibal and he beco!es a cannibal6 I say he is a laundry!an and he beco!es a laundry!an. #hat is the truth of Friday7 <ou will respond0 he is neither cannibal nor laundry!an these are !ere na!es they do not touch his essence he is a substantial body he is hi!self Friday is Friday. 'ut that is not so. 1o !atter what he is to hi!self *is he anythin$ to hi!self7 4 how can he tell us7+ what he is to the world is what I !a"e of hi!. )herefore the silence of Friday is a helpless silence. /e is the child of his silence a child unborn a child waitin$ to be born that cannot be born. #hereas the silence I "eep re$ardin$ 'ahia and other !atters is chosen and purposeful0 it is !y own silence. 'ahia I assert is a world in itself and 'ra(il an e%en $reater world. 'ahia and 'ra(il do not belon$ within an island story they cannot be cra!ped into its confines. For instance0 In the streets of 'ahia you will see 1e$ro wo!en bearin$ trays of confections for sale. 9et !e na!e so!e few of these confections. )here are pa!onbas or Indian corn4ca"es6 .ui!ados !ade of su$ar called in French bon4bons6 pao de !ilho spon$eca"e !ade with corn and pao de arro( !ade with rice6 also rolete de caw or su$ar4cane roll. )hese are the na!es that co!e to !e6 but there are !any others both sweet and sa%oury and all to be found on a sin$le confectioner's tray on the corner of any street. )hin" how !uch !ore there is of the stran$e and new in this %i$orous city where thron$s of people sur$e throu$h the streets day and ni$ht na"ed Indians fro! the forests and ebony 8aho!eyans and proud 9usitanians and half4breeds of e%ery hue where fat !erchants are borne in litters by their sla%es a!id processions of fla$ellants and whirlin$ dancers and food4 %endors and crowds on their way to coc"fi$hts. /ow can you e%er close 'ahia between the co%ers of a boo"7 It is only s!all and thinly peopled places that can be sub&u$ated and held down in words such as desert islands and lonely houses. 'esides !y dau$hter is no lon$er in 'ahia but is $one into the interior into a world so %ast and stran$e I can hardly concei%e it a world of plains and plantations such as the one -ruso left behind where the ant is e!peror and e%erythin$ is turned on its head. 'I a! not do you see one of those thie%es or hi$hway!en of yours who $abble a confession and are then whipped off to )yburn and eternal silence lea%in$ you to !a"e of their stories whate%er you fancy. It is still in !y power to $uide and a!end. Abo%e all to withhold. 'y such !eans do I still endea%our to be father to !y story.' Foe spo"e. ')here is a story I would ha%e you hear 5usan fro! !y days as %isitor to 1ew$ate. A wo!an a con%icted thief as she was about to be led to the cart that would ta"e her to )yburn as"ed for a !inister to who! to !a"e her true confession6 for the confession she had !ade before she said was false. 5o the ordinary was su!!oned. )o hi! she confessed I a$ain the thefts for which she had stood accused and !ore besides6 she confessed nu!erous i!purities and blasphe!ies6 she confessed to abandonin$ two I

children and stiflin$ a third in the cot. 5he confessed a husband in Ireland and a husband transported to the -arolinas and a husband with her in 1ew$ate all ali%e. 5he detailed cri!es of her youn$ wo!anhood and I cri!es of her childhood till at last with the sun hi$h in the hea%ens and the turn"ey poundin$ at the door the chaplain stilled her. ,It is hard for !e to belie%e Mrs4 , he said ,that a sin$le lifeti!e can ha%e sufficed for the co!!ission of all these cri!es. Are you truly as $reat a sinner as you would ha%e !e belie%e7, ,If I do not spea" the truth re%erend father , replied the wo!an *who was Irish I !ay say+ ,then a! I not abusin$ the sacra!ent and is that not a sin worse e%en than those I ha%e confessed callin$ for further confession and repentance7 And if !y repentance is not truly felt *and is it truly felt7 4 I loo" into !y heart and cannot say so dar" is it there+ then is !y confession not false and is that not sin redoubled7, And the wo!an would ha%e $one on confessin$ and throwin$ her confession in doubt all day lon$ till the carter do(ed and the pie4!en and the crowds went ho!e had not the chaplain held up his hands and in a loud %oice shri%en the wo!an o%er all her protestations that her story was not done and then hastened away.' '#hy do you tell !e this story7' I as"ed. 'A! I the wo!an whose ti!e has co!e to be ta"en to the $allows and are you the chaplain7' '<ou are free to $i%e to the story what application you will ' Foe replied. ')o !e the !oral of the story is that there co!es a ti!e when we !ust $i%e rec"onin$ of oursel%es to the world and then fore%er after be content to hold our peace.' ')o !e the !oral is that he has the last word who disposes o%er the $reatest force. I !ean the e3ecutioner and his assistants both $reat and s!all. If I were the Irishwo!an I should rest !ost uneasy in !y $ra%e "nowin$ to what interpreter the story of !y last hours has been consi$ned.' ')hen I will tell you a second story. A wo!an *another wo!an+ was conde!ned to die 4 I for$et the cri!e. As the fatal day approached she $rew !ore and !ore despairin$ for she could find no one to ta"e char$e of her infant dau$hter who was with her in the cell. At last one of her $aolers ta"in$ pity on her distress spo"e with his wife and to$ether they a$reed they would adopt the child as their own. #hen this conde!ned wo!an saw her child safe in the ar!s of her foster4!other she turned to her captors and said0 ,1ow you !ay do with !e as you wish. For I ha%e escaped your prison6 all you ha%e here is the hus" of !e, *intendin$ I belie%e the hus" that the butterfly lea%es behind when it is born+. )his is a story fro! the old days6 we no lon$er handle !others so barbarously. 1e%ertheless it retains its application and the application is0 )here are !ore ways than one of li%in$ eternally.' 'Mr Foe I do not ha%e the s"ill of brin$in$ out parables one after another li"e roses fro! a con&urer's slee%e. )here was a ti!e I $rant when I hoped to be fa!ous to see heads turn in the street and hear fol" whisper ,)here $oes 5usan 'arton the castaway., 'ut that was an idle a!bition lon$ since discarded. 9oo" at !e. For two days I ha%e not eaten. My clothes are in tatters !y hair is lan". I loo" li"e an old wo!an a filthy old $ipsy4wo!an. I sleep in doorways in churchyards under brid$es. -an you belie%e this be$$ar's life is what I desire7 #ith a bath and new clothes and a letter of introduction fro! you I could to!orrow find !yself a situation as a coo"4!aid and a co!fortable situation too in a $ood house. I could return in e%ery respect to the life of a substantial body the life you reco!!end. 'ut such a life is ab&ect. It is the life of a thin$.

