Exploration of the island: Second day. Find coal and sulphur, seals,
more turtles, gulls, etc.
The next morning the sun rose with his customary brilliancy and brought
to poor me another beautiful day. I arose from my hard and humble
couch, and raked apart the ashes of my last evening's fire, and put
on some new wood and soon had a cheerful blaze. I stepped down to the
river and soon with my bow and arrows had two or three of my wild
pigeons despatched, which I quickly plucked and soon had roasting over
my fire. So far I had been more successful than I could have hoped to
have been; no savages, no noxious or deadly animals, but all a seeming
paradise. I soon finished my simple repast, and strapping my canister
upon my back and taking my harpoon in hand I commenced my pilgrimage
round about the island, which I was determined to accomplish before I
undertook any other task.
I passed across Rapid River and pressed towards the sea coast and
finally, after a walk of about a mile in a northeasterly direction,
came out upon a bold shore with quite a promontory on my right hand.
How wistfully I looked out upon the ocean, the day being so clear that
I could see to a great distance; but my view encountered no welcome
sail,--only the everlasting waste of waters spread out before me. With
one long sigh of repining at my fate, I passed on to the right and
commenced ascending the promontory before me. I trudged on through
open land and small groves of trees till I arrived at the summit,
which was barren and gave me a great view seaward and convinced me
that I was on the extreme northeastern extremity of my island; for
I could see nothing to the northward of me, but in my rear and to
the eastward I saw another projection extending into the sea, to the
southward of which I could not observe. From my elevation I was able
to see somewhat of the interior of the island, and this was what met
my view: to the south of me and at about two miles distance, as I
should judge, I saw quite an elevation, and far away to the southwest
another large hill, almost a miniature mountain. The island seemed well
wooded in all directions and presented a beautiful appearance in the
brilliant morning sun and pure clear air. I looked long and anxiously
to the eastward for land, but saw nothing: and my friends the goats
seemed to have deserted me in this part of the island, for I saw no
signs of them. I turned to pass to the southward and eastward along
the coast-line, when I was attracted by the appearance of the ground
round about me, having in seams amongst the rocks a dark appearance.
I stooped down and by the aid of my knife broke off some portions of
this familiar looking substance, when lo and behold! I held in my hand
veritable anthracite or bituminous coal,--I was not expert enough to
know which, although I thought it to be the former. What a discovery
was this for me, and yet what a natural one, after all. I could not
rest satisfied with my own convictions that it was really coal that I
held in my hand; but then and there drew out my flint and steel and
started a wood fire, at which I had become expert, and digging up
large fragments with my harpoon and knife, which I took care not to
break or dull in the operation, I cast them upon the flame. Yes, it
was true past peradventure,--I had found coal, veritable coal, that
burned readily in the midst of my wood fire where I had piled it in the
glowing embers and flames. Every once in a while it seemed to give off
quick jets of flame, and this led me to examine the specimens before me
more carefully to ascertain the cause. And upon breaking open, with a
stone, quite a large fragment, I saw within it a large broad streak, as
wide as my finger, of a yellowish cast, which I instantly recognized as
sulphur, and in fact my memory told me that the coal received from the
island of Formosa, in China, especially from the surface collections,
abounded in sulphur, sometimes so much so as to be disagreeable for
house use. But one thought flashed into my mind upon this discovery,
matches! matches! matches! Yes, here was before me the foundation
of all lucifer matches, and I had only to consult, on my return, my
Compendium of Useful Arts and Sciences, to avail myself of it and find
out how to combine it with the other necessary articles to have real
_bonâ fide_ matches. I was overwhelmed with joy, and blessed the hour
that had been so fruitful in comforts for me, should I have to remain
upon this island.
I went to work and soon had sufficient of crude sulphur or brimstone--I
do not know which it should correctly be called--to answer all my
purposes for experiment, and carefully wrapping it up in some leaves
and fastening it with a thread of my manilla, I placed it in my bag. I
thought how rapidly my fortunes were changing: here had I within a few
hours insured myself against cold and loss of fire by the few gifts of
nature laid at my feet. I tried, in spite of my miserable solitude, to
be thankful. Before leaving the promontory I drew out my birch-bark
chart and named the point _East Signal Point_, as it was evidently a
capital place at some future day to erect a signal of some kind upon,
being high, bold, and barren, and overlooking the surrounding country.
The place where I had found the coal and sulphur, I simply named the
_Coal Mine_.
Having marked these carefully down, I rolled up my chart and took
my way towards the easterly cape to the southward of where I stood.
After a walk of about a mile and a half, I found myself upon what was
evidently the extreme eastern end of my island, not nearly so high
as East Signal Point, but well elevated and barren towards the sea,
backed with a thick forest inland. Standing on this point, which I
named _Eastern Cape_, I saw that this was the limit of my island in
this direction, and by figuring in my head and looking at my chart I
estimated that I was about six miles from my landing-place in a direct
line, and about eight by the coast line.
I saw nothing here to attract my attention except many seals on the
southerly shore, which was now opened to my view for the first time.
On the broken and jagged rocks of this coast-line I saw great numbers
of these animals of different sizes, and I should think of different
species.
It being by this time about noon by the sun, I sat down and opened my
bag and regaled myself upon turtle steaks and cold boiled eggs, for
I did not go to the trouble of lighting any fire; this, washed down
with water from Rapid River in my tin canister, formed my frugal meal.
