over looking out to sea, to see if I could spy a ship; I say, giving
over these things, I began to apply myself to accommodate my way of
living, and to make things as easy to me as I could.
I have already described my habitation, which was a tent under the side
of a rock,--surrounded with a strong pale of posts and cables; but I
might now rather call it a wall, for I raised a kind of wall against it
of turfs, about two feet thick on the outside: and after some time (I
think it was a year and a half) I raised rafters from it, leaning to the
rock, and thatched or covered it with boughs of trees, and such things
as I could get, to keep out the rain; which I found, at some times of
the year, very violent.
I have already observed how I brought all my goods into this pale, and
into the cave which I had made behind me. But I must observe, too, that
at first this was a confused heap of goods, which, as they lay in no
order, so they took up all my place; I had no room to turn myself: so I
set myself to enlarge my cave, and work farther into the earth; for it
was a loose, sandy rock, which yielded easily to the labour I bestowed
on it: and when I found I was pretty safe as to the beasts of prey, I
worked sideways, to the right hand, into the rock, and then turning to
the right again, worked quite out, and made me a door to come out in the
outside of my pale or fortification.
This gave me not only egress and regress, as it were, a back-way to my
tent and to my storehouse, but gave me room to stow my goods.
And now I began to apply myself to make such necessary things as I found
I most wanted, particularly a chair and a table; for without these I was
not able to enjoy the few comforts I had in the world; I could not
write, or eat, or do several things with so much pleasure, without a
table: so I went to work. And here I must needs observe, that as reason
is the substance and original of the mathematics, so by stating, and
squaring every thing by reason, and by making the most rational judgment
of things, every man may be, in time, master of every mechanic art. I
had never handled a tool in my life; and yet, in time, by labour,
application, and contrivance, I found, at last, that I wanted nothing
but I could have made, especially if I had had tools. However, I made
abundance of things, even without tools; and some with no more tools
than an adze and a hatchet, which perhaps were never made that way
before, and that with infinite labour. For example, if I wanted a board,
I had no other way but to cut down a tree, set it on an edge before me,
and hew it flat on either side with my axe, till I had brought it to be
as thin as a plank, and then dub it smooth with my adze. It is true, by
this method I could make but one board of a whole tree; but this I had
no remedy for but patience, any more than I had for a prodigious deal of
time and labour which it took me up to make a plank or board: but my
time or labour was little worth, and so it was as well employed one way
as another.
However, I made me a table and a chair, as I observed above, in the
first place; and this I did out of the short pieces of boards that I
brought on my raft from the ship. But when I wrought out some boards, as
above, I made large shelves, of the breadth of a foot and a half, one
over another, all along one side of my cave, to lay all my tools, nails,
and iron-work on; and, in a word, to separate every thing at large in
their places, that I might easily come at them. I knocked pieces into
the wall of the rock, to hang my guns, and all things that would hang
up: so that had my cave been seen, it looked like a general magazine of
all necessary things; and I had every thing so ready at my hand, that it
was a great pleasure to me to see all my goods in such order, and
especially to find my stock of all necessaries so great.
And now it was that I began to keep a journal of every day's employment;
for, indeed, at first, I was in too much hurry, and not only hurry as to
labour, but in much discomposure of mind; and my journal would, too,
have been full of many dull things: for example, I must have said
thus--"_Sept_. 30th. After I had got to shore, and had escaped drowning,
instead of being thankful to God for my deliverance, having first
vomited, with the great quantity of salt water which was gotten into my
stomach, and recovering myself a little, I ran about the shore, wringing
my hands, and beating my head and face, exclaiming at my misery, and
crying out, 'I was undone, undone!' till, tired and faint, I was forced
to lie down on the ground to repose; but durst not sleep, for fear of
being devoured."
Some days after this, and after I had been on board the ship, and got
all that I could out of her, I could not forbear getting up to the top
of a little mountain, and looking out to sea, in hopes of seeing a ship:
then fancy that, at a vast distance, I spied a sail, please myself with
the hopes of it, and, after looking steadily, till I was almost blind,
lose it quite, and sit down and weep like a child, and thus increase my
misery by my folly.
But, having gotten over these things in some measure, and having settled
my household-stuff and habitation, made me a table and a chair, and all
as handsome about me as I could, I began to keep my journal: of which I
shall here give you the copy (though in it will be told all these
particulars over again) as long as it lasted; for, having no more ink, I
was forced to leave it off.
* * * * *
THE JOURNAL.
_September_ 30th, 1659. I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being
shipwrecked, during a dreadful storm, in the offing, came on shore on
this dismal unfortunate island, which I called the ISLAND OF DESPAIR;
all the rest of the ship's company being drowned, and myself
almost dead.