A whore used by !en is used as a substantial body. )he wa%es pic"ed !e up and cast !e ashore on an island and a year later the sa!e wa%es brou$ht a ship to rescue !e and of the true story of that year the story as it should be seen in =od's $reat sche!e of thin$s I re!ain as i$norant as a newborn babe. )hat is why I cannot rest that is why I follow you to your hidin$4place li"e a bad penny. #ould I be here if I did not belie%e you to be !y intended the one alone intended to tell !y true story7 '8o you "now the story of the Muse Mr Foe7 )he Muse is a wo!an a $oddess who %isits poets in the ni$ht and be$ets stories upon the!. In the accounts they $i%e afterwards the poets say that she co!es in the hour of their deepest despair and touches the! with sacred fire after which their pens that ha%e been dry flow. #hen I wrote !y !e!oir for you and saw how li"e the island it was under !y pen dull and %acant and without life I wished that there were such a bein$ as a !an4Muse a youthful $od who %isited authoresses in the ni$ht and !ade their pens flow. 'ut now I "now better. )he Muse is both $oddess and be$etter. I was intended not to be the !other of !y story but to be$et it. It is not I who a! the intended but you. 'ut why need I ar$ue !y case7 #hen is it e%er as"ed of a !an who co!es courtin$ that he plead in syllo$is!s7 #hy should it be de!anded of !e7' Foe !ade no reply but crossed the roo! to the curtained alco%e and returned with a &ar. ')hese are wafers !ade with al!ond4paste after the Italian fashion ' he said. 'Alas they are all I ha%e to offer.' I too" one and tasted it. 5o li$ht was it that it !elted on !y ton$ue. ')he food of $ods ' I re!ar"ed. Foe s!iled and shoo" his head. I held out a wafer to Friday who lan$uidly too" it fro! !y hand. ')he boy @ac" will be co!in$ shortly ' said Foe6 'then I will send hi! out for our supper.' A silence fell. I $a(ed out at the steeples and rooftops. '<ou ha%e found yourself a fine retreat ' I said 'a true ea$le's4nest. I wrote !y !e!oir by candleli$ht in a windowless roo! with the paper on !y "nee. Is that the reason do you thin" why !y story was so dull 4 that !y %ision was bloc"ed that I could not see7' 'It is not a dull story thou$h it is too !uch the sa!e ' said Foe. 'It is not dull so lon$ as we re!ind oursel%es it is true. 'ut as an ad%enture it is %ery dull indeed. )hat is why you pressed !e to brin$ in the cannibals is it not7' Foe inclined his head &udiciously this way and that. 'In Friday here you ha%e a li%in$ cannibal ' I pursued. ''ehold. If we are to $o by Friday cannibals are no less dull than En$lish!en.' )hey lose their %i%acity when depri%ed of hu!an flesh I a! sure ' replied Foe. )here was a tap at the door and the boy ca!e in twho had $uided us to the house. '#elco!e @ac";' called Foe. 'Mistress 'arton who! you ha%e !et is to dine with us so will you as" for double portions7' /e too" out his purse and $a%e @ac" !oney. '8o not for$et Friday ' I put in. 'And a portion for Friday the inanser%ant too by all !eans ' said Foe. )he boy departed. 'I found @ac" a!on$ the waifs and orphans who sleep in the ash4 pits at the $lasswor"s. /e is ten years old by his rec"onin$ but already a notable pic"poc"et.' '8o you not try to correct hi!7' I in.uired. ')o !a"e hi! honest would be to conde!n hi! to the wor"house ' said Foe 4 '#ould you see a child in the wor"house for the sa"e of a few hand"erchiefs7'

'1o6 but you are trainin$ hi! for the $allows ' I replied 4 '-an you not ta"e hi! in and teach hi! his letters and send hi! out as an apprentice7' 'If I were to follow that ad%ice how !any apprentices would I not ha%e sleepin$ on !y floor who! I ha%e sa%ed fro! the streets7' said Foe 4 'I should be ta"en for a thief4!aster and sent to the $allows !yself. @ac" has his own life to li%e better than any I could de%ise for hi!.' 'Friday too has a life of his own ' I said6 'but I do not therefore turn Friday out on the streets.' '#hy do you not7' said Foe. ''ecause he is helpless ' said I 4 ''ecause 9ondon is stran$e to hi!. 'ecause he would be ta"en for a runaway and sold and transported to @a!aica.' 'Mi$ht he not rather be ta"en in by his own "ind and cared for and fed7' said Foe 4 ')here are !ore 1e$roes in 9ondon than you would belie%e. #al" alon$ Mile End :oad on a su!!er's afternoon or in 2addin$ton and you will see. #ould Friday not be happier a!on$ other 1e$roes7 /e could play for pennies in a street band. )here are !any such strollin$ bands. I would !a"e hi! a present of !y flute.' I $lanced across at Friday. 8id I !ista"e !yself or was there a $lea! of understandin$ in his eye7 '8o you understand what Mr Foe says Friday7' I called. /e loo"ed bac" at !e dully. 'Or if we had !ops in 9ondon as they ha%e in the west country ' said Foe 'Friday could stand in the line with his hoe on his shoulder and be hired for a $ardener and not a word be passed.' @ac" now returned bearin$ a co%ered tray fro! which ca!e an appeti(in$ s!ell. /e set the tray down on the table and whispered to Foe. 'Allow us a few !inutes then show the! up ' said Foe6 and to !e0 '#e ha%e %isitors but let us eat first.' @ac" had brou$ht roast beef and $ra%y to$ether with a threepenny loaf and a pitcher of ale. )here bein$ only the two plates Foe and I ate first after which I filled !y plate a$ain and $a%e it to Friday. )here was a "noc". Foe opened the door. )he li$ht fell on the $irl I had left in Eppin$ Forest6 behind her in the shadows was another wo!an. #hile I yet stood du!bstruc" the $irl crossed the roo! and put her ar!s about !e and "issed !e on the chee". A coldness went throu$h !e and I thou$ht I would fall to the floor. 'And here is A!y ' said the $irl4'A!y fro! 8eptford !y nurse when I was little.' )here was a poundin$ in !y ears but I !ade !yself face A!y. I saw a slender pleasant4faced wo!an of !y a$e with fair curls showin$ under her cap. 'I a! happy to !a"e your ac.uaintance ' I !ur!ured6 'but I a! sure I ha%e ne%er set eyes on you before in !y lite.' 5o!eone touched !y ar!. It was Foe0 he led !e to the chair and !ade !e sit and $a%e !e a $lass of &water. 'It is a passin$ di((iness ' I said. /e nodded. '5o we are all to$ether ' said Foe. '2lease be seated Kusan A!y.' /e indicated the bed. )he boy @ac" stood at Foe's side starin$ curiously at !e. Foe lit a second la!p and set it on the !antel. 'In a !o!ent @ac" will fetch coals and !a"e a fire for us will you not @ac"7' '<es sir ' said @ac". I spo"e. 'It is $rowin$ late Friday and I will not be stayin$ ' I said. '<ou !ust not thin" of departin$ ' said Foe. '<ou ha%e nowhere to $o6 besides when were you last in such co!pany7'

