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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/7799.txt b/7799.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..acc26c2 --- /dev/null +++ b/7799.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3630 @@ +Project Gutenberg's An American Robinson Crusoe, by Samuel B. Allison + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: An American Robinson Crusoe + +Author: Samuel B. Allison + +Posting Date: October 7, 2012 [EBook #7799] +Release Date: February, 2005 +First Posted: May 18, 2003 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN AMERICAN ROBINSON CRUSOE *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Ted Garvin and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + + + + + + + +AN AMERICAN +ROBINSON CRUSOE + +FOR AMERICAN BOYS +AND GIRLS + +THE ADAPTATION, WITH ADDITIONAL INCIDENTS + +BY + +SAMUEL B. ALLISON, Ph.D. + + + + +CONTENTS + + I Robinson with His Parents + II Robinson as an Apprentice + III Robinson's Departure + IV Robinson Far from Home + V The Shipwreck + VI Robinson Saved + VII The First Night on Land + VIII Robinson on an Island + IX Robinson's Shelter + X Robinson Makes a Hat + XI Robinson's Calendar + XII Robinson Makes a Hunting Bag + XIII Robinson Explores the Island + XIV Robinson as a Hunter + XV Robinson's Shoes and Parasol + XVI Getting Fire + XVII Robinson Makes Some Furniture + XVIII Robinson Becomes a Shepherd + XIX Robinson Builds a Home for His Goats + XX Robinson Gets Ready for Winter + XXI How Robinson Lays up a Store of Food + XXII Robinson's Diary + XXIII Robinson is Sick + XXIV Robinson's Bower + XXV Robinson Again Explores His Island + XXVI Robinson and His Birds + XXVII Robinson Gets Fire + XXVIII Robinson Makes Baskets + XXIX Robinson Becomes a Farmer + XXX Robinson as Potter + XXXI Robinson as Baker + XXXII Robinson as Fisherman + XXXIII Robinson Builds a Boat + XXXIV Robinson as a Sailor + XXXV A Discovery + XXXVI The Landing of the Savages + XXXVII Robinson as Teacher +XXXVIII Another Shipwreck + XXXIX Saving Things from the Ship + XL The Return of the Savages + XLI Deliverance at Last + XLII Robinson at Home + + + + +PREFATORY NOTE + +"An American Robinson Crusoe" is the outcome of many years of +experience with the story in the early grades of elementary schools. +It was written to be used as a content in giving a knowledge of the +beginning and development of human progress. The aim is not just to +furnish an interesting narrative, but one that is true to the course +of human development and the scientific and geographical facts of the +island on which Robinson is supposed to have lived. + +The excuse for departing so widely from the original story is to be +found in the use which was desired to be made of it. The story here +presented is simply the free adaptation of the original narrative to +the demand for a specific kind of content in a form which would be +interesting to the children. + +The teacher is and should be justified in using with entire freedom +any material accessible for the ends of instruction. + +The text as here given has been published with an introduction and +suggestive treatments as a Teacher's Manual for Primary Grades--"The +Teacher's Robinson Crusoe." Explicit directions and ample suggestions +are made for the use of the story as material for instruction in all +the language arts, drawing, social history, and the manual arts. + +Published by the Educational Publishing Company. + + + + +AN AMERICAN +ROBINSON CRUSOE + + + + +I + +ROBINSON WITH HIS PARENTS + + +There once lived in the city of New York, a boy by the name of +Robinson Crusoe. He had a pleasant home. His father and mother were +kind to him and sent him to school. They hoped that he would study +hard and grow up to be a wise and useful man, but he loved rather to +run idle about the street than to go to school. He was fond of playing +along the River Hudson, for he there saw the great ships come and go. +They were as big as houses. He watched them load and unload their +cargoes and hundreds of people get off and on. His father had told +him that the ships came from far distant lands, where lived many large +animals and black men. His father told him too, that in these faraway +countries the nuts on the trees grew to be as large as one's head and +that the trees were as high as church steeples. + +When Robinson saw the ships put out to sea, he would watch them till +they would disappear below the horizon far out in the ocean, and +think, "Oh, if I could only go with them far away to see those strange +countries!" Thus he would linger along the great river and wish he +might find an opportunity of making a voyage. Often it would be dark +before he would get home. When he came into the house his mother would +meet him and say in a gentle voice, "Why, Robinson, how late you are +in getting home! You have been to the river again." + +[Illustration: ROBINSON WATCHING THE SHIPS] + +Then Robinson would hang his head and feel deeply ashamed, and when +his father, who was a merchant, came home from the store, his mother +would tell him that Robinson had again been truant. + +This would grieve his father deeply and he would go to the boy's +bedside and talk earnestly with him. "Why do you do so?" he would say. +"How often have I told you to go to school every day?" This would for +a time win Robinson back to school, but by the next week it had been +forgotten and he would again be loitering along the river in spite +of his father's remonstrances. + + + + +II + +ROBINSON AS AN APPRENTICE + + +In this way one year after another slipped by. Robinson was not more +diligent. He was now almost sixteen years old and had not learned +anything. Then came his birthday. In the afternoon his father called +him into his room. Robinson opened the door softly. There sat his +father with a sad face. He looked up and said, "Well, Robinson, all +your schoolmates have long been busy trying to learn something, so +that they may be able to earn their own living. Paul will be a baker, +Robert a butcher, Martin is learning to be a carpenter, Herman a +tailor, Otto a blacksmith, Fritz is going to high school, because he +is going to be a teacher. Now, you are still doing nothing. This will +not do. From this time on I wish you to think of becoming a merchant. +In the morning you will go with me to the store and begin work. If +you are attentive and skillful, when the time comes you can take up +my business and carry it on. But if you remain careless and continue +to idle about, no one will ever want you and you must starve because +you will never be able to earn a living." + +So the next morning Robinson went to the store and began work. He +wrapped up sugar and coffee, he weighed out rice and beans. He sold +meal and salt, and when the dray wagon pulled up at the store, loaded +with new goods, he sprang out quickly and helped to unload it. He +carried in sacks of flour and chests of tea, and rolled in barrels +of coffee and molasses. He also worked some at the desk. He looked +into the account books and saw in neat writing, "Goods received" and +"Goods sold." He noticed how his father wrote letters and reckoned +up his accounts. He even took his pen in hand and put the addresses +on the letters and packages as well as he could. + +But soon he was back in his careless habits. He was no longer +attentive to business. He wrapped up salt instead of sugar. He put +false weights on the scales. He gave some too much and others too +little. His hands, only, were in the business, his mind was far away +on the ocean with the ships. When he helped unload the wagons, he +would often let the chests and casks drop, so that they were broken +and their contents would run out on the ground. For he was always +thinking, "Where have these casks come from and how beautiful it must +be there!" And many times packages came back because Robinson had +written the name of the place or the country wrong. For when he was +writing the address, he was always thinking, "You will be laid upon +a wagon and will then go into the ship." One day he had to write a +letter to a man far over the sea. He could stand it no longer. His +father had gone out. He threw down the pen, picked up his hat and ran +out to the Hudson to see the ships, and from that time on he spent +more time loitering along the river than he did in the store. + + + + +III + +ROBINSON'S DEPARTURE + + +Robinson's father soon noticed that his son was no longer attending +to his work, and one morning sent for him to come to his office. When +Robinson came in his father arose from his chair and looked him long +and earnestly in the face. Then he said, "I am very sorry, Robinson, +that you seem determined to continue your evil ways. If you do not +do better you will grow up to be a beggar or worse." Robinson cast +his eyes down and said, "I do not want to be a merchant, I would rather +sail in a ship around the world." His father answered, "If you do not +know anything you cannot be of use on a ship, and no one will want +you. In a strange land you cannot live without working. If you run +away from your parents you will come to be sorry for it." Robinson +wept, for he saw that his father was right, and he promised to obey. + +After two or three weeks, Robinson went to his mother and said, +"Mother, won't you go to father and tell him that if he will only let +me take one voyage and it proves to be unpleasant, I will come back +to the store and work hard?" But the mother cried. With tears in her +eyes, she said: "Robinson, your brothers are both dead. You are the +only child left to us and if you go away, we shall be entirely alone. +How easy it would be to be drowned in the sea, or torn to pieces by +wild animals away there in a foreign country. Both your father and +myself are getting along in years and who will take care of us when +we are sick? Do not cause us the grief we must suffer if you go away +so far amid so many dangers. I cannot bear to have you speak of it +again." + +Robinson did not speak of it again, but he did not forget it. He was +nineteen years old. It was one day in August that Robinson stood at +the wharf looking longingly after the departing ships. As he stood +there, someone touched him on the shoulder. It was a ship captain's +son. He pointed to a long ship and said, "My father sails to-day in +that ship for Africa and takes me with him." + +"Oh, if I could only go with you!" cried Robinson. + +"Do come along," cried his comrade. + +"But I have no money," said Robinson. + +"That doesn't make any difference," returned the captain's son. "We +will take you anyway." + +Robinson, without thinking for a moment, gave his friend his hand and +promised to go with him. + +So without saying "Good-bye" to his parents, Robinson went immediately +on board the ship with his friend. This happened on the 10th of +August. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON AND THE CAPTAIN'S SON] + +[Illustration] + + + + +IV + +ROBINSON FAR FROM HOME + +ROBINSON'S VOYAGE + + +Once on board, Robinson watched the preparations for departure. At +command the sailors clambered up into the rigging and loosened the +sails. Then the captain from his bridge called out, "Hoist the +anchor!" Then the great iron hooks that held the ship fast were lifted +up, a cannon sounded a final farewell. Robinson stood on the deck. +He saw the great city shimmer in the sunshine before him. Very fast +now the land was being left behind. It was not long until all that +could be seen of his native city was the tops of the highest towers. +Then all faded from sight. Behind, in front, right and left, he saw +nothing but waters. + +He became a little afraid. At noon there arose a strong wind and the +ship rocked to and fro. He became dizzy and had to hold fast to +something. The masts and rigging began to dance. It seemed to him as +if all was turning around. Suddenly he fell full length on the deck +and it was impossible for him to get up. He was seasick. He wailed +and cried, but no one heard him, no one helped him. Then he thought +of his home, his parents whom he had so ungratefully left. + +He had been on the water about two weeks when one day as he lay in +his room, Robinson heard people over his head running about and crying, +"A storm is coming!" The ship's sides trembled and creaked. The ship +was tossed like a nutshell. Now it rolled to the right, now to the +left. And Robinson was thrown from one side to the other. Every moment +he expected the ship to sink. He turned pale and trembled with fear. +"Ah, if I were only at home with my parents, safe on the land," he +said. "If I ever get safe out of this, I will go home as quickly as +I can and stay with my dear parents!" The storm raged the whole day +and the whole night. But on the next morning the wind went down and +the sea was calm. By evening the sky was clear and Robinson was again +cheerful. He ran about the ship. He looked at the glittering stars +and was contented and happy. + + + + +V + +THE SHIPWRECK + + +Several weeks went by. Robinson had long ago forgotten his resolutions +to return home. It was very hot. The glowing sun beat down upon the +ship. The wide surface of the sea glistened. No breeze stirred. The +sails hung loose on the top of the mast. But far away on the shore +could be seen a black bank of clouds. + +All at once the ship was thrown violently to one side by a fierce gust +of wind. Robinson threw himself on the deck. The sea began to rise +and fall. The waves were as high as mountains. Now the ship was borne +aloft to the skies, and now it would seem that it must be overwhelmed +in the sea. When it sank down between the great waves of water, +Robinson thought it would never again rise. The waves beat violently +on the ship's side. Robinson went down the steps into his little room, +but he came back full of anxiety. He believed every minute he would +meet death in the waves. The night at last came on. The lightning +flashed. The storm howled. The ship trembled. The water roared. So +the night wore on. The storm raged for six days. Then on the seventh +day it was somewhat abated. But the hope was soon dashed. The storm +had abated but to get new strength. Suddenly it bore down with frightful +power on the doomed vessel, struck it, and shot it like an arrow +through the water. Then Robinson felt a fearful crash. The ship +groaned as if it would fall into a thousand pieces. It had struck a +rock and there held fast. At the same moment the sailors raised the +cry, "The ship has sprung a leak!" The water surged into the ship. +All called for help. Each one thought only of himself. There was only +one boat. The others had all been torn away. It was soon let down into +the sea. All sprang in. For a moment the sailors forgot the waves, +but all at once a wave, mountains high, struck the boat and swallowed +it up. Robinson shut his eyes. The water roared in his ears. He sank +into the sea. + + + + +VI + +ROBINSON SAVED + + +Robinson was borne down far, far into the ocean. He attempted to work +himself up, so that he could see light and breathe the air. But again +and again the waves carried him down. Finally a wave threw him up and +he saw, for a moment, the light of day and got a breath of air, but +the next instant he was deep under the water. Then another wave bore +him on its crest. He breathed a deep breath and at the same time saw +land not far away. He bent all his strength toward reaching the land. +He got almost to it, when a wave caught him and hurled him on a +jutting rock. With all his strength he seized the rock with both hands +and held on. + +Presently he worked himself up a little and at last got a foothold. +But, scarcely had he done so, when his strength left him and he fell +on the ground as one dead. But he soon revived. He opened his eyes +and looked around. He saw above him the blue sky, and under him the +solid brown earth, and before him the gray angry sea. He felt to see +if he still breathed. The storm had destroyed the ship. The waves had +overwhelmed the boat. The water wished to draw him into the deep. The +rocks seemed to want to hurl him back, but storm and wave and rock +had accomplished nothing. There was One who was stronger than they. + +Then Robinson sank on his knees and folded his hands. Tears came to +his eyes. He breathed hard. At last he said, "Dear Father in Heaven, +I live. Thou hast saved me. I thank Thee." + + + + +VII + +THE FIRST NIGHT ON LAND + + +"Where are my companions?" That was his first thought. He began to +call and halloo: "Where are you?" "Come here!" But no one answered. +Then he wished to see if anyone lived on the land, and he cried, "Is +there no one here? Hello!" but all remained still. + +All at once he drew himself together and shrank back. He heard a bush +rustle and the thought came like a flash, "That is a wild animal that +will pounce upon me and tear my flesh with his teeth and claws. How +shall I save myself? Where shall I fly for safety? Where shall I turn? +I have nothing but my clothes and my life saved from the water. All +that I had the waves have swallowed up." + +And then hunger and thirst began to trouble him. He had eaten nothing +the whole day and the salt water had made him sick. + +In the meantime the night had come on. Robinson was very tired. +Everything was new and strange. He did not know which way to move. +He was in the greatest terror. + +He expected to hear the roar of wild beasts from every secluded spot. +Lions and tigers and dreadful serpents filled his thoughts. He must +find shelter from them. But where should he pass the night? Not a +house, a hut or a cave was to be seen. He stood a long time hesitating +and did not know what to do. Finally he thought, "I will do as the +birds do and get into a tree." He very soon found a tree which had +such thick branches that it would hold him up. + +Robinson climbed up into the tree, made himself as comfortable as +possible, said his prayers, and as he was thoroughly exhausted, he +soon fell asleep. When he awoke the sun was high in the sky. At first +he could not remember where he was. Then the truth burst upon him. +He tried to move. He was stiff and sore. His flesh was bruised from +being thrown against the rocks and beaten by the waves. + +He was dreadfully thirsty. His mouth and throat were dry and parched +from the salt water. His tongue was thick and swollen. He said, "I +must find some water to drink or I shall die!" + +It was hard work to get down from the tree. His limbs and back ached +from sitting in the tree all night At last he slipped down and fell +on the ground. He clasped his hands in prayer and thanked God for keeping +him through the night. + +[Illustration] + +Then he got up and tried to walk. He was so weak he could not stand. + +He threw himself down on the ground and began to sob and cry, "O Lord, +do not let me die! Do not let me die!" As he lay there he heard a +queer sound. He listened. It sounded like water running over rocks. +He tried to get to the place from which the sound came. He tried to +walk. When he fell he crawled on his hands and knees. At last the sound +was close by. He dragged himself up on the rocks. Yes, there was a +spring of clear, cool, sparkling water bubbling up and trickling over +the stones. Robinson was so thirsty he put his face into the water +and drank and drank. + +Then he sat down, and after a while he drank again and again. + +After Robinson had satisfied his thirst and rested awhile, he felt +much better. He said, "I must try to walk and see whether I can find +something to eat." He found many kinds of fruits and berries all +around him, but he was afraid to eat them, as they were strange to +him and he feared they might be poisonous. + +As he was walking along, all at once he spied a tall plant in the +distance which had a familiar look. It looked like corn. He said to +himself, "I wonder if it can be corn." At last he came near enough +to recognize it. Yes, it was corn. It did not look exactly like the +corn that he saw at home, but still he knew it would be safe to eat +it. He broke off an ear and eagerly ate the kernels raw. Oh, how good +it was! Robinson could not remember anything that tasted half so good. + +He ate as much as he wanted and then filled his pockets with ears of +corn for his supper. Then he went back to the spring to get another +drink. + +[Illustration] + + + + +VIII + +ROBINSON ON AN ISLAND + + +After his hunger and thirst were satisfied, Robinson thought he would +try to find another dwelling place. "My legs are stiff and sore from +sitting so uncomfortably last night, and there is so much danger of +falling," he said. "I will climb yonder hill and look around and see +on which side the houses are. I will find me a stick to help me on +my way." + +He broke a stick from a dry bush and climbed up the steep sides of +the hill. After a half hour's climb he was on top. What a sight met +his eyes! There were no houses, no huts to be seen, no smoke arose +from the forest, no field could be seen. Nothing but trees and bush, +sand and rock. + +"I am then upon an island alone, without food, without shelter, +without weapons! What will become of me?" he cried. "I am a prisoner. +The island is my prison, the waves are the guards which will not allow +me to get away. Will no ship ever come to set me free?" + +He stretched his gaze out to the sea till his eyes ached, but he saw +no ship. + +Robinson came down and seated himself on a stone and considered what +he should do. It was not yet noon, yet he feared greatly the next +night. "I must find me a better bed," was his first clear thought. + +[Illustration] + + + + +IX + +ROBINSON'S SHELTER + + +Robinson saw at a little distance what seemed to be a cleft or an +opening in a huge rock. "If I could only get inside and find room to +stay over night. The rock would protect me from rain, from the wind +and wild animals better than a tree." + +He long sought in vain for a place wide enough to allow him to get +into the opening in the rock. He was about to give up, when he seized +hold of a branch of a thorn tree growing on the side of the rock. He +looked closer and saw that it grew out of the cleft in the rock. He +saw, too, that at this point the opening was wider and that he had +only to remove the tree in order to get in. "The hole shall be my +dwelling," he said. "I must get the thorn tree out so that I can have +room." + +That was easily said. He had neither axe nor saw, nor knife nor spade. +How could he do it? He had nothing but his hands. He tried to pull +it out by the roots, but in vain. He wasn't strong enough. + +"I must dig it out," said Robinson. + +He scratched with his nails, but the earth was too hard. What should +he do? He sought a stick with a fork in it and dug in the earth, but +it was slow work. Then he found a clamshell. He did better with it, +but it was hard work, and Robinson was not used to hard work. The +sweat ran down his face and he had often to stop and rest in the +shade. The sun burned so hot and the rock so reflected the heat that +he was all but overcome. But he worked on. When evening came, he would +sleep in the tree and next morning he would go at it again. On the +third day the roots were all laid bare. + +But the roots were fast in the clefts of the rock and he could not +loosen it, try ever so hard. What would he not have given for an axe, +or at least a knife. And yet he had never thought of their value when +at home. He attempted to cut one root through with his clam-shell, +but the shell crumbled and would not cut the hard wood. + +He stood for a long time thinking, not knowing what next to do. He +made up his mind that he must have something harder than the shell +to cut with. Then he tried a stone with a sharp edge, but soon found +he needed another one, however. He found one. Then he set the sharp +one on the wood and struck it with the heavy one. In this way he slowly +cut the roots in two. + +On the fifth day there was yet left one big root, bigger than any of +the others. Robinson got up early in the morning. He worked the whole +day. Finally it gave a crack and it, too, was broken. + +Robinson had only now to remove the loose earth inside the cleft. He +found the opening could be made large and roomy. It was choked up with +dirt. He dug out enough to allow him room enough to make a place to +lie down. "In the future," he thought, "I will take out all the dirt +and then I shall be comfortable." + +It was then dark and the moon shone bright in the heavens. Robinson +gathered a heap of dry grass and made himself a safe bed. But as he +lay there he saw the moonbeams shining into his cave. He sprang up. +"How easy," he thought, "for wild animals to creep in here upon me." + +He crawled out and looked around. Not far from the cave he saw a large +flat stone. With great trouble he rolled it to the opening of his +cave, but before this the morning began to dawn. He went inside the +shelter, seized the stone with both hands and rolled it into the +opening till it almost closed it. "I have now a closed home. I can +again stretch my legs. Wind and rain cannot get at me, nor wild +animals." + + + + +X + +ROBINSON MAKES A HAT + + +Refreshed and with renewed strength, Robinson awoke late the next +morning, but he had a bad headache. The day before the hot tropic sun +had beat down on his bare head, as he worked at his cave. He was so +busy that he forgot to go into the shade from time to time in order +to shield himself from the scorching sunshine. He felt a new need. + +"I must make me a hat," said Robinson to himself. "But how?" He had +no straw, no thread and no needle. He looked around for a long time, +but found nothing. The sun mounted even higher in the heavens, and +shone hotter and hotter. He went to seek shelter at last in the deep +shade of a nearby tall plant. + +As he stood there he examined the plant more carefully. "Out of these +leaves," he said, "I might make a hat." He climbed up the short stem +of the plant and saw that it had not only leaves as long as himself, +but between the leaves were big bunches of long, thin fruit, as thick +as three fingers and similar in shape to a cucumber. + +He plucked the leaves and fruit and was about to eat some of the fruit +when he heard near him a light stir as of some animal. He rolled the +leaves and fruit together and hastened back to the cave. + +[Illustration: THE BANANA TREE] + +The bananas, for that is what the fruit proved to be, were sweet and +refreshing. After he had eaten enough he set immediately about making +his hat. He broke off a couple of reeds. He bent one into a hoop. But +the hoop would not hold without thread. Sometimes it was too large +and sometimes too small. But it must fit his head. He pulled up grass +and bound its ends together, but the grass stalks were not strong enough. +He hunted until he found a tree whose inner bark was soft and came +out in long fibres. He bound his reed with this. This, too, made the +hoop soft so that it did not hurt his head. + +When the hoop was ready and fitted to his head he found the banana +leaves could not be used. Their veins ran straight out from the +midrib. This made them easily torn, and besides, they were too large. +They were not the best shape. He saw that leaves about a foot long +with broad and tapering points would be best. He saw too, that if the +leaves had their veins running parallel with the midrib they would +be stronger. He made search and at length found leaves that seemed +made for his purpose. They were thick and leathery and tapered from +base to apex like a triangle. + +He now proceeded with his hat-making. He would take a leaf and lay +it on the ground with the base toward him. Then he laid the hoop on +the base of the leaf, wrapped it around the hoop and fastened it with +thorns. He did the same with the other leaves. The thorns were his +pins. At last he pinned the tips of the leaves together at the top +and the hat was ready. It looked just like a big cone, but it kept +out the heat of the sun. + +Robinson now had corn and bananas and when he was thirsty he drank +a handful of water from the spring. He had been now nine days on the +island. Every day he looked out on the sea until his eyes ached to +see if he might discover a ship. + +He could not understand why no ship came his way. "Who knows how long +I must wait here?" said he sorrowfully. Then the thought came to him: +"You will not be able to keep track of the days unless you write it +down." + + + + +XI + +ROBINSON'S CALENDAR + + +The matter of keeping track of time puzzled Robinson very much. It +was getting more difficult every day to keep it in his memory. He must +write down the days as they slip by, but where and how? He had neither +pen, ink, nor paper. Should he mark every day with a colored stone +on the smooth side of the huge rock wall within whose clefts he had +dug out his cave? But the rain would wash off the record and then he +would lose all his bearings. Then he thought of the beach, but there +the wind and waves would soon also erase it. + +He thought a long time. "I must find something," he said to himself +on which to keep a record. "I must also know when Sunday is. I must +rest one day in the week. Yes, I must find something," he said, "on +which to write." And finally he found it. He chose two trees standing +near each other and then sought for a small sharp stone, which he could +make still sharper by striking it on another. When he had got this +pen ready he cut into the bark of one tree: + + _Shipwreck, Sunday, 10th of September, 1875._ + +He made seven cuts in a row for the seven days in the week. The first +cut was longer than the others. This was to represent the Sunday. At +sundown every day he made a new cut in the bark. + +The other tree he called the month tree. On its stem he was to cut +a mark every time his week tree told him a month had passed. But he +must be careful, for the months were not of equal length. But he remembered +that his teacher had once said in school that the months could be +counted on the knuckles and hollows of the hand, in such a way that +the long and short months could be found easily and he could tell in +this way the number of days in each. + +Robinson worked at enlarging his shelter a little every day. He was +sorely at loss to find something in which to carry the dirt away from +the entrance, or enough so that it would not choke up the opening. +A large clam shell was all he could think of at present. He would carry +the dirt to the entrance and some distance away, and then throw it. +Fortunately the ground sloped away rapidly, so that he needed a kind +of platform before his door. + +He was careful to open the cleft at some distance above the large +opening. For the air was damp and impure in the shelter. But with the +opening made high above, fresh air was constantly passing into, and +impure air out of, his cave. Light, too, was admitted in this way. + + + + +XII + +ROBINSON MAKES A HUNTING BAG + + +Several days passed with Robinson's hat-making and his calendar-making +and his watching the sea. Every day his corn and bananas became more +distasteful to him. And he planned a longer journey about the island +to see if something new to eat could be found. + +But he considered that if he went a distance from his cave and found +something it would really be of little use to him. "I could eat my +fill," he said, "but that is all. And by the time I get back to my +cave I will again be hungry. I must find something in which I can +gather and carry food." He found nothing. + +"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags +made of coarse cloth. Of them all, I could most easily make the net, +perhaps, of vines. But the little things would fall out of the net. +I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes." + +But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface. He +thought for a long while. In his garden at home his father had +sometimes bound up the young trees with the soft inner bark of others. +He wondered if he could use this. He stripped away the outer bark from +the tree, which before had yielded him a fibre for his hat, and pulled +off the long, smooth pieces of the inner bark. He twisted them +together. Then he thought how he could weave the strands together. +He looked at his shirt. A piece was torn off and unravelled. He could +see the threads go up and down. He saw that some threads go from left +to right (woof), others lengthwise (the warp). + +From his study of the woven cloth, Robinson saw he must have a firmer +thread than the strips of bark gave alone. He separated his bark into +long, thin strips. These he twisted into strands or yarn by rolling +between his hands, or on a smooth surface. As he twisted it he wound +it on a stick. It was slow, hard work. Of all his work, the making +of yarn or thread gave him the most trouble. He learned to twist it +by knotting the thread around the spindle or bobbin on which he wound +it and twirling this in the air. He remembered sadly the old spinning +wheel we had seen at his grandmother's house. + +His next care was something to hold the threads while he wove them +in and out. He had never seen a loom. + +After long study Robinson set two posts in the ground and these he +bound with seventy-two strands horizontally under each other. Then +he tied in the top at the left another thread and wove it in and out +through the seventy-two threads. So he tied seventy-two vertical +strands and wove them in and out. Thus he had a net three times as +long as his foot and as wide as long. He tied the four corners +together. He made a woven handle for it and put it on his shoulder +like a sack, saying gleefully, "This shall be my hunting bag." + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S LOOM] + + + + +XIII + +ROBINSON EXPLORES THE ISLAND + + +After Robinson made his hunting bag he was anxious to set off on his +journey of exploring the island. So he arose very early next morning. +"Before it is hot," thought he, "I will be quite a distance on my +journey." He ate a couple of bananas, scooped up a few handfuls of +water from the spring, stuck a few ears of corn in his hunting bag, +took his stick in his hand and went forth. As he left his cave the +thought struck him: "What if I could not find my cave again? How can +I manage so that I can come back to it? I will go away in one direction +and return the same way; but suppose I were to lose the way?" + +Then he noticed his shadow pointing like a great finger from the sea +toward the land. He could direct himself by that. He kept his shadow +in front of him. He had noticed, too, that the wind always blew north +of the point where the sun rose. This helped him. But sometimes the +wind died down. + +He had to climb over many rocks and pierce many thickets. At each step +he saw a rich growth of plants, stems, leaves, flowers, but nothing +to eat, no fruits, or nuts. At length he came to a tree as high as +a small church steeple. + +[Illustration: COCOANUT PALM TREE] + +Then he thought of what his father had once said about the trees in +strange countries. "Many are as tall as a church steeple and the nuts +are as big as one's head." He looked again. Yes, there they hung among +the leaves, concealed high above in the crown! But _so_ high, it +was well that Robinson had learned to climb while on board the ship. +He quickly laid down his hunting bag and clambered up the smooth stem +of the high tree, a palm. He picked off a nut and threw it down and +then several more, and climbed down again. + +But the nuts were very hard. How should he open them? He had brought +along his sharp stone with which he had stripped off the inner bark. +With this he forced off the thick outer shell. But now came the hard +nut within, and how hard it was! Striking it was of no use. + +Then he threw a great stone on the nut. The shell was crushed and a +snow-white kernel lay before him. It tasted like almond. With +astonishment Robinson saw in the middle of the nut a large empty space +which must have been filled with fluid as the inside was wet. He +wished that he had the juice to drink, for he was very thirsty. With +this in view, he examined another and riper nut, and the outside came +off more easily. But how could he break it and at the same time save +the juice? He studied the hull of the cocoanut on all sides. At the +ends were three little hollows. He attempted first to bore in with +his fingers, but he could not. "Hold!" he cried. "Maybe I can cut them +there with the point of my stone knife." This was done without trouble +and out of the hole flowed the sweet, white juice. + +Robinson put a couple of nuts in his hunting bag, and also the shells +from the broken nuts. "Now," he thought, "I shall no longer have to +drink from my hand." With this thought he went on his way. + +As Robinson came to a rock in his path, out jumped what Robinson took +to be a rabbit. He ran after him to catch him, but the rabbit was much +the swifter. So Robinson hastened home, but before he reached it the +stars were shining with their lustrous light. Tired Robinson stretched +his limbs on his bed of grass and leaves and slept soundly. + + + + +XIV + +ROBINSON AS A HUNTER + + +All the time Robinson was confined to the cave he kept thinking about +the rabbit he had seen and how he might catch one. Finally, he +determined to make a spear. He broke down a thin, young sapling, +stripped off its branches and in one end fastened a sharp stone. He +then went to bed, for he wanted to be up early for his first hunting +trip on the morrow. + +With his hunting sack and spear, Robinson began to creep very, very +cautiously through the underbrush. But he did not go far before he +saw a lot of rabbits feeding peacefully on the soft leaves and grass. +He drew back and threw his spear with all his might. But the spear +did not reach the rabbits. It fell far short and the rabbits sprang +up and ran quickly away. He tried it several times with the same result. +Then Robinson, discouraged, turned back home and ate his corn, bananas, +and cocoanuts without meat. In the meantime he found a new kind of +food. He discovered a nest of eggs. How good they tasted to him! + +But his longing for meat was still very great. "I will try to make +a bow and arrow," he said. No sooner said than done. He bent a long +piece of tough, young wood and stretched between the ends a cord +twisted out of the fiber taken from the cocoanut shell. He then sought +for a piece of wood for arrows. He split the ends with his flint knife +and fastened in splinters of stone. At the other end he fastened on +some feathers found on the ground. The arrows flew through the air +with great swiftness. "They will go far enough," thought Robinson, +"if I could only hit anything." + +He practised shooting. He stuck his stone knife in a tree and shot +at it the whole day long. At first he could not hit it at all. The +arrows flew far from the mark. After a while he could hit the tree, +but not the knife. Then as he practised, his arm grew ever surer, until +at last he could hit the knife at almost every attempt. After a few +days he again went rabbit hunting. He thought that the rabbit did not +offer a mark so high as his knife, so he stuck a stone in the ground +and practised shooting at that. He gradually increased the distance +until he could hit the mark at twenty or thirty yards. + +The next morning Robinson took his bow and arrows and went out to +hunt. He aimed at a rabbit, shot, and it fell, pierced by the arrow. +His very first shot was successful. + +He hastened up and took the dead rabbit on his shoulder, carried it +to his cave and skinned it. Then he cut off a nice, large piece of +meat and was going to roast it, but alas, he had no fire! + + + + +XV + +ROBINSON'S SHOES AND PARASOL + + +The next morning Robinson could not get up. His feet were swollen and +sore in consequence of walking without shoes over thorns and stones. +He must remain the whole day in his cave. + +Before him, in the sun, his walking stick stuck in the ground. He +thought how he had been troubled yesterday to find his way and about +the shadow. He had now time to study it. He watched it the whole day +through. In the morning it pointed toward the land. In the evening +toward the sea. This comes from the daily movement of the sun. He +determined to study the matter more carefully. + +Robinson got up and with great effort walked to the spring. There he +cooled his burning feet, and gathered some large leaves, which he +bound on them. He decided to remain in his cave a few days, for he +had enough food stored up to last him some length of time. He planned +how he might make himself a pair of shoes. As soon as his feet were +well, he sought out some thick bark and put fastenings of tough, strong +fiber on it. These served very well to protect his feet. + +But he must have some further protection from the sun. It beamed so +hot that his hat was not enough. He made a parasol out of leaves like +his hat. He took a straight stick for a handle. He tied some reeds +together and bent them into a hoop. He then fastened the upper end +of the stick in the center of the hoop by means of six reeds which +formed the ribs of the parasol. To keep out the sun he covered this +framework with large, broad leaves. With a cord he tied the stem ends +of the leaves to the stick just above where the reeds were tied. + +Spread out, these broad leaves completely covered the ribs. Their tips +reached over the hoop. They were fastened together by means of small, +needle-like fish-bones Robinson had found on the beach. + + + + +XVI + +GETTING FIRE + + +Now Robinson had heard that savages take two dry pieces of wood and +rub them so long on each other that they at length begin to burn. + +He tried it. The sweat ran down his cheeks, but every time the wood +was about to catch fire his strength would give out, and he was +obliged to rest, and when he began again the wood was cold. + +"How will it be in winter," he cried, "when it is cold, and I have +no fire?" He must try other ways of preparing meat for his table. He +must think of some other way of getting fire. He remembered that once, +when a boy at home, he had in playing with a stick made it hot by twirling +it on end on a piece of wood. "I will try this," he thought. He +searched for a good hard stick and a piece of wood upon which to turn +or twirl it with his hands. Having found the best materials at hand, +he began to twirl the stick. He made a little hollow in the block of +wood in which to turn his upright stick. There was heat but no fire. +He twirled and twirled, but he could not get the wood hot enough to +blaze up or ignite. He had not skill. Besides his hands were not used +to such rough treatment. Soon they blistered and this method had to +be given up. + +"I must have fire," he still thought, and recalled the sparks that +flew from the stone pavements of the streets when the iron shoes of +the horses struck them as they slipped and strained at their cruel +loads. Why may I not get fire by striking together two stones? He +sought out two hard stones and with great diligence kept striking them +together until his strength gave out, and he was obliged again to +acknowledge failure. + +He remembered that sometimes travelers put the meat underneath the +saddle and ride on it until it is soft. He tried it with pounding. +He laid some of the meat on a flat stone and pounded it. It became +quite soft and tasted very well. He then tried hanging it in the sun +and finally wrapped it in leaves and buried it for a few hours in the +hot sand. + + + + + +XVII + +ROBINSON MAKES SOME FURNITURE + + +One thing troubled Robinson very much. He could not sit comfortably +while eating. He had neither chair nor table. He wished to make them, +but that was a big job. He had no saw, no hammer, no auger and no +nails. Robinson could not, therefore, make a table of wood. + +Not far from his cave he had seen a smooth, flat stone. "Ay," thought +he, "perhaps I can make me a table out of stone." He picked out the +best stone and built up four columns as high as a table and on these +he laid his large, flat stone. It looked like a table, sure enough, +but there were rough places and hollows in it. He wanted it smooth. +He took clay and filled up the holes and smoothed it off. When the +clay dried, the surface was smooth and hard. Robinson covered it with +leaves and decked it with flowers till it was quite beautiful. + +When the table was done, Robinson began on a chair, He made it also +of stone. It had no back. It looked like a bench. It was uncomfortable +to sit on. Robinson covered it with moss. Then it was an easy seat. + +Table and chair were now ready. Robinson could not move them from one +corner to another, nor when he sat on the chair could he put his feet +under the table, and yet he thought them excellent pieces of +furniture. + +Every day Robinson went hunting and shot a rabbit, but the meat would +not keep. At home they would have put it in the cellar. If only he +had a cellar! He saw near his cave a hole in the rock. He dug it out +a little with his mussel shell and found that it led back under a rock. + +From much bending over in digging, Robinson's back, unused to severe +toil, ached wretchedly. He decided to make a spade. With his flint +he bored four holes in a great, round mussel shell. They formed a +rectangle as long as a little finger and as wide. Through these holes +he drew cocoanut fibre and bound the shell to a handle fast and +strong. + +With his spade he dug a hole so deep that he could stand in it +upright. Then he put in a couple of shelves made of flat stones. In +this cellar he put his rabbit meat and his eggs. Then he laid branches +over it and finally covered the whole with leaves. + + + + +XVIII + +ROBINSON BECOMES A SHEPHERD + + +With his bow and arrow, Robinson went hunting every day. The rabbits +soon learned to know him and let themselves be seldom seen. As soon +as they saw him, they took alarm. They became timid and shy. One day +Robinson went out as usual to shoot rabbits. He found none. But as +he came to a great rock he heard from behind a new sound, one he had +not heard before in the island. Ba-a-a, it sounded. + +"A kid," thought Robinson, "like that with which I have so often +played at home." + +He slipped noiselessly around the rock and behold, really there stood +a kid. He tried to call it, but the kid sought safety in flight. He +hastened after it. Then he noticed that it was lame in one fore foot. +It ran into some brush, where Robinson seized it by the horns and held +it fast. + +How Robinson rejoiced! He stroked it and fondled it. Then he thought, +how could it come into this wilderness on this lonesome island? "Has +your ship been cast upon the rocks too, and been broken to pieces? +You dear thing, you shall be my comrade." He seized the goat by the +legs, and no matter how it kicked, carried it to his cave. + +Then he fetched quickly a cocoanut shell full of water and washed and +bathed the goat's wounded leg. A stone had rolled down from the hill +and had inflicted a severe wound on its left fore leg, or perhaps it +had stepped into a crack in the rocks. Robinson tore off a piece of +linen from his shirt, dipped it in water and bound it with shreds of +the cocoanut upon the wound. Then he pulled some grass and moss and +made a soft bed near the door of the cave. After he had given it +water, it looked at him with thankful eyes and licked his hand. + +Robinson could not sleep that night. He thought continually of his +goat and got up time and again to see if it was safe. The moon shone +clear in the heavens. As Robinson sat before the goat's bed he looked +down on his new possession as lovingly as a mother on her child. + +The next morning Robinson's first thought was, "I am no longer alone. +I have a companion, my goat." He sprang up and looked for it. There +she lay on her side, still sleeping. + +As he stood and considered, the thought came to him that perhaps the +goat had escaped from its keeper. There must then be some one living +on the land. He quickly put on his shoes and his hat, took his +parasol, and ran to the rock where he had found the goat. + +He called, he sought, he peered about to see if some shepherd were +there somewhere. He found nothing. He found no trace of man. There +was no road, no bridge, no field, no logs, not even a chip or shaving +to show that the hand of man had been there. + +But what was that? In the distance ran a herd of goats over the rocks. +But no dog followed them and no shepherd. They ran wild on the island. +They had perhaps been left there by some ship. As he came home he +noticed the goat sorrowfully. The bandage had become dry. The goat +might be suffering pain. Robinson loosened the bandage, washed the +wound again and bound it up anew. It was so trustful. It ran after +him and he decided always to protect it. + +"I will always be your shepherd and take care of you," he said. + + + + +XIX + +ROBINSON BUILDS A HOME FOR HIS GOAT + + +But the goat was a new care. Wild animals could come and kill and +carry Robinson's goat away while he slept, and if the goat got +frightened while he was hunting it would run away. + +"I will have to make me a little yard in front of my cave," he said, +"for my goat to live in." But from whence must come the tools? He had +neither hatchet nor saw. Where then were the stakes to come from? He +went in search of something. After hunting for a long time he came +upon a kind of thistle about two feet higher than himself, having at +its top a red torch-like blossom. There were a great many of them. + +"Good!" thought Robinson. "If I could only dig up enough of them and +plant them thick around the door of my cave, I would have just the +thing. No one could get at me, nor at the goat, either, The thorns +would keep anything from creeping through, peeping in or getting +over." + +So he took his mussel-shell spade and went to work. It was pretty +hard, but at length he succeeded in laying bare the roots of quite +a number. But he could not drag them to his cave on account of the +thorns sticking in him. He thought a long time. Finally, he sought +out two strong poles or branches which were turned up a little at one +end and like a sled runner. To these he tied twelve cross-pieces with +bark. To the foremost he tied a strong rope made from cocoa fiber. +He then had something that looked much like a sled on which to draw +his thistle-like brush to his cave. But for one day he had done enough. +The transplanting of the thistles was hard work. His spade broke and +he had to make a new one. In the afternoon he broke his spade again. +And as he made his third one, he made up his mind that it was no use +trying to dig with such a weak tool in the hard ground. It would only +break again. + +"If I only had a pick." But he had none. He found a thick, hard, sharp +stone. With it he picked up the hard earth, but had to bend almost +double in using it. "At home," he thought, "they have handles to +picks." The handle was put through a hole in the iron. He turned the +matter over and over in his mind, how he might put a hole through the +stone. But he found no means. He searched out a branch with a crotch +at one end. He tied the stone to this with strong cocoa fiber and +bark. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S TOOLS] + +How his eye glistened as he looked at the new tool! Now he began to +work. He first loosened up the earth with his pick, then he dug it +out with his spade and planted in a high thistle. Many days he had +to work, but finally one evening the hedge was ready. He had a row +in a semicircle in front of his cave. He counted the marks on his calendar +tree. The day on which he had begun to make his hedge he had +especially marked out. He had worked fourteen days. + +He had completed his hedge with the exception of a small hole that +must serve for a door. But the door must not be seen from without. + +As Robinson thought, it came to him that there was still place for +two thistles on the outside. He could easily get in, but the entrance +was difficult to find from the outside. + +Robinson looked on his hedge from without. It was not yet thick +enough. For this reason he planted small thistles between the larger +ones. With the digging them out and transplanting them he was a whole +week longer. + +Finally, the hedge and the yard were ready. Now Robinson could rest +without fear and sleep in his cave, and could have his goat near him +all the time. It delighted him greatly. It ran after him continually +like a dog. When he came back from an absence, it bleated for joy and +ran to meet him as soon as he got inside the hedge. Robinson felt that +he was not entirely alone. He had now a living being near him. + + + + +XX + +ROBINSON GETS READY FOR WINTER + + +There was one thing that troubled Robinson greatly. "What will become +of me when the winter comes? I will have no fire to warm me. I have +no clothing to protect me from the cold, and where shall I find food +when snow and ice cover all the ground and when the trees are bare +and the spring is frozen? It will be cold then in my cave; what shall +I do? It is cold and rainy already. I believe this is harvest time +and winter will soon be here. Winter and no stove, no winter clothing, +no winter store of food and no winter dwelling. What shall I do?" + +He considered again the project of making fire. He again sought out +two pieces of wood and sat down and rubbed them together. The sweat +rolled down his face. When the wood began to get warm, his hand would +become tired, and he would have to stop. When he began again the wood +was cold. He worked for an hour or two, then he laid the wood aside +and said, "I don't believe I can do it I must do the next best thing. +I can at least get warm clothing to protect me from the rain and +snow." He looked down at his worn, thin clothing, his trousers, his +shirt, his jacket; they had become so thin and worn that they were +threadbare. + +"I will take the skins of the hares which I have shot and will make +me something," he thought. He washed and cleaned them, but he needed +a knife and he set about making one. He split one end of a tough piece +of wood, thrust his stone blade in it and wound it with cocoa fibre. +His stone knife now had a handle. He could now cut the skins quite +well. But what should he do for needle and thread? Maybe the vines +would do. "But they are hardly strong enough," he thought. He pulled +the sinews from the bones of the rabbit and found them hard. Maybe +he could use them. He found fish skeletons on the seashore and bored +a hole in the end of the small, sharp rib bones. Then he threaded his +bone needle with the rabbit sinews and attempted to sew, but it would +not go. His needle broke. The skin was too hard. He bored holes in +the edge of the pieces of skin and sewed through the holes. This went +very well. + +He sewed the skins together with the hair side inward, made himself +a jacket, a pair of trousers, a hat, and finally covered his parasol +with rabbit skin, for the rain had already dripped through the leaves +of it. All went well, only the trousers did not fit. He loosened them +and puckered them to no purpose. "Anyway," he thought, "I am now well +protected from the cold, when it does come." + +[Illustration: ROBINSON IN HIS NEW SUIT] + + + + +XXI + +HOW ROBINSON LAYS UP A STORE OF FOOD + + +Now for the food. Could Robinson preserve the meat? He had often heard +his mother tell about preserving meat in salt. He had even eaten salt +meat, pickled meat. But where could he get salt? + +One day when the wind blew hard the water was driven upon the shore +and filled a little hollow. After a few days the ground glistened +white as snow where the water had been. Was it snow? Robinson took +it in his hands and put it in his mouth. It was salt. The sun had +evaporated the water in the hollow--had vaporized it--and the air had +drunk it up. What was left behind? Salt. Now he could get salt as long +as he needed it. + +He took cocoanut shells and strewed salt in them. Then he cut the +rabbit meat in thin strips, rubbed them with salt, and laid them one +on the other in the salt in the shells. He covered it over with a +layer of salt. He put over each shell the half of a larger one and +weighted it down with stones. After a period of fourteen days he found +the meat quite red. It had pickled. + +But he did not stop here. He gathered and stored in his cellar +cocoanuts and corn in such quantities that he would be supplied for +a whole winter. It seemed best to catch a number of rabbits, build +a house for them and keep them. Then he could kill one occasionally +and have fresh meat. Then it came to him that goats would be much better, +for they would give milk. He determined immediately to have a herd +of goats. He made a string or lasso out of cocoa fibre. + +Then he went out, slipped up quietly to a herd of goats and threw the +lasso over one. But the lasso slipped from the horns and the goat ran +away. The next day he had better luck. He threw the lasso, drew it +tight and the goat was captured. He brought it home. He rejoiced when +he saw that it gave milk. He was happy when he got his first cocoanut +shell full of sweet rich milk. His goat herd grew. He soon had five +goats. He had no more room in his yard. He could not provide food +enough. He must let them out. He must make another hedge around his +yard so that the goats could get food and yet be kept from going away. +He got stakes from the woods and gathered them before his cave. He +sharpened them and began to drive them in the earth. But it rained +more and more each day. He was wet through as he worked. He had +finally to stop work, for the rain was too heavy. + + + + +XXII + +ROBINSON'S DIARY + + +Robinson was much disturbed because he had no means of keeping a +record of things as they happened from day to day. He had his +calendar, it is true. He would not lose track of the time. But he +wished for some way to write down his thoughts and what happened. So +he kept up keen search for anything that would serve him for this +purpose. + +Every time he journeyed about the island he kept careful watch for +something that he might write upon. He thought of the leaves of the +palm tree, the white under surface of the shelf fungus. But these he +found would not do. He tried many kinds of bark and leaves. There was +a kind of tall reed or grass growing in the marshes whose rind seemed +good when dried. He examined the inner bark of many trees. He at last +found that the inner bark of a tree which resembled our elm tree +worked best. He would cut through the bark with his stone knife around +the tree. At about one foot from this he would cut another ring. He +then would cut through the bark lengthwise from one circular cut to +the other. He could then peel off the section easily. While it was +yet full of sap he would separate the soft, tough, thin inner layer +of the bark. This usually came off in sheets without a break. When +these sheets of bark were stretched and dried they could be used very +nicely instead of paper. + +Robinson next searched for something that would serve him as ink, and +this was much easier to find than paper. He had noticed many kinds +of galls of many different colors growing on trees. He did not know +what they were, or how they grew, but he had learned in his father's +store that ink was often made from galls gathered from trees. "Anyway," +he thought, "I can get ink from the cuttle-fish." He had watched this +animal get away from its enemies by sending out a cloud of purplish +fluid, in which to hide as it darted away. He had learned also that +indigo is made from the leaves of a plant. He had noticed a plant +growing in the open places in the forest whose leaves turned black +when dried. + +Robinson gathered a quantity of gall-nuts and soaked them in water. +To the black fluid thus obtained he added a little rice water to make +it flow well, and this served very well as an ink. He kept his ink +in a cup made from a cocoanut shell. + +He was not long in getting a pen, though the lack of a good sharp +knife made it hard to make a good one. In going about he had gathered +a quantity of large feathers. He saved these for the time when he +should have his paper and ink ready. Now, he cut away a quill to a +point and split it up a little way. He was now supplied with writing +materials. "Is it not wonderful," he thought, "how all our wants are +filled? We have only to want a thing badly enough and it comes." + +Robinson began at once to write down the date for each day and the +main thing he did or that happened on it. He called this his diary. +He had now a better way of keeping time than on his tree calendar. +He did not need it any more. + +You have no doubt wondered how Robinson could work in his cave, +especially at night without a light. The truth is, it was a great +source of discomfort to him. At sunset he was in total darkness in +his cave. During the day light enough streamed in from the open doorway. +To be alone in total darkness is not pleasant. "If I only had fire!" +he said again and again. + +He watched the many large beetles and fireflies flash their light in +the dark of the evening as he sat in front of his shelter. The thought +came to him that if he only had some way of keeping together a number +of them, they would serve very well for a candle in his cave at night. +How he longed for a glass bottle such as he had so often wantonly +broken when at home! Back of his shelter there was a hill where the +rock layers jutted out. He had noticed here several times the thin +transparent rock that he had seen in his father's store. It is called +isinglass. + +"I will make a living lantern," he said aloud in his eagerness. + +He soon had a suitable piece pried loose. He cut a part of a cocoanut +shell away and in its place he put a sheet of isinglass. That evening +at dark he gathered several handfuls of the great fire beetles and +put them in his lantern. What joy their glow gave him in his cave at +night. It was almost as much comfort as a companion. But while it +lighted up the deep dark of the cave and enabled him to move about, +he was unable after all to write in his diary at night. Every morning +he set his captives free. In the evening he would go out and capture +his light. + + + + +XXIII + +ROBINSON IS SICK + + +One evening Robinson went to bed sound and well. The next morning he +was sick. Before he had only the heat of the day to complain of. +To-day he was freezing. He wanted to go to work to get warm, but even +this did not break his chill. It increased till his teeth chattered +with the cold. + +"Perhaps," thought he, "if I can sleep a little I will get better." +But he could not sleep. He was burning with fever and then shaking +with cold by turns. He felt a strong thirst, but he was so weak that +he could scarcely get the goat's milk. He had no sooner drunk the milk +than his tongue was as dry as before. He felt better after a night +of sleep, but the next day his fever and chills were worse than before. +Then he bethought him of his parents. How kindly his mother had taken +care of him! Now no one was near that could assist him. + +"Ah," he sighed, "must I die here? Who would bury me? There is no one +to miss me." At this the tears came to his eyes. + +His sickness increased with each day. Occasionally the fever would +go down sufficiently to allow him to get something to eat. Then it +would be worse than before. In his dire need he wanted to pray, but +he was so weak that he could only stammer, "Dear God, help me, or I +shall die!" + +One night he had a strange dream. He thought he saw his good old +father standing before him calling to him. He spread out his arms and +cried aloud, "Here I am, here I am!" He tried to get up, but he was +so weak that he fell back fainting. + +He lay there a long time, but finally came to. He felt a burning +thirst, but no one reached him a drop of water. He prepared to die. +He folded his hands and prayed to God that he would be merciful to +him. He prayed forgiveness from his parents. Once more he raised his +head and gazed wildly around, then he sank back and knew no more. + +When he again awoke he felt better. His hot fever had gone. He +attempted to walk. He had just enough strength to crawl to the table +and fetch a shell of water. When he tried to walk he had to sit down +at every two or three steps. + +From this he recovered gradually, growing better and better, and he +thanked God inwardly for his recovery. His sickness had continued from +June 18 to July 3. + + + + +XXIV + +ROBINSON'S BOWER + + +Robinson's sickness set him thinking about his home. He had been so +afraid of animals when he came to the island that he thought of +nothing but protection from them. He had been now a year on the island +and had seen nothing more dangerous than a goat. The fear of animals +had practically faded away. In thinking over his sickness he made up +his mind that it was caused by sleeping in his cave where the sun +never shone. The ventilation seemed good, but the walls were damp, +especially in the rainy season. Then the water would trickle down +through the cleft in spite of all he could do. + +He resolved to build, if possible, a little cottage, or, as he called +it, a bower, in the yard in front of his shelter. The hedge of +thistles was growing and formed a fence that an animal could not get +through. His screen of willows on the outside of this would soon hide +him from view from the sea. He had the wall of rock and the hill +behind him. + +He planned out his way of building it very carefully. "It must be +done," he said (Robinson formed the habit of talking to himself, so +that he would not forget how to talk), "without hammer, nails, or +saw." + +He first sought out four posts, as large as he could well handle. +There were always broken trees and branches in the forest. If he +searched long enough he could find posts just suited to his need. He +wanted four of the same thickness and height and with a fork at the +end. After long searching he found what he wanted. He was careful to +get those that he could drag to his shelter. + +He placed these in the ground, forming the corners of a square about +ten feet long. In the forks he placed poles running around about eight +feet from the ground. At about every three feet he fastened others, +running in the same way, with heavy cords made of fibre. He found his +greatest trouble with the roof. It must be sloped to shed rain. He +had to find two more forked posts, three or four feet longer than the +others. These he placed opposite each other in the centers of two +sides. Upon these he placed a ridge pole. He then laid other poles +lengthwise from ridge pole to the edge of the frames. + +His frame was now done. His plan was now to cover this frame with +straw or grasses tied in bundles. He had seen the barns in the country +thatched in this way by the Dutch farmers in New York State. He +gathered the straw of the wild rice. It was long, straight and tough. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S BOWER] + +It was easily tied into flat bundles. These he bound securely on to +the frame work with cords. He began at the bottom so that the ends +of the row would lap over the tops of the last one put on. + +In this way he built a very comfortable and rainproof bower. It was +easy to make a bed of poles covered with straw. A table and bench were +added and shelves of poles. + +Robinson felt great joy over this new home. "I will not now be sick +any more," he said. "In case of danger I can get into my cave. But +at all other times I will live in my bower." He had use still for his +cave. He could use it to store some things in. But he had to be +careful about the dampness in wet weather. + +Robinson was getting to feel at home. He was no longer so sad. He did +not grieve so much for home. He looked upon his home with great +delight It was secure. He had his herd of goats always in his sight. +At evening he would do his milking. He found he could keep the milk +for some time in the cave. He was tempted to try making some butter +from the good, rich cream. "But," said Robinson, "I have neither +vessels to make it in nor bread to eat it on." + +He planned many things to do. "I will make a hammock some day for my +bower and some vessels to use in my work," he thought. + + + + +XXV + +ROBINSON AGAIN EXPLORES HIS ISLAND + + +When Robinson recovered his strength he had a strong desire to see +more of the island. At first he had been in constant fear of wild +animals, but now he thought he would like to see all there was to see +in the island. On the 15th of July he started out. First he went to +a brook which ran into the sea near his cave. Its water was clear and +pure; along its shore lay beautiful meadows. As he came to the upper +course of the brook the meadow gave way to forest. On the border of +the forest he found melons and grapes. + +The night came on and he slept again in a tree. The next morning he +went farther and came to a clear rivulet. Here the region was +wonderfully beautiful. The flowers bloomed as in a garden, and near +the flowers stood splendid apple and orange trees. He took as much +of the fruit as he could carry and went on his way. This journey +continued three days. The grapes which he had carried he dried in the +sun and made raisins. + +The 10th of September came, one year had passed on the island. He was +many hundred miles from home, alone on an island. With tears he cried +out, "Ah! what are my dear parents saying? They have no doubt long +given me up as dead. If I could only send them a message to comfort +them and let them know how much I love them!" + +The day was celebrated as a holiday. He thanked God that He had given +him so many good things. Often he had lived the whole day in care and +anxiety. Now he tried to be more cheerful and to meet the troubles +of each day with courage. + +But Robinson was not yet satisfied. He longed to know more of the +island and prepared himself for a greater journey. He slung his +hunting pouch over his shoulder, filled it full of food, took his bow +and arrows, stuck his stone hatchet in his belt and started on his +way. He traveled over meadows, through beautiful forests in which were +hundreds of birds. He was delighted as they sang and fluttered about. + +The journey was beautiful and pleasant to Robinson. In the forests +he often saw small wild creatures, but he shot nothing. After the first +night he slept under a tree in the soft grass, for he had now no fear +of wild animals. + +Along the shore he saw great groves of palms with their large nuts. +He saw, too, many goats in all parts of the island. + +Now he was ready to take the shortest way home. He had not gone far +before he came into a dark forest. He became confused and wandered +about for several days. On the fourth day he came to a little pile +of stones, which he had made to mark the way as he was going out. From +this place the way was easy to find. On this trip he was gone already +two weeks. + + + + +XXVI + +ROBINSON AND HIS BIRDS + + +Of all the things he saw on his journey Robinson was most delighted +with the birds. They were of the most beautiful colors. The forest +was full of them. They gleamed like jewels in the deep masses of foliage. +In the morning their singing filled the air with sound. + +Robinson had never taken much notice of the birds at home. But now +every living thing attracted him. He loved to see them happy. He would +watch often by the hour and learn the habits of nesting and getting +food of nearly every bird on the island. + +Robinson did not know the names of many of the birds he saw on the +island. He had to make names for them. The strangest thing he saw on +his journey was the nest of what he called the yellow-tail. This bird +lives in colonies and makes its nest at the ends of the long leaves +of the mountain palm. When he first saw these queer looking sacks hanging +from the leaves he was amazed. He had never seen so strange a sight. +From the end of each great leaf hung a long, closely woven nest. +Robinson could not make out at first what they were. Soon, however, +he saw the birds come out of the mouths of the nests. Here, one hundred +feet from the ground, they hung their nests. But they were perfectly +safe. + +He had not gone far from the tree in which the yellow tails had their +nests when he was suddenly startled by a voice crying, "Who, who are +you?" Robinson was greatly frightened and hid beneath the drooping +branches of a cedar tree. He feared every moment that the owner of +the voice would make his appearance. But it kept at a distance. Every +few minutes from the depths of the forest would come the doleful cry, +"Who, who are you?" Robinson did not dare to stir from his hiding +place. He remained there over night. After the night came on he heard +the strange voice no more. + +The next day he renewed his journey. He saw many birds that were +wholly strange to him. There was a kind of wild pigeon that built its +home in a hole in the rock. It was a most beautiful bird with long, +slender, graceful feathers in its tail. He saw the frigate bird +soaring high above the island. The number and beauty of the +humming-birds amazed Robinson. They were of all colors. One had a bill +in the shape of a sickle. The most brilliant of them all was the +ruby-crested hummingbird. + +Near noon, while Robinson was shielding himself from the scorching +heat of the sun in a deep, shaded glen, he was startled again by the +strange voice crying, "Who, who, who are you?" He lay quite still, +determined if possible to allow the voice to come, if it would, within +sight. He heard it slowly coming up the glen. Each time it repeated +the cry it sounded nearer. At last he saw spying at him through the +boughs of the tree under which he was lying a large bird with soft, +silky feathers of green and chestnut. "Who, who, who are you?" said +the bird. Robinson could not help but laugh. He had been frightened +at the cry of a bird. + +But the bird that interested Robinson most was the parrot. There were +several kinds of them. They flew among the trees with great noise and +clatter and shrieking. Robinson determined if possible to secure one +for a pet. "I can teach it to talk," he said, "and I will have +something to talk to."' As soon as he returned home he set about +catching one. He noticed that a number were in the habit of visiting +an old tree near the shelter every morning. He planned to snare one +and tried several mornings, but he could not get one into the snare. +He tried to hit one with his bow and arrow. He at last succeeded in +hitting one and stunning it so that it fell to the ground. He ran +rapidly to pick it up, but before 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 +better to get a pair of young birds and raise them. The old ones would +be hard to tame and difficult to teach. It was easy enough to find +a nest in a hollow tree. He secured from the nest two birds just ready +to fly. He made a cage for them out of willow rods. He placed the cage +at the entrance of his cave and studied how he would feed them. Much +to his surprise the parent birds discovered their young ones and +brought them food and fed them through the open work of the cage. + +When the birds were grown they rapidly learned to talk. Robinson took +great delight in teaching them. He taught them to call his name and +when he came near they would call out, "Poor old Robinson Crusoe!" + +These birds remained for many years with Robinson. In fact, he was +never afterward without a parrot. They helped him to pass away very +pleasantly many hours that without them would have been sad. + +Another bird that Robinson loved was the little house wren. This bird +was exceedingly tame and friendly. It was a very sweet and strong +singer. It loved to make its nest in or near his shelter. There it +would build and rear its young, within reach of his hands, while its +throat was always bursting with melody. + +The mocking bird, too, always nested near and awakened him in the +morning with its wonderful song. + +Robinson became a great friend and favorite of the bird inhabitants +of the 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 +and table. He had his cave in case of danger. He had his cellar in +which to keep his meat. He would sit in the shade near the door of +his bower and think of the many things he should be thankful for. But +there was one hardship that Robinson could not get used to and that +was the eating of raw food. "How fine it would be if only I could +parch a few grains of corn in the fire! I could like live a prince," +thought he, "if I had fire. I would grind some of my corn into flour +and make some corn bread or cakes and cook rice." He did so long for +roasted meat and determined again to make the attempt to get fire. + +Robinson was fast losing his idle, thoughtless ways of doing things. +He had become a thoughtful and diligent man in the short time that +he had been on the island. Trouble and hardship had made a man of him. +"I must carefully think over the whole matter of getting fire," he +said. He had failed twice and was now resolved to succeed. "If the +lightning would only 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 +keep it when once thus obtained? It was clear he must have some way +of producing fire when he wanted it, just as they did at home? He thought +over the ways he had tried and the one most likely to be successful. +He resolved to make a further trial of the method by twirling a stick +in his hands. He selected new wood that was hard and dry. He carefully +sharpened a stick about eighteen inches long and, standing it upright +in a hollow in the block of wood, began to roll it between his hands. +By the time Robinson's hands were well hardened, it seemed that he +was going to succeed at last. But he lacked the skill to be obtained +only by long practice. + +"If I could only make it go faster," he said. "There must be some way +of doing this. I believe I can do it. I used to make my top spin round +with a cord; I wonder if I can use the cord here." The only cord he +had was attached to his bow. He was going to take it off when a +thought struck him. He loosened the string a bit and twisted it once +about his spindle. Then he drew the bow back and forth. The spindle +was turned at a great rate. He saw he must hold one end with his left +hand while the other rested in the hollow in the block. With his +right, he drew the bow back and forth. How eagerly he worked! He had +twirled but a few minutes when the dust in the hollow burst into fire +from the heat produced by the rapidly twirling spindle. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S TOOLS FOR MAKING FIRE] + +Robinson was too overjoyed to make any use of it. He danced and +capered about like one gone mad until the fire had gone out. But that +was of no matter now, since he could get fire when he wanted it. + +He hastened to make him a rude fireplace and oven of stones. He +hollowed out a place in the ground and lined and covered it with large +flat stones. On one side he built up a chimney to draw up the smoke +and make the fire burn brightly. He brought wood and some dry fungus +or mushroom. This he powdered and soon had fire caught in it. He +kindled in this 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 rabbit +meat on a spit or forked stick held in his hand over the fire. Nothing +Robinson had ever eaten was to be compared to this. + +"I can do many things now," thought Robinson. "My work will not be +nearly so hard. My fire will be my servant and help me make my tools +as well 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 +no longer gather it fresh from the fields and forest. Corn had again +become ripe. He had found in a wet, marshy place some wild rice-plants +loaded with ripened grain. As he now had fire he only had to have some +way of storing up grains and he would not lack for food. He knew that +grain stored away must be kept dry and that he must especially provide +against dampness in his cave or in his bower. + +If he only had some baskets. These would be just the thing. But how +was he to get them? Robinson had never given a thought to either +material or the method of making them. He, however, was gradually +acquiring skill and 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 study the materials that I have at hand." He +remembered the splint market baskets in which his father took +vegetables home from the store. He recalled how the thin splints were +woven. + +"They went over and under," he said. "That is simple enough if I had +the splints." He set himself diligently to work to find a plant whose +bark or split branches could be used for splints. He tried to peel +off the rough outer bark of several trees in order to examine the inner +layers of soft fibrous material. He found several trees that gave +promise of furnishing abundance of long, thin strips, but the labor +of removing the bark with his rude imperfect tools was so great that +he resolved that he would have to find some other kind of material. + +"Why need the strips be flat?" he thought. "I believe I could weave +them in the same way if I used the long, thin, tough willow rods I +saw growing by the brookside, when I was returning from my journey." + +He found on trial that the weaving went very well, but that he must +have strong, thick rods or ribs running up and down to give strength +and form to his basket. He worked hard, but it was slow work. It was +three days before his first basket was done. He made many mistakes +and was obliged many times to undo what he had accomplished in order +to correct some error. And at last when he had woven the basket as +large as he thought was suitable for his purpose, he did not know how +to stop or finish the top so as to keep the basket from unraveling. +At last he hit upon the plan of fastening two stout rods, one outside, +the other inside, the basket. These he sewed firmly, over and over, +to the basket with a kind of fibre from a plant he had discovered that +looked almost to be what he had heard called the century plant in the +parks at home. + +On attempting his next basket, he thought long how he might improve +and save time. He must hasten, or the now almost daily rains would +destroy his ripened wild corn and rice. + +"If I could use coils of that long grass I saw growing in the marsh +beside the rice," he thought, "I could make twice the progress." He +gathered an armful, twisted it into cables about an inch thick and +wove it into his frame of upright rods instead of the horizontal layer +of willow canes. This answered his purpose just as well and rendered +the making of large baskets the work of a few hours. He found, +however, that the willow rods or osiers were not pliant enough to work +well in fastening his coils of grass cables together. He tried several +things and at last succeeded best when he used the long thread-like +fibre of the century-like plant. He had, however, to make a stout +framework of rods. He would first coil his grass rope into this frame +and then sew it together with twine or thread made from this fibre. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S BASKETS] + +He afterwards tried making smaller and finer baskets out of the fibre +that he had discovered, which could be easily had from the +thick-leaved plant he thought he had seen at home. He first used long, +tough, fine roots 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 laid in a supply of these. He found that when he wanted +to use them, a good soaking in water made them as pliable and tough +as when first cut. + +The making of the baskets and storing up grains made it possible for +Robinson to become a farmer and thus make himself independent. This +thought was a great relief to him. + + + + +XXIX + +ROBINSON BECOMES A FARMER + + +Robinson had now been on the island long enough to know how the +seasons changed. He found that there were two kinds of weather there, +wet weather and dry weather. There were two wet seasons in each year +and two dry ones. During the wet seasons, which lasted nearly three +months, Robinson had to remain pretty closely at home, and could not +gather grain, for the plants were then starting from the seeds. It +ripened in the dry seasons. Robinson soon found that he must have a +store of corn and wild rice for food during the rainy seasons. He, +however, knew nothing about planting and harvesting, nor preparing +the ground for seed. + +He had it all to learn with no teacher or books to instruct him. He +found a little space near his dwelling free from trees and thought +he would plant some corn seed here. He did not know the proper time +for planting. 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 +dry season. He watched and waited to rejoice his eyes with the bright +green of sprouting corn, but the seed did not grow. There was no rain +and the sun's heat parched the land till it was dry and hard on the +upland where his corn was planted. + +"Very well," thought Robinson, "I will plant it at the beginning of +the wet season, either in March or September." He did so; the seed +quickly sprouted up. But the weeds, shrubs, and vines sprouted as +quickly, and before Robinson was aware, his corn was overgrown and +choked out by a rank growth of weeds and vines. + +"I see," said Robinson, "that I must thoroughly prepare the soil +before planting my seed." But he had no spade and no other tool that +would stand the strain of digging among tough matted roots. But he +must succeed. He put a new handle in the stone hoe or pick he had +already made. His mussel shell spade was worn out. He must set himself +to fashion out another. He decided to make one from the tough heavy +wood of a tree that grew plentifully in the forest. + +He was lucky enough to find a tree of this kind whose bole had been +split lengthwise by the falling of an old rotten tree near it. With +his stone tools and the help of fire he managed after several days' +work to make a wide sharpened tool out of one of the large pieces +split off. It was a little over three feet long. He had trimmed one +end small and cut notches in the sides about one foot from the flat +end. He could place his foot in the notch and thrust his wooden spade +into the earth. With his rude tool he dug up and turned the soil of +a small space of ground several times to kill the vines and weeds. +His corn quickly sprouted after this attempt and outstripped the weeds +and vines which Robinson constantly had to hold in check by pulling +and hoeing. He was rejoiced at his growing crop and went each morning +to feast his eyes on the rapidly expanding leaves and ears. + +One morning as he came in sight of the little clearing he thought he +saw something disappearing in the low brush on the other side as he +approached. Alas, his labor had been in vain! A herd of wild goats +had found out the place and had utterly destroyed his crop. Robinson +sat down 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 able +to harvest my crop. I cannot watch it all the time." + +He had already learned from his experience in making the fence around +the goat pasture that the branches of many kinds of shrubs and trees, +when broken off and thrust into the ground, will send out roots and +leaves and at length if planted close together in a line, will form +a thick hedge which no kind of beast can get through or over. He found +out some willow trees whose branches broke easily, and soon had enough +to thrust into the ground about six inches apart around the entire +edge of his 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 +he tried planting again at the proper season. He spaded up the ground +and pulled out the matted roots as best he could and with great pains +and care planted his corn in straight even rows. To make them straight +and each hill of corn the same distance from its neighbors, he first +marked off the ground in squares whose sides were about three and one +half feet long. + +"Now," thought he, "I will reap the reward of my labor." The corn grew +rapidly, and toward the end of the first dry season was filling out +and ripening its ears. But to Robinson's dismay a new danger +threatened his crop against which he could not fence. He was in +despair. The birds were fast eating and destroying his partially +ripened corn. He could not husk it yet. It was not ripe enough. He +thought how easy it would be to protect his field if he had a gun. +But he had learned that it is useless to 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 +them up on poles, dead, as a warning to the rest." It seemed almost +a hopeless task, but he went about it. It was in vain he tried to kill +some of them by throwing rocks and sticks. He could not get near +enough to 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 other fibre that he was now acquainted with. The birds thus +caught he fastened on broken branches of trees which he stuck into +the earth in different parts of his field. The birds heeded the warning +and visited his corn field no more that season. + +At the end of the season he gathered or husked his corn and after it +was thoroughly dry he shelled it from the cob with his hands. He used +his baskets in which to carry his husked ears from the field to his +cave and in which to store it when shelled. He found that the ears +were larger and better filled and plumper than when the plants grew +wild. He selected the largest and best filled ears for his seed the +next time. In this way his new crop of corn was always better in kind +and yielded more than the old one. + +At first he grew two crops a year, but by experimenting he found out +about how much he needed for his own use and planted once a year +enough to give him a liberal supply. + +He observed that the wild rice grew in swampy lands, so that he did +not make the mistake of trying to raise it upon the upland where the +corn grew best. He saw at once that the planting of rice on low, +marshy or wet land was beyond his present strength and tools. "Some +time in the future," he thought, "I may try it." + +Robinson also found wild grapes in abundance. These he dried by +hanging them on the branches of trees. He thus had a store of raisins +for each rainy season. + + + + +XXX + +ROBINSON AS POTTER + + +Robinson was now anxious to cook his food, to boil his rice and +vegetables and bake bread, but he could do nothing without cooking +vessels. He had tried to use cocoanut shells, but these were too small +and there was no way to keep them from falling over and spilling the +contents. He determined to try to make some clay vessels. He knew +where he 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 perplexed to mould the clay into right shapes. He tried taking +a lump and shaping it into a vessel with his hands. He tried many times, +but each time the clay broke and he was forced to try some other way. +He recalled how he had made his basket out of strands of twisted grass +and wondered whether he could not make his pots in the same way. + +He spun the clay out into a long rope and began to coil it around a +small 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 from the inside of the pot. He found he could copy in this way +any form he wished, but he finally hit upon the plan of making a form +of wicker work and coiling the clay rope inside it, for he saw that +whether he succeeded or not in getting the clay free from the basket +he could use the pot, and besides if the pot would stand the fire the +basket would burn 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 filled it with water and put it on his stove or oven, but +how sadly had he deceived himself. In a short time the water soaked +into the clay and soon the pot had fallen to pieces. + +"How foolish I am!" said Robinson to himself; "the pots have to be +fired before they can be used." He set about this at once. He found +two stones of equal size, placed them near each other and laid a third +across these. He then placed three large pots upon them and made a +hot fire under them. No sooner had the flame shot up than one of the +pots cracked in two. "I probably made the fire too hot at first," thought +Robinson. + +He drew out some of the coals and wood, but afterwards gradually +increased the fire again. He could not, however, get the pots hot +enough to turn red He brought the dryest and hardest wood, but could +not succeed in getting them hot enough to turn red. At length he was +tired out and was compelled to give it up. When the pots were cool +he tried to boil water in one. It was no better than the sun dried +one. He saw that he must provide some way to get the pots much hotter +than he could in the open air He resolved to make an oven of stones +large enough to take in the wood as well as the pots. It must be above +ground so that there might be plenty of draught for the fire. With +great labor, he pried up and carried together flat stones enough to +make an oven about four feet high with a chimney at one side. He had +put in the center a stone table on which he could place three quite +large pots. He left an opening in one side that could be partially +closed by a large, flat stone. + +He worked eagerly and at the end of the second day he was ready to +fire his oven. He first carried together a good quantity of dry wood, +then he put in his pots and laid the wood around them. In a short time +he had a very hot fire. He kept this up all day and until late at +night. + +The next morning he went to his oven and found his pots were a +beautiful red. He drew out the fire and allowed them to cool slowly. +Then he filled one with water and set it over the fire to heat it. +Before many minutes the water was boiling and Robinson had another +reason to be thankful. He wept for joy. His patient labors had brought +their rewards. No prince could feel as happy as Robinson now. He had +overcome all difficulties. Starting with nothing but his hands, he +was now able to supply all his wants. "If I only had a companion now," +he thought, "I would have nothing further to wish as long as I stay +on the island." + +[Illustration: SOME OF ROBINSON'S DISHES] + + + + +XXXI + +ROBINSON AS BAKER + + +Now that Robinson had fire, he determined to try to make bread. He +had seen the servants at home make bread many times, but he had not +observed closely and knew next to nothing about the way bread is made. +He knew he must in some way grind the corn into flour, but how could +he do this? He had no mill nor any tools with which to crush the corn. + +He first tried to find a stone large and hard enough out of which he +might hollow a vessel or kind of mortar. He thought he could put the +corn into this mortar and grind it by means of another stone or +pestle. It was with great difficulty that he could get a stone of +suitable size and form. After several days' trial he at last got one +cut out from some layers of rock near the shore. He made a hollow +place in it. Then he took a smaller oblong shaped rock for his pestle. + +He took great pride in these new tools. "I shall soon be a +stone-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 time +he thrust the pestle down, it loosened small pieces of the stone +vessel. These mixed with the ground corn or flour and made it unfit +to 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. Now +that he had fire, he could do this, though it cost him many a hard +day's work. He found not far away a log of very hard wood. By building +a fire at the right distance from one end he was able to separate a +piece of the log. He rolled this to his cave and made a good-sized +hollow 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 the +place to make it the right length. By burning also he rounded one end +and then he was ready for the grinding. After cleaning his mortar and +pestle carefully he placed some corn in the hollow and soon had some +fine yellow meal or flour without any grit or sand in it. + +His next care was to separate the coarse outer husk or covering of +the 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 must +make 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 hard +to do. He had soon woven in his loom a piece of fine netting which +allowed the meal to shake through, but held back the coarse bran or +outer husk of the kernel. Out of the dry corn that he had stored up +he now made quite a quantity of flour. This he kept tightly covered +in a large earthen pot or jar that he had made for this purpose. "I +must keep all my food clean and protect it from the ants and other +insects as well as dust and damp," he thought. + +His preparations were now nearly made. He had already his stove of +flat 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 any +thickness. He must have an oven or enclosed place into which he could +put the loaf to bake it. By the use of flat stones he soon rebuilt +his stove so as to have an oven that did fine service. Now it was mixing +the dough that claimed his attention. He had of course no yeast to +make raised or light bread. He poured goats' milk on the flour and +kneaded it into a thick dough. He did not forget to add salt. He +placed 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 in +his 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 palm +that grew in the island. This with good rich goats' milk in it he +thought the best drink in the world. He often thought of making sugar +from the sugar cane plant he had discovered in the island. But the +labor of squeezing out the juice was too great. He could think of no +way 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 had +noticed 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 began +to devise ways of making a catch. How he longed for a fish-hook, such +as he had so often used when loitering along the Hudson River! "But +a fish-hook is not to be thought of," he said to himself, "unless I +can make one of bone." He went down to the brook and searched long +for a fish-bone that he might make use of for this purpose. He found +nothing. + +"I must try something else," he thought. He remembered the nets he +used to see along the Hudson and wondered if he could not make a small +one to pull through the water and thus catch the fish. + +He had now a better source of fibre for weaving and for spinning into +lines and ropes. He had discovered this when he was trying to find +a good strong thread or yarn with which to bind the coils of his +grass-made baskets together. He obtained fibre in great abundance from +the century-like plant. He found if he broke off the long leaves of +this plant and allowed them to decay there remained a long, tough +fibrous substance out of which strong cords could be twisted or yarn +made for weaving a coarse cloth or netting. + +Out of this he spun yarn thread to make a net about three or four feet +by two feet. He fastened cords to four corners of this, tied them to +a 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 must +wade out as far as I can," he said to himself, "and draw the net +through the water." + +As he did this he was surprised at the many forms of sea life, new +to him, that he saw. He, however, was careful and watchful. He walked +along near the shore to a point where some, rocks showed above the +surface. As he looked ahead he saw the single eye of a giant +cuttle-fish glaring at him from among the rocks. It was thrusting out +its long arms towards him. He drew back quickly, but as he did so he +was 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 seize +him in his rows of sharp teeth, but was prevented reaching him by the +shallowness of the water. + +Robinson was too much terrified to continue longer his attempt at +fishing. He went back to his cave with only a few small ones, not +worth the trouble of dressing for his dinner. + +The next day undismayed he tried again. He succeeded in drawing in +some very beautiful large fish. Their sides shone as burnished gold +and silver. "Now," he thought, "I will have a feast." He carried them +home, carefully cleaned and dressed them, seasoned them with his salt, +and broiled them over his fire. Imagine his disappointment when they +proved 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 difficult +thing than he thought it. He must not only catch fish, but catch ones +that could be eaten. He could only tell the good from the bad by +trying them. + +He was more fortunate in his next venture. He was going along the +shore at the mouth of the creek which ran near his cave when he +noticed a group of fishes, dark bluish above with silvery sides. The +largest of them were about two feet long. They were feeding on the +bottom in the brackish water at the mouth of the creek, which at its +mouth opened out into quite a little bay or inlet. They would take +up a mouthful of earth from the bottom and let it wash through their +mouths, keeping all the bits of food that happened to be in it. When +one fish got a good place to feed the others swam around it and tried +to get some of the food. + +Robinson watched his chance and slipped his net under a group, while +each one was busy trying to get the best mouthful of mud. He drew up +three quite large fish, but just as he was about to lift them from +the water, one of the cords which bound the net to the poles broke +and he saw his catch fall back into the creek and dart away in the +deepest water. But Robinson was not to be discouraged. He soon mended +his net and at last was successful. In a short time he drew out another +catch of two fish. + +These proved excellent food and were so abundant as to furnish +Robinson with all the fish he wanted as long as he stayed on the +island. + + + + +XXXIII + +ROBINSON BUILDS A BOAT + + +Robinson had wished for a boat many times. He wished to explore the +shore of his island. He wanted to go clear around it so that he might +see it on every side. But he knew the work of making a boat would be +great, if not wholly impossible. + +The shaping of boards to build a boat with his rude tools was not to +be thought of. He knew how the Indians made boats out of bark of +trees. 