All the rest of that day I spent in afflicting myself at the dismal
circumstances I was brought to, viz. I had neither food, house, clothes,
weapon, nor place to fly to: and, in despair of any relief, saw nothing
but death before me; that I should either be devoured by wild beasts,
murdered by savages, or starved to death for want of food. At the
approach of night I slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures; but
slept soundly, though it rained all night.
_October_ 1. In the morning I saw, to my great surprise, the ship had
floated with the high tide, and was driven on shore again much nearer
the island; which, as it was some comfort on one hand (for seeing her
sit upright, and not broken in pieces, I hoped, if the wind abated, I
might get on board, and get some food and necessaries out of her for my
relief,) so, on the other hand, it renewed my grief at the loss of my
comrades, who, I imagined, if we had all staid on board, might have
saved the ship, or, at least, that they would not have been all drowned,
as they were; and that, had the men been saved, we might perhaps have
built us a boat, out of the ruins of the ship, to have carried us to
some other part of the world. I spent great part of this day in
perplexing myself on these things; but, at length, seeing the ship
almost dry, I went upon the sand as near as I could, and then swam on
board. This day also it continued raining, though with no wind at all.
From the 1st of _October_ to the 24th. All these days entirely spent in
many several voyages to get all I could out of the ship; which I brought
on shore, every tide of flood, upon rafts. Much rain also in these days,
though with some intervals of fair weather: but, it seems, this was the
rainy 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 recovered
many 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 little
harder 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 securing
the 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 place
to fix my habitation; greatly concerned to secure myself from any attack
in the night, either from wild beasts or men. Towards night I fixed upon
a proper place, under a rock, and marked out a semi-circle for my
encampment; which I resolved to strengthen with a work, wall, or
fortification, made of double piles, lined within with cables, and
without with turf.
From the 26th to the 30th, I worked very hard in carrying all my goods
to my new habitation, though some part of the time it rained
exceedingly hard.
The 31st, in the morning, I went out into the island with my gun, to see
for some food, and discover the country; when I killed a she-goat, and
her kid followed me home, which I afterwards killed also, because it
would not feed.
_November_ 1. I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for the first
night; making it as large as I could, with stakes driven in to swing my
hammock upon.
_Nov_. 2. I set up all my chests and boards, and the pieces of timber
which made my rafts; and with them formed a fence round me, a little
within the place I had marked out for my fortification.
_Nov_. 3. I went out with my gun, and killed two fowls like ducks, which
were very good food. In the afternoon I went to work to make me a table.
_Nov_. 4. This morning I began to order my times of work, of going out
with my gun, time of sleep, and time of diversion; viz. every morning I
walked out with my gun for two or three hours, if it did not rain; then
employed myself to work till about eleven o'clock; then ate what I had
to live on; and from twelve to two I lay down to sleep, the weather
being excessive hot; and then, in the evening, to work again. The
working part of this day and the next was wholly employed in making my
table, for I was yet but a very sorry workman: though time and necessity
made me a complete natural mechanic soon after, as I believe they would
any one else.
_Nov. 5._ This day went abroad with my gun and dog, and killed a wild
cat; her skin pretty soft, but her flesh good for nothing: of every
creature that I killed I took off the skins, and preserved them. Coming
back by the sea-shore, I saw many sorts of sea-fowl which I did not
understand: but was surprised, and almost frightened, with two or three
seals; which, while I was gazing at them (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, and
finished it, though not to my liking: nor was it long before I learned
to mend 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, according to my
reckoning) I took wholly up to make me a chair, and with much ado,
brought it to a tolerable shape, but never to please me; and, even in
the making, I pulled it in pieces several times.
_Note._ I soon neglected my keeping Sundays; for, omitting my mark for
them on my post, I forgot which was which.
_Nov. 13._ This day it rained; which refreshed me exceedingly, and
cooled the earth: but it was accompanied with terrible thunder and
lightning, which frightened me dreadfully, for fear of my powder. As
soon as it was over, I resolved to separate my stock of powder into as
many little parcels as possible, that it might not be in danger.
_Nov. 14, 15, 16._ These three days I spent in making little square
chests 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
secure and as remote from one another as possible. On one of these three
days I killed 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
make room for my farther convenience.