'1e%er ' I replied. 'I was ne%er before in such co!pany in !y life. I thou$ht this was a lod$in$ house but now I see it is a $atherin$4place for actors. It would be a waste of breath Mr Foe for !e to say that these wo!en are stran$ers to !e for you will only reply that I ha%e for$otten and then you will pro!pt the! and they will e!bar" on lon$ stories of a past in which they will clai! I was an actor too. '#hat can I do but protest it is not true7 I a! as fa!iliar as you with the !any !any ways in which we can decei%e oursel%es. 'ut how can we li%e if we do not belie%e we "now who we are and who we ha%e been7 If I were as obli$in$ as you wish !e to be 4 if I were ready to concede that thou$h I belie%e !y dau$hter to ha%e been swallowed up by the $rasslands of 'ra(il it is e.ually possible that she has spent the past year in En$land and is here in this roo! now in a for! in which I fail to reco$ni(e her 4 for the dau$hter I re!e!ber is tall and dar"4haired and has a na!e of her own 4 if I were li"e a bottle bobbin$ on the wa%es with a scrap of writin$ inside that could as well be a !essa$e fro! an idle child fishin$ in the canal as fro! a !ariner adrift on the hi$h seas 4 if I were a !ere receptacle ready to acco!!odate whate%er story is stuffed in !e surely you would dis!iss !e surely you would say to yourself ,)his is no wo!an but a house of words hollow without substance,7 'I a! not a story Mr Foe. I !ay i!press you as a story because I be$an !y account of !yself without prea!ble slippin$ o%erboard into the water and stri"in$ out for the shore. 'ut !y life did not be$in in the wa%es. )here was a life before the water which stretched bac" to !y desolate searchin$s in 'ra(il thence to the years when !y dau$hter was still with !e and so on bac" to the day I was born. All of which !a"es up a story I do not choose to tell. I choose not to tell it because to no one not e%en to you do I owe proof that I a! a substantial bein$ with a substantial history in the world. I choose rather to tell of the island of !yself and -ruso and Friday and what we three did there0 for I a! a free wo!an who asserts her freedo! by tellin$ her story accordin$ to her own desire.' /ere I paused breathless. 'oth a $irl and the wo!an A!y were watchin$ !e intently I saw and !oreo%er with what see!ed friendliness in their !anner. Foe nodded as if to encoura$e !e. )he boy stood !otionless with the coal4scuttle in his hand. E%en Friday had his eyes on !e. I crossed the roo!. At !y approach the $irl I obser%ed did not wa%er. #hat other test is left to !e7 I thou$ht6 and too" her in !y ar!s and "issed her on the lips and felt her yield and "iss !e in return al!ost as one returns a lo%er's "iss. /ad I e3pected her to dissol%e when I touched her her flesh cru!blin$ and floatin$ away li"e paper4ash7 I $ripped her ti$ht and pressed !y fin$ers into her shoulders. #as this truly !y dau$hter's flesh7 Openin$ !y eyes I saw A!y's face ho%erin$ only inches fro! !ine her lips parted too as if for a "iss. '5he is unli"e !e in e%ery way ' I !ur!ured. A!y shoo" her head. '5he is a true child of your wo!b ' she replied4'5he is li"e you in secret ways.' I drew bac". 'I a! not spea"in$ of secret ways ' I said 4 'I a! spea"in$ of blue eyes and brown hair'6 and I !i$ht ha%e !ade !ention too of the soft and helpless little !outh had I wished to be hurtful. '5he is her father's child as well as her !other's ' said A!y. )o which I was about to reply that if the $irl were her father's child then her father !ust be !y opposite and we do not !arry our opposites we !arry !en who are li"e us in subtle ways when it struc" !e that I would li"ely be wastin$ !y breath for the li$ht in A!y's eye was not so !uch friendly as foolish.

'Mr Foe ' I said turnin$ to hi! 4 and now I belie%e there was truly despair in !y loo"s and he saw it 4 'I no lon$er "now into what "ind of household I ha%e tu!bled. I say to !yself that this child who calls herself by !y na!e is a $host a substantial $host if such bein$s e3ist who haunts !e for reasons I cannot understand and brin$s other $hosts in tow. 5he stands for the dau$hter I lost in 'ahia I tell !yself and is sent by you to console !e6 but lac"in$ s"ill in su!!onin$ $hosts you call up one who rese!bles !y dau$hter in no respect whate%er. Or you pri%ately thin" !y dau$hter is dead and su!!on her $host and are allotted a $host who by chance bears !y na!e with an attendant. )hose are !y sur!ises. As for the boy I cannot tell whether he is a $host or not nor does it !atter. ''ut if these wo!en are creatures of yours %isitin$ !e at your instruction spea"in$ words you ha%e prepared for the! then who a! I and who indeed are you7 I presented !yself to you in words I "new to be !y own 4 I slipped o%erboard I be$an to swi! !y hair floated about !e and so forth you will re!e!ber the words 4 and for a lon$ ti!e afterwards when I was writin$ those letters that were ne%er read by you and were later not sent and at last not e%en written down I continued to trust in !y own authorship. '<et in the sa!e roo! as yourself at last where I need surely not relate to you !y e%ery action 4 you ha%e !e under your eyes you are not blind 4 I continue to describe and e3plain. 9isten; I describe the dar" staircase the bare roo! the curtained alco%e particulars a thousand ti!es !ore fa!iliar to you than to !e6 I tell of your loo"s and !y loo"s I relate your words and !ine. #hy do I spea" to who! do I spea" when there is no need to spea"7 'In the be$innin$ I thou$ht I would tell you the story of the island and bein$ done with that return to !y for!er life. 'ut now all !y life $rows to be story and there is nothin$ of !y own left to !e. I thou$ht I was !yself and this $irl a creature fro!0 another order spea"in$ words you !ade up for her. 'ut now I a! full of doubt. 1othin$ is left to !e but doubt. I a! doubt itself. #ho is spea"in$ !e7 A! I a phanto! too7 )o what order do I belon$7 And you0 who are you7' )hrou$h all this tal" Foe had stood stoc" still by the fireplace. I e3pected an answer for ne%er before had he failed for words. 'ut instead without preli!inaries he approached !e and too" !e in his ar!s and "issed !e6 and as the $irl had responded before I felt !y lips answer his "iss *but to who! do I confess this7+ as a wo!an's answer her lo%er's. #as this his reply 4 that he and I were !an and wo!an that !an and wo!an are beyond words7 If so it was a paltry reply de!onstration !ore than reply one that would satisfy no philosopher. A!y and the $irl and @ac" were s!ilin$ e%en broader than before. 'reathless I tu$$ed !yself free. '9on$ a$o Mr Foe ' I said 'you wrote down the story *I found it in your library and read it to Friday to pass the ti!e+ of a wo!an who spent an afternoon in con%ersation with a dear friend and at the end of the afternoon e!braced her friend and bade her farewell till they should ne3t !eet. 'ut the friend un"nown to her had died the day before !any !iles away and she had sat con%ersin$ with a $host. Mrs 'arfield was her na!e you will re!e!ber. )hus I conclude you are aware that $hosts can con%erse with us and e!brace and "iss us too.' 'My sweet 5usan ' said Foe 4 and I could not !aintain !y stern loo"s when he uttered these words I had not been called sweet 5usan for !any years certainly -ruso

