The Little Savage | Page 9

questions, tell me all he knows, or he shall starve. He
is in my power. He shall now do what I have ever tried to make him do,
and he has ever refused. Having thus arranged my plans, I returned to
the cabin, and said to him:

"Hear what I say--I will be kind to you, and not leave you to starve, if
you will do what I ask."
"And what is that?" replied he.
"For a long while I have asked you many questions, and you have
refused to answer them. Instead of telling me what I would know, you
have beaten or thrown stones at me, called me names, and threatened
me. I now give you your choice--either you shall promise to answer
every question that I put to you, or you may live how you can, for I
shall leave you to help yourself. If you do as I wish, I will do all I can
to help you, but if you will not, thank yourself for what may happen.
Recollect, I am master now; so take your choice."
"Well," replied he slowly, "it's a judgment upon me, and I must agree to
it. I will do what you wish."
"Well, then, to begin," said I, "I have often asked you what your name
was, and what was mine. I must call you something, and Master I will
not, for I am master now. What is your name?"
He groaned, ground his teeth, and then said, "Edward Jackson."
"Edward Jackson! very well; and my name?"
"No, I cannot bear the name. I cannot say it," replied he, angrily.
"Be it so," replied I. "Then I leave you."
"Will you bring me some water for my eyes? they burn," said he.
"No, I will not, nor anything else, unless you tell me my name."
"Frank Henniker--and curses on it."
"Frank Henniker. Well, now you shall have the water."
I went out, filled a kid, and put it by his side,

"There is the water, Jackson; if you want anything, call me. I shall be
outside."
"I have gained the mastery," thought I,--"it will be my turn now. He
don't like to answer, but he shall, or he shall starve. Why does he feel
so angry at my name? Henniker! what is the meaning of Henniker, I
wonder? I will make him tell me. Yes, he shall tell me everything." I
may here observe, that as for pity and compassion, I did not know such
feelings. I had been so ill-treated, that I only felt that might was right;
and this right I determined upon exercising to the utmost. I felt an
inconceivable pleasure at the idea of my being the master, and he the
boy. I felt the love of power, the pride of superiority. I then revolved in
my mind the daily task which I would set him, before he should receive
his daily sustenance. He should talk now as much as I pleased, for I
was the master. I had been treated as a slave, and I was now fully
prepared to play the tyrant. Mercy and compassion I knew not. I had
never seen them called forth, and I felt them not. I sat down on the flat
rock for some time, and then it occurred to me that I would turn the
course of the water which fell into the hole at the edge of the cliff; so
that if he crawled there, he would not be able to obtain any. I did so,
and emptied the hole. The water was now only to be obtained by
climbing up, and it was out of his power to obtain a drop. Food, of
course, he could obtain, as the dried birds were all piled up at the
farther end of the cabin, and I could not well remove them; but what
was food without water? I was turning in my mind what should be the
first question to put to him; and I had decided that I would have a full
and particular account of how the vessel had been wrecked on the
island, and who were my father and mother, and why I was named
Henniker--when I was roused by hearing Jackson (as I shall in future
call him) crying out, "Boy, boy!" "Boy, indeed," thought I--"no longer
boy," and I gave no reply. Again he called, and at last he cried out,
"Henniker," but I had been ruffled by his calling me boy, and I would
not answer him. At last he fairly screamed my name, and then was
silent. After a moment, I perceived that he crawled out of his bed-place,
and feeling by the sides of the cabin, contrived on his hands and knees
to crawl in the direction of the hole into