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Robinson Crusoe: Friday

One of the prisoners was Friday's father. The white man was a Spaniard, a survivor from a ship of which I had seen the wrecked hull on my island some years before this, and from which I had taken some one thousand two hundred pieces of gold, but of which I made small account because of its being of less value to me than so much sand of the beach.

The Spaniard and Friday's father I sent with firearms and food in my new boat to bring back the wrecked crew of the Spanish ship. While waiting for their return an English ship with a mutinous crew put into my island. I helped the captain recover his ship and took passage with him for England, leaving on the island the most mutinous members, with two honest ones who wished also to remain. Later, my Spaniards returned and all settled together on the island, having their dissensions at first, but settling down finally into a flourishing colony, which some years later it was my happiness to visit. After twenty-eight years two months and nineteen days I left my island. I anticipated much joy of my arrival in England, but I was like a stranger there. My mother and father were both dead, which was unfortunate, as I could have been of great service to them; for besides the one thousand two hundred pieces of gold from the Spanish ship, there was ten thousand pounds sterling awaiting me from an honest friend, a Portuguese captain to whom I had intrusted my estate in the Brazils before setting forth on the ill-fated errand which threw me for twenty-eight years on my island. So pleased was I with his honesty that I settled one hundred moidures a year on him and fifty moidures a year on his son, both for life.

I married and begot three children, and except for the one voyage to the old island, of which I have spoken, I roamed no more. So here I am, having lived a life of infinite variety for twenty-nine years, blessed with more than I deserve and resolved to prepare now for the longest journey of all. If I have learned anything, it is a knowledge of the value of retirement and the blessing of ending our days in peace.