But the bird that interested Robinson most was the parrot. There wereseveral kinds of them. They flew among the trees with great noise andclatter and shrieking. Robinson determined if possible to secure one fora pet. "I can teach it to talk," he said, "and I will have something totalk to." As soon as he returned home he set about catching one. Henoticed that a number were in the habit of visiting an old tree nearthe shelter every morning. He planned to snare one and tried severalmornings, but he could not get one into the snare. He tried to hit onewith his bow and arrow. He at last succeeded in hitting one and stunningit so that it fell to the ground. He ran rapidly to pick it up, butbefore he could get to where it lay in the bushes it had disappeared.
After thinking the matter over he concluded that it would be much betterto get a pair of young birds and raise them. The old ones would be hardto tame and difficult to teach. It was easy enough to find a nest in ahollow tree. He secured from the nest two birds just ready to fly. Hemade a cage for them out of willow rods. He placed the cage at theentrance of his cave and studied how he would feed them. Much to hissurprise the parent birds discovered their young ones and brought themfood and fed them through the open work of the cage.
When the birds were grown they rapidly learned to talk. Robinson tookgreat delight in teaching them. He taught them to call his name and whenhe came near they would call out, "Poor old Robinson Crusoe!"
These birds remained for many years with Robinson. In fact, he was neverafterward without a parrot. They helped him to pass away verypleasantly many hours that without them would have been sad.
Another bird that Robinson loved was the little house wren. This birdwas exceedingly tame and friendly. It was a very sweet and strongsinger. It loved to make its nest in or near his shelter. There it wouldbuild and rear its young, within reach of his hands, while its throatwas always bursting with melody.
The mocking bird, too, always nested near and awakened him in themorning with its wonderful song.
Robinson became a great friend and favorite of the bird inhabitants ofthe island. They seemed to know him and showed no fear when near him.This pleased him very much.
XXVII
ROBINSON GETS FIRE
Robinson was now pretty comfortable. He had his bower with its chair andtable. He had his cave in case of danger. He had his cellar in which tokeep his meat. He would sit in the shade near the door of his bower andthink of the many things he should be thankful for. But there was onehardship that Robinson could not get used to and that was the eating ofraw food. "How fine it would be if only I could parch a few grains ofcorn in the fire! I could like live a prince," thought he, "if I hadfire. I would grind some of my corn into flour and make some corn breador cakes and cook rice." He did so long for roasted meat and determinedagain to make the attempt to get fire.
Robinson was fast losing his idle, thoughtless ways of doing things. Hehad become a thoughtful and diligent man in the short time that he hadbeen on the island. Trouble and hardship had made a man of him. "I mustcarefully think over the whole matter of getting fire," he said. He hadfailed twice and was now resolved to succeed. "If the lightning wouldonly strike a tree," he thought, "and set it on fire."
But he could not wait for such a thing to happen, and how could he keepit when once thus obtained? It was clear he must have some way ofproducing fire when he wanted it, just as they did at home. He thoughtover the ways he had tried and the one most likely to be successful. Heresolved to make a further trial of the method by twirling a stick inhis hands. He selected new wood that was hard and dry. He carefullysharpened a stick about eighteen inches long and, standing it upright ina hollow in the block of wood, began to roll it between his hands. Bythe time Robinson's hands were well hardened, it seemed that he wasgoing to succeed at last. But he lacked the skill to be obtained only bylong practice.
"If I could only make it go faster," he said. "There must be some way ofdoing this. I believe I can do it. I used to make my top spin round witha cord; I wonder if I can use the cord here." The only cord he had wasattached to his bow. He was going to take it off when a thought struckhim. He loosened the string a bit and twisted it once about hisspindle. Then he drew the bow back and forth. The spindle was turned ata great rate. He saw he must hold one end with his left hand while theother rested in the hollow in the block. With his right, he drew the bowback and forth. How eagerly he worked! He had twirled but a few minuteswhen the dust in the hollow burst into fire from the heat produced bythe rapidly twirling spindle.