_Note._ Three things I wanted exceedingly for this work, viz. a
pick-axe, a shovel, and a wheel-barrow, or basket; so I desisted from my
work, and began to consider how to supply these wants, and make me some
tools. As for a pick-axe, I made use of the iron crows, which were
proper enough, though heavy: but, the next thing was a shovel or spade;
this was so absolutely necessary, that, indeed, I could do nothing
effectually without 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 that
wood, or like it, which, in the Brazils, they call the iron tree, from
its exceeding hardness: of this, with great labour, and almost spoiling
my axe, I cut a piece; and brought it home, too, with difficulty enough,
for it was exceeding heavy. The excessive hardness of the wood, and my
having no other way, made me a long while upon this machine; for I
worked it effectually, by little and little, into the form of a shovel
or spade; the handle exactly shaped like ours in England, only that the
broad part having 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 put it to; but never was a shovel, I believe, made after
that fashion, or so long a-making.
I was still deficient: for I wanted a basket, or a wheel-barrow. A
basket I could not make by any means, having no such things as twigs
that would bend to make wicker-ware; at least, none yet found out: and
as to the wheel-barrow, I fancied I could make all but the wheel, but
that I had no notion of; neither did I know how to go about it: besides,
I had no possible way to make iron gudgeons for the spindle or axis of
the wheel to run in; so I gave it over: and, for carrying away the earth
which I dug out of the cave, I made me a thing like a hod, which the
labourers carry mortar in for the brick-layers. This was not so
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 wheel-barrow, took me up
no less than four days; I mean, always excepting my morning walk with my
gun, which I seldom omitted, and very seldom failed also bringing home
something fit to eat.
_Nov. 23._ My other work having now stood still, because of my making
these tools, when they were finished I went on; and working every day,
as my strength and time allowed, I spent eighteen days entirely in
widening and deepening my cave, that it might hold my goods
commodiously.
_Note._ During all this time, I worked to make this room, or cave,
spacious enough to accommodate me as a warehouse or magazine, a kitchen,
a dining-room, and a cellar. As for a lodging, I kept to the tent;
except that sometimes, in the wet season of the year, it rained so hard
that I could not keep myself dry; which caused me afterwards to cover
all my place within my pale with long poles, in the form of rafters,
leaning against 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 a
sudden (it seems I had made it too large) a great quantity of earth fell
down from the top and one side: so much, that, in short, it frightened
me, and not without reason too; for if I had been under it, I should
never have wanted a grave-digger. Upon this disaster, I had a great deal
of work to do over again, for I had the loose earth to carry out; and,
which was of more importance, I had the ceiling to prop up, so that I
might be sure no more would come down.
_Dec. 11._ This day I went to work with it accordingly; and got two
shores or posts pitched upright to the top, with two pieces of board
across over each post; this I finished the next day; and setting more
posts up with boards, in about a week more I had the roof secured; and
the posts, standing in rows, served me for partitions to part off
my house.
_Dec. 17._ From this day to the 30th, I placed shelves, and knocked up
nails on the posts, to hang every thing up that could be hung up: and
now I began to be in some order within doors.
_Dec. 20._ I carried every thing into the cave, and began to furnish my
house, and set up some pieces of boards, like a dresser, to order my
victuals upon; but boards began to be very scarce with me: also I made
me 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, and
pleasanter.
_Dec. 27._ Killed a young goat; and lamed another, so that I catched it,
and led it home in a string: when I had it home, I bound and splintered
up its leg, which was broke.
_N.B._ I took such care of it that it lived; and the leg grew well, and
as strong as ever: but, by nursing it so long, it grew tame, and fed
upon the little green at my door, and would not go away. This was the
first time that I entertained a thought of breeding up some tame
creatures, that I might have food when my powder and shot was all spent.
_Dec. 28, 29, 30, 31._ Great heats, and no breeze; so that there was no
stirring abroad, except in the evening, for food: this time I spent in
putting all my things in order within doors.
_January 1._ Very hot still; but I went abroad early and late with my
gun, and lay still in the middle of the day. This evening, going farther
into the vallies which lay towards the centre of the island, I found
there was plenty of goats, though exceeding shy, and hard to come at;
however, I resolved to try if I could not bring my dog to hunt them
down. Accordingly, the next day, I went out with my dog, and set him
upon the goats: but I was mistaken, for they all faced about upon the
dog: 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 my
being attacked by somebody, I resolved to make very thick and strong.
_N.B._ This wall being described before, I purposely omit what was said
in the journal: it is sufficient to observe, that I was no less time
than from the 3d of January to the 14th of April, working, finishing,
and perfecting this wall; though it was no more than about 25 yards in
length, being a half-circle, from one place in the rock to another
place, about twelve yards from it, the door of the cave being in the
centre, 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 perfectly
secure till this wall was finished; and it is scarce credible what
inexpressible labour every thing was done with, especially the bringing
piles out of the woods, and driving them into the ground; for I made
them much bigger than I needed to have done.
