CHAPTER V--BUILDS A HOUSE--THE JOURNAL
September 30, 1659.--I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwreckedduring a dreadful storm in the offing, came on shore on this dismal,unfortunate island, which I called "The Island of Despair"; all the restof the ship's company being drowned, and myself almost dead.
All the rest of the day I spent in afflicting myself at the dismalcircumstances I was brought to--viz. I had neither food, house, clothes,weapon, nor place to fly to; and in despair of any relief, saw nothingbut death before me--either that I should be devoured by wild beasts,murdered by savages, or starved to death for want of food. At theapproach of night I slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures; butslept soundly, though it rained all night.
_October_ 1.--In the morning I saw, to my great surprise, the ship hadfloated with the high tide, and was driven on shore again much nearer theisland; which, as it was some comfort, on one hand--for, seeing her setupright, and not broken to pieces, I hoped, if the wind abated, I mightget on board, and get some food and necessaries out of her for myrelief--so, on the other hand, it renewed my grief at the loss of mycomrades, who, I imagined, if we had all stayed on board, might havesaved the ship, or, at least, that they would not have been all drownedas they were; and that, had the men been saved, we might perhaps havebuilt us a boat out of the ruins of the ship to have carried us to someother part of the world. I spent great part of this day in perplexingmyself on these things; but at length, seeing the ship almost dry, I wentupon the sand as near as I could, and then swam on board. This day alsoit continued raining, though with no wind at all.
_From the 1st of October to the 24th_.--All these days entirely spent inmany several voyages to get all I could out of the ship, which I broughton shore every tide of flood upon rafts. Much rain also in the days,though with some intervals of fair weather; but it seems this was therainy season.
_Oct._ 20.--I overset my raft, and all the goods I had got upon it; but,being in shoal water, and the things being chiefly heavy, I recoveredmany of them when the tide was out.
_Oct._ 25.--It rained all night and all day, with some gusts of wind;during which time the ship broke in pieces, the wind blowing a littleharder than before, and was no more to be seen, except the wreck of her,and that only at low water. I spent this day in covering and securingthe goods which I had saved, that the rain might not spoil them.
_Oct._ 26.--I walked about the shore almost all day, to find out a placeto fix my habitation, greatly concerned to secure myself from any attackin the night, either from wild beasts or men. Towards night, I fixedupon a proper place, under a rock, and marked out a semicircle for myencampment; which I resolved to strengthen with a work, wall, orfortification, made of double piles, lined within with cables, andwithout with turf.
From the 26th to the 30th I worked very hard in carrying all my goods tomy new habitation, though some part of the time it rained exceedinglyhard.
The 31st, in the morning, I went out into the island with my gun, to seekfor some food, and discover the country; when I killed a she-goat, andher kid followed me home, which I afterwards killed also, because itwould not feed.
_November_ 1.--I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for the firstnight; making it as large as I could, with stakes driven in to swing myhammock upon.
_Nov._ 2.--I set up all my chests and boards, and the pieces of timberwhich made my rafts, and with them formed a fence round me, a littlewithin the place I had marked out for my fortification.
_Nov._ 3.--I went out with my gun, and killed two fowls like ducks, whichwere very good food. In the afternoon went to work to make me a table.
_Nov_. 4.--This morning I began to order my times of work, of going outwith my gun, time of sleep, and time of diversion--viz. every morning Iwalked out with my gun for two or three hours, if it did not rain; thenemployed myself to work till about eleven o'clock; then eat what I had tolive on; and from twelve to two I lay down to sleep, the weather beingexcessively hot; and then, in the evening, to work again. The workingpart of this day and of the next were wholly employed in making my table,for I was yet but a very sorry workman, though time and necessity made mea complete natural mechanic soon after, as I believe they would do anyone else.
_Nov._ 5.--This day went abroad with my gun and my dog, and killed a wildcat; her skin pretty soft, but her flesh good for nothing; every creaturethat I killed I took of the skins and preserved them. Coming back by thesea-shore, I saw many sorts of sea-fowls, which I did not understand; butwas surprised, and almost frightened, with two or three seals, which,while I was gazing at, not well knowing what they were, got into the sea,and escaped me for that time.
_Nov._ 6.--After my morning walk I went to work with my table again, andfinished it, though not to my liking; nor was it long before I learned tomend it.
_Nov._ 7.--Now it began to be settled fair weather. The 7th, 8th, 9th,10th, and part of the 12th (for the 11th was Sunday) I took wholly up tomake me a chair, and with much ado brought it to a tolerable shape, butnever to please me; and even in the making I pulled it in pieces severaltimes.
_Note_.--I soon neglected my keeping Sundays; for, omitting my mark forthem on my post, I forgot which was which.
_Nov._ 13.--This day it rained, which refreshed me exceedingly, andcooled the earth; but it was accompanied with terrible thunder andlightning, which frightened me dreadfully, for fear of my powder. Assoon as it was over, I resolved to separate my stock of powder into asmany little parcels as possible, that it might not be in danger.
_Nov._ 14, 15, 16.--These three days I spent in making little squarechests, or boxes, which might hold about a pound, or two pounds at most,of powder; and so, putting the powder in, I stowed it in places as secureand remote from one another as possible. On one of these three days Ikilled a large bird that was good to eat, but I knew not what to call it.
_Nov._ 17.--This day I began to dig behind my tent into the rock, to makeroom for my further conveniency.
_Note_.--Three things I wanted exceedingly for this work--viz. a pickaxe,a shovel, and a wheelbarrow or basket; so I desisted from my work, andbegan to consider how to supply that want, and make me some tools. Asfor the pickaxe, I made use of the iron crows, which were proper enough,though heavy; but the next thing was a shovel or spade; this was soabsolutely necessary, that, indeed, I could do nothing effectuallywithout it; but what kind of one to make I knew not.
_Nov._ 18.--The next day, in searching the woods, I found a tree of thatwood, or like it, which in the Brazils they call the iron-tree, for itsexceeding hardness. Of this, with great labour, and almost spoiling myaxe, I cut a piece, and brought it home, too, with difficulty enough, forit was exceeding heavy. The excessive hardness of the wood, and myhaving no other way, made me a long while upon this machine, for I workedit effectually by little and little into the form of a shovel or spade;the handle exactly shaped like ours in England, only that the board parthaving no iron shod upon it at bottom, it would not last me so long;however, it served well enough for the uses which I had occasion to putit to; but never was a shovel, I believe, made after that fashion, or solong in making.
I was still deficient, for I wanted a basket or a wheelbarrow. A basketI could not make by any means, having no such things as twigs that wouldbend to make wicker-ware--at least, none yet found out; and as to awheelbarrow, I fancied I could make all but the wheel; but that I had nonotion of; neither did I know how to go about it; besides, I had nopossible way to make the iron gudgeons for the spindle or axis of thewheel to run in; so I gave it over, and so, for carrying away the earthwhich I dug out of the cave, I made me a thing like a hod which thelabourers carry mortar in when they serve the bricklayers. This was notso difficult to me as the making the shovel: and yet this and the shovel,and the attempt which I made in vain to make a wheelbarrow, took me up noless than four days--I mean always excepting my morning walk with my gun,which I seldom failed, and very seldom failed also bringing homesomething fit to eat.
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sp; _Nov._ 23.--My other work having now stood still, because of my makingthese tools, when they were finished I went on, and working every day, asmy strength and time allowed, I spent eighteen days entirely in wideningand deepening my cave, that it might hold my goods commodiously.
_Note_.--During all this time I worked to make this room or cave spaciousenough to accommodate me as a warehouse or magazine, a kitchen, adining-room, and a cellar. As for my lodging, I kept to the tent; exceptthat sometimes, in the wet season of the year, it rained so hard that Icould not keep myself dry, which caused me afterwards to cover all myplace within my pale with long poles, in the form of rafters, leaningagainst the rock, and load them with flags and large leaves of trees,like a thatch.
_December_ 10.--I began now to think my cave or vault finished, when on asudden (it seems I had made it too large) a great quantity of earth felldown from the top on one side; so much that, in short, it frighted me,and not without reason, too, for if I had been under it, I had neverwanted a gravedigger. I had now a great deal of work to do over again,for I had the loose earth to carry out; and, which was of moreimportance, I had the ceiling to prop up, so that I might be sure no morewould come down.
_Dec_. 11.--This day I went to work with it accordingly, and got twoshores or posts pitched upright to the top, with two pieces of boardsacross over each post; this I finished the next day; and setting moreposts up with boards, in about a week more I had the roof secured, andthe posts, standing in rows, served me for partitions to part off thehouse.
_Dec._ 17.--From this day to the 20th I placed shelves, and knocked upnails on the posts, to hang everything up that could be hung up; and nowI began to be in some order within doors.
_Dec._ 20.--Now I carried everything into the cave, and began to furnishmy house, and set up some pieces of boards like a dresser, to order myvictuals upon; but boards began to be very scarce with me; also, I mademe another table.
_Dec._ 24.--Much rain all night and all day. No stirring out.
_Dec._ 25.--Rain all day.
_Dec._ 26.--No rain, and the earth much cooler than before, andpleasanter.
_Dec._ 27.--Killed a young goat, and lamed another, so that I caught itand led it home in a string; when I had it at home, I bound andsplintered up its leg, which was broke.
_N.B._--I took such care of it that it lived, and the leg grew well andas strong as ever; but, by my nursing it so long, it grew tame, and fedupon the little green at my door, and would not go away. This was thefirst time that I entertained a thought of breeding up some tamecreatures, that I might have food when my powder and shot was all spent.
_Dec._ 28,29,30.--Great heats and no breeze, so that there was nostirring abroad, except in the evening for food; this time I spent inputting all my things in order within doors.
_January_ 1.--Very hot still: but I went abroad early and late with mygun, and lay still in the middle of the day. This evening, going fartherinto the valleys which lay towards the centre of the island, I foundthere were plenty of goats, though exceedingly shy, and hard to come at;however, I resolved to try if I could not bring my dog to hunt them down.
_Jan._ 2.--Accordingly, the next day I went out with my dog, and set himupon the goats, but I was mistaken, for they all faced about upon thedog, and he knew his danger too well, for he would not come near them.
_Jan._ 3.--I began my fence or wall; which, being still jealous of mybeing attacked by somebody, I resolved to make very thick and strong.
_N.B._--This wall being described before, I purposely omit what was saidin the journal; it is sufficient to observe, that I was no less time thanfrom the 2nd of January to the 14th of April working, finishing, andperfecting this wall, though it was no more than about twenty-four yardsin length, being a half-circle from one place in the rock to anotherplace, about eight yards from it, the door of the cave being in thecentre behind it.
All this time I worked very hard, the rains hindering me many days, nay,sometimes weeks together; but I thought I should never be perfectlysecure till this wall was finished; and it is scarce credible whatinexpressible labour everything was done with, especially the bringingpiles out of the woods and driving them into the ground; for I made themmuch bigger than I needed to have done.
When this wall was finished, and the outside double fenced, with a turfwall raised up close to it, I perceived myself that if any people were tocome on shore there, they would not perceive anything like a habitation;and it was very well I did so, as may be observed hereafter, upon a veryremarkable occasion.
During this time I made my rounds in the woods for game every day whenthe rain permitted me, and made frequent discoveries in these walks ofsomething or other to my advantage; particularly, I found a kind of wildpigeons, which build, not as wood-pigeons in a tree, but rather ashouse-pigeons, in the holes of the rocks; and taking some young ones, Iendeavoured to breed them up tame, and did so; but when they grew olderthey flew away, which perhaps was at first for want of feeding them, forI had nothing to give them; however, I frequently found their nests, andgot their young ones, which were very good meat. And now, in themanaging my household affairs, I found myself wanting in many things,which I thought at first it was impossible for me to make; as, indeed,with some of them it was: for instance, I could never make a cask to behooped. I had a small runlet or two, as I observed before; but I couldnever arrive at the capacity of making one by them, though I spent manyweeks about it; I could neither put in the heads, or join the staves sotrue to one another as to make them hold water; so I gave that also over.In the next place, I was at a great loss for candles; so that as soon asever it was dark, which was generally by seven o'clock, I was obliged togo to bed. I remembered the lump of beeswax with which I made candles inmy African adventure; but I had none of that now; the only remedy I hadwas, that when I had killed a goat I saved the tallow, and with a littledish made of clay, which I baked in the sun, to which I added a wick ofsome oakum, I made me a lamp; and this gave me light, though not a clear,steady light, like a candle. In the middle of all my labours it happenedthat, rummaging my things, I found a little bag which, as I hintedbefore, had been filled with corn for the feeding of poultry--not forthis voyage, but before, as I suppose, when the ship came from Lisbon.The little remainder of corn that had been in the bag was all devoured bythe rats, and I saw nothing in the bag but husks and dust; and beingwilling to have the bag for some other use (I think it was to put powderin, when I divided it for fear of the lightning, or some such use), Ishook the husks of corn out of it on one side of my fortification, underthe rock.
It was a little before the great rains just now mentioned that I threwthis stuff away, taking no notice, and not so much as remembering that Ihad thrown anything there, when, about a month after, or thereabouts, Isaw some few stalks of something green shooting out of the ground, whichI fancied might be some plant I had not seen; but I was surprised, andperfectly astonished, when, after a little longer time, I saw about tenor twelve ears come out, which were perfect green barley, of the samekind as our European--nay, as our English barley.
It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion of my thoughtson this occasion. I had hitherto acted upon no religious foundation atall; indeed, I had very few notions of religion in my head, nor hadentertained any sense of anything that had befallen me otherwise than aschance, or, as we lightly say, what pleases God, without so much asinquiring into the end of Providence in these things, or His order ingoverning events for the world. But after I saw barley grow there, in aclimate which I knew was not proper for corn, and especially that I knewnot how it came there, it startled me strangely, and I began to suggestthat God had miraculously caused His grain to grow without any help ofseed sown, and that it was so directed purely for my sustenance on thatwild, miserable place.
This touched my heart a little, and brought tears out of my eyes, and Ibegan to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature should happen upon myaccount; and this was the more strange to me, because I saw near itstill,
all along by the side of the rock, some other straggling stalks,which proved to be stalks of rice, and which I knew, because I had seenit grow in Africa when I was ashore there.
I not only thought these the pure productions of Providence for mysupport, but not doubting that there was more in the place, I went allover that part of the island, where I had been before, peering in everycorner, and under every rock, to see for more of it, but I could not findany. At last it occurred to my thoughts that I shook a bag of chickens'meat out in that place; and then the wonder began to cease; and I mustconfess my religious thankfulness to God's providence began to abate,too, upon the discovering that all this was nothing but what was common;though I ought to have been as thankful for so strange and unforeseen aprovidence as if it had been miraculous; for it was really the work ofProvidence to me, that should order or appoint that ten or twelve grainsof corn should remain unspoiled, when the rats had destroyed all therest, as if it had been dropped from heaven; as also, that I should throwit out in that particular place, where, it being in the shade of a highrock, it sprang up immediately; whereas, if I had thrown it anywhere elseat that time, it had been burnt up and destroyed.
I carefully saved the ears of this corn, you may be sure, in theirseason, which was about the end of June; and, laying up every corn, Iresolved to sow them all again, hoping in time to have some quantitysufficient to supply me with bread. But it was not till the fourth yearthat I could allow myself the least grain of this corn to eat, and eventhen but sparingly, as I shall say afterwards, in its order; for I lostall that I sowed the first season by not observing the proper time; for Isowed it just before the dry season, so that it never came up at all, atleast not as it would have done; of which in its place.
Besides this barley, there were, as above, twenty or thirty stalks ofrice, which I preserved with the same care and for the same use, or tothe same purpose--to make me bread, or rather food; for I found ways tocook it without baking, though I did that also after some time.
But to return to my Journal.
I worked excessive hard these three or four months to get my wall done;and the 14th of April I closed it up, contriving to go into it, not by adoor but over the wall, by a ladder, that there might be no sign on theoutside of my habitation.
_April_ 16.--I finished the ladder; so I went up the ladder to the top,and then pulled it up after me, and let it down in the inside. This wasa complete enclosure to me; for within I had room enough, and nothingcould come at me from without, unless it could first mount my wall.
The very next day after this wall was finished I had almost had all mylabour overthrown at once, and myself killed. The case was thus: As Iwas busy in the inside, behind my tent, just at the entrance into mycave, I was terribly frighted with a most dreadful, surprising thingindeed; for all on a sudden I found the earth come crumbling down fromthe roof of my cave, and from the edge of the hill over my head, and twoof the posts I had set up in the cave cracked in a frightful manner. Iwas heartily scared; but thought nothing of what was really the cause,only thinking that the top of my cave was fallen in, as some of it haddone before: and for fear I should be buried in it I ran forward to myladder, and not thinking myself safe there neither, I got over my wallfor fear of the pieces of the hill, which I expected might roll down uponme. I had no sooner stepped do ground, than I plainly saw it was aterrible earthquake, for the ground I stood on shook three times at abouteight minutes' distance, with three such shocks as would have overturnedthe strongest building that could be supposed to have stood on the earth;and a great piece of the top of a rock which stood about half a mile fromme next the sea fell down with such a terrible noise as I never heard inall my life. I perceived also the very sea was put into violent motionby it; and I believe the shocks were stronger under the water than on theisland.
I was so much amazed with the thing itself, having never felt the like,nor discoursed with any one that had, that I was like one dead orstupefied; and the motion of the earth made my stomach sick, like onethat was tossed at sea; but the noise of the falling of the rock awakenedme, as it were, and rousing me from the stupefied condition I was in,filled me with horror; and I thought of nothing then but the hill fallingupon my tent and all my household goods, and burying all at once; andthis sunk my very soul within me a second time.
After the third shock was over, and I felt no more for some time, I beganto take courage; and yet I had not heart enough to go over my wall again,for fear of being buried alive, but sat still upon the ground greatlycast down and disconsolate, not knowing what to do. All this while I hadnot the least serious religious thought; nothing but the common "Lordhave mercy upon me!" and when it was over that went away too.
While I sat thus, I found the air overcast and grow cloudy, as if itwould rain. Soon after that the wind arose by little and little, so thatin less than half-an-hour it blew a most dreadful hurricane; the sea wasall on a sudden covered over with foam and froth; the shore was coveredwith the breach of the water, the trees were torn up by the roots, and aterrible storm it was. This held about three hours, and then began toabate; and in two hours more it was quite calm, and began to rain veryhard. All this while I sat upon the ground very much terrified anddejected; when on a sudden it came into my thoughts, that these winds andrain being the consequences of the earthquake, the earthquake itself wasspent and over, and I might venture into my cave again. With thisthought my spirits began to revive; and the rain also helping to persuademe, I went in and sat down in my tent. But the rain was so violent thatmy tent was ready to be beaten down with it; and I was forced to go intomy cave, though very much afraid and uneasy, for fear it should fall onmy head. This violent rain forced me to a new work--viz. to cut a holethrough my new fortification, like a sink, to let the water go out, whichwould else have flooded my cave. After I had been in my cave for sometime, and found still no more shocks of the earthquake follow, I began tobe more composed. And now, to support my spirits, which indeed wanted itvery much, I went to my little store, and took a small sup of rum; which,however, I did then and always very sparingly, knowing I could have nomore when that was gone. It continued raining all that night and greatpart of the next day, so that I could not stir abroad; but my mind beingmore composed, I began to think of what I had best do; concluding that ifthe island was subject to these earthquakes, there would be no living forme in a cave, but I must consider of building a little hut in an openplace which I might surround with a wall, as I had done here, and so makemyself secure from wild beasts or men; for I concluded, if I stayed whereI was, I should certainly one time or other be buried alive.
With these thoughts, I resolved to remove my tent from the place where itstood, which was just under the hanging precipice of the hill; and which,if it should be shaken again, would certainly fall upon my tent; and Ispent the two next days, being the 19th and 20th of April, in contrivingwhere and how to remove my habitation. The fear of being swallowed upalive made me that I never slept in quiet; and yet the apprehension oflying abroad without any fence was almost equal to it; but still, when Ilooked about, and saw how everything was put in order, how pleasantlyconcealed I was, and how safe from danger, it made me very loath toremove. In the meantime, it occurred to me that it would require a vastdeal of time for me to do this, and that I must be contented to venturewhere I was, till I had formed a camp for myself, and had secured it soas to remove to it. So with this resolution I composed myself for atime, and resolved that I would go to work with all speed to build me awall with piles and cables, &c., in a circle, as before, and set my tentup in it when it was finished; but that I would venture to stay where Iwas till it was finished, and fit to remove. This was the 21st.
_April_ 22.--The next morning I begin to consider of means to put thisresolve into execution; but I was at a great loss about my tools. I hadthree large axes, and abundance of hatchets (for we carried the hatchetsfor traffic with the Indians); but with much chopping and cutting knottyhard wood, they were all full of notches, and dul
l; and though I had agrindstone, I could not turn it and grind my tools too. This cost me asmuch thought as a statesman would have bestowed upon a grand point ofpolitics, or a judge upon the life and death of a man. At length Icontrived a wheel with a string, to turn it with my foot, that I mighthave both my hands at liberty. _Note_.--I had never seen any such thingin England, or at least, not to take notice how it was done, though sinceI have observed, it is very common there; besides that, my grindstone wasvery large and heavy. This machine cost me a full week's work to bringit to perfection.
_April_ 28, 29.--These two whole days I took up in grinding my tools, mymachine for turning my grindstone performing very well.
_April_ 30.--Having perceived my bread had been low a great while, now Itook a survey of it, and reduced myself to one biscuit cake a day, whichmade my heart very heavy.
_May_ 1.--In the morning, looking towards the sea side, the tide beinglow, I saw something lie on the shore bigger than ordinary, and it lookedlike a cask; when I came to it, I found a small barrel, and two or threepieces of the wreck of the ship, which were driven on shore by the latehurricane; and looking towards the wreck itself, I thought it seemed tolie higher out of the water than it used to do. I examined the barrelwhich was driven on shore, and soon found it was a barrel of gunpowder;but it had taken water, and the powder was caked as hard as a stone;however, I rolled it farther on shore for the present, and went on uponthe sands, as near as I could to the wreck of the ship, to look for more.