ROBINSON'S TOOLS FOR MAKING FIRE]
Robinson was too overjoyed to make any use of it. He danced and caperedabout like one gone mad until the fire had gone out. But that was of nomatter now, since he could get fire when he wanted it.
He hastened to make him a rude fireplace and oven of stones. He hollowedout a place in the ground and lined and covered it with large flatstones. On one side he built up a chimney to draw up the smoke and makethe fire burn brightly. He brought wood and some dry fungus ormushroom. This he powdered and soon had fire caught in it. He kindled inthis way the wood in his stove and soon had a hot fire.
The first thing he did in the way of cooking was to roast some rabbitmeat on a spit or forked stick held in his hand over the fire. NothingRobinson had ever eaten was to be compared to this.
"I can do many things now," thought Robinson. "My work will not benearly so hard. My fire will be my servant and help me make my tools aswell as cook my food. I can now cook my corn and rice."
XXVIII
ROBINSON MAKES BASKETS
Robinson still continued anxious about his food supply when he could nolonger gather it fresh from the fields and forest. Corn had again becomeripe. He had found in a wet, marshy place some wild rice-plants loadedwith ripened grain. As he now had fire he only had to have some way ofstoring up grains and he would not lack for food. He knew that grainstored away must be kept dry and that he must especially provide againstdampness in his cave or in his bower.
If he only had some baskets. These would be just the thing. But how washe to get them? Robinson had never given a thought to either material orthe method of making them. He, however, was gradually acquiring skilland confidence in himself. So far he had managed to meet all his wants.He had invented tools and made his own clothes and shelter, and, "Now,"said he to himself, "I will solve the new problem. I must first studythe materials that I have at hand." He remembered the splint marketbaskets in which his father took vegetables home from the store. Herecalled how the thin splints were woven.
"They went over and under," he said. "That is simple enough if I had thesplints." He set himself diligently to work to find a plant whose barkor split branches could be used for splints. He tried to peel off therough outer bark of several trees in order to examine the inner layersof soft fibrous material. He found several trees that gave promise offurnishing abundance of long, thin strips, but the labor of removing thebark with his rude imperfect tools was so great that he resolved that hewould have to find some other kind of material.
"Why need the strips be flat?" he thought. "I believe I could weave themin the same way if I used the long, thin, tough willow rods I sawgrowing by the brookside, when I was returning from my journey."
He found on trial that the weaving went very well, but that he must havestrong, thick rods or ribs running up and down to give strength and formto his basket. He worked hard, but it was slow work. It was three daysbefore his first basket was done. He made many mistakes and was obligedmany times to undo what he had accomplished in order to correct someerror. And at last when he had woven the basket as large as he thoughtwas suitable for his purpose, he did not know how to stop or finish thetop so as to keep the basket from unraveling. At last he hit upon theplan of fastening two stout rods, one outside, the other inside, thebasket. These he sewed firmly, over and over, to the basket with a kindof fibre from a plant he had discovered that looked almost to be what hehad heard called the century plant in the parks at home.
On attempti
ng his next basket, he thought long how he might improve andsave time. He must hasten, or the now almost daily rains would destroyhis ripened wild corn and rice.
"If I could use coils of that long grass I saw growing in the marshbeside the rice," he thought, "I could make twice the progress." Hegathered an armful, twisted it into cables about an inch thick and woveit into his frame of upright rods instead of the horizontal layer ofwillow canes. This answered his purpose just as well and rendered themaking of large baskets the work of a few hours. He found, however, thatthe willow rods or osiers were not pliant enough to work well infastening his coils of grass cables together. He tried several thingsand at last succeeded best when he used the long thread-like fibre ofthe century-like plant. He had, however, to make a stout framework ofrods. He would first coil his grass rope into this frame and then sew ittogether with twine or thread made from this fibre.