Towards the southwest I saw trending a long sandy beach similar to the
one inside the breakwater, except that this was lashed by the long
regular billows of the ocean without any intervening barrier. After
taking a good long rest, I got upon my feet and started again upon my
journey. I soon came down upon the hard sea sand from my elevation,
and the seals that I had seen from above seemed little inclined to
move at my approach, and I passed quite near to several amongst the
rocks before reaching the beach. No one can credit what pleasure I
experienced in simply observing these poor dumb creatures so near me,
with their great, beautiful black eyes, and I lingered near them for
over an hour, so fascinated was I by them; they seemed almost like
companions to me, so subdued and lonely had I become for want of the
society of my fellow-creatures, even in these few days. I talked to
them, and they answered me by snorts of surprise, and by gazing at me
with their great staring eyes. I would not have hurt one of them for
all the wealth of the world, and when I left them I took off my clumsy
hat and bid them good-by as I would intelligent beings.
After leaving the seals behind me I became despondent again, and
cursed my cruel fate. My loneliness rushed upon me with renewed force;
however, I tried hard to thrust it from me, and before I had made a
mile upon the beach was in better spirits again. I saw flying round
about me several birds that I recognized as gulls, and ahead of me a
turtle made his way into the sea, but I made no attempt to stop him,
having plenty of food and to spare, but I was glad to see that my
expectations, or rather desires, were more than fulfilled, and that my
capture upon the other side of the island had not been an exceptional
one, and I could look to this creature also for food; but that
question, as well as the one of water and fire, was fast disappearing
from my mind, as the certainty of providing all easily was being hourly
forced upon me. I foresaw that I should not want for any of these
things, that I should, with a little care and labor, have comforts
undreamed of when I first found myself cast on shore.
The question of savages even was fast being settled, for I reasoned
that I could not have made such a distance round about the island
without finding some traces of human beings, if there were any upon
the island; still I cannot say that all my nervousness was gone, I was
yet too lonely, depressed, and solitary, and knew yet too little of
the whole island, to have recovered all my usual and natural evenness
of temperament; but I was improving, and my head was already filled
with ideas of boats, balloons, and I know not what, in which I was in
some way yet to escape. After walking about three miles along this
lovely beach I came, upon turning a slight elevation, to the mouth of
a small trickling brook not over three feet wide, which found its way
to the ocean from a background of forest trees. I sat down by the side
of it, and soon ascertained that the water was pure, cool, and fresh.
I almost smiled at the fury with which I had attacked this problem of
water upon my first arrival upon the island; but on the other hand I
felt pleased to think that I had also overcome it, and had made Nature
serve me. I took quite a rest at this point, and, after sauntering
about, concluded, as the sun was sinking towards the west, to make
it my resting-place for the night. For this purpose I went a little
further back from the beach under the trees, and carried up there
large quantities of good dry seaweed, and made me a nice comfortable
bed, lighted a good fire, and after a quite good supper of my eggs
and turtle steak, which I warmed in the ashes and roasted over the
hot coals, I took out my pipe and tobacco to smoke and meditate. With
the precious weed that I drew from my pocket I mixed a small quantity
of the wild weed that I had found, and having of course had no time
to cure it I first shrivelled it up over my hot embers and then mixed
it with my tobacco. By the scent and fragrance whilst it was being
dried in this manner, I had no longer any doubt but what I had found
the veritable article, and when I came to mix it in my pipe I felt
convinced.
It being early, and feeling that I surely had a supply of this luxury,
I indulged in a second pipe-full, and whilst I was puffing away I was
also trying to look into the future. My remembrance of the original
Robinson Crusoe was that he was a bungler at anything and everything
that he undertook, whilst I felt that I was a good mechanic, thoroughly
versed in the use of all tools, and especially in working in iron;
that I had a fair, sound, common-school education, and that I had been
ingenious and inventive both on sea and land from my boyhood; that I
had had good experience in navigation and seamanship, and intercourse
with many nations; that I knew, and had acquired, the little every-day
habits of many curious people, and that I had seen numerous ways of
doing the same things in different parts of the world. Besides all
this I had a valuable book which would serve me in the very points in
which I was deficient, and I felt that with it I could do thousands of
things that the old Robinson Crusoe never dreamed of doing. I felt that
if there was iron to be found in the island there would practically be
no end to the improvements and comforts that I could gather about me;
with tools of iron and steel, with my knowledge of mechanics, what I
could not make would almost be the question.
I felt convinced that there must be iron upon the island, even if not
in large quantities, enough for my purpose if I could only find it. I
knew that the Japanese islands had plenty of it, that Formosa and New
Zealand abounded in it, and I was determined to find it if it was to be
found.
I had already made up my mind to move to Rapid River for my home,
unless future discoveries showed me a different state of affairs in the
western part of the island than I expected to find.
I wondered, as I sat, whether my famous lamp tower was performing its
duties during my absence, but it did not trouble me any longer even
if it were not, for I found that my flint, steel, and tinder were
all-sufficient for my purpose, and was I not soon going to make real
matches?
Sitting smoking, and revolving all these thoughts in my mind, I saw the
sun sink into the western ocean, and shortly after wrapped myself up in
my seaweed covering, under the shelter of a bunch of low shrubs, and
dropped asleep.