When this wall was finished, and the outside double-fenced, with a
turf-wall raised up close to it, I persuaded myself that if any people
were to come on shore there they would not perceive any thing like a
habitation: and it was very well I did so, as may be observed hereafter,
upon a very remarkable occasion.
During this time, I made my rounds in the woods for game every day,
when the rain permitted me, and made frequent discoveries, in these
walks, of something or other to my advantage; particularly, I found a
kind of wild pigeons, who build, not as wood-pigeons, in a tree, but
rather as house-pigeons, in the holes of the rocks: and, taking some
young ones, I endeavoured to breed them up tame, and did so; but when
they grew older, they flew all away; which, perhaps, was at first for
want of feeding them, for I had nothing to give them: however, I
frequently found their nests, and got their young ones, which were very
good meat. And now, in the managing my household affairs, I found myself
wanting in many things, which I thought at first it was impossible for
me to make; as indeed, as to some of them, it was: for instance, I could
never make a cask to be hooped. I had a small runlet or two, as I
observed before; but I could never arrive to the capacity of making one
by them, though I spent many weeks about it: I could neither put in the
heads, nor join the staves so true 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 candle; so that as soon as it was dark, which was generally by
seven o'clock, I was obliged to go to bed. I remember the lump of
bees-wax with which I made candles in my African adventure; but I had
none of that now; the only remedy I had was, that when I had killed a
goat, I saved the tallow; and with a little dish made of clay, which I
baked in the sun, to which I added a wick of some 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 happened, that in rummaging
my things, I found a little bag; which, as I hinted before, had been
filled with corn, for the feeding of poultry; not for this voyage, but
before, as I suppose, when the ship came from Lisbon. What little
remainder of corn had been in the bag was all devoured with the rats,
and I saw nothing in the bag but husks and dust; and being willing to
have the bag for some other use (I think, it was to put powder in, when
I divided it for fear of the lightning, or some such use,) I shook the
husks of corn out of it, on one side of my fortification, under
the rock.
It was a little before the great rain just now mentioned, that I threw
this stuff away; taking no notice of any thing, and not so much as
remembering that I had thrown any thing there: when about a month after,
I saw some few stalks of something green, shooting out of the ground,
which I fancied might be some plant I had not seen; but I was surprised,
and perfectly astonished, when, after a little longer time, I saw about
ten or twelve ears come out, which were perfect green barley of the same
kind as our European, nay, as our English barley.
It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion of my
thoughts on this occasion: I had hitherto acted upon no religious
foundation at all; indeed, I had very few notions of religion in my
head, nor had entertained any sense of any thing that had befallen me,
otherwise than as chance, or, as we lightly say, what pleases God;
without so much as inquiring into the end of Providence in these things,
or his order in governing events in the world. But after I saw barley
grow there, in a climate which I knew was not proper for corn, and
especially as I knew not how it came there, it startled me strangely;
and I began to suggest, that God had miraculously caused this grain to
grow without any help of seed sown, and that it was so directed purely
for my sustenance, on that wild miserable place.
This touched my heart a little, and brought tears out of my eyes; and I
began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature should happen upon
my account: and this was the more strange to me, because I saw near it
still, 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 seen
it grow in Africa, when I was ashore there.
I not only thought these the pure productions of Providence for my
support, but, not doubting that there was more in the place, I went over
all that part of the island where I had been before, searching in every
corner, and under every rock, for more of it; but I could not find any.
At last it occurred to my thoughts, that I had shook out a bag of
chicken's-meat in that place, and then the wonder began to cease: and I
must confess, 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 a providence, as if it had been miraculous: for it was really
the work of Providence, as to me, that should order or appoint that ten
or twelve grains of corn should remain unspoiled, when the rats had
destroyed all the rest, as if it had been dropt from heaven; as also,
that I should throw it out in that particular place, where, it being in
the shade of a high rock, it sprang up immediately; whereas, if I had
thrown it any where else, at that time, it would have been burnt up and
destroyed.
I carefully saved the ears of this corn, you may be sure, in their
season, which was about the end of June; and, laying up every corn, I
resolved to sow them all again; hoping, in time, to have some quantity
sufficient to supply me with bread. But it was not till the fourth year
that I could allow myself the least grain of this corn to eat, and even
then but sparingly, as I shall show afterwards, in its order; for I lost
all that I sowed the first season, by not observing the proper time; as
I sowed just before the dry season, so that it never came up at all, at
least not as it would have done; of which in its place.