ROBINSON'S BASKETS]
He afterwards tried making smaller and finer baskets out of the fibrethat he had discovered, which could be easily had from the thick-leavedplant he thought he had seen at home. He first used long, tough, fineroots he had seen when digging up the tree at the mouth of his cave.Afterwards he discovered some tall, tough reeds growing near by. He laidin a supply of these. He found that when he wanted to use them, a goodsoaking in water made them as pliable and tough as when first cut.
The making of the baskets and storing up grains made it possible forRobinson to become a farmer and thus make himself independent. Thisthought was a great relief to him.
XXIX
ROBINSON BECOMES A FARMER
Robinson had now been on the island long enough to know how the seasonschanged. He found that there were two kinds of weather there, wetweather and dry weather. There were two wet seasons in each year and twodry ones. During the wet seasons, which lasted nearly three months,Robinson had to remain pretty closely at home, and could not gathergrain, for the plants were then starting from the seeds. It ripened inthe dry seasons. Robinson soon found that he must have a store of cornand wild rice for food during the rainy seasons. He, however, knewnothing about planting and harvesting, nor preparing the ground forseed.
He had it all to learn with no teacher or books to instruct him. Hefound a little space near his dwelling free from trees and thought hewould plant some corn seed here. He did not know the proper time forplanting. He thought because it was warm, seed would grow at any time.It happened his first seed was put in at the beginning of the dryseason. He watched and waited to rejoice his eyes with the bright greenof sprouting corn, but the seed did not grow. There was no rain and thesun's heat parched the land till it was dry and hard on the upland wherehis corn was planted.
"Very well," thought Robinson, "I will plant it at the beginning of thewet season, either in March or September." He did so; the seed quicklysprouted up. But the weeds, shrubs, and vines sprouted as quickly, andbefore Robinson was aware, his corn was overgrown and choked out by arank growth of weeds and vines.
"I see," said Robinson, "that I must thoroughly prepare the soil beforeplanting my seed." But he had no spade and no other tool that wouldstand the strain of digging among tough matted roots. But he mustsucceed. He put a new handle in the stone hoe or pick he had alreadymade. His mussel shell spade was worn out. He must set himself tofashion out another. He decided to make one from the tough heavy wood ofa tree that grew plentifully in the forest.
He was lucky enough to find a tree of this kind whose bole had beensplit lengthwise by the falling of an old rotten tree near it. With hisstone tools and the help of fire he managed after several days' work tomake a wide sharpened tool out of one of the large pieces split off. Itwas a little over three feet long. He had trimmed one end small and cutnotches in the sides about one foot from the flat end. He could placehis foot in the notch and thrust his wooden spade into the earth. Withhis rude tool he dug up and turned the soil of a small space of groundseveral times to kill the vines and weeds. His corn quickly sproutedafter this attempt and outstripped the weeds and vines which Robinsonconstantly had to hold in check by pulling and hoeing. He was rejoicedat his growing crop and went each morning to feast his eyes on therapidly expanding leaves and ears.
One morning as he came in sight of the little clearing he thought he sawsomething disappearing in the low brush on the other side as heapproached. Alas, his labor had been in vain! A herd of wild goats hadfound out the place and had utterly destroyed his crop. Robinson satdown nearby and surveyed the ruin of his little field. "It is plain,"thought he, "I will have to fence in the field or I will never be ableto harvest my crop. I cannot watch it all the time."
He had already learned from his experience in making the fence aroundthe goat pasture that the branches of many kinds of shrubs and trees,when broken off and thrust into the ground, will send out roots andleaves and at length if planted close together in a line, will form athick hedge which no kind of beast can get through or over. He found outsome willow trees whose branches broke easily, and soon had enough tothrust into the ground about six inches apart around the entire edge ofhis little field, which contained about one eighth of an acre.