had ne%er called !e that 4 'My sweet 5usan as to who a!on$ us is a $host and who not I ha%e nothin$ to say0 it is a .uestion we can only stare at in silence li"e a bird before a sna"e hopin$ it will not swallow us. ''ut if you cannot rid yourself of your doubts I ha%e so!ethin$ to say that !ay be of co!fort. 9et us confront bur worst fear which is that we ha%e all of us been called into the world fro! a different order *which we ha%e now for$otten+ by a con&urer un"nown to us as you say I ha%e con&ured up your dau$hter and her co!panion *I ha%e not+. )hen I as" ne%ertheless0 /a%e we thereby lost our freedo!7 Are you for one any less !istress of your life7 8o we of necessity beco!e puppets in a story whose end is in%isible to us and towards which we are !arched li"e conde!ned felons7 <ou and I "now in our different ways how ra!blin$ an occupation writin$ is6 and con&urin$ is surely !uch the sa!e. #e sit starin$ out of the window and a cloud shaped li"e a ca!el passes by and before we "now it our fantasy has whis"ed us away to the sands of Africa and our hero *who is no one but oursel%es in dis$uise+ is clashin$ sci!itars with a Moorish bri$and. A new cloud floats past in the for! of a sailin$4ship and in a trice we are cast ashore all woebe$one on a desert isle. /a%e we cause to belie%e that the li%es it is $i%en us to li%e proceed with any !ore desi$n than these whi!sical ad%entures7 '<ou will say I "now that the heroes and heroines of ad%enture are si!ple fol" incapable of such doubts as those you feel re$ardin$ your own life. 'ut ha%e you considered that your doubts !ay be part of the story you li%e of no $reater wei$ht than any other ad%enture of yours7 I put the .uestion !erely. 'In a life of writin$ boo"s I ha%e often belie%e !e been lost in the !a(e of doubtin$. )he tric" I ha%e learned is to plant a si$n or !ar"er in the $round where I stand so that in !y future wanderin$s I shall ha%e so!ethin$ to return to and not $et worse lost than I a!. /a%in$ planted it I press on6 the !ore often I co!e bac" to the !ar" *which is a si$n to !yself of !y blindness and incapacity+ the !ore certainly I "now I a! lost yet the !ore I a! heartened too to ha%e found !y way bac". '/a%e you considered *and I will conclude here+ that in your own wanderin$s you !ay without "nowin$ it ha%e left behind so!e such to"en for yourself6 or if you choose to belie%e you are not !istress of your life that a to"en has been left behind on your behalf which is the si$n of blindness I ha%e spo"en of6 and that for lac" of a better plan your search for a way out of the !a(e 4 if you are indeed a!a(ed or be4!a(ed 4 !i$ht start fro! that point and return to it as !any ti!es as are needed till you disco%er yourself to be sa%ed7 ' /ere Foe turned fro! !e to $i%e his attention to @ac" who had for a while been tu$$in$ his slee%e. 9ow words passed between the!6 Foe $a%e hi! !oney6 and with a cheery =ood4ni$ht @ac" too" h is lea%e. )hen Mrs A!y loo"ed at her watch and e3clai!ed at how late it was. '8o you li%e far7' I as"ed her. 5he $a%e !e a stran$e loo". '1o ' she said 'not far not far at all.' )he $irl see!ed reluctant to be off but I e!braced her a$ain and "issed her which see!ed to cheer her. /er appearances or apparitions or whate%er they were disturbed !e less now that I "new her better. '-o!e Friday ' I said 4 'it is ti!e for us to $o too.' 'ut Foe de!urred. '<ou will do !e the $reatest of honours if you will spend the ni$ht here ' he said ''esides where else will you find a bed7' '5o lon$ as it does not rain we ha%e a hundred beds to choose fro! all of the! hard ' I replied. '5tay with !e then ' said Foe 4 'At the %ery least you shall ha%e a soft bed.'

'And Friday7' 'Friday too ' said he. ''ut where will Friday sleep7' '#here would you ha%e hi! sleep7' 'I will not send hi! away ' said I. ''y no !eans ' said he. 'May he sleep in your alco%e then7' said I indicatin$ the corner of the roo! that was curtained off. 'Most certainly ' said he 4 'I will lay down a !at and a cushion too.' ')hat will be enou$h ' said I. #hile Foe !ade the alco%e ready I roused Friday. '-o!e we ha%e a ho!e for the ni$ht Friday ' I whispered6 'and if fortune is with us we shall ha%e another !eal to!orrow.' I showed hi! his sleepin$4place and drew the curtain on hi!. Foe doused the li$ht and I heard hi! undressin$. I hesitated awhile wonderin$ what it au$ured for the writin$ of !y story that I should $row so inti!ate with its author. I heard the bedsprin$s crea". '=ood ni$ht Friday ' I whispered 4 '2ay no attention to your !istress and Mr Foe it is all for the $ood.' )hen I undressed to !y shift and let down !y hair and crept under the bedclothes. For a while we lay in silence Foe on his side I on !ine. At last Foe spo"e. 'I as" !yself so!eti!es ' he said 'how it would be if =od's creatures had no need of sleep. If we spent all our li%es awa"e would we be better people for it or worse7' )o this stran$e openin$ I had no reply. '#ould we be better or worse I !ean ' he went on 'if we were no lon$er to descend ni$htly into oursel%es and !eet what we !eet there7' 'And what !i$ht that be7' said I. 'Our dar"er sel%es ' said he. 'Our dar"er sel%es and other phanto!s too.' And then abruptly0 '8o you sleep 5usan7' 'I sleep %ery well despite all ' I replied. And do you !eet with phanto!s in your sleep7' 'I drea! but I do not call the fi$ures phanto!s that co!e to !e in drea!s.' '#hat are they then7' ')hey are !e!ories !e!ories of !y wa"in$ hours bro"en and !in$led and altered.' 'And are they real7' 'As real or as little real as the !e!ories the!sel%es.' 'I read in an old Italian author of a !an who %isited or drea!ed he %isited /ell ' said Foe ')here he !et the souls of the dead. One of the souls was weepin$. ,8o not suppose !ortal , said this soul addressin$ hi! ,that because I a! not substantial these tears you behold are not the tears of a true $rief.', ')rue $rief certainly but whose7' said I4')he $host's or the Italian's7' I reached out and too" Foe's hand between !ine. 'Mr Foe do you truly "now who I a!7 I ca!e to you in the rain one day when you were in a hurry to be off and detained you with a story of an island which you could not ha%e wished to hear.' *'<ou are .uite wron$ !y dear ' said Foe e!bracin$ !e.+ '<ou counselled !e to write it down ' I went on 'hopin$ perhaps to read of bloody doin$s on the hi$h seas or the licentiousness of the 'ra(ilians.' *'1ot true not true;' said Foe lau$hin$ and hu$$in$ !e 4 'you roused !y curiosity fro! the first I was !ost ea$er to hear whate%er you !i$ht relate;'+ ''ut no I pursue you with !y own dull story %isitin$ it upon you now in your utter!ost refu$e. And I brin$ these wo!en