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 by +hollowing out a large log. The forest was full of the boles of trees +that had been blown down. But they were far away from the shore. At +first he did not think of this very much. He had overcome so many +difficulties that he thought, "Never mind, I will get my boat to +water, no matter where I make it, in some way." So he selected a tree +trunk some distance from the bank of the little creek near his cave +and began work. + +He had first to burn out his log the proper length and hack it into +boat 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 the +danger of spoiling the shape of the slowly forming boat. Both ends +must be sharpened, but one more than the other to form the prow or +forward going end. After he had shaped his boat, he began hollowing +it out. This he did also by burning for the most part. He used the +branches 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 regular +duties in attending to his goats, his garden and his cave. He was +always making his cave larger. Every time he made a piece of furniture +or stored away grain he must make more room in his cave by digging +away the earth and carrying it out. He had made a large strong wicker +basket for this purpose. + +He had had a vague idea that when he got his boat done he would dig +a trench back from the bank of the creek and thus float his boat. But +he had not thought it out clearly. "Or anyway," he thought, "I can +in some way manage to roll it to the water." He must now actually plan +to put some of these ideas into effect. He first went over the ground +and found that to dig a trench from the water to the boat, so that +the water would come to the boat, he would have to dig it twenty feet +deep. "I can never do this," he said, "with my poor tools." + +He next tried his rolling plan. But he had been so anxious to have +a large boat that he had overlooked everything else. Try as hard as +he might he could not stir his boat from the spot. After many trials +with 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 anything +without first having thought it out carefully." + +There was nothing to do but to choose another tree trunk. This time +he selected a much smaller one, and one that lay at the top of the +little slope or incline from the bank of the creek. After another weary +six months of work he had his second boat ready for launching. With +a good stout lever he gave it a start, when it rolled quickly down +into the water. Robinson again wept for joy. Of all his projects this +had cost him the most work and pains and at last to see his plans +successful filled him with delight. + +The next problem was how to make it go. He had no certain knowledge +how far it was around the island, but he knew it was farther than he +wanted to row or paddle his boat. Yet he knew from the way the wind +blew that he could not always depend upon a sail to help him. He must +become skillful in paddling his boat. A sail too would be very helpful +at times. He imagined how pleasant it would be sitting in the boat +sailing along with a gentle wind. "When the wind is favorable," he +thought, "I will only have to steer with my paddle." + +So he set about weaving a sail of his sisal fibre. To do this he had +to make a much larger loom than he had yet used. His sail must be at +least four feet square. He was now so skilled in weaving that this +was soon finished. He then made plenty of string, cord, and rope, put +in a mast and was ready to sail. But he did not venture far away until +he had spent weeks and weeks in learning to steer, sail, and paddle +his boat. + + + + +XXXIV + +ROBINSON AS A SAILOR + + +Ever since Robinson had finished his boat he had been eager to make +a tour of his island. He had indeed made a journey by land. But the +deep forests and tangled vines made it very difficult to travel. His +journeys had shown him but a small part of the land. He wished to know +all about the land of which he, so far as he knew, was the sole +master. + +His first care was to fit up his boat with provisions. He made some +large baskets in which to carry food and a large covered jar for +water. These he stored in the bow and the stern of his boat. He +fastened his parasol on the stern for a shelter from the sun. He baked +up a quantity of cakes or loaves of bread and packed them in his +baskets. He had woven these so carefully that they would almost hold +water. + +At last all was ready. It was on the sixth day of November in the +sixth year of his life on the island that Robinson hoisted his sail +and set out upon this voyage of discovery. He had waited until the +wind was gentle and blowing as far easterly as it does at that place. +He scudded along bravely, running with the land toward the East and +North. All went well until he came to a low reef or ledge of rocks +running far out to sea in a north-easterly direction. + +[Illustration] + +When Robinson observed this he went on shore and climbed to a high +point to see if it was safe to venture. He was afraid of hidden +currents, or streams of water. These might carry him away from the +shore and prevent him from getting around the point. + +He did indeed observe that there was a current running out to sea past +the ledge, but he thought he could by careful paddling keep his boat +from striking the rock. If he could once get beyond the ledge, the +wind would help him double or get around the point. Indeed the danger +was that the wind would blow him on to the rocks. + +He waited for two days for a gentle wind. At last without sail he +pushed his boat into the current and was born swiftly seaward. He +found the current much stronger than he thought it would be. It rushed +his 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 steadily +going out to sea. He gave himself up for lost. He reproached himself +for being so rash and foolhardy as to trust his fortunes in so frail +a craft. How dear at this time seemed the island to him! The wind which +he had depended on to help him at this point had died down so that +it was at the mercy of the current. He kept urging his boat to the +westward as much as possible, with all his strength, hoping that a +breeze would finally spring up. + +He struggled on bravely until about noon. He had been carried out a +great distance into the sea, but not so far as to lose sight of the +land. All at once he felt the breeze freshening up. It caught his sail +and soon his boat was cutting across the current. He did not have to +go 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 long +the shore ran away to the southward again. He ran briskly along the +west side until he found a little bay or cove. He determined to enter +this, draw up his boat on shore and make his way back home across the +island on foot. He was almost exhausted with his great labor and was +worn out with anxiety. + +In the centre of the arms of the cove he found a little creek entering +the 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 with +tears in his eyes thanked God for his deliverance. The island which +had seemed to him a prison now seemed the fairest and dearest place +in the world. + +Having made his boat safe he started back toward his shelter. But he +was too tired to go far. He soon came to a little grove of trees +beneath which he laid himself down and soon was fast asleep. + +You can imagine with what surprise Robinson was awakened out of his +sleep by a voice calling his name. "Robinson, Robinson Crusoe," it +said, "poor Robinson Crusoe! Where are you Robinson, where have you +been?" + +[Illustration] + +He was so fast asleep that he did not at first rouse up entirely and +thought he was dreaming. But the voice kept calling, "Robinson, +Robinson, poor Robinson Crusoe!" He was greatly frightened and started +up. But no sooner were his eyes opened than he saw his parrot sitting +on 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 was +a pleasant surprise. She immediately flew to him and lit on his +shoulder. She showed in many ways how glad she was to see him and kept +saying, "Poor Robinson, poor Robinson Crusoe!" + +Robinson remained here over night and the next morning made his way +back to the shelter. Up to this time Robinson had never seen any +dangerous animals on the island. He had grown used to life there and +went about without fear of animals. But as he was returning across +a 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 soon +there was thrust out the head of a great serpent. Its jaws were open +and its eyes were fixed on a poor terrified little rabbit. The rabbit +seemed rooted to the spot. It could not stir a muscle and was soon +caught in the folds of the great snake. + +This sight made Robinson greatly afraid. He wanted to rush to the +rescue of the rabbit, but what could he do against such a foe? He +resolved in the future to keep a more careful watch and always to +sleep in his bower. + +Robinson had enough of exploring for some time. He was contented to +remain at home. He made many things he needed. He had saved all the +skins of the goats he had killed for meat and all that had died from +any cause. These he made into rugs for his bed. He kept at his loom +too, for he was anxious to weave enough of his coarse cloth to make +him a suit of clothes. He learned how to braid mats and rugs out of +his fibre, and finally replaced his awkward hat and parasol with +others braided very skillfully from the long grasses that grew so +abundantly in the marshy places. + +Another thing that Robinson was now able to make or weave out of his +fibre was a hammock. He had slept all this time on a bed made of poles +laid lengthwise and thickly covered with the skins of goats and +rabbits. + +Now he could have a comfortable place to sleep. He did not stop until +he had made two. One was for the bower and the other was for use +out-of-doors. When his work was done in the evening or in the heat +of the midday he would lie in it at full length under the shade of +the trees. + + + + +XXXV + +A DISCOVERY + + +Robinson could not forget his boat. It seemed a companion. "It may +be the means of my escape from this place," he thought. He took frequent +journeys across the island to where his little boat lay in the cove. +He would start out in the morning and walk over to the west side of +the island, take his boat and have a pleasant little sail. He always +returned home before dark, for to tell the truth, Robinson was a +coward. He was as timid as a hare. He was afraid of everything and +spent many nights without sleep because of fear. + +It was while on one of his visits to his boat that Robinson made a +discovery that changed his whole life. It happened one day, about +noon, when he was going toward his boat that he, with great surprise, +saw the print of a man's naked foot on the shore in the sand. He stood +like one rooted to the ground. He could not move, so great was his +surprise and fear. He listened, looked around, but could hear and see +nothing. He went up to a little hill to look further, but nothing was +in sight. There was but the one footprint. There was no doubt about +it, there it was, foot, toes, heel and every part of a foot. Robinson +tried to think how it might have gotten there, but he could not. It +was a mystery. He was greatly afraid and started at once for his +shelter. He ran like one pursued. At every little way he would look +behind to see if anyone was following him. + +Never a frightened rabbit ran to his hiding place with more terror +than Robinson ran to his cave. He did not sleep that night for fear +and remained in his shelter for three days, never venturing out. But +his food was growing short and his goats needed to be milked. He +finally with a thousand wild fancies forced himself to go about his +duties. + +But he could not get the footprint out of his mind. He spent many sad +and fearful days thinking about it. "How could it have gotten there? +Whose was it? Was the owner savage or not? What did he want on the +island?" were some of the questions that haunted him. + +"Perhaps," he thought one day, "I just imagined I saw a footprint, +or perhaps it was one of my own that I have made when going to sail +my boat." He took courage at this and began to go about the island +again. But he went in great fear, always looking behind him. He was +always ready to run at the first sign of danger. He had made himself +a large, strong, new bow and plenty of arrows. He carried these in +a quiver he had made from his cloth. He fashioned too a sharp-pointed, +lance-like weapon which he hurled with a kind of sling. In his belt +he carried some new sharpened stone knives. He had found a better kind +of rock out of which to make his knives. It resembled glass and could +be brought to a fine, keen edge. + +Armed thus, he began to have more confidence. He had a strong desire +to see the footprint again and make up his mind about it. He wished +to measure it. In this way he could tell certainly whether it was a +chance print of his own foot or not. So, after a few days, he again +ventured across the island. Alas, on measuring the print it was much +larger than his own! There could no longer be any doubt that it +belonged to someone else. + +Again great fear fell on poor Robinson. He shook with cold and fright. +He resolved to make himself more secure against attack. + +He cut and carried willow stakes and set them in a thick hedge around +in front of his shelter. This was outside the first and enclosed it. +In a season or two these had grown to such a height as to shut out +all view of his home from sight to one coming to it from the front. + +His flock of goats gave him many troubled thoughts. His goats were +his greatest treasure. From them he obtained without trouble his meat, +his milk and butter. + +"What if they were discovered and killed or carried away?" He resolved +to divide his herd into three parts and secrete these in separate +fenced pastures in different parts of the island. His herd of goats +now numbered twenty-five. He made thorough search about the island +for the most secluded and best hidden spots where he could fence in +a pasture. + +One day as he was exploring on the west side of the island to find +another open space for a goat field, he thought he spied away out to +sea a boat. He looked long and anxiously and yet he was not sure that +it was a boat he saw. But how easy, thought Robinson, for the people +of the mainland, which must be at no great distance to the westward, +to come across to this side of the island in fair weather. He thought +too, how fortunate he was to have been cast on the east side of the +island. For there he had his shelter in the very safest part. + +As he was coming down from a hill where he had gone to get a better +view of the sea he made another discovery. About him everywhere at +the foot of the hill were bones of all kinds. Near by too, were charcoal +and ashes. There could be no mistake, the place was visited by human +beings. These were very likely savages. Everything showed that they +came for the purpose of feasting and not for plundering. It was very +likely that they neither sought anything on the island nor expected +it. + +[Illustration: WATCHING FOR SAVAGES] + +This thought greatly relieved Robinson. He returned home in a very +thankful and composed state of mind. He had now been on the island +almost eighteen years and had not been discovered. Yet, no doubt, the +island had been visited many times by the savages since he had been +there. + +In a short time his fear of discovery wore off and he began to live +just as he did before his discovery. + +He took, however, greater precaution against surprise. He always +carried his bow and arrows, his lance and knives. He was also very +careful about making a great smoke from his fire. He burned a great +quantity of wood in a pit and made charcoal. With this material he +had a fine fire with a very little smoke. Every day also he went to +the top of the hill back of his shelter in order to discover if possible +the approach of savages. + + + + +XXXVI + +THE LANDING OF THE SAVAGES + + +Another year passed by, Robinson longed more and more to get away from +the island. Year after year he had hoped and watched in vain for a +passing ship. Every day he would scan the waters that held him +prisoner for the welcome sight of a sail. He had been disappointed. +Now his only hope was to escape to the mainland in some way. He feared +the savages. He had heard stories of their being cannibals. But if +they could come to his island in their canoes against the prevailing +wind, why could he not get to the mainland with it in his favor? + +Strange as it may be, Robinson began to wish for the return of the +savages. He hoped to watch them at a distance and find out something +about their customs. More especially he wished that he might capture +one of them. He had two reasons for this. In the first place he would +have a companion. He pictured fondly how he would teach him gentle +manners and the English speech. And, too, the companion would be able +to help him. Besides this he longed above all to know more of the +mainland and whether it would be safe to go there. He wanted to find +out in what kind of boat they made the voyage. He thought that if he +had such a person he would have someone to show him the way to reach +the land. + +The more he thought, the more anxious he became to see the savages +on the island. He thought so much about it by day that he dreamed about +it at night. One night he dreamed that the savages came, drew their +boats upon the shore and began to prepare their feast. As he watched +them one of their number broke away from his fellows and came straight +toward his hiding-place. Robinson thought he rushed out, drove away +those that followed the fleeing man and rescued him. This dream made +a deep impression upon him and made him await the coming of the savages +with great hopes and eagerness. + +It was more than eighteen months after he had formed this plan of +capturing one of the savages before the savages made their appearance. +Robinson was surprised one morning to see no less than five canoes +drawn up on the shore at a point on his side of the island about two +miles below his shelter, to the south. The people that had come in +them were on shore and out of sight. Robinson went back to his shelter +to make his plans. He made up his mind that he would be foolish to +attack them. There must be twenty-five or thirty of them. He finally +went to a point where he could see farther inland and soon caught +sight of a crowd of about thirty savages. They were naked and dancing +around and around in a circle. All the while they were singing and +making hideous noises. There was a fire in the center of the ring of +savages. "They are cooking their feast," thought Robinson. "Maybe I +can surprise them while they eat and rush in and seize one." But this +seemed too great a risk to run. He had no weapons but his bow and +arrows, his lance and knife. What could he do against so great a +number? + +But fortune favored his plans. As he gazed at them from his safe +distance he saw one of their number break away from the rest and run +with utmost speed directly toward his hiding-place. At once two other +savages pursued him. They had no weapons but clubs. They ran with +great swiftness, but the man in front was steadily gaining ground. + +Robinson now to tell the truth was dreadfully frightened to see the +savage run directly toward him and his shelter. He kept his place, +however, and watched the race. The man running away ran along the +shore and would soon come to the little creek that emptied into the +sea below his home. Robinson saw that the savage would have to swim +this to escape. He ran down thither and concealed himself behind a +tree and waited for the fugitive to come up. As he did so, the fleeing +savage plunged in and swam across with a few strong strokes. When he +was well on the bank, Robinson presented himself and made signs to +him to come to him and he would help him. The savage was at first almost +overcome with astonishment and fright, for Robinson presented a very +unusual sight. The savage at once ran to him and fell down at his +feet. Indeed so great was his fright and distress that he placed one +of Robinson's feet upon his neck in sign that he yielded up his life +into his hands. Robinson raised him up and motioned for him to take +the lance and help in defence against the men, now coming up. They +hid behind trees and waited for them to swim across the stream. But +this they did not do. When they reached the creek, they could see nothing +of their runaway. They very slowly turned and went back to their +companions. + +Robinson was well content not to let them know that there was any one +on the island. He feared they might return and destroy his shelter +and fields. + +Robinson took the savage to his shelter and gave him bread and raisins +to eat, and a cup of water to drink. He was very hungry and ate +greedily. After he had eaten, Robinson made signs for him to lie down +and sleep, for the Indian was nearly tired out with his long and swift +run. + +He was a handsome fellow of his race. His limbs were large, straight +and strong. He had a good face. His hair was long and black, his +forehead high, and his eyes bright. His skin was not black, but of +an olive color. His teeth were fine set and as white as ivory. + +He slept about an hour; when he awoke he came running to Robinson and +again made signs to him that he was his slave. "You saved my life," +he seemed to say, "and now I will serve you." Robinson named him Friday +at once, for that was the day on which the great event of his escape +had taken place. + +Robinson's next care was to fit him out with some clothing. He had +by this time several suits made of his coarse cloth. He soon had Friday +dressed in one of the old ones, with a straw or braided hat on his +head. He did not think it safe to allow Friday to sleep with him in +the bower. He made a little tent for him inside the enclosure. This +was covered with goatskins and made a very good protection from both +heat and rain. + +Robinson took care to keep all his knives and weapons near him in the +bower. But his fears that Friday might harm him were unfounded. Friday +from the first was faithful to his master. He was sweet and obedient +in all things. He seemed to look upon Robinson with the love of a +child for its father and never tired of serving him. + + + + +XXXVII + +ROBINSON AS A TEACHER + +(From Robinson's Diary) + + +"I began to consider that having now two mouths to feed instead of +one, I must provide more ground for my harvest and plant a larger +quantity of corn than I used to plant. So I marked out a larger piece +of land and began to fence it in. Friday worked not only very +willingly but very hard. I told him that it was for corn to make more +bread because he was now with me. He let me know that he was grateful +for my kindness and would work much harder if I would tell him what +to do. + +"This was the pleasantest year of all the life I led in this place. +Friday began to talk pretty well and understood the names of almost +all the things that I called for and of all the places which I wished +to send him. I was careful to teach him all the things I knew. I +showed him how to plant and harvest corn, how to gather fibre, spin +yarn and to weave it into cloth. He learned these things quickly and +became very skillful in making pots. He knew something about this +because at home he had seen the women make them. He ornamented them +with figures of birds and flowers. I taught him about the true God. +But as for writing he could never do much with this. I had no books +and could not make him understand the importance of writing. He began +to talk a great deal to me. This delighted me very much. I began to +love him exceedingly. He was so very honest and faithful. + +"After I had taught him English I tried one day to find out whether +he had any wish to return to his own country and as I talked to him +about it I saw his face light up with joy and his eye sparkle. From +this I had no doubt but that Friday would like to be in his own country +again. This for a time made me sad, to think how eagerly he would +leave me to be among his savage friends. 'Do you not wish you were +back in your own country, Friday?' I said to him one day. 'Yes,' he +said, 'I be much O glad to be back in my country.' 'What would you +do there,' said I? 'Would you turn wild again and do as the savages +do?' He shook his head and said very gravely, 'No, no, Friday tell +them to live good. He tell them to plant corn and live like white mans.' + +"One day when we were on the top of a hill on the west side of the +island, Friday suddenly began to jump and dance about in great glee. +I asked him what the matter was. 'O, joy, O glad,' he said; 'there +my country!' The air was so clear that from this place, as I had before +discovered, land could be distinctly seen looking westward. + +"I asked him how far it was from our island to his country and whether +their canoes were ever lost in coming and going. He said that there +was no danger. No canoes were ever wrecked and that it was easy to +get back and forth. I asked him many things about his people and country. +He told me that away to the west of his country there lived 'white +mans like you.' I thought these must be the people of Central America, +and asked him how I might come from this island and get among these +white men. He made me understand that I must have a large boat as big +as two canoes. + +"I resolved at once to begin to make a boat large enough for us to +pass over to the land we could see lying to the west and if possible +to go on to the white man's country Friday told me about. It took us +nearly two months to make our boat and rig her out with sails, masts, +rudder, and anchor. We had to weave our sails and twist our rope. We +burned out the canoe from a large fallen log. We used a great stone +tied securely to the end of a strong rope for an anchor. + +"When we had the boat in the water, Friday showed great skill in +rowing or paddling it. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON AND FRIDAY SAILING THE BOAT] + +"He had managed boats ever since he was old enough, but he did not +know how to handle a sail or rudder. He learned very quickly, however, +to sail and steer the boat and soon was perfectly at home in it. + +"We made our boat safe by keeping it in the little cove at the mouth +of the creek. I had Friday to fetch rocks and build a dock or place +for landing. But the rainy season was now coming on and we must wait +for fair weather. In the meantime I planned to lay by such quantities +of food as we would need to take along." + + + + +XXXVIII + +ANOTHER SHIPWRECK + + +One evening Robinson sat in his shelter thinking of his plans to +escape to Friday's country. He was sad. For, after all, this place +was very dear to him. It was the only home he had. Had he not made +everything with his own hands? It was doubly dear to him on this +account. He thought how it would grieve him to leave his goats, his +fields, and the many comforts he had here. + +He had been telling Friday of his home in New York. He told him of +the great city, and of its many wonderful sights. He told him of his +country and people, of his flag and its history. All these things +brought back memories of his boyhood and he wondered what changes had +come in his long absence. Friday, with wonderful intelligence, +listened to all Robinson told him. He was delighted in hearing +Robinson tell of the wonders of the great world, for he had never +known anything about it. As they talked Robinson noticed the approach +of a storm. The sky was getting black with clouds. The winds were +blowing a hurricane. The waves were coming in mountain high. It +reminded him of the eventful night now twenty-five years ago when his +ship was tossed up on the shore like an egg shell and broken to +pieces. + +Suddenly there was a sound that made Robinson start from his seat with +the wildest alarm. Was it the sound of a cannon from the ocean or the +terrible crash and roar of the water on the rocks of the coast? There +it is again; it is a cannon! Some ship is in distress! This is its +signal! Robinson ran out and down to the shore with Friday at his +heels. + +"O master!" said Friday, "can we not help? If they only knew the +island was here and how to steer into the harbor beyond the point of +land on the south." + +Robinson was so excited that he scarcely knew what he was doing. He +ran up and down the shore calling wildly, but the awful roar of the +sea and wind drowned his cries. Suddenly his thoughts came to him. +"Quick, Friday, get some fire in a pot. We will run to the point, +gather grass and wood, and make a fire there. Maybe we can guide them +into the harbor." + +They soon had a great beacon light sending its welcome greeting far +over the sea. The pilot of the ship saw it and steered his ship nearer +and nearer. Robinson was ready to shout for joy as the ship seemed +about to make the harbor. The ship had her sails torn in shreds and +her rudder broken. It was hard to steer her in such a gale. On +rounding the point, she was blown on the rocks. With a frightful crash +which could be heard above the din of the storm she struck and held +fast. Robinson could hear the cries of the men and the orders of the +officers. They were trying to get boats ready to put off, but such +was the confusion of the storm and the enormous waves breaking over +the deck that it could not be done quickly. Before the men could get +a boat into the sea, and get into it, the ship gave a lurch to one +side as though about to sink. All the men jumped for one boat. It was +overburdened. The wind tossed it about. The sea soon filled it and +it went down and all were lost. + +Robinson and Friday remained on the shore all night. They watched to +see if they could not help some poor sailor that might cling to a +plank and be blown on shore. They saw no one. + +At last they lay down, but they could not sleep. Many times they +sprang up and ran about for fear that some poor fellow would need +their help. At last morning came. The storm ceased. Robinson and +Friday searched everywhere for the bodies of the sailors, but could +find none. But the wind had blown the ship in plain view, and into +shallow waters. It was lying on the bottom with more than half its +bulk out of the water. The masts were gone. It was a sad sight. No +human being could be seen on it. + +They were now rejoiced that they had their boat ready. "Let us take +it," said Robinson "and go out to the ship. It may be some person is +still on the unfortunate ship." They were soon by the ship's side. +They rowed around it until they saw a rope hanging down from the deck. +Robinson seized this and clambered up. Friday tied the boat fast, and +followed. Robinson opened the door leading from the deck into the ship +and went down. He searched in all the cabins, and knocked at all the +doors. He called, but all was still. When he was satisfied that every +person on board had been drowned he wept bitterly. + +Friday stood there with open and staring eyes. He looked and looked. +He was astonished at the large ship and at the wonderful things before +him. They were in the cabin where the passengers had been. There stood +trunks under the benches and clothes hung on the hooks on the wall. +One trunk was open. In it were telescopes through which the travelers +had looked at the land. Robinson saw also paper, pens, pen-holders +and ink. Books were also near by. Robinson first took a thick book. +It was the Bible, out of which his mother had so often taught him. +Then they came to the sailors' cabin. There hung muskets and swords +and bags of shot and cartridges. Then they went to the work-room. There +were saws, hammers, spades, shovels, chisels, nails, bottles, and pails, +knives and forks. And something more, over which Robinson was most +glad, matches. At last they came into the store-room. There lay bags +of flour and barley, teas, lentils, beans and sugar. Then Robinson +embraced Friday in his great joy and said to him, "How rich we are!" + + + + +XXXIX + +SAVING THINGS FROM THE SHIP + + +After Robinson had looked through the ship he began to plan the way +to get the tools and things he most wanted on shore. He and Friday +first carried everything together that he wanted to take on shore. +When they had done this, he found he had the following things. Robinson +stood everything together that he needed most. + + 1. A case of nails and screws. + 2. Two iron axes and several hatchets. + 3. A saw. + 4. A small case of planes, tongs, augers, + files, chisels, etc. + 5. A third case with iron brackets, hooks, + hinges, etc. + 6. A case of matches. + 7. A barrel of gunpowder. + 8. Two muskets and a pistol. + 9. Several swords. + 10. A bag of cartridges. + 11. A large sail cloth and some rope. + 12. A telescope. + +By means of the ship's ropes, Robinson let everything down into his +boat. He himself took the Bible and then they rowed to the shore, and +unloaded the boat. Everything was put into the bower where rain could +not harm it. By the time they had this done, night was coming on and +they decided to do no more that day, but wait until the next day. + +"We must work fast," said Robinson. "The first storm is likely to +break the ship in pieces and destroy everything in it." + +The next morning early they ate a hastily prepared breakfast and were +off to the boat. Neither Robinson nor Friday stopped for their noonday +lunch. "A storm is brewing," said Robinson, "the air is calm, the sky +is overcast with clouds, the heat is oppressive. We must hurry." With +the utmost diligence they rowed back and forth all day. They made nine +trips. They had now on shore a surprising quantity of all kinds of +tools, goods and weapons. They had all kinds of ware to use in the +kitchen, clothes, and food. Robinson prized a little four-wheeled +wagon and a whetstone. + +But in looking over his stores, Robinson suddenly discovered that he +had no needles or thread. They went at once to procure these important +articles. In looking for needles and thread, Robinson found a small +trunk full of money and valuable stones. There were diamonds, rubies, +pearls, and much gold. Robinson pushed it to one side. "What can I +do with riches on this island? I would give them all for some needles +and thread," he said to Friday. But on second thought he took the trunk +and its contents along with him to his cave. For in the trunk were +also letters and writings. "Perhaps," he said, "these tell to whom +the valuables belong and I can return them some time." + +Robinson at last found a case containing everything one could need +with which to cut and sew cloth. There were scissors, thread, needles, +thimbles, tapes, and buttons. But now the wind was rising and they +must hurry. They were nearly ready for departure. They were passing +through a part of the ship not before visited. They were surprised +to hear a sound coming from a room whose door was kept shut by a heap +of stuff that had been thrown against it by the violent pitching of +the ship in the storm. Robinson and Friday cleared away the rubbish +and were surprised to find a dog almost drowned. He was so weak from +want of food that his cries could be heard a short distance only. Robinson +took him tenderly in his arms and carried him to the boat, while +Friday carried the sewing case and the trunk. + +The wind was now blowing a gale. A few yards from the ship they were +in great danger. Robinson grasped the rudder and made Friday stand +ready to cut away the mast in case they found the wind too strong. +With the greatest difficulty they finally made the little cove at the +mouth of the creek and were soon landed with their precious cargo. +The next morning they eagerly searched the waters for the ship. Not +even their field glasses could reveal anything of it. Some planks, +a mast, and parts of a small boat were blown on shore. All else had +disappeared. + +Robinson set to work at once to make a door for his bower out of the +pine wood cast up by the waves. How easy the work proceeded with saws, +hammers, augers, squares, planes, nails, hinges, and screws! With the +wagon too, Friday could now gather his corn quickly and easily, or +haul in a great quantity of grapes to dry for raisins. + +Friday had never seen a gun. He did not know the use of firearms. The +muskets that Robinson had brought from the ship were a great mystery +to him. Robinson showed him their use. He showed how they could defend +themselves. He told Friday that these weapons would kill at a +distance. He took some powder and touched a match to it. Friday was +greatly frightened. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON SHOWING FRIDAY HOW TO SHOOT] + +Robinson then proceeded to load the gun. He put in some powder, a +ball of lead or bullet. Then at the hammer he placed a little cap +which gave a flash when struck. This ignited the powder. When all +was in readiness Robinson bade Friday follow him. They went slowly +out into the forest along the stream. Soon Robinson espied a rabbit +sitting under a clump of grass. Robinson raised his gun, took careful +aim, pressed the trigger. There was a flash and loud report and there +lay the rabbit dead. But Friday, too, was lying on the ground. He had +fainted from astonishment and fright. Robinson dropped his gun and +raised the poor fellow up to a sitting position. He quickly recovered. +He ran to get the rabbit. He examined it carefully. Robinson at last +pointed out the hole the bullet had made and the mystery of the way +the rabbit was killed was solved. + +Robinson had lived alone so long that he had learned to love every +living creature on the island. He never harmed anything except when +he needed food. He had lived so quietly that the birds and animals +did not fear him. They lived near his shelter and seemed to know him. + +Robinson was delighted with his new tools and weapons. But they +reminded him of home. Nothing that he had seen in all the time he had +been on the island so turned his thoughts toward home and friends. +Robinson would sit for hours thinking of the past and making plans +for the future. He was homesick. + + + + +XL + +THE RETURN OF THE SAVAGES + + +Robinson now renewed his plans for escaping from the island to +Friday's country. They first rebuilt their boat with their new tools. +They hollowed out the center till the sides were thin toward the top. +They shaped her sides and keel. They made her prow sharp so that she +would cut the water easily. They made a new mast, strong and tall and +shapely. They made larger and stronger sails and ropes. They made two +pairs of extra oars. They made boxes and cupboards in the prow and +stern for keeping their fresh water and provisions. Friday's eyes +sparkled with joy when it was done. He hoped he would now be able to +return to his own island and parents. Robinson noticed his joy and +asked him, "Do you want to return to your own people?" + +"Yes," said Friday, "very much." + +"Would you trust yourself in this boat?" + +"Yes," said Friday. + +"Very well," said his master, "you may have it and start home when +you please.". "Yes, Master, but you come too, my people will not hurt +you." Robinson resolved to venture over to Friday's land with him. + +But before their preparations were complete the rainy season of our +fall set in. They resolved to wait until the weather was settled and +as soon as the rainy season was over to set out. They ran their boat +well up into the creek and covered it over with a large tarpaulin made +of sail-cloth obtained from the ship. + +Robinson had now been on the island twenty-seven years. For the last +three years he had lived happily with his companion Friday. Every year +in September, Robinson celebrated the day his life was saved and he +was thrown up on the island. Robinson celebrated it this year with +more than the usual thankfulness. He thought that it would be his last +anniversary on the island. + +One morning, Friday had gone to the beach to find a turtle. Soon he +came running back out of breath. "O Master," he cried, "they are +coming, they are coming to take me prisoner!" He was trembling with +fright. + +"We must take our guns and defend ourselves," said Robinson. "But we +will not kill anyone unless they attack us." This quieted Friday. They +loaded four muskets and three pistols. Robinson put the pistols in +his belt, where he also fastened a sword. He gave Friday a pistol and +a musket, for Friday had learned to shoot well. Besides Friday carried +a bag of powder and bullets. Robinson took his field glasses and saw +twenty-one savages with two prisoners. The prisoners were bound and +lying on the ground. This was a war party celebrating a victory with +a feast. They probably intended to kill their prisoners. "We must save +the lives of those men," said Robinson. + +The savages this time had landed quite near Robinson's shelter, not +more than a half mile below the creek's mouth. Soon he and Friday +started off. Robinson commanded Friday to follow quietly and not to +speak or shoot. + +"We will surprise them and give them a good scare," said Robinson. + +When yet a considerable distance away they could hear the savages +yelling and screaming. Some of them were dancing their war dance. +Their faces and bodies were painted to make them look terrible to +their enemies. They were dancing around their prisoners with hideous +cries and gestures. They could now see the prisoners plainly. One had +a beard and was plainly a white man. Robinson was surprised and +determined to save him at all risks. + +"Get your gun ready to fire," he said to Friday, "and when I say the +word let us run forward yelling and firing our guns over their heads. +This will fill them with such fright that they will take to their +heels and boats and get away as soon as possible. In the scramble and +confusion we will rush in and rescue the prisoners." + +This plan did not please Friday at all. His savage blood was up and +he wanted to kill all he could. "Let's fire on them," he said. "Let's +kill all but the prisoners." + +"No, no," said Robinson, "it's always wrong to take life unless it +cannot be avoided to save one's own. Let's try my plan first." + +With great reluctance Friday consented. At a signal from Robinson they +rushed forward, and when in plain sight they fired off their muskets +in the air. If the ground had suddenly exploded beneath their feet +there could have been no more confusion, astonishment, and fright. +A few took to their heels. Others lay as if dead. They had swooned +from fright. But as Robinson came up they jumped to their feet and +pushed into the boats, leaving the prisoners behind. Robinson and Friday +still rushed forward and fired their remaining loaded guns and pistols +in the air. The savages made all haste to get into their boats and +push off. Soon they were well out to sea, paddling rapidly for the +west. Robinson reloaded his arms and gave them a farewell volley, but +not a soul was killed or even wounded. This gave Robinson great +pleasure. He had accomplished his purpose without bloodshed. + +They could now turn to the prisoners. Robinson ran back to them and +quickly cut their ropes. Robinson asked the white man who he was, but +the man was too weak to answer. Robinson gave him a piece of bread. + +The fear of death being removed, the white man soon grew stronger. +When Friday came running back from watching the boats and saw the +savage that had been a prisoner he gave a loud yell. He threw his arms +around the man, kissed him and laughed and cried for joy. He put his +head on his breast and hugged him again and again. Robinson was +greatly surprised and puzzled. He asked Friday what his actions meant. +But so intent was Friday that he got no answer. + +At last Friday recovered far enough from his great joy to say with +face beaming with delight, "O, Master, this man is my dear father." +They at once began a long conversation, each one told his story. +Suddenly Friday jumped up and said, "How foolish I am, I have not +thought to give my father anything to eat and drink. He must be nearly +starved." And away he ran toward the shelter and was soon back with +food and water to drink. + +[Illustration: FRIDAY AND HIS FATHER] + +Robinson learned through Friday from his father that the white man +was a Spaniard, that he had been captured by the tribe that had a battle +with Friday's people. The Spaniard was one of sixteen men that had +been saved by Friday's people from a wrecked ship. So weak were the +prisoners that they could not walk to the shelter. Robinson and Friday +made a litter and carried them one after the other. When once there, +Friday prepared some rich rice soup. The prisoners ate heartily and +in a few days were strong enough to go about the island. + + + + +XLI + +DELIVERANCE AT LAST + + +Friday had not forgotten the plan for going to his home. He would +often mention it and spent hours talking about it during the long +rainy season. But now that the Spaniard and Friday's father had come +into the family, Robinson felt he must change his plans a little. He +felt very sorry for the Spaniards left in Friday's country. They did +not have enough to eat and were sick and sad besides. He talked the +matter over with the Spaniard many times. They at last planned to send +for them. The Spaniard and Friday's father were to go. Robinson was +for doing it at once. But the Spaniard advised delay. "How can we get +food for ourselves and fifteen others? Your small store will soon be +used up," he argued. Robinson at last saw that this difficulty must +be overcome. There was just one thing to do, and this, to delay their +departure until a new crop of corn could be raised. This would take +six months. + +But at it they went. The four men could do much and work fast. They +cleared more ground and planted all the seed corn they could spare +from their store. Besides this they sowed about twelve bushels of +barley they had gotten in the ship. + +The care for so much crop, its harvesting and storing away, kept them +very busy for the season. Robinson not only did this, but also +increased his flock of goats by catching kids and putting them in his +pasture. He gathered, too, all the grapes he could and dried them on +the branches of trees. + +At the end of the harvesting season, they made ready their boat. They +filled it with all the bread it could well carry. They put in raisins +and fresh water. Robinson gave the Spaniard and Friday's father each +a musket and plenty of powder and bullets. Now, all was ready. Friday +gave his father a loving farewell. He stretched out his arms towards +him as the boat moved away. The Spaniard and Robinson waved their hats +and they were off. + +They promised to be back in eight or nine days. Robinson and Friday +made every preparation to receive the guests. They were to have a home +not far from Robinson's built of poles, and thatched with the long +marsh grasses, like Robinson's bower. There was no need of hiding or +defending it. It did not take long to fix it up. + +Eight days had now passed since the boat had left. Friday could hardly +restrain himself longer. He watched the ocean all the time. He would +go to the top of the hill with the field glasses every hour during the +day to catch a first glimpse of them. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON AND FRIDAY SEE A SHIP] + +On the ninth day, as Friday put up his glasses to search the waters +he dropped them with a yell of surprise. He tore down the hill with +the utmost speed and rushed up to Robinson as one gone mad. "Look, +look, O Master!" he cried, "a big ship; a big ship way out on the sea!" +Robinson took the glasses, and sure enough, there within hailing +distance was a large ocean going vessel. Robinson was overcome with +excitement. + +For twenty-eight years his aching eyes had scanned the waters for this +welcome sight. His joy was boundless. The ship looked like an +American. Yes, there floated the American flag! How welcome a sight +to Robinson. He could not utter a word. Tears filled his eyes and +streamed down his cheeks. He would soon have news from home. He ran +to the shore and shot off a gun to attract the attention of those on +board. He heard answering shots at once. + +Soon a boat was lowered and in it three men rowed toward the shore. +It was the captain himself and two sailors. The captain was astonished +to find a man in the lonely island. Robinson told how it all had happened +and how he would like to return home. To his unspeakable delight the +captain told him that the ship was bound for New York and would take +him along free of charge, but he must leave that day. The ship could +not be delayed any longer. Of course Robinson would go. Friday was +beside himself with grief. He did not want to be left behind alone. +He did not know that the Spaniards would ever return. Something might +happen to them on the sea. But before the eventful day the Spaniards +landed. They brought word that Friday's father had died after his +return home. Friday was thrown into a fit of grief at the news. He +wept and repeated over and over his praise of the good man. + + + + +XLII + +ROBINSON AT HOME + + +It was with a sad heart that Robinson made ready to leave. Every +familiar place seemed now doubly dear to him. He went from one to +another with tears in his eyes. Here lay his home. Here were his +fields, his crops and his goats. Everything was the work of his own +hands. He had made them all. Which should he take? He hesitated long. +He must take home some of his belongings to show the people at home. +And there were his parrot and the dog which had won a place in +Robinson's heart. He decided to take them along. At length he got +together his diary, his parasol, his Bible, his treasures, a suit of +clothes, his dog, and a hat. He had saved, too, his bow and arrows. +These he decided to take along. Everything else he gave to his good +man Friday and the Spaniard who wished to be allowed to remain on the +island. + +Robinson kissed Friday tenderly. He with great effort finally tore +himself away and ran to the shore where the ship's boat awaited him. +But Robinson had not counted on the strength of Friday's love for him. +Robinson's boat had not yet reached the ship when Friday sprang into +the water and swam after him shouting, "Master, take me with you, I +would rather die than stay here without you." Robinson was touched +at the devotion showed by the faithful Friday, and gave orders to turn +the boat back, and take him on board. The anchor was raised. The ship +started on her way to the home Robinson had left so long ago. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON LEAVING THE ISLAND] + +The wind was favorable and in seven weeks the spires and buildings +of his native city were in sight. His vessel came slowly up to the +wharf where he had taken ship so many years ago. Here, too, he had +played and idled his time away. He remembered it all. His idleness +and playing truant came back in sad memories. Before Robinson and Friday +landed, their good friend the captain gave them each a new suit of +clothes. + +Everything had changed. He scarcely knew the place. He was astonished +and confused by the din, hurry and bustle of a great city. Friday +seemed dazed by it all and clung to Robinson's side. The buildings +were so tall, the street cars, the carriages were different. +Everywhere there were iron machines, casting out smoke, puffing and +running about on iron rails. Robinson had never seen these. + +Robinson, however, did not stop to admire; he pushed on to a certain +street and house where lived his parents at the time of his departure. +It was with difficulty that he found the place. It was now in the +heart of the city. Upon inquiry he found, after much searching, that +his father had removed his store and home to another part of the city, +his mother had died of grief for her disobedient son. Robinson was +sorely grieved at this. He had hoped to see her and tell her how sorry +he was that he had caused her so much anxiety and sorrow. + +When he had found the place where his father lived he stole quietly +up to the house and opened the door. His father, now a gray-haired +man, bent with age and sorrow, was sitting in his armchair reading. + +Robinson came forward, but his father did not recognize him. "Who are +you?" he said. "I am Robinson, your long-lost son." He knelt by his +father's side and asked forgiveness for all the trouble he had caused. +His father was overcome. He could not speak. He drew Robinson with +feeble hands to his breast. "My son, I forgive you," he said. + +Robinson's boyhood friends heard of his strange return. They had +thought him dead long ago. They never tired of hearing him tell his +strange story. They pitied him in his misfortune. But Robinson told +them that it all happened to him because he was idle and disobedient +in his youth. + +Robinson at once relieved his father at the store. The business +thrived. His father died. He soon had a home of his own with a happy +family. Friday, the dog, and the parrot lived in it, dearly beloved +and cared for by their master the rest of their days. In the home +there is a young Robinson who loves to hear his father read from his +diary of the wonderful things that happened on the island. + +Robinson tried many times to find the rightful owner of the gold and +jewels, but never succeeded. At last he gave them to a school where +boys with idle habits were taught to lead useful and industrious +lives. + + + + + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's An American Robinson Crusoe, by Samuel B. 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Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: An American Robinson Crusoe + +Author: Samuel B. Allison + +Release Date: February, 2005 [EBook #7799] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on May 18, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN AMERICAN ROBINSON CRUSOE *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Ted Garvin +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + +AN AMERICAN +ROBINSON CRUSOE + +FOR AMERICAN BOYS +AND GIRLS + +THE ADAPTATION, WITH ADDITIONAL INCIDENTS + +BY + +SAMUEL B. ALLISON, Ph.D. + + + + +CONTENTS + + I Robinson with His Parents + II Robinson as an Apprentice + III Robinson's Departure + IV Robinson Far from Home + V The Shipwreck + VI Robinson Saved + VII The First Night on Land + VIII Robinson on an Island + IX Robinson's Shelter + X Robinson Makes a Hat + XI Robinson's Calendar + XII Robinson Makes a Hunting Bag + XIII Robinson Explores the Island + XIV Robinson as a Hunter + XV Robinson's Shoes and Parasol + XVI Getting Fire + XVII Robinson Makes Some Furniture + XVIII Robinson Becomes a Shepherd + XIX Robinson Builds a Home for His Goats + XX Robinson Gets Ready for Winter + XXI How Robinson Lays up a Store of Food + XXII Robinson's Diary + XXIII Robinson is Sick + XXIV Robinson's Bower + XXV Robinson Again Explores His Island + XXVI Robinson and His Birds + XXVII Robinson Gets Fire + XXVIII Robinson Makes Baskets + XXIX Robinson Becomes a Farmer + XXX Robinson as Potter + XXXI Robinson as Baker + XXXII Robinson as Fisherman + XXXIII Robinson Builds a Boat + XXXIV Robinson as a Sailor + XXXV A Discovery + XXXVI The Landing of the Savages + XXXVII Robinson as Teacher +XXXVIII Another Shipwreck + XXXIX Saving Things from the Ship + XL The Return of the Savages + XLI Deliverance at Last + XLII Robinson at Home + + + + +PREFATORY NOTE + +"An American Robinson Crusoe" is the outcome of many years of +experience with the story in the early grades of elementary schools. +It was written to be used as a content in giving a knowledge of the +beginning and development of human progress. The aim is not just to +furnish an interesting narrative, but one that is true to the course +of human development and the scientific and geographical facts of the +island on which Robinson is supposed to have lived. + +The excuse for departing so widely from the original story is to be +found in the use which was desired to be made of it. The story here +presented is simply the free adaptation of the original narrative to +the demand for a specific kind of content in a form which would be +interesting to the children. + +The teacher is and should be justified in using with entire freedom +any material accessible for the ends of instruction. + +The text as here given has been published with an introduction and +suggestive treatments as a Teacher's Manual for Primary Grades--"The +Teacher's Robinson Crusoe." Explicit directions and ample suggestions +are made for the use of the story as material for instruction in all +the language arts, drawing, social history, and the manual arts. + +Published by the Educational Publishing Company. + + + + +AN AMERICAN +ROBINSON CRUSOE + + + + +I + +ROBINSON WITH HIS PARENTS + + +There once lived in the city of New York, a boy by the name of +Robinson Crusoe. He had a pleasant home. His father and mother were +kind to him and sent him to school. They hoped that he would study +hard and grow up to be a wise and useful man, but he loved rather to +run idle about the street than to go to school. He was fond of playing +along the River Hudson, for he there saw the great ships come and go. +They were as big as houses. He watched them load and unload their +cargoes and hundreds of people get off and on. His father had told +him that the ships came from far distant lands, where lived many large +animals and black men. His father told him too, that in these faraway +countries the nuts on the trees grew to be as large as one's head and +that the trees were as high as church steeples. + +When Robinson saw the ships put out to sea, he would watch them till +they would disappear below the horizon far out in the ocean, and +think, "Oh, if I could only go with them far away to see those strange +countries!" Thus he would linger along the great river and wish he +might find an opportunity of making a voyage. Often it would be dark +before he would get home. When he came into the house his mother would +meet him and say in a gentle voice, "Why, Robinson, how late you are +in getting home! You have been to the river again." + +[Illustration: ROBINSON WATCHING THE SHIPS] + +Then Robinson would hang his head and feel deeply ashamed, and when +his father, who was a merchant, came home from the store, his mother +would tell him that Robinson had again been truant. + +This would grieve his father deeply and he would go to the boy's +bedside and talk earnestly with him. "Why do you do so?" he would say. +"How often have I told you to go to school every day?" This would for +a time win Robinson back to school, but by the next week it had been +forgotten and he would again be loitering along the river in spite +of his father's remonstrances. + + + + +II + +ROBINSON AS AN APPRENTICE + + +In this way one year after another slipped by. Robinson was not more +diligent. He was now almost sixteen years old and had not learned +anything. Then came his birthday. In the afternoon his father called +him into his room. Robinson opened the door softly. There sat his +father with a sad face. He looked up and said, "Well, Robinson, all +your schoolmates have long been busy trying to learn something, so +that they may be able to earn their own living. Paul will be a baker, +Robert a butcher, Martin is learning to be a carpenter, Herman a +tailor, Otto a blacksmith, Fritz is going to high school, because he +is going to be a teacher. Now, you are still doing nothing. This will +not do. From this time on I wish you to think of becoming a merchant. +In the morning you will go with me to the store and begin work. If +you are attentive and skillful, when the time comes you can take up +my business and carry it on. But if you remain careless and continue +to idle about, no one will ever want you and you must starve because +you will never be able to earn a living." + +So the next morning Robinson went to the store and began work. He +wrapped up sugar and coffee, he weighed out rice and beans. He sold +meal and salt, and when the dray wagon pulled up at the store, loaded +with new goods, he sprang out quickly and helped to unload it. He +carried in sacks of flour and chests of tea, and rolled in barrels +of coffee and molasses. He also worked some at the desk. He looked +into the account books and saw in neat writing, "Goods received" and +"Goods sold." He noticed how his father wrote letters and reckoned +up his accounts. He even took his pen in hand and put the addresses +on the letters and packages as well as he could. + +But soon he was back in his careless habits. He was no longer +attentive to business. He wrapped up salt instead of sugar. He put +false weights on the scales. He gave some too much and others too +little. His hands, only, were in the business, his mind was far away +on the ocean with the ships. When he helped unload the wagons, he +would often let the chests and casks drop, so that they were broken +and their contents would run out on the ground. For he was always +thinking, "Where have these casks come from and how beautiful it must +be there!" And many times packages came back because Robinson had +written the name of the place or the country wrong. For when he was +writing the address, he was always thinking, "You will be laid upon +a wagon and will then go into the ship." One day he had to write a +letter to a man far over the sea. He could stand it no longer. His +father had gone out. He threw down the pen, picked up his hat and ran +out to the Hudson to see the ships, and from that time on he spent +more time loitering along the river than he did in the store. + + + + +III + +ROBINSON'S DEPARTURE + + +Robinson's father soon noticed that his son was no longer attending +to his work, and one morning sent for him to come to his office. When +Robinson came in his father arose from his chair and looked him long +and earnestly in the face. Then he said, "I am very sorry, Robinson, +that you seem determined to continue your evil ways. If you do not +do better you will grow up to be a beggar or worse." Robinson cast +his eyes down and said, "I do not want to be a merchant, I would rather +sail in a ship around the world." His father answered, "If you do not +know anything you cannot be of use on a ship, and no one will want +you. In a strange land you cannot live without working. If you run +away from your parents you will come to be sorry for it." Robinson +wept, for he saw that his father was right, and he promised to obey. + +After two or three weeks, Robinson went to his mother and said, +"Mother, won't you go to father and tell him that if he will only let +me take one voyage and it proves to be unpleasant, I will come back +to the store and work hard?" But the mother cried. With tears in her +eyes, she said: "Robinson, your brothers are both dead. You are the +only child left to us and if you go away, we shall be entirely alone. +How easy it would be to be drowned in the sea, or torn to pieces by +wild animals away there in a foreign country. Both your father and +myself are getting along in years and who will take care of us when +we are sick? Do not cause us the grief we must suffer if you go away +so far amid so many dangers. I cannot bear to have you speak of it +again." + +Robinson did not speak of it again, but he did not forget it. He was +nineteen years old. It was one day in August that Robinson stood at +the wharf looking longingly after the departing ships. As he stood +there, someone touched him on the shoulder. It was a ship captain's +son. He pointed to a long ship and said, "My father sails to-day in +that ship for Africa and takes me with him." + +"Oh, if I could only go with you!" cried Robinson. + +"Do come along," cried his comrade. + +"But I have no money," said Robinson. + +"That doesn't make any difference," returned the captain's son. "We +will take you anyway." + +Robinson, without thinking for a moment, gave his friend his hand and +promised to go with him. + +So without saying "Good-bye" to his parents, Robinson went immediately +on board the ship with his friend. This happened on the 10th of +August. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON AND THE CAPTAIN'S SON] + +[Illustration] + + + + +IV + +ROBINSON FAR FROM HOME + +ROBINSON'S VOYAGE + + +Once on board, Robinson watched the preparations for departure. At +command the sailors clambered up into the rigging and loosened the +sails. Then the captain from his bridge called out, "Hoist the +anchor!" Then the great iron hooks that held the ship fast were lifted +up, a cannon sounded a final farewell. Robinson stood on the deck. +He saw the great city shimmer in the sunshine before him. Very fast +now the land was being left behind. It was not long until all that +could be seen of his native city was the tops of the highest towers. +Then all faded from sight. Behind, in front, right and left, he saw +nothing but waters. + +He became a little afraid. At noon there arose a strong wind and the +ship rocked to and fro. He became dizzy and had to hold fast to +something. The masts and rigging began to dance. It seemed to him as +if all was turning around. Suddenly he fell full length on the deck +and it was impossible for him to get up. He was seasick. He wailed +and cried, but no one heard him, no one helped him. Then he thought +of his home, his parents whom he had so ungratefully left. + +He had been on the water about two weeks when one day as he lay in +his room, Robinson heard people over his head running about and crying, +"A storm is coming!" The ship's sides trembled and creaked. The ship +was tossed like a nutshell. Now it rolled to the right, now to the +left. And Robinson was thrown from one side to the other. Every moment +he expected the ship to sink. He turned pale and trembled with fear. +"Ah, if I were only at home with my parents, safe on the land," he +said. "If I ever get safe out of this, I will go home as quickly as +I can and stay with my dear parents!" The storm raged the whole day +and the whole night. But on the next morning the wind went down and +the sea was calm. By evening the sky was clear and Robinson was again +cheerful. He ran about the ship. He looked at the glittering stars +and was contented and happy. + + + + +V + +THE SHIPWRECK + + +Several weeks went by. Robinson had long ago forgotten his resolutions +to return home. It was very hot. The glowing sun beat down upon the +ship. The wide surface of the sea glistened. No breeze stirred. The +sails hung loose on the top of the mast. But far away on the shore +could be seen a black bank of clouds. + +All at once the ship was thrown violently to one side by a fierce gust +of wind. Robinson threw himself on the deck. The sea began to rise +and fall. The waves were as high as mountains. Now the ship was borne +aloft to the skies, and now it would seem that it must be overwhelmed +in the sea. When it sank down between the great waves of water, +Robinson thought it would never again rise. The waves beat violently +on the ship's side. Robinson went down the steps into his little room, +but he came back full of anxiety. He believed every minute he would +meet death in the waves. The night at last came on. The lightning +flashed. The storm howled. The ship trembled. The water roared. So +the night wore on. The storm raged for six days. Then on the seventh +day it was somewhat abated. But the hope was soon dashed. The storm +had abated but to get new strength. Suddenly it bore down with frightful +power on the doomed vessel, struck it, and shot it like an arrow +through the water. Then Robinson felt a fearful crash. The ship +groaned as if it would fall into a thousand pieces. It had struck a +rock and there held fast. At the same moment the sailors raised the +cry, "The ship has sprung a leak!" The water surged into the ship. +All called for help. Each one thought only of himself. There was only +one boat. The others had all been torn away. It was soon let down into +the sea. All sprang in. For a moment the sailors forgot the waves, +but all at once a wave, mountains high, struck the boat and swallowed +it up. Robinson shut his eyes. The water roared in his ears. He sank +into the sea. + + + + +VI + +ROBINSON SAVED + + +Robinson was borne down far, far into the ocean. He attempted to work +himself up, so that he could see light and breathe the air. But again +and again the waves carried him down. Finally a wave threw him up and +he saw, for a moment, the light of day and got a breath of air, but +the next instant he was deep under the water. Then another wave bore +him on its crest. He breathed a deep breath and at the same time saw +land not far away. He bent all his strength toward reaching the land. +He got almost to it, when a wave caught him and hurled him on a +jutting rock. With all his strength he seized the rock with both hands +and held on. + +Presently he worked himself up a little and at last got a foothold. +But, scarcely had he done so, when his strength left him and he fell +on the ground as one dead. But he soon revived. He opened his eyes +and looked around. He saw above him the blue sky, and under him the +solid brown earth, and before him the gray angry sea. He felt to see +if he still breathed. The storm had destroyed the ship. The waves had +overwhelmed the boat. The water wished to draw him into the deep. The +rocks seemed to want to hurl him back, but storm and wave and rock +had accomplished nothing. There was One who was stronger than they. + +Then Robinson sank on his knees and folded his hands. Tears came to +his eyes. He breathed hard. At last he said, "Dear Father in Heaven, +I live. Thou hast saved me. I thank Thee." + + + + +VII + +THE FIRST NIGHT ON LAND + + +"Where are my companions?" That was his first thought. He began to +call and halloo: "Where are you?" "Come here!" But no one answered. +Then he wished to see if anyone lived on the land, and he cried, "Is +there no one here? Hello!" but all remained still. + +All at once he drew himself together and shrank back. He heard a bush +rustle and the thought came like a flash, "That is a wild animal that +will pounce upon me and tear my flesh with his teeth and claws. How +shall I save myself? Where shall I fly for safety? Where shall I turn? +I have nothing but my clothes and my life saved from the water. All +that I had the waves have swallowed up." + +And then hunger and thirst began to trouble him. He had eaten nothing +the whole day and the salt water had made him sick. + +In the meantime the night had come on. Robinson was very tired. +Everything was new and strange. He did not know which way to move. +He was in the greatest terror. + +He expected to hear the roar of wild beasts from every secluded spot. +Lions and tigers and dreadful serpents filled his thoughts. He must +find shelter from them. But where should he pass the night? Not a +house, a hut or a cave was to be seen. He stood a long time hesitating +and did not know what to do. Finally he thought, "I will do as the +birds do and get into a tree." He very soon found a tree which had +such thick branches that it would hold him up. + +Robinson climbed up into the tree, made himself as comfortable as +possible, said his prayers, and as he was thoroughly exhausted, he +soon fell asleep. When he awoke the sun was high in the sky. At first +he could not remember where he was. Then the truth burst upon him. +He tried to move. He was stiff and sore. His flesh was bruised from +being thrown against the rocks and beaten by the waves. + +He was dreadfully thirsty. His mouth and throat were dry and parched +from the salt water. His tongue was thick and swollen. He said, "I +must find some water to drink or I shall die!" + +It was hard work to get down from the tree. His limbs and back ached +from sitting in the tree all night At last he slipped down and fell +on the ground. He clasped his hands in prayer and thanked God for keeping +him through the night. + +[Illustration] + +Then he got up and tried to walk. He was so weak he could not stand. + +He threw himself down on the ground and began to sob and cry, "O Lord, +do not let me die! Do not let me die!" As he lay there he heard a +queer sound. He listened. It sounded like water running over rocks. +He tried to get to the place from which the sound came. He tried to +walk. When he fell he crawled on his hands and knees. At last the sound +was close by. He dragged himself up on the rocks. Yes, there was a +spring of clear, cool, sparkling water bubbling up and trickling over +the stones. Robinson was so thirsty he put his face into the water +and drank and drank. + +Then he sat down, and after a while he drank again and again. + +After Robinson had satisfied his thirst and rested awhile, he felt +much better. He said, "I must try to walk and see whether I can find +something to eat." He found many kinds of fruits and berries all +around him, but he was afraid to eat them, as they were strange to +him and he feared they might be poisonous. + +As he was walking along, all at once he spied a tall plant in the +distance which had a familiar look. It looked like corn. He said to +himself, "I wonder if it can be corn." At last he came near enough +to recognize it. Yes, it was corn. It did not look exactly like the +corn that he saw at home, but still he knew it would be safe to eat +it. He broke off an ear and eagerly ate the kernels raw. Oh, how good +it was! Robinson could not remember anything that tasted half so good. + +He ate as much as he wanted and then filled his pockets with ears of +corn for his supper. Then he went back to the spring to get another +drink. + +[Illustration] + + + + +VIII + +ROBINSON ON AN ISLAND + + +After his hunger and thirst were satisfied, Robinson thought he would +try to find another dwelling place. "My legs are stiff and sore from +sitting so uncomfortably last night, and there is so much danger of +falling," he said. "I will climb yonder hill and look around and see +on which side the houses are. I will find me a stick to help me on +my way." + +He broke a stick from a dry bush and climbed up the steep sides of +the hill. After a half hour's climb he was on top. What a sight met +his eyes! There were no houses, no huts to be seen, no smoke arose +from the forest, no field could be seen. Nothing but trees and bush, +sand and rock. + +"I am then upon an island alone, without food, without shelter, +without weapons! What will become of me?" he cried. "I am a prisoner. +The island is my prison, the waves are the guards which will not allow +me to get away. Will no ship ever come to set me free?" + +He stretched his gaze out to the sea till his eyes ached, but he saw +no ship. + +Robinson came down and seated himself on a stone and considered what +he should do. It was not yet noon, yet he feared greatly the next +night. "I must find me a better bed," was his first clear thought. + +[Illustration] + + + + +IX + +ROBINSON'S SHELTER + + +Robinson saw at a little distance what seemed to be a cleft or an +opening in a huge rock. "If I could only get inside and find room to +stay over night. The rock would protect me from rain, from the wind +and wild animals better than a tree." + +He long sought in vain for a place wide enough to allow him to get +into the opening in the rock. He was about to give up, when he seized +hold of a branch of a thorn tree growing on the side of the rock. He +looked closer and saw that it grew out of the cleft in the rock. He +saw, too, that at this point the opening was wider and that he had +only to remove the tree in order to get in. "The hole shall be my +dwelling," he said. "I must get the thorn tree out so that I can have +room." + +That was easily said. He had neither axe nor saw, nor knife nor spade. +How could he do it? He had nothing but his hands. He tried to pull +it out by the roots, but in vain. He wasn't strong enough. + +"I must dig it out," said Robinson. + +He scratched with his nails, but the earth was too hard. What should +he do? He sought a stick with a fork in it and dug in the earth, but +it was slow work. Then he found a clamshell. He did better with it, +but it was hard work, and Robinson was not used to hard work. The +sweat ran down his face and he had often to stop and rest in the +shade. The sun burned so hot and the rock so reflected the heat that +he was all but overcome. But he worked on. When evening came, he would +sleep in the tree and next morning he would go at it again. On the +third day the roots were all laid bare. + +But the roots were fast in the clefts of the rock and he could not +loosen it, try ever so hard. What would he not have given for an axe, +or at least a knife. And yet he had never