He took great pride in these new tools. "I shall soon be astone-cutter," he said to himself, "as well as a farmer and potter."But his stone mortar was a failure. The rock was too soft. Every timehe thrust the pestle down, it loosened small pieces of the stonevessel. These mixed with the ground corn or flour and made it unfitto eat. There was no way to separate the sand from the crushed grain.
He resolved then to try to make a mortar and pestle of hard wood. Nowthat he had fire, he could do this, though it cost him many a hardday's work. He found not far away a log of very hard wood. By buildinga fire at the right distance from one end he was able to separate apiece of the log. He rolled this to his cave and made a good-sizedhollow in it by burning. This pestle was not so difficult to make.He took a limb or branch of an ironwood tree, burned it in two at theplace to make it the right length. By burning also he rounded one endand then he was ready for the grinding. After cleaning his mortar andpestle carefully he placed some corn in the hollow and soon had somefine yellow meal or flour without any grit or sand in it.
His next care was to separate the coarse outer husk or covering ofthe kernel from the finer parts that make the meal. He had no sieve.His net was too coarse. It let both bran and meal go through. "I mustmake a net or cloth fine enough to sift or bolt my flour," said he.Such was now his skill in spinning and weaving that this was not hardto do. He had soon woven in his loom a piece of fine netting whichallowed the meal to shake through, but held back the coarse bran orouter husk of the kernel. Out of the dry corn that he had stored uphe now made quite a quantity of flour. This he kept tightly coveredin a large earthen pot or jar that he had made for this purpose. "Imust keep all my food clean and protect it from the ants and otherinsects as well as dust and damp," he thought.
His preparations were now nearly made. He had already his stove offlat stones. On this he could set his pots to boil water, cook rice,and meat, but it would not do for baking a loaf of bread of anythickness. He must have an oven or enclosed place into which he couldput the loaf to bake it. By the use of flat stones he soon rebuilthis stove so as to have an oven that did fine service. Now it was mixingthe dough that claimed his attention. He had of course no yeast tomake raised or light bread. He poured goats' milk on the flour andkneaded it into a thick dough. He did not forget to add salt. Heplaced his loaf in a shallow earthen pan he had made for this purpose.After the fire had heated the stones of his oven through, he put inhis loaf and soon was enjoying a meal of corn bread and meat stew.
Robinson soon tried to make cocoa from the beans of the cocoa palmthat grew in the island. This with good rich goats' milk in it hethought the best drink in the world. He often thought of making sugarfrom the sugar cane plant he had discovered in the island. But thelabor of squeezing out the juice was too great. He could think of noway to do this without the help of horses or oxen.
XXXII
ROBINSON AS FISHERMAN
Robinson was now eager to use his fire and cooking vessels. He hadnoticed with hungry eyes fine large fish in the creek near his cave.But he had never taken the trouble to catch any. "What is the use?"he thought. "I cannot eat them raw." It was different now and he beganto devise ways of making a catch. How he longed for a fish-hook, suchas he had so often used when loitering along the Hudson River! "Buta fish-hook is not to be thought of," he said to himself, "unless Ican make one of bone." He went down to the brook and searched longfor a fish-bone that he might make use of for this purpose. He foundnothing.
"I must try something else," he thought. He remembered the nets heused to see along the Hudson and wondered if he could not make a smallone to pull through the water and thus catch the fish.
He had now a better source of fibre for weaving and for spinning intolines and ropes. He had discovered this when he was trying to finda good strong thread or yarn with which to bind the coils of hisgrass-made baskets together. He obtained fibre in great abundance fromthe century-like plant. He found if he broke off the long leaves ofthis plant and allowed them to decay there remained a long, toughfibrous substance out of which strong cords could be twisted or yarnmade for weaving a coarse cloth or netting.
Out of this he spun yarn thread to make a net about three or four feetby two feet. He fastened cords to four corners of this, tied them toa long pole, and was now prepared to test his plan for catching fish.
The brook he found was too shallow for him to catch fish in this way.At the sight of him and his net, they scurried away to deep water.Neither could he succeed in the shallow water along the shore. "I mustwade out as far as I can," he said to himself, "and draw the netthrough the water."
As he did this he was surprised at the many forms of sea life, newto him, that he saw. He, however, was careful and watchful. He walkedalong near the shore to a point where some, rocks showed above thesurface. As he looked ahead he saw the single eye of a giantcuttle-fish glaring at him from among the rocks. It was thrusting outits long arms towards him. He drew back quickly, but as he did so hewas terrified to hear the snap of some huge creature's jaws near him.A great shark had seen him and had thrown himself on his back to seizehim in his rows of sharp teeth, but was prevented reaching him by theshallowness of the water.
Robinson was too much terrified to continue longer his attempt atfishing. He went back to his cave with only a few small ones, notworth the trouble of dressing for his dinner.
The next day undismayed he tried again. He succeeded in drawing insome very beautiful large fish. Their sides shone as burnished goldand silver. "Now," he thought, "I will have a feast." He carried themhome, carefully cleaned and dressed them, seasoned them with his salt,and broiled them over his fire. Imagine his disappointment when theyproved unfit to eat. Their flesh was coarse and tough and ill-tasting.He saw that the catching of fish for his table was a more difficultthing than he thought it. He must not only catch fish, but catch onesthat could be eaten. He could only tell the good from the bad bytrying them.
He was more fortunate in his next venture. He was going along theshore at the mouth of the creek which ran near his cave when henoticed a group of fishes, dark bluish above with silvery sides. Thelargest of them were about two feet long. They were feeding on thebottom in the brackish water at the mouth of the creek, which at itsmouth opened out into quite a little bay or inlet. They would takeup a mouthful of earth from the bottom and let it wash through theirmouths, keeping all the bits of food that happened to be in it. Whenone fish got a good place to feed the others swam around it and triedto get some of the food.
Robinson watched his chance and slipped his net under a group, whileeach one was busy trying to get the best mouthful of mud. He drew upthree quite large fish, but just as he was about to lift them fromthe water, one of the cords which bound the net to the poles brokeand he saw his catch fall back into the creek and dart away in thedeepest water. But Robinson was not to be discouraged. He soon mendedhis net and at last was successful. In a short time he drew out anothercatch of two fish.
These proved excellent food and were so abundant as to furnishRobinson with all the fish he wanted as long as he stayed on theisland.
XXXIII
ROBINSON BUILDS A BOAT
Robinson had wished for a boat many times. He wished to explore theshore of his island. He wanted to go clear around it so that he mightsee it on every side. But he knew the work of making a boat would begreat, if not wholly impossible.
The shaping of boards to build a boat with his rude tools was not tobe thought of. He knew how the Indians made boats out of bark oftrees. But he saw that for his purpose so light a boat would not do.He finally remembered a second Indian way of making a boat byhollowing out a large log. The forest was full of the boles of treesthat had been blown down. But they were far away from the shore. Atfirst he did not think of this very much. He had overcome so manydifficulties that he thought, "Never mind, I will get my boat towater, no matter where I make it, in some way." So he selected a treetrunk some distance from the bank of the little creek near his caveand began work.
He had first to burn out his log the proper length and hack it intoboat shape with his stone tools. This was very slow and tedious work.He had to handle the fire with great care for there was always thedanger of spoiling the shape of the slowly forming boat. Both endsmust be sharpened, but one more than the other to form the prow orforward going end. After he had shaped his boat, he began hollowingit out. This he did also by burning for the most part. He used thebranches of pitch bearing trees for this purpose. But it was so slow.He worked at his boat all the time he could spare from his regularduties in attending to his goats, his garden and his cave. He wasalways making his cave larger. Every time he made a piece of furnitureor stored away grain he must make more room in his cave by diggingaway the earth and carrying it out. He had made a large strong wickerbasket for this purpose.
He had had a vague idea that when he got his boat done he would diga trench back from the bank of the creek and thus float his boat. Buthe had not thought it out clearly. "Or anyway," he thought, "I canin some way manage to roll it to the water." He must now actually planto put some of these ideas into effect. He first went over the groundand found that to dig a trench from the water to the boat, so thatthe water would come to the boat, he would have to dig it twenty feetdeep. "I can never do this," he said, "with my poor tools."
He next tried his rolling plan. But he had been so anxious to havea large boat that he had overlooked everything else. Try as hard ashe might he could not stir his boat from the spot. After many trialswith the longest levers he could handle, the boat still stuck fast.It would not budge an inch. He at last gave it up. "It will lie here,"he thought, "to remind me how foolish it is to attempt to do anythingwithout first having thought it out carefully."
There was nothing to do but to choose another tree trunk. This timehe selected a much smaller one, and one that lay at the top of thelittle slope or incline from the bank of the creek. After another wearysix months of work he had his second boat ready for launching. Witha good stout lever he gave it a start, when it rolled quickly downinto the water. Robinson again wept for joy. Of all his projects thishad cost him the most work and pains and at last to see his planssuccessful filled him with delight.
The next problem was how to make it go. He had no certain knowledgehow far it was around the island, but he knew it was farther than hewanted to row or paddle his boat. Yet he knew from the way the windblew that he could not always depend upon a sail to help him. He mustbecome skillful in paddling his boat. A sail too would be very helpfulat times. He imagined how pleasant it would be sitting in the boatsailing along with a gentle wind. "When the wind is favorable," hethought, "I will only have to steer with my paddle."
So he set about weaving a sail of his sisal fibre. To do this he hadto make a much larger loom than he had yet used. His sail must be atleast four feet square. He was now so skilled in weaving that thiswas soon finished. He then made plenty of string, cord, and rope, putin a mast and was ready to sail. But he did not venture far away untilhe had spent weeks and weeks in learning to steer, sail, and paddlehis boat.
XXXIV
ROBINSON AS A SAILOR
Ever since Robinson had finished his boat he had been eager to makea tour of his island. He had indeed made a journey by land. But thedeep forests and tangled vines made it very difficult to travel. Hisjourneys had shown him but a small part of the land. He wished to knowall about the land of which he, so far as he knew, was the solemaster.
His first care was to fit up his boat with provisions. He made somelarge baskets in which to carry food and a large covered jar forwater. These he stored in the bow and the stern of his boat. Hefastened his parasol on the stern for a shelter from the sun. He bakedup a quantity of cakes or loaves of bread and packed them in hisbaskets. He had woven these so carefully that they would almost holdwater.
At last all was ready. It was on the sixth day of November in thesixth year of his life on the island that Robinson hoisted his sailand set out upon this voyage of discovery. He had waited until thewind was gentle and blowing as far easterly as it does at that place.He scudded along bravely, running with the land toward the East andNorth. All went well until he came to a low reef or ledge of rocksrunning far out to sea in a north-easterly direction.
When Robinson observed this he went on shore and climbed to a highpoint to see if it was safe to venture. He was afraid of hiddencurrents, or streams of water. These might carry him away from theshore and prevent him from getting around the point.
He did indeed observe that there was a current running out to sea pastthe ledge, but he thought he could by careful paddling keep his boatfrom striking the rock. If he could once get beyond the ledge, thewind would help him double or get around the point. Indeed the dangerwas that the wind would blow him on to the rocks.
He waited for two days for a gentle wind. At last without sail hepushed his boat into the current and was born swiftly seaward. Hefound the current much stronger than he thought it would be. It rushedhis frail boat on past the point of the rocks and out into the sea.Try as best he might he could not change its course. He was steadilygoing out to sea. He gave himself up for lost. He reproached himselffor being so rash and foolhardy as to trust his fortunes in so fraila craft. How dear at this time seemed the island to him! The wind whichhe had depended on to help him at this point had died down so thatit was at the mercy of the current. He kept urging his boat to thewestward as much as possible, with all his strength, hoping that abreeze would finally spring up.
He struggled on bravely until about noon. He had been carried out agreat distance into the sea, but not so far as to lose sight of theland. All at once he felt the breeze freshening up. It caught his sailand soon his boat was cutting across the current. He did not have togo far before he was free from it and making headway for the island,which he reached about four o'clock in the afternoon.
He found himself on the northern shore of the island, but before longthe shore ran away to the southward again. He ran briskly along thewest side until he found a little bay or cove. He determined to enterthis, draw up his boat on shore and make his way back home across theisland on foot. He was almost exhausted with his great labor and wasworn out with anxiety.
In the centre of the arms of the cove he found a little creek enteringthe sea. He paddled into this and found a good place to hide his boat.
As soon as Robinson was again on land he fell on his knees and withtears in his eyes thanked God for his deliverance. The island whichhad seemed to him a prison now seemed the fairest and dearest placein the world.
Having made his boat safe he started back toward his shelter. But hewas too tired to go far. He soon came to a little grove of treesbeneath which he laid himself down and soon was fast asleep.
You can imagine with what surprise Robinson was awakened out of hissleep by a voice calling his name. "Robinson, Robinson Crusoe," itsaid, "poor Robinson Crusoe! Where are you Robinson, where have youbeen?"
He was so fast asleep that he did not at first rouse up entirely andthought he was dreaming. But the voice kept calling, "Robinson,Robinson, poor Robinson Crusoe!" He was greatly frightened and startedup. But no sooner were his eyes opened than he saw his parrot sittingon a branch of a tree. He knew at once the source of the voice.
Polly had missed her master and was also exploring the island. It wasa pleasant surprise. She immediately flew to him and lit on hisshoulder. She showed in many ways how glad she was to see him and keptsaying, "Poor Robinson, poor Robinson Crusoe!"
Robinson remained here over night and the next morning made his wayback to the shelter. Up to this time Robinson had never seen anydangerous animals on the island. He had grown used to life there andwent about without fear of animals. But as he was returning acrossa little opening, he saw a clump of palms in the centre of the opening,swaying about. He did not at first see what caused this, but soonthere was thrust out the head of a great serpent. Its jaws were openand its eyes were fixed on a poor terrified little rabbit. The rabbitseemed rooted to
the spot. It could not stir a muscle and was sooncaught in the folds of the great snake.
This sight made Robinson greatly afraid. He wanted to rush to therescue of the rabbit, but what could he do against such a foe? Heresolved in the future to keep a more careful watch and always tosleep in his bower.
Robinson had enough of exploring for some time. He was contented toremain at home. He made many things he needed. He had saved all theskins of the goats he had killed for meat and all that had died fromany cause. These he made into rugs for his bed. He kept at his loomtoo, for he was anxious to weave enough of his coarse cloth to makehim a suit of clothes. He learned how to braid mats and rugs out ofhis fibre, and finally replaced his awkward hat and parasol withothers braided very skillfully from the long grasses that grew soabundantly in the marshy places.
Another thing that Robinson was now able to make or weave out of hisfibre was a hammock. He had slept all this time on a bed made of poleslaid lengthwise and thickly covered with the skins of goats andrabbits.
Now he could have a comfortable place to sleep. He did not stop untilhe had made two. One was for the bower and the other was for useout-of-doors. When his work was done in the evening or in the heatof the midday he would lie in it at full length under the shade ofthe trees.