After this hedge had grown so as to be a fair protection to his crop hetried planting again at the proper season. He spaded up the ground andpulled out the matted roots as best he could and with great pains andcare planted his corn in straight even rows. To make them straight andeach hill of corn the same distance from its neighbors, he first markedoff the ground in squares whose sides were about three and one half feetlong.
"Now," thought he, "I will reap the reward of my labor." The corn grewrapidly, and toward the end of the first dry season was filling out andripening its ears. But to Robinson's dismay a new danger threatened hiscrop against which he could not fence. He was in despair. The birds werefast eating and destroying his partially ripened corn. He could nothusk it yet. It was not ripe enough. He thought how easy it would be toprotect his field if he had a gun. But he had learned that it is uselessto give time to idle dreaming. He must do something and that quick.
"If I could catch some of these rascals," he thought, "I would hang themup on poles, dead, as a warning to the rest." It seemed almost ahopeless task, but he went about it. It was in vain he tried to killsome of them by throwing rocks and sticks. He could not get near enoughto them. At length he laid snares and succeeded in snaring three birds.He had learned to weave a pliable, strong thong out of cocoa and otherfibre that he was now acquainted with. The birds thus caught he fastenedon broken branches of trees which he stuck into the earth in differentparts of his field. The birds heeded the warning and visited his cornfield no more that season.
At the end of the season he gathered or husked his corn and after it wasthoroughly dry he shelled it from the cob with his hands. He used hisbaskets in which to carry his husked ears from the field to his cave andin which to store it when shelled. He found that the ears were largerand better filled and plumper than when the plants grew wild. Heselected the largest and best filled ears for his seed the next time. Inthis way his new crop of corn was always better in kind and yielded morethan the old one.
At first he grew two crops a year, but by experimenting he found outabout how much he needed for his own use and planted once a year enoughto give him a liberal supply.
He observed that the wild rice grew in swampy lands, so that he did notmake the mistake of trying to raise it upon the upland where the corngrew best. He saw at once that the planting of rice on low, marshy orwet land was beyond his present strength and tools. "Some time in thefuture," he thought, "I may try it."
Robinson also found wild grapes in abundance. These he dried by hangingthem on the branches of trees. He thus had a store of raisins for eachrainy season.
XXX
ROBINSON AS POTTER
Robinson was now anxious to cook his food, to boil his rice andvegetables and bake bread, but he could do nothing without cookingvessels. He had tried to use cocoanut shells, but these were too smalland there was no way to keep
them from falling over and spilling thecontents. He determined to try to make some clay vessels. He knew wherehe could get a kind of clay that had the appearance of making good ware.It was fine grained and without lumps or pebbles. He was much perplexedto mould the clay into right shapes. He tried taking a lump and shapingit into a vessel with his hands. He tried many times, but each time theclay broke and he was forced to try some other way. He recalled how hehad made his basket out of strands of twisted grass and wondered whetherhe could not make his pots in the same way.
He spun the clay out into a long rope and began to coil it around asmall basket forming the layers together with his hands. This was easy,but he did not see clearly how he was going to get the basket out fromthe inside of the pot. He found he could copy in this way any form hewished, but he finally hit upon the plan of making a form of wicker workand coiling the clay rope inside it, for he saw that whether hesucceeded or not in getting the clay free from the basket he could usethe pot, and besides if the pot would stand the fire the basket wouldburn off. To dry the pots Robinson stood them in the sun a few days.When they were dry he tried to cook some soup in one of them. He filledit with water and put it on his stove or oven, but how sadly had hedeceived himself. In a short time the water soaked into the clay andsoon the pot had fallen to pieces.
"How foolish I am!" said Robinson to himself; "the pots have to be firedbefore they can be used." He set about this at once. He found two stonesof equal size, placed them near each other and laid a third acrossthese. He then placed three large pots upon them and made a hot fireunder them. No sooner had the flame shot up than one of the pots crackedin two. "I probably made the fire too hot at first," thought Robinson.