thought of their value when +at home. He attempted to cut one root through with his clam-shell, +but the shell crumbled and would not cut the hard wood. + +He stood for a long time thinking, not knowing what next to do. He +made up his mind that he must have something harder than the shell +to cut with. Then he tried a stone with a sharp edge, but soon found +he needed another one, however. He found one. Then he set the sharp +one on the wood and struck it with the heavy one. In this way he slowly +cut the roots in two. + +On the fifth day there was yet left one big root, bigger than any of +the others. Robinson got up early in the morning. He worked the whole +day. Finally it gave a crack and it, too, was broken. + +Robinson had only now to remove the loose earth inside the cleft. He +found the opening could be made large and roomy. It was choked up with +dirt. He dug out enough to allow him room enough to make a place to +lie down. "In the future," he thought, "I will take out all the dirt +and then I shall be comfortable." + +It was then dark and the moon shone bright in the heavens. Robinson +gathered a heap of dry grass and made himself a safe bed. But as he +lay there he saw the moonbeams shining into his cave. He sprang up. +"How easy," he thought, "for wild animals to creep in here upon me." + +He crawled out and looked around. Not far from the cave he saw a large +flat stone. With great trouble he rolled it to the opening of his +cave, but before this the morning began to dawn. He went inside the +shelter, seized the stone with both hands and rolled it into the +opening till it almost closed it. "I have now a closed home. I can +again stretch my legs. Wind and rain cannot get at me, nor wild +animals." + + + + +X + +ROBINSON MAKES A HAT + + +Refreshed and with renewed strength, Robinson awoke late the next +morning, but he had a bad headache. The day before the hot tropic sun +had beat down on his bare head, as he worked at his cave. He was so +busy that he forgot to go into the shade from time to time in order +to shield himself from the scorching sunshine. He felt a new need. + +"I must make me a hat," said Robinson to himself. "But how?" He had +no straw, no thread and no needle. He looked around for a long time, +but found nothing. The sun mounted even higher in the heavens, and +shone hotter and hotter. He went to seek shelter at last in the deep +shade of a nearby tall plant. + +As he stood there he examined the plant more carefully. "Out of these +leaves," he said, "I might make a hat." He climbed up the short stem +of the plant and saw that it had not only leaves as long as himself, +but between the leaves were big bunches of long, thin fruit, as thick +as three fingers and similar in shape to a cucumber. + +He plucked the leaves and fruit and was about to eat some of the fruit +when he heard near him a light stir as of some animal. He rolled the +leaves and fruit together and hastened back to the cave. + +[Illustration: THE BANANA TREE] + +The bananas, for that is what the fruit proved to be, were sweet and +refreshing. After he had eaten enough he set immediately about making +his hat. He broke off a couple of reeds. He bent one into a hoop. But +the hoop would not hold without thread. Sometimes it was too large +and sometimes too small. But it must fit his head. He pulled up grass +and bound its ends together, but the grass stalks were not strong enough. +He hunted until he found a tree whose inner bark was soft and came +out in long fibres. He bound his reed with this. This, too, made the +hoop soft so that it did not hurt his head. + +When the hoop was ready and fitted to his head he found the banana +leaves could not be used. Their veins ran straight out from the +midrib. This made them easily torn, and besides, they were too large. +They were not the best shape. He saw that leaves about a foot long +with broad and tapering points would be best. He saw too, that if the +leaves had their veins running parallel with the midrib they would +be stronger. He made search and at length found leaves that seemed +made for his purpose. They were thick and leathery and tapered from +base to apex like a triangle. + +He now proceeded with his hat-making. He would take a leaf and lay +it on the ground with the base toward him. Then he laid the hoop on +the base of the leaf, wrapped it around the hoop and fastened it with +thorns. He did the same with the other leaves. The thorns were his +pins. At last he pinned the tips of the leaves together at the top +and the hat was ready. It looked just like a big cone, but it kept +out the heat of the sun. + +Robinson now had corn and bananas and when he was thirsty he drank +a handful of water from the spring. He had been now nine days on the +island. Every day he looked out on the sea until his eyes ached to +see if he might discover a ship. + +He could not understand why no ship came his way. "Who knows how long +I must wait here?" said he sorrowfully. Then the thought came to him: +"You will not be able to keep track of the days unless you write it +down." + + + + +XI + +ROBINSON'S CALENDAR + + +The matter of keeping track of time puzzled Robinson very much. It +was getting more difficult every day to keep it in his memory. He must +write down the days as they slip by, but where and how? He had neither +pen, ink, nor paper. Should he mark every day with a colored stone +on the smooth side of the huge rock wall within whose clefts he had +dug out his cave? But the rain would wash off the record and then he +would lose all his bearings. Then he thought of the beach, but there +the wind and waves would soon also erase it. + +He thought a long time. "I must find something," he said to himself +on which to keep a record. "I must also know when Sunday is. I must +rest one day in the week. Yes, I must find something," he said, "on +which to write." And finally he found it. He chose two trees standing +near each other and then sought for a small sharp stone, which he could +make still sharper by striking it on another. When he had got this +pen ready he cut into the bark of one tree: + + _Shipwreck, Sunday, 10th of September, 1875._ + +He made seven cuts in a row for the seven days in the week. The first +cut was longer than the others. This was to represent the Sunday. At +sundown every day he made a new cut in the bark. + +The other tree he called the month tree. On its stem he was to cut +a mark every time his week tree told him a month had passed. But he +must be careful, for the months were not of equal length. But he remembered +that his teacher had once said in school that the months could be +counted on the knuckles and hollows of the hand, in such a way that +the long and short months could be found easily and he could tell in +this way the number of days in each. + +Robinson worked at enlarging his shelter a little every day. He was +sorely at loss to find something in which to carry the dirt away from +the entrance, or enough so that it would not choke up the opening. +A large clam shell was all he could think of at present. He would carry +the dirt to the entrance and some distance away, and then throw it. +Fortunately the ground sloped away rapidly, so that he needed a kind +of platform before his door. + +He was careful to open the cleft at some distance above the large +opening. For the air was damp and impure in the shelter. But with the +opening made high above, fresh air was constantly passing into, and +impure air out of, his cave. Light, too, was admitted in this way. + + + + +XII + +ROBINSON MAKES A HUNTING BAG + + +Several days passed with Robinson's hat-making and his calendar-making +and his watching the sea. Every day his corn and bananas became more +distasteful to him. And he planned a longer journey about the island +to see if something new to eat could be found. + +But he considered that if he went a distance from his cave and found +something it would really be of little use to him. "I could eat my +fill," he said, "but that is all. And by the time I get back to my +cave I will again be hungry. I must find something in which I can +gather and carry food." He found nothing. + +"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags +made of coarse cloth. Of them all, I could most easily make the net, +perhaps, of vines. But the little things would fall out of the net. +I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes." + +But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface. He +thought for a long while. In his garden at home his father had +sometimes bound up the young trees with the soft inner bark of others. +He wondered if he could use this. He stripped away the outer bark from +the tree, which before had yielded him a fibre for his hat, and pulled +off the long, smooth pieces of the inner bark. He twisted them +together. Then he thought how he could weave the strands together. +He looked at his shirt. A piece was torn off and unravelled. He could +see the threads go up and down. He saw that some threads go from left +to right (woof), others lengthwise (the warp). + +From his study of the woven cloth, Robinson saw he must have a firmer +thread than the strips of bark gave alone. He separated his bark into +long, thin strips. These he twisted into strands or yarn by rolling +between his hands, or on a smooth surface. As he twisted it he wound +it on a stick. It was slow, hard work. Of all his work, the making +of yarn or thread gave him the most trouble. He learned to twist it +by knotting the thread around the spindle or bobbin on which he wound +it and twirling this in the air. He remembered sadly the old spinning +wheel we had seen at his grandmother's house. + +His next care was something to hold the threads while he wove them +in and out. He had never seen a loom. + +After long study Robinson set two posts in the ground and these he +bound with seventy-two strands horizontally under each other. Then +he tied in the top at the left another thread and wove it in and out +through the seventy-two threads. So he tied seventy-two vertical +strands and wove them in and out. Thus he had a net three times as +long as his foot and as wide as long. He tied the four corners +together. He made a woven handle for it and put it on his shoulder +like a sack, saying gleefully, "This shall be my hunting bag." + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S LOOM] + + + + +XIII + +ROBINSON EXPLORES THE ISLAND + + +After Robinson made his hunting bag he was anxious to set off on his +journey of exploring the island. So he arose very early next morning. +"Before it is hot," thought he, "I will be quite a distance on my +journey." He ate a couple of bananas, scooped up a few handfuls of +water from the spring, stuck a few ears of corn in his hunting bag, +took his stick in his hand and went forth. As he left his cave the +thought struck him: "What if I could not find my cave again? How can +I manage so that I can come back to it? I will go away in one direction +and return the same way; but suppose I were to lose the way?" + +Then he noticed his shadow pointing like a great finger from the sea +toward the land. He could direct himself by that. He kept his shadow +in front of him. He had noticed, too, that the wind always blew north +of the point where the sun rose. This helped him. But sometimes the +wind died down. + +He had to climb over many rocks and pierce many thickets. At each step +he saw a rich growth of plants, stems, leaves, flowers, but nothing +to eat, no fruits, or nuts. At length he came to a tree as high as +a small church steeple. + +[Illustration: COCOANUT PALM TREE] + +Then he thought of what his father had once said about the trees in +strange countries. "Many are as tall as a church steeple and the nuts +are as big as one's head." He looked again. Yes, there they hung among +the leaves, concealed high above in the crown! But _so_ high, it +was well that Robinson had learned to climb while on board the ship. +He quickly laid down his hunting bag and clambered up the smooth stem +of the high tree, a palm. He picked off a nut and threw it down and +then several more, and climbed down again. + +But the nuts were very hard. How should he open them? He had brought +along his sharp stone with which he had stripped off the inner bark. +With this he forced off the thick outer shell. But now came the hard +nut within, and how hard it was! Striking it was of no use. + +Then he threw a great stone on the nut. The shell was crushed and a +snow-white kernel lay before him. It tasted like almond. With +astonishment Robinson saw in the middle of the nut a large empty space +which must have been filled with fluid as the inside was wet. He +wished that he had the juice to drink, for he was very thirsty. With +this in view, he examined another and riper nut, and the outside came +off more easily. But how could he break it and at the same time save +the juice? He studied the hull of the cocoanut on all sides. At the +ends were three little hollows. He attempted first to bore in with +his fingers, but he could not. "Hold!" he cried. "Maybe I can cut them +there with the point of my stone knife." This was done without trouble +and out of the hole flowed the sweet, white juice. + +Robinson put a couple of nuts in his hunting bag, and also the shells +from the broken nuts. "Now," he thought, "I shall no longer have to +drink from my hand." With this thought he went on his way. + +As Robinson came to a rock in his path, out jumped what Robinson took +to be a rabbit. He ran after him to catch him, but the rabbit was much +the swifter. So Robinson hastened home, but before he reached it the +stars were shining with their lustrous light. Tired Robinson stretched +his limbs on his bed of grass and leaves and slept soundly. + + + + +XIV + +ROBINSON AS A HUNTER + + +All the time Robinson was confined to the cave he kept thinking about +the rabbit he had seen and how he might catch one. Finally, he +determined to make a spear. He broke down a thin, young sapling, +stripped off its branches and in one end fastened a sharp stone. He +then went to bed, for he wanted to be up early for his first hunting +trip on the morrow. + +With his hunting sack and spear, Robinson began to creep very, very +cautiously through the underbrush. But he did not go far before he +saw a lot of rabbits feeding peacefully on the soft leaves and grass. +He drew back and threw his spear with all his might. But the spear +did not reach the rabbits. It fell far short and the rabbits sprang +up and ran quickly away. He tried it several times with the same result. +Then Robinson, discouraged, turned back home and ate his corn, bananas, +and cocoanuts without meat. In the meantime he found a new kind of +food. He discovered a nest of eggs. How good they tasted to him! + +But his longing for meat was still very great. "I will try to make +a bow and arrow," he said. No sooner said than done. He bent a long +piece of tough, young wood and stretched between the ends a cord +twisted out of the fiber taken from the cocoanut shell. He then sought +for a piece of wood for arrows. He split the ends with his flint knife +and fastened in splinters of stone. At the other end he fastened on +some feathers found on the ground. The arrows flew through the air +with great swiftness. "They will go far enough," thought Robinson, +"if I could only hit anything." + +He practised shooting. He stuck his stone knife in a tree and shot +at it the whole day long. At first he could not hit it at all. The +arrows flew far from the mark. After a while he could hit the tree, +but not the knife. Then as he practised, his arm grew ever surer, until +at last he could hit the knife at almost every attempt. After a few +days he again went rabbit hunting. He thought that the rabbit did not +offer a mark so high as his knife, so he stuck a stone in the ground +and practised shooting at that. He gradually increased the distance +until he could hit the mark at twenty or thirty yards. + +The next morning Robinson took his bow and arrows and went out to +hunt. He aimed at a rabbit, shot, and it fell, pierced by the arrow. +His very first shot was successful. + +He hastened up and took the dead rabbit on his shoulder, carried it +to his cave and skinned it. Then he cut off a nice, large piece of +meat and was going to roast it, but alas, he had no fire! + + + + +XV + +ROBINSON'S SHOES AND PARASOL + + +The next morning Robinson could not get up. His feet were swollen and +sore in consequence of walking without shoes over thorns and stones. +He must remain the whole day in his cave. + +Before him, in the sun, his walking stick stuck in the ground. He +thought how he had been troubled yesterday to find his way and about +the shadow. He had now time to study it. He watched it the whole day +through. In the morning it pointed toward the land. In the evening +toward the sea. This comes from the daily movement of the sun. He +determined to study the matter more carefully. + +Robinson got up and with great effort walked to the spring. There he +cooled his burning feet, and gathered some large leaves, which he +bound on them. He decided to remain in his cave a few days, for he +had enough food stored up to last him some length of time. He planned +how he might make himself a pair of shoes. As soon as his feet were +well, he sought out some thick bark and put fastenings of tough, strong +fiber on it. These served very well to protect his feet. + +But he must have some further protection from the sun. It beamed so +hot that his hat was not enough. He made a parasol out of leaves like +his hat. He took a straight stick for a handle. He tied some reeds +together and bent them into a hoop. He then fastened the upper end +of the stick in the center of the hoop by means of six reeds which +formed the ribs of the parasol. To keep out the sun he covered this +framework with large, broad leaves. With a cord he tied the stem ends +of the leaves to the stick just above where the reeds were tied. + +Spread out, these broad leaves completely covered the ribs. Their tips +reached over the hoop. They were fastened together by means of small, +needle-like fish-bones Robinson had found on the beach. + + + + +XVI + +GETTING FIRE + + +Now Robinson had heard that savages take two dry pieces of wood and +rub them so long on each other that they at length begin to burn. + +He tried it. The sweat ran down his cheeks, but every time the wood +was about to catch fire his strength would give out, and he was +obliged to rest, and when he began again the wood was cold. + +"How will it be in winter," he cried, "when it is cold, and I have +no fire?" He must try other ways of preparing meat for his table. He +must think of some other way of getting fire. He remembered that once, +when a boy at home, he had in playing with a stick made it hot by twirling +it on end on a piece of wood. "I will try this," he thought. He +searched for a good hard stick and a piece of wood upon which to turn +or twirl it with his hands. Having found the best materials at hand, +he began to twirl the stick. He made a little hollow in the block of +wood in which to turn his upright stick. There was heat but no fire. +He twirled and twirled, but he could not get the wood hot enough to +blaze up or ignite. He had not skill. Besides his hands were not used +to such rough treatment. Soon they blistered and this method had to +be given up. + +"I must have fire," he still thought, and recalled the sparks that +flew from the stone pavements of the streets when the iron shoes of +the horses struck them as they slipped and strained at their cruel +loads. Why may I not get fire by striking together two stones? He +sought out two hard stones and with great diligence kept striking them +together until his strength gave out, and he was obliged again to +acknowledge failure. + +He remembered that sometimes travelers put the meat underneath the +saddle and ride on it until it is soft. He tried it with pounding. +He laid some of the meat on a flat stone and pounded it. It became +quite soft and tasted very well. He then tried hanging it in the sun +and finally wrapped it in leaves and buried it for a few hours in the +hot sand. + + + + + +XVII + +ROBINSON MAKES SOME FURNITURE + + +One thing troubled Robinson very much. He could not sit comfortably +while eating. He had neither chair nor table. He wished to make them, +but that was a big job. He had no saw, no hammer, no auger and no +nails. Robinson could not, therefore, make a table of wood. + +Not far from his cave he had seen a smooth, flat stone. "Ay," thought +he, "perhaps I can make me a table out of stone." He picked out the +best stone and built up four columns as high as a table and on these +he laid his large, flat stone. It looked like a table, sure enough, +but there were rough places and hollows in it. He wanted it smooth. +He took clay and filled up the holes and smoothed it off. When the +clay dried, the surface was smooth and hard. Robinson covered it with +leaves and decked it with flowers till it was quite beautiful. + +When the table was done, Robinson began on a chair, He made it also +of stone. It had no back. It looked like a bench. It was uncomfortable +to sit on. Robinson covered it with moss. Then it was an easy seat. + +Table and chair were now ready. Robinson could not move them from one +corner to another, nor when he sat on the chair could he put his feet +under the table, and yet he thought them excellent pieces of +furniture. + +Every day Robinson went hunting and shot a rabbit, but the meat would +not keep. At home they would have put it in the cellar. If only he +had a cellar! He saw near his cave a hole in the rock. He dug it out +a little with his mussel shell and found that it led back under a rock. + +From much bending over in digging, Robinson's back, unused to severe +toil, ached wretchedly. He decided to make a spade. With his flint +he bored four holes in a great, round mussel shell. They formed a +rectangle as long as a little finger and as wide. Through these holes +he drew cocoanut fibre and bound the shell to a handle fast and +strong. + +With his spade he dug a hole so deep that he could stand in it +upright. Then he put in a couple of shelves made of flat stones. In +this cellar he put his rabbit meat and his eggs. Then he laid branches +over it and finally covered the whole with leaves. + + + + +XVIII + +ROBINSON BECOMES A SHEPHERD + + +With his bow and arrow, Robinson went hunting every day. The rabbits +soon learned to know him and let themselves be seldom seen. As soon +as they saw him, they took alarm. They became timid and shy. One day +Robinson went out as usual to shoot rabbits. He found none. But as +he came to a great rock he heard from behind a new sound, one he had +not heard before in the island. Ba-a-a, it sounded. + +"A kid," thought Robinson, "like that with which I have so often +played at home." + +He slipped noiselessly around the rock and behold, really there stood +a kid. He tried to call it, but the kid sought safety in flight. He +hastened after it. Then he noticed that it was lame in one fore foot. +It ran into some brush, where Robinson seized it by the horns and held +it fast. + +How Robinson rejoiced! He stroked it and fondled it. Then he thought, +how could it come into this wilderness on this lonesome island? "Has +your ship been cast upon the rocks too, and been broken to pieces? +You dear thing, you shall be my comrade." He seized the goat by the +legs, and no matter how it kicked, carried it to his cave. + +Then he fetched quickly a cocoanut shell full of water and washed and +bathed the goat's wounded leg. A stone had rolled down from the hill +and had inflicted a severe wound on its left fore leg, or perhaps it +had stepped into a crack in the rocks. Robinson tore off a piece of +linen from his shirt, dipped it in water and bound it with shreds of +the cocoanut upon the wound. Then he pulled some grass and moss and +made a soft bed near the door of the cave. After he had given it +water, it looked at him with thankful eyes and licked his hand. + +Robinson could not sleep that night. He thought continually of his +goat and got up time and again to see if it was safe. The moon shone +clear in the heavens. As Robinson sat before the goat's bed he looked +down on his new possession as lovingly as a mother on her child. + +The next morning Robinson's first thought was, "I am no longer alone. +I have a companion, my goat." He sprang up and looked for it. There +she lay on her side, still sleeping. + +As he stood and considered, the thought came to him that perhaps the +goat had escaped from its keeper. There must then be some one living +on the land. He quickly put on his shoes and his hat, took his +parasol, and ran to the rock where he had found the goat. + +He called, he sought, he peered about to see if some shepherd were +there somewhere. He found nothing. He found no trace of man. There +was no road, no bridge, no field, no logs, not even a chip or shaving +to show that the hand of man had been there. + +But what was that? In the distance ran a herd of goats over the rocks. +But no dog followed them and no shepherd. They ran wild on the island. +They had perhaps been left there by some ship. As he came home he +noticed the goat sorrowfully. The bandage had become dry. The goat +might be suffering pain. Robinson loosened the bandage, washed the +wound again and bound it up anew. It was so trustful. It ran after +him and he decided always to protect it. + +"I will always be your shepherd and take care of you," he said. + + + + +XIX + +ROBINSