Part 3 (2/2)

The half of April, the whole of May, June, and July, and the half of August - dry, the sun being then to the north of the line

The half of August, the whole of Septe then come back

The half of October, the whole of November, December, and January, and the half of February - dry, the sun being then to the south of the line

The rainy seasons soer or shorter as the winds happened to blow, but this was the general observation I made After I had found by experience the ill consequences of being abroad in the rain, I took care to furnish ed to go out, and I sat within doors asthe wet months This time I found much ereat occasion for s which I had no way to furnish myself with but by hard labour and constant application; particularly I tried et for the purpose proved so brittle that they would do nothing It proved of excellent advantage to ht in standing at a basket-maker's, in the tohere , as boys usually are, very officious to help, and a great observer of the s, and soe of thebut the s of that tree froh as the sallos, and osiers in England, and I resolved to try Accordingly, the next day I went tosos, I found them to my purpose as much as I could desire; whereupon I came the next time prepared with a hatchet to cut down a quantity, which I soon found, for there was great plenty of thee, and when they were fit for use I carried the the next season, I ereat many baskets, both to carry earth or to carry or lay up anything, as I had occasion; and though I did not finish them very handsomely, yet I made them sufficiently serviceable for my purpose; thus, afterwards, I took care never to be without them; and as , deep baskets to place my corn in, instead of sacks, when I should co mastered this difficulty, and employed a world of time about it, I bestirred myself to see, if possible, how to supply tants I had no vessels to hold anything that was liquid, except two runlets, which were allass bottles - some of the common size, and others which were case bottles, square, for the holding of water, spirits, &c I had not so reat kettle, which I saved out of the shi+p, and which was too big for such as I desired it - viz toI fain would have had was a tobacco-pipe, but it was impossible to me to make one; however, I found a contrivance for that, too, at last I eall the summer or dry season, when another business took ined I could spare

CHAPTER VIII

- SURVEYS HIS POSITION

I MENTIONED before that I had a great mind to see the whole island, and that I had travelled up the brook, and so on to where I builtquite to the sea, on the other side of the island I now resolved to travel quite across to the sea-shore on that side; so, taking er quantity of powder and shot than usual, with two biscuit-cakes and a great bunch of raisins in an my journey When I had passed the vale where my bower stood, as above, I ca a very clear day, I fairly descried land - whether an island or a continent I could not tell; but it lay very high, extending frouess it could not be less than fifteen or twenty leagues off

I could not tell what part of the world this ht be, otherwise than that I knew it must be part of America, and, as I concluded by all my observations, must be near the Spanish does, where, if I had landed, I had been in a worse condition than I was now; and therefore I acquiesced in the dispositions of Providence, which I began now to own and to believe ordered everything for the best; I say I quietedthere

Besides, after soht upon this affair, I considered that if this land was the Spanish coast, I should certainly, one time or other, see some vessel pass or repass one way or other; but if not, then it was the savage coast between the Spanish country and Brazils, where are found the worst of savages; for they are cannibals or men-eaters, and fail not to murder and devour all the human bodies that fall into their hands

With these considerations, I walked very leisurely forward I found that side of the island where I noas much pleasanter than mine - the open or savannah fields sweet, adorned with flowers and grass, and full of very fine woods I saw abundance of parrots, and fain I would have caught one, if possible, to have kept it to be taht it to speak toparrot, for I knocked it doith a stick, and having recovered it, I brought it home; but it was some years before I could ht him to call me by nah it be a trifle, will be very diverting in its place

I was exceedingly diverted with this journey I found in the low grounds hares (as I thought thereatly from all the other kinds I had h I killed several But I had no need to be venturous, for I had no want of food, and of that which was very good too, especially these three sorts, viz goats, pigeons, and turtle, or tortoise, which added to rapes, Leadenhall market could not have furnished a table better than I, in proportion to the coreat cause for thankfulness that I was not driven to any extremities for food, but had rather plenty, even to dainties

I never travelled in this journey above two ht in a day, or thereabouts; but I took so many turns and re-turns to see what discoveries I could h to the place where I resolved to sit down all night; and then I either reposed myself in a tree, or surrounded round, either from one tree to another, or so as no wild creature could co me

As soon as I came to the sea-shore, I was surprised to see that I had taken up my lot on the worst side of the island, for here, indeed, the shore was covered with innumerable turtles, whereas on the other side I had found but three in a year and a half Here was also an infinite number of fowls of many kinds, some which I had seen, and soood meat, but such as I knew not the nauins

I could have shot asof my powder and shot, and therefore had oat if I could, which I could better feed on; and though there were oats here, more than on my side the island, yet it ith muchflat and even, and they saw me much sooner than when I was on the hills

I confess this side of the country was much pleasanter than mine; but yet I had not the least inclination to remove, for as I was fixed in my habitation it became natural to me, and I seemed all the while I was here to be as it were upon a journey, and fro the shore of the sea towards the east, I suppose about twelve reat pole upon the shore for a ain, and that the next journey I took should be on the other side of the island east froain

I took another way to co I could easily keep all the island sothe country; but I foundcome about two or three e valley, but so surrounded with hills, and those hills covered ood, that I could not see which was my way by any direction but that of the sun, nor even then, unless I knew very well the position of the sun at that time of the day It happened, to my further misfortune, that the weather proved hazy for three or four days while I was in the valley, and not being able to see the sun, I wandered about very uncoed to find the seaside, look for my post, and come back the same way I went: and then, by easy journeys, I turned houn, as very heavy

In this journeykid, and seized upon it; and I, running in to take hold of it, caught it, and saved it alive fro it hoht not be possible to get a kid or two, and so raise a breed of taht supply me when my powder and shot should be all spent I , which I made of so, though with some difficulty, till I came to my bower, and there I enclosed him and left him, for I was very impatient to be at home, from whence I had been absent above a month

I cannot express what a satisfaction it was to me to come into my old hutch, and lie down injourney, without settled place of abode, had been so unpleasant to me, that my own house, as I called it to myself, was a perfect settle about reat way froain while it should be my lot to stay on the island

I reposedjourney; during whicha cage for an now to be a an to think of the poor kid which I had penned in within ive it soly I went, and found it where I left it, for indeed it could not get out, but was alhs of trees, and branches of such shrubs as I could find, and threw it over, and having fed it, I tied it as I did before, to lead it away; but it was so tary, that I had no need to have tied it, for it followed : and as I continually fed it, the creature becaentle, and so fond, that it became from that time one of my domestics also, and would never leave me afterwards

The rainy season of the autumnal equinox was now come, and I kept the 30th of Septe the anniversary ofnow been there two years, and nodelivered than the first day I came there, I spent the whole day in huments of the many wonderful mercies which my solitary condition was attended with, and without which it ave humble and hearty thanks that God had been pleased to discover to ht be more happy in this solitary condition than I should have been in the liberty of society, and in all the pleasures of the world; that He could fully make up to me the deficiencies of my solitary state, and the want of hurace tome to depend upon His providence here, and hope for His eternal presence hereafter

It was now that I began sensibly to feel how much more happy this life I now led ith all its miserable circumstances, than the wicked, cursed, abominable life I led all the past part of ed both my sorrows and ed their gusts, and hts were perfectly new fro, or, indeed, for the two years past

Before, as I walked about, either on uish of my soul at my condition would break out upon me on a sudden, and my very heart would die within me, to think of the woods, the mountains, the deserts I was in, and hoas a prisoner, locked up with the eternal bars and bolts of the ocean, in an uninhabited wilderness, without redereatest composure of my mind, this would break out uponmy hands and weep like a child Sometimes it would take me in the h, and look upon the ground for an hour or two together; and this was still worse to me, for if I could burst out into tears, or ventexhausted itself, would abate

But now I began to exercise hts: I daily read the word of God, and applied all the co very sad, I opened the Bible upon these words, ”I will never, never leave thee, nor forsake thee” Immediately it occurred that these words were to me; why else should they be directed in such aover my condition, as one forsaken of God and man? ”Well, then,” said I, ”if God does not forsake me, of what ill consequence can it be, or whaton the other hand, if I had all the world, and should lose the favour and blessing of God, there would be no coan to conclude in my mind that it was possible for me to be more happy in this forsaken, solitary condition than it was probable I should ever have been in any other particular state in the world; and with this thought I was going to give thanks to God for bringingshocked ht, and I durst not speak the words ”How canst thou become such a hypocrite,” said I, even audibly, ”to pretend to be thankful for a condition which, however thou mayest endeavour to be contented with, thou wouldst rather pray heartily to be delivered froh I could not say I thanked God for being there, yet I sincerely gave thanks to God for openingprovidences, to see the former condition of my life, and to mourn for my wickedness, and repent I never opened the Bible, or shut it, butland, without any order ofme afterwards to save it out of the wreck of the shi+p

Thus, and in this disposition of iven the reader the trouble of so particular an account of eneral it ularly dividedto the several daily employments that were beforethe Scriptures, which I constantly set apart so abroad with enerally took , when it did not rain; thirdly, the ordering, cutting, preserving, and cooking what I had killed or caught for reat part of the day Also, it is to be considered, that in the middle of the day, when the sun was in the zenith, the violence of the heat was too great to stir out; so that about four hours in the evening was all the time I could be supposed to work in, with this exception, that so, and went to work in the un in the afternoon

To this short ti laboriousness of my work; the many hours which, for want of tools, want of help, and want of skill, everything I did took up out ofa board for a long shelf, which I wanted in my cave; whereas, tyers, with their tools and a saw-pit, would have cut six of them out of the same tree in half a day

My case was this: it was to be a large tree which was to be cut down, because my board was to be a broad one This tree I was three days in cutting down, and twoor piece of ti I reduced both the sides of it into chips till it began to be light enough to move; then I turned it, and made one side of it s that side doard, cut the other side til I brought the plank to be about three inches thick, and se the labour of my hands in such a piece of work; but labour and patience carried s I only observe this in particular, to show the reason why so much of ht be a little to be done with help and tools, was a vast labour and required a prodigious ti this, with patience and labour I got through everything that my circumstances made necessary to me to do, as will appear by what follows

I was now, in theup for thereat; for, as I observed, my seed of each was not above the quantity of half a peck, for I had lost one whole crop by sowing in the dry season But now my crop proer of losing it all again by enemies of several sorts, which it was scarcely possible to keep frooats, and wild creatures which I called hares, who, tasting the sweetness of the blade, lay in it night and day, as soon as it caet no time to shoot up into stalk

This I saw no ree; which I did with a great deal of toil, and the more, because it required speed However, as ot it totally well fenced in about three weeks' ti souard it in the night, tying hiate, where he would stand and bark all night long; so in a little tirew very strong and well, and began to ripen apace

But as the beasts ruined me before, while my corn was in the blade, so the birds were as likely to ruinby the place to see how it throve, I saw my little crop surrounded with fowls, of I know not how one I iun with me I had no sooner shot, but there rose up a little cloud of fohich I had not seen at all, fro the corn itself

This touched me sensibly, for I foresaw that in a few days they would devour all my hopes; that I should be starved, and never be able to raise a crop at all; and what to do I could not tell; however, I resolved not to lose ht and day In the first place, I went ae was already done, and found they had spoiled a good deal of it; but that as it was yet too green for thereat but that the reood crop if it could be saved

I stayed by it to loadaway, I could easily see the thieves sitting upon all the trees about one away, and the event proved it to be so; for as I walked off, as if I was gone, I was no sooner out of their sight than they dropped down one by one into the corn again I was so provoked, that I could not have patience to stay till rain that they ate noas, as it ht be said, a peck-loaf to ain, and killed three of them This hat I wished for; so I took theland - hanged theine that this should have such an effect as it had, for the foould not only not come at the corn, but, in short, they forsook all that part of the island, and I could never see a bird near the place as long as lad of, you may be sure, and about the latter end of December, which was our second harvest of the year, I reaped my corn

I was sadly put to it for a scythe or sickle to cut it down, and all I could do was to make one, as well as I could, out of one of the broadswords, or cutlasses, which I saved a the arms out of the shi+p However, as reat difficulty to cut it down; in short, I reaped it inoff but the ears, and carried it away in a great basket which I had made, and so rubbed it out with , I found that out of my half-peck of seed I had near two bushels of rice, and about two bushels and a half of barley; that is to say, by uess, for I had no reat encouragement to me, and I foresaw that, in time, it would please God to supply ain, for I neither kne to grind or make meal of my corn, or indeed how to clean it and part it; nor, if made into meal, how to make bread of it; and if how toadded to ood quantity for store, and to secure a constant supply, I resolved not to taste any of this crop but to preserve it all for seed against the next season; and in theto acco ht be truly said, that noorked for ht s necessary in the providing, producing, curing, dressing,this one article of bread

I, that was reduced to a ement; and was ot the first handful of seed-corn, which, as I have said, came up unexpect