trailin$ after !e $hosts hauntin$ a $host li"e fleas upon a flea. )hat is how it appears to you does it not7' 'And why should you be as you put it hauntin$ !e 5usan7' 'For your blood. Is that not why $hosts return0 to drin" the blood of the li%in$7 Is that not the true reason why the shades !ade your Italian welco!e7' Instead of answerin$ Foe "issed !e a$ain and in "issin$ $a%e such a sharp bite to !y lip that I cried out and drew away. 'ut he held !e close and I felt hi! suc" the wound. ')his is !y !anner of preyin$ on the li%in$ ' he !ur!ured. )hen he was upon !e and I !i$ht ha%e thou$ht !yself in -ruso's ar!s a$ain6 for they were !en of the sa!e ti!e of life and hea%y in the lower body thou$h neither was stout6 and their way with a wo!an too was !uch the sa!e. I closed !y eyes tryin$ to find !y way bac" to the island to the wind and wa%e roar6 but no the island was lost cut off fro! !e by a thousand lea$ues of watery waste. I cal!ed Foe. '2er!it !e ' I whispered 4 'there is a pri%ile$e that co!es with the first ni$ht that I clai! as !ine.' 5o I coa3ed hi! till he lay beneath !e. )hen I drew off !y shift and straddled hi! *which he did not see! easy with in a wo!an+. ')his is the !anner of the Muse when she %isits her poets ' I whispered and felt so!e of the listlessness $o out of !y li!bs. 'A bracin$ ride ' said Foe afterwards 4 'My %ery bones are &olted I !ust catch !y breath before we resu!e.' 'It is always a hard ride when the Muse pays her %isits ' I replied 4 '5he !ust do whate%er lies in her power to father her offsprin$.' Foe lay still so lon$ I thou$ht he had $one to sleep. 'ut &ust as I !yself be$an to $row drowsy he spo"e0 '<ou wrote of your !an Friday paddlin$ his boat into the seaweed. )hose $reat beds of seaweed are the ho!e of a beast called by !ariners the "ra"en4ha%e you heard of it7 4 which has ar!s as thic" as a !an's thi$h and !any yards lon$ and a bea" li"e an ea$le's. I picture the "ra"en lyin$ on the floor of the sea starin$ up throu$h tan$led fronds of weeds at the s"y its !any ar!s furled about it waitin$. It is into that terrible orbit that Friday steers his fra$ile craft.' #hat led Foe to tal" of sea4!onsters at such a ti!e I could not $uess but I held !y peace. 'If a $reat ar! had appeared and wrapped itself about Friday and without a sound drawn hi! beneath the wa%es ne%er to rise a$ain would it ha%e surprised you7' he as"ed. 'A !onstrous ar! risin$ fro! the deep4yes I would ha%e been surprised. 5urprised and unbelie%in$.' ''ut surprised to see Friday disappear rro! the face of the waters fro! the face of the earth7' Foe !used. A$ain he see!ed to fall into a slu!ber. '<ou say ' he said 4 and I wo"e up with a start 4 'you say he was $uidin$ his boat to the place where the ship went down which we !ay sur!ise to ha%e been a sla%eship not a !erchant!an as -ruso clai!ed. #ell then0 picture the hundreds of his fellow4sla%es 4 or their s"eletons 4 still chained in the wrec" the $ay little fish *that you spo"e of+ flittin$ throu$h their eye soc"ets and the hollow cases that had held their hearts. 2icture Friday abo%e starin$ down upon the! castin$ buds and petals that float a brief while then sin" to settle a!on$ the bones of the dead.

'8oes it not stri"e you in these two accounts how Friday is bec"oned fro! the deep 4 bec"oned or !enaced as the case !ay be7 <et Friday does not die. In his puny boat he floats upon the %ery s"in of death and is safe.' 'It was not a boat but a lo$ of wood ' said I. 'In e%ery story there is a silence so!e si$ht concealed so!e word unspo"en I belie%e. )ill we ha%e spo"en the unspo"en we ha%e not co!e to the heart of the story. I as"0 #hy was Friday drawn into such deadly peril $i%en that life on the island was without peril and then sa%ed7' )he .uestion see!ed fantastical. I had no answer. 'I said the heart of the story ' resu!ed Foe 'but I should ha%e said the eye the eye of the story. Friday rows his lo$ of wood across the dar" pupil 4 or the dead soc"et 4 of an eye starin$ up at hi! fro! the floor of the sea. /e rows across it and is safe. )o us he lea%es the tas" of descendin$ into that eye. Otherwise li"e hi! we sail across the surface and co!e ashore none the wiser and resu!e our old li%es and sleep without drea!in$ li"e babes.' 'Or li"e a !outh ' said I. 'Friday sailed all unwittin$ across a $reat !outh or bea" as you called it that stood open to de%our hi!. It is for us to descend into the !outh *since we spea" in fi$ures+. It is for us to open Friday's !outh and hear what it holds0 silence perhaps or a roar li"e the roar of a seashell held to the ear.' ')hat too ' said Foe. 'I intended so!ethin$ else6 but that too. #e !ust !a"e Friday's silence spea" as well as the silence surroundin$ Friday.' ''ut who will do it7' I as"ed. 'It is easy enou$h to lie in bed and say what !ust be done but who will di%e into the wrec"7 On the island I told -ruso it should be Friday with a rope about his !iddle for safety. 'ut if Friday cannot tell us what he sees is Friday in !y story any !ore than a fi$urin$ *or prefi$urin$+ of another di%er7' Foe !ade no reply. 'All !y efforts to brin$ Friday to speech or to brin$ speech to Friday ha%e failed ' I said. '/e utters hi!self only in !usic and dancin$ which are to speech as cries and shouts are to words. )here are ti!es when I as" !yself whether in his earlier life he had the sli$htest !astery of lan$ua$e whether he "nows what "ind of thin$ lan$ua$e is.' '/a%e you shown hi! writin$7' said Foe. '/ow can he write if he cannot spea"7 9etters are the !irror of words. E%en when we see! to write in silence our writin$ is the !anifest of a speech spo"en within oursel%es or to oursel%es.' '1e%ertheless Friday has fin$ers. If he has fin$ers he can for! letters. #ritin$ is not doo!ed to be the shadow of speech. 'e attenti%e to yourself as you write and you will !ar" there are ti!es when the words for! the!sel%es on the paper de no%o as the :o!ans used to say out of the deepest of inner silences. #e are accusto!ed to belie%e that our world was created by =od spea"in$ the #ord6 but I as" !ay it not rather be that he wrote it wrote a #ord so lon$ we ha%e yet to co!e to the end of it7 May it not be that =od continually writes the world the world and all that is in it7' '#hether writin$ is able to for! itself out of nothin$ I a! not co!petent to say ' I replied. '2erhaps it will do so for authors6 it will not for !e. As to Friday I as" ne%ertheless0 /ow can he be tau$ht to write if there are no words within hi! in his heart for writin$ to reflect but on the contrary only a tur!oil of feelin$s and ur$es7 As to

=od's writin$ !y opinion is0 If he writes he e!ploys a secret writin$ which it is not $i%en to us who are part of that writin$ to read.' '#e cannot read it I a$ree that was part of !y !eanin$ since we are that which he writes. #e or so!e of us0 it is possible that so!e of us are not written but !erely are6 or else *I thin" principally of Friday+ are written by another and dar"er author. 1e%ertheless =od's writin$ stands as an instance of a writin$ without speech. 5peech is but a !eans throu$h which the word !ay be uttered it is not the word itself. Friday has no speech but he has fin$ers and those fin$ers shall be his !eans. E%en if he had no fin$ers e%en if the sla%ers had lopped the! all off he can hold a stic" of charcoal between his toes or between his teeth li"e the be$$ars on the 5trand. )he waters"ater that is an insect and du!b traces the na!e of =od on the surfaces of ponds or so the Arabians say. 1one is so depri%ed that he cannot write.' Findin$ it as than"less to ar$ue with Foe as it had been with -ruso I held !y ton$ue and soon he fell asleep. #hether the cause was the unfa!iliar surroundin$s or Foe's body pressed a$ainst !ine in the narrow bed I do not "now6 but weary thou$h I was I could not sleep. E%ery hour I heard the watch!an rappin$ on the doors below6 I heard or thou$ht I heard the patter of !ouse4paws on the bare floorboards. Foe be$an to snore. I endured the noise as lon$ as I could6 then I slipped out of bed and put on !y shift and stood at the window starin$ o%er the starlit rooftops wonderin$ how lon$ it was yet to the dawn. I crossed the roo! to Friday's alco%e and drew aside the curtain. In the pitch blac"ness of that space was he asleep or did he lie awa"e starin$ up at !e7 A$ain it struc" !e how li$htly he breathed. One would ha%e said he %anished when dar"ness fell but for the s!ell of hi! which I had once thou$ht was the s!ell of woods!o"e but now "new to be his own s!ell drowsy and co!fortable. A pan$ of lon$in$ went throu$h !e for the island. #ith a si$h I let the curtain drop and returned to bed. Foe's body see!ed to $row as he slu!bered0 there was barely a handsbreadth of space left !e. 9et day co!e soon I prayed6 and in that instant fell asleep. #hen I opened !y eyes it was broad dayli$ht and Foe was at his des" with his bac" to !e writin$. I dressed and crept o%er to the alco%e. Friday lay on his !at swathed in his scarlet robes. '-o!e Friday ' I whispered 4 'Mr Foe is at his labours we !ust lea%e hi!.' 'ut before we reached the door Foe recalled us. '/a%e you not for$otten the writin$ 5usan7' he said. '/a%e you not for$otten you are to teach Friday his letters7' /e held out a child's slate and pencil. '-o!e bac" at noon and let Friday de!onstrate what he has learned. )a"e this for your brea"fast.' And he $a%e !e si3pence which thou$h no $reat pay!ent for a %isit fro! the Muse I accepted. 5o we brea"fasted well on new bread and !il" and then found a sunny seat in a churchyard. '8o your best to follow Friday ' I said 4 '1ature did not intend !e for a teacher I lac" patience.' On the slate I drew a house with a door and windows and a chi!ney and beneath it wrote the letters h4o4u4s. ')his is the picture ' I said pointin$ to the picture 'and this the word.' I !ade the sounds of the word house one by one pointin$ to the letters as I !ade the! and then too" Friday's fin$er and $uided it o%er the letters as I spo"e the word6 and finally $a%e the pencil into his hand and $uided hi! to write h4 o4u4s beneath the h4o4u4s I had written. )hen I wiped the slate clean so that there was no picture left sa%e the picture in Friday's !ind and $uided his hand in for!in$ the word a

third and a fourth ti!e till the slate was co%ered in letters. I wiped it clean a$ain. '1ow do it alone Friday ' I said6 and Friday wrote the four letters h4o4u4s or four shapes passably li"e the!0 whether they were truly the four letters and stood truly for the word house and the picture I had drawn and the thin$ itself only he "new. I drew a ship in full sail and !ade hi! write ship and then be$an to teach hi! Africa. Africa I represented as a row of pal! trees with a lion roa!in$ a!on$ the!. #as !y Africa the Africa whose !e!ory Friday bore within hi!7 I doubted it. 1e%ertheless I wrote A4f4r4i4c4a and $uided hi! in for!in$ the letters. 5o at the least he "new now that all words were not four letters lon$. )hen I tau$ht hi! !4o4th4e4r *a wo!an with a babe in ar!s+ and wipin$ the slate clean co!!enced the tas" of rehearsin$ our four words. '5hip ' I said and !otioned hi! to write hsh4shs he wrote on and on or perhaps h4f6 and would ha%e filled the whole slate had I not re!o%ed the pencil fro! his hand. 9on$ and hard I stared at hi! till he lowered his eyelids and shut his eyes. #as it possible for anyone howe%er beni$hted by a lifeti!e of du!b ser%itude to be as stupid as Friday see!ed7 -ould it be that so!ewhere within hi! he was lau$hin$ at !y efforts to brin$ hi! nearer to a state of speech7 I reached out and too" hi! by the chin and turned his face toward !e. /is eyelids opened. 5o!ewhere in the deepest recesses of those blac" pupils was there a spar" of !oc"ery7 I could not see it. 'ut if it were there would it not be an African spar" dar" to !y En$lish eye7 I si$hed. '-o!e Friday ' I said 'let us return to our !aster and show hi! how we ha%e fared in our studies.' It was !idday. Foe was fresh4sha%en and in $ood spirits. 'Friday will not learn ' I said. 'If there is a portal to his faculties it is closed or I cannot find it.' '8o not be downcast ' said Foe. 'If you ha%e planted a seed that is pro$ress enou$h for the ti!e bein$. 9et us perse%ere0 Friday !ay yet surprise us.' '#ritin$ does not $row within us li"e a cabba$e while our thou$hts are elsewhere ' I replied not a little testily. 'It is a craft won by lon$ practice as you should "now.' Foe pursed his lips. '2erhaps ' he said. ''ut as there are !any "inds of !en so there are !any "inds of writin$. 8o not &ud$e your pupil too hastily. /e too !ay yet be %isited by the Muse.' #hile Foe and I spo"e Friday had settled hi!self on his !at with the slate. =lancin$ o%er his shoulder I saw he was rillin$ it with a desi$n of as it see!ed lea%es and flowers. 'ut when I ca!e closer I saw the lea%es were eyes open eyes each set upon a hu!an foot0 row upon row of eyes upon feet0 wal"in$ eyes. I reached out to ta"e the slate to show it to Foe but Friday held ti$ht to it. '=i%e; =i%e !e the slate Friday;' I co!!anded. #hereupon instead of obeyin$ !e Friday put three fin$ers into his !outh and wet the! with spittle and rubbed the slate clean. I drew bac" in dis$ust. 'Mr Foe I !ust ha%e !y freedo!;' I cried. 'It is beco!in$ !ore than I can bear; It is worse than the island; /e is li"e the old !an of the ri%er;' Foe tried to soothe !e. ')he old !an of the ri%er ' he !ur!ured 4 'I belie%e I do not "now who! you !ean.' 'It is a story nothin$ but a story ' I replied. ')here was once a fellow who too" pity on an old !an waitin$ at the ri%erside and offered to carry hi! across. /a%in$ borne hi! safely throu$h the flood he "nelt to set hi! down on the other side. 'ut the old !an

would not lea%e his shoulders0 no he ti$htened his "nees about his deli%erer's nec" and beat hi! on his flan"s and to be short turned hi! into a beast of burden. /e too" the %ery food fro! his !outh and would ha%e ridden hi! to his death had he not sa%ed hi!self by a ruse.' 'I reco$ni(e the story now. It was one of the ad%entures of 5inbad of 2ersia.' '5o be it0 I a! 5inbad of 2ersia and Friday is the tyrant ridin$ on !y shoulders. I wal" with hi! I eat with hi! he watches !e while I sleep. If I cannot be free of hi! I will stifle;' '5weet 5usan do not fly into a passion. )hou$h you say you are the ass and Friday the rider you !ay be sure that if Friday had his ton$ue bac" he would clai! the contrary. #e deplore the barbaris! of whoe%er !ai!ed hi! yet ha%e we his later !asters not reason to be secretly $rateful7 For as lon$ as he is du!b we can tell oursel%es his desires are dar" to us and continue to use hi! as we wish.' 'Friday's desires are not dar" to !e. /e desires to be liberated as I do too. Our desires are plain his and !ine. 'ut how is Friday to reco%er his freedo! who has been a sla%e all his life7 )hat is the true .uestion. 5hould I liberate hi! into a world of wol%es and e3pect to be co!!ended for it7 #hat liberation is it to be pac"ed off to @a!aica or turned out of doors into the ni$ht with a shillin$ in your hand7 E%en in his nati%e Africa du!b and friendless would he "now freedo!7 )here is an ur$in$ that we feel all of us in our hearts to be free6 yet which of us can say what freedo! truly is7 #hen I a! rid of Friday will I then "now freedo!7 #as -ruso free that was despot of an island all his own7 If so it brou$ht no &oy to hi! that I could disco%er. As to Friday how can Friday "now what freedo! !eans when he barely "nows his na!e7' ')here is not need for us to "now what freedo! !eans 5usan. Freedo! is a word li"e any word. It is a puff of air se%en letters on a slate. It is but the na!e we $i%e to the desire you spea" of the desire to be free. #hat concerns us is the desire not the na!e. 'ecause we cannot say in words what an apple is it is not forbidden us to eat the apple. It is enou$h that we "now the na!es of our needs and are able to use these na!es to satisfy the! as we use coins to buy food when we are hun$ry. It is no $reat tas" to teach Friday such lan$ua$e as will ser%e his needs. #e are not as"ed to turn Friday into a philosopher.' '<ou spea" as -ruso used to spea" Mr Foe when he tau$ht Friday Fetch and 8i$. 'ut as there are not two "inds of !an En$lish!an and sa%a$e so the ur$in$s of Friday's heart will not be answered by Fetch or 8i$ or Apple or e%en by 5hip and Africa. )here will always be a %oice in hi! to whisper doubts whether in words or na!eless sounds or tunes or tones.' 'If we de%ote oursel%es to findin$ holes e3actly shaped to house such $reat words as Freedo! /onour 'liss I a$ree we shall spend a lifeti!e slippin$ and slidin$ and searchin$ and all in %ain. )hey are words without a ho!e wanderers li"e the planets and that is an end of it. 'ut you !ust as" yourself 5usan0 as it was a sla%er's strata$e! to rob Friday of his ton$ue !ay it not be a sla%er's strata$e! to hold hi! in sub&ection while we ca%il o%er words in a dispute we "now to be endless7' 'Friday is no !ore in sub&ection than !y shadow is for followin$ !e around. /e is not free but he is not in sub&ection. /e is his own !aster in law and has been since -ruso's death.'

'1e%ertheless Friday follows you0 you do not follow Friday. )he words you ha%e written and hun$ around his nec" say he is set free6 but who loo"in$ at Friday will belie%e the!7' 'I a! no sla%e4owner Mr Foe. And before you thin" to yourself0 5po"en li"e a true sla%e4owner; should you not beware7 As lon$ as you close your ears to !e !istrustin$ e%ery word I say as a word of sla%ery poisoned do you ser%e !e any better than the sla%ers ser%ed Friday when they robbed hi! of his ton$ue7' 'I would not rob you of your ton$ue for anythin$ 5usan. 9ea%e Friday here for the afternoon. =o for a stroll. )a"e the air. 5ee the si$hts. I a! sadly enclosed. 'e !y spy. -o!e bac" and report to !e how the world does.' 5o I went for a stroll and in the bustle of the streets be$an to reco%er !y hu!our. I was wron$ I "new to bla!e !y state on Friday. If he was not a sla%e was he ne%ertheless not the helpless capti%e of !y desire to ha%e our story told7 /ow did he differ fro! one of the wild Indians who! e3plorers brin$ bac" with the! in a car$o of para"eets and $olden idols and indi$o and s"ins of panthers to show they ha%e truly been to the A!ericas7 And !i$ht not Foe be a "ind of capti%e too7 I had thou$ht hi! dilatory. 'ut !i$ht the truth not be instead that he had laboured all these !onths to !o%e a roc" so hea%y no !an ali%e could bud$e it6 that the pa$es I saw issuin$ fro! his pen were not idle tales of courtesans and $renadiers as I supposed but the sa!e story o%er and o%er in %ersion after %ersion stillborn e%ery ti!e0 the story of the island as lifeless fro! his hand as fro! !ine7 'Mr Foe ' I said 'I ha%e co!e to a resolution.' 'ut the !an seated at the table was not Foe. It was Friday with Foe's robes on his bac" and Foe's wi$ filthy as a bird's nest on his head. In his hand poised o%er Foe's papers he held a .uill with a drop of blac" in" $listenin$ at its tip. I $a%e a cry and spran$ forward to snatch it away. 'ut at that !o!ent Foe spo"e fro! the bed where he lay. '9et hi! be 5usan ' he said in a tired %oice0 'he is accusto!in$ hi!self to his tools it is part of learnin$ to write.' '/e will foul your papers ' I cried. 'My papers are foul enou$h he can !a"e the! no worse ' he replied 4 '-o!e and sit with !e.' 5o I sat down beside Foe. In the cruel li$ht of day I could not but !ar" the $rubby sheets on which he lay his lon$ dirty fin$ernails the hea%y ba$s under his eyes. 'An old whore ' said Foe as if readin$ !y thou$hts 4 'An old whore who should ply her trade only in the dar".' '8o not say that ' I protested. 'It is not whorin$ to entertain other people's stories and return the! to the world better dressed. If there were not authors to perfor! such an office the world would be all the poorer. A! I to da!n you as a whore for welco!in$ !e and e!bracin$ !e and recei%in$ !y story7 <ou $a%e !e a ho!e when I had none. I thin" of you as a !istress or e%en if I dare spea" the word as a wife.' ''efore you declare yourself too freely 5usan wait to see what fruit I bear. 'ut since we spea" of childbearin$ has the ti!e not co!e to tell !e the truth about your own child the dau$hter lost in 'ahia7 8id you truly $i%e birth to her7 Is she substantial or is she a story too7' 'I will answer but not before you ha%e told !e0 the $irl you send the $irl who calls herself by !y na!e is she substantial7'

'<ou touch her6 you e!brace her6 you "iss her. #ould you dare to say she is not substantial7' '1o she is substantial as !y dau$hter is substantial and I a! substantial6 and you too are substantial no less and no !ore than any of us. #e are all ali%e we are all substantial we are all in the sa!e world.' '<ou ha%e o!itted Friday.' I turned bac" to Friday still busy at his writin$. )he paper before hi! was hea%ily s!ud$ed as by a child unused to the pen but there was writin$ on it writin$ of a "ind rows and rows of the letter o ti$htly pac"ed to$ether. A second pa$e lay at his elbow fully written o%er and it was the sa!e. 'Is Friday learnin$ to write7' as"ed Foe. '/e is writin$ after a fashion ' I said. '/e is writin$ the letter o.' 'It is a be$innin$ ' said Foe. ')o!orrow you !ust teach hi! a.'

)he staircase is dar" and !ean. On the landin$ I stu!ble o%er a body. It does not stir it !a"es no sound. 'y the li$ht of a !atch I !a"e out a wo!an or a $irl her feet drawn up inside a lon$ $rey dress her hands folded under her ar!pits6 or is it that her li!bs are unnaturally short the stunted li!bs of a cripple7 /er face is wrapped in a $rey woollen scarf. I be$in to unwrap it but the scarf is endless. /er head lolls. 5he wei$hs no !ore than a sac" of straw. )he door is not loc"ed. )hrou$h a solitary window !oonli$ht floods the roo!. )here is a .uic" scurryin$ across the floor a !ouse or a rat. )hey lie side by side in bed not touchin$. )he s"in dry as paper is stretched ti$ht o%er their bones. )heir lips ha%e receded unco%erin$ their teeth so that they see! to be s!ilin$. )heir eyes are closed. I draw the co%ers bac" holdin$ !y breath e3pectin$ disturbance dust decay6 but they are .uietly co!posed he in a ni$htshirt she in her shift. )here is e%en a faint s!ell of lilac. At the first tu$ the curtain across the alco%e tears. )he corner is in pitch dar"ness and in the air of this roo! !y !atches will not stri"e. ?neelin$ $ropin$ I find the !an Friday stretched at full len$th on his bac". I touch his feet which are hard as wood then feel !y way up the soft hea%y stuff in which his body is wrapped to his face. )hou$h his s"in is war! I !ust search here and there before I find the pulse in his throat. It is faint as if his heart beat in a far4off place. I tu$ li$htly at his hair. It is indeed li"e la!bswool.

/is teeth are clenched. I press a fin$ernail between the upper and lower rows tryin$ to part the!. Face down I lie on the floor beside hi! the s!ell of old dust in !y nostrils. After a lon$ while so lon$ I !i$ht e%en ha%e been asleep he stirs and si$hs and turns on to his side. )he sound his body !a"es is faint and dry li"e lea%es fallin$ o%er lea%es. I raise a hand to his face. /is teeth part. I press closer and with an ear to his !outh lie waitin$. At first there is nothin$. )hen if I can i$nore the beatin$ of !y own heart I be$in to hear the faintest faraway roar0 as she said the roar of wa%es in a seashell6 and o%er that as if once or twice a %iolin strin$ were touched the whine of the wind and the cry of a bird. -loser I press listenin$ for other sounds0 the chirp of sparrows the thud of a !attoc" the call of a %oice. Fro! his !outh without a breath issue the sounds of the island. EE At one corner of the house abo%e head4hei$ht a pla.ue is bolted to the wall. 8aniel 8efoe Author are the words white on blue and then !ore writin$ too s!all to read. I enter. )hou$h it is a bri$ht autu!n day li$ht does not penetrate these walls. On the landin$ I stu!ble o%er the body li$ht as straw of a wo!an or a $irl. )he roo! is dar"er than before6 but $ropin$ alon$ the !antel I find the stub of a candle and li$ht it. It burns with a dull blue fla!e. )he couple in the bed lie face to face her head in the croo" of his ar!. Friday in his alco%e has turned to the wall. About his nec" 4 I had not obser%ed this before 4 is a scar li"e a nec"lace left by a rope or chain. )he table is bare sa%e for two dusty plates and a pitcher. On the floor is a dispatch bo3 with brass hin$es and clasp. I lift it on to the table and open it. )he yellowed top!ost leaf cru!bles in a neat half !oon under !y thu!b. 'rin$in$ the candle nearer I read the first words of the tall loopin$ script0 '8ear Mr Foe At last I could row no further.' #ith a si$h !a"in$ barely a splash I slip o%erboard. =ripped by the current the boat bobs away drawn south toward the real! of the whales and eternal ice. Around !e on the waters are the petals cast by Friday. I stri"e out toward the dar" cliffs of the island6 but so!ethin$ dull and hea%y $ropes at !y le$ so!ethin$ caresses !y ar!. I a! in the $reat bed of seaweed0 the fronds rise and fall with the swell. #ith a si$h with barely a splash I duc" !y head under the water. /aulin$ !yself hand o%er hand down the trun"s I descend petals floatin$ around !e li"e a rain of snowfla"es. )he dar" !ass of the wrec" is flec"ed here and there with white. It is hu$e $reater than the le%iathan0 a hul" shorn of !asts split across the !iddle ban"ed on all sides with sand. )he ti!bers are blac" the hole e%en blac"er that $i%es entry. If the "ra"en lur"s anywhere it lur"s here watchin$ out of its stony hooded undersea eyes. 5and rises in slow flurries around !y feet. )here are no swar!s of $ay little fish. I enter the hole.

I a! below dec" the port side of the ship beneath !y feet feelin$ !y way alon$ bea!s and struts so$$y to the touch. )he stub of candle han$s on a strin$ around !y nec". I hold it up before !e li"e a talis!an thou$h it sheds no li$ht. 5o!ethin$ soft obstructs !e perhaps a shar" a dead shar" o%er$rown with pulpy flowers of the sea or the body of a $uardian wrapped in rottin$ fabric turn after turn. On hands and "nees I creep past it. I had not thou$ht the sea could be dirty. 'ut the sand under !y hands is soft dan" sli!y outside the circulation of the waters. It is li"e the !ud of Flanders in which $enerations of $renadiers now lie dead tra!pled in the postures of sleep. If I a! still for !ore than a !o!ent I be$in to sin" inch by inch. I co!e to a bul"head and a stairway. )he door at the head of the stairway is closed6 but when I put a shoulder to it and push the wall of water yields and I can enter. It is not a country bath4house. In the blac" space of this cabin the water is still and dead the sa!e water as yesterday as last year as three hundred years a$o. 5usan 'arton and her dead captain fat as pi$s in their white ni$htclothes their li!bs e3tendin$ stiffly fro! their trun"s their hands puc"ered fro! lon$ i!!ersion held out in blessin$ float li"e stars a$ainst the low roof. I crawl beneath the!. In the last corner under the transo!s half buried in sand his "nees drawn up his hands between his thi$hs I co!e to Friday. I tu$ his woolly hair fin$er the chain about his throat. 'Friday ' I say I try to say "neelin$ o%er hi! sin"in$ hands and "nees into the oo(e 'what is this ship7' 'ut this is not a place of words. Each syllable as it co!es out is cau$ht and filled with water and diffused. )his is a place where bodies are their own si$ns. It is the ho!e of Friday. /e turns and turns till he lies at full len$th his face to !y face. )he s"in is ti$ht across his bones his lips are drawn bac". I pass a fin$ernail across his teeth tryin$ to find a way in. /is !outh opens. Fro! inside hi! co!es a slow strea! without breath without interruption. It flows up throu$h his body and out upon !e6 it passes throu$h the cabin throu$h the wrec"6 washin$ the cliffs and shores of the island it runs northward and southward to the ends of the earth. 5oft and cold dar" and unendin$ it beats a$ainst !y eyelids a$ainst the s"in of !y face.

About the author

@. M. -oet(ee was born in -ape )own 5outh Africa in 19LD and educated in 5outh Africa and the Fnited 5tates as a co!puter scientist and lin$uist. /is first wor" of fiction was 8us"lands. )his was followed by In the /eart of the -ountry which won the pre!ier 5outh African literary award the -1A 2ri(e6 #aitin$ for the 'arbarians which was awarded the -1A 2ri(e the =eoffrey Faber Me!orial 2ri(e and the @a!es )ait 'lac" Me!orial 2ri(e6 9ife M )i!es of Michael ? which won the 'oo"er 2ri(e and the

2ri3 Etran$er Fe!ina6 Foe' and A$e of Iron. /is latest no%el )he Master of 2etersbur$ won the )he Irish )i!es International Fiction 2ri(e for 199B. @. M. -oet(ee also won the @erusale! 2ri(e in 198H. /is other wor"s include translations lin$uistic studies literary criticis! and !ost recently a %olu!e of !e!oir6 'oyhood0 5cenes fro! 2ro%incial 9ife. /e is a professor of $eneral literature at the Fni%ersity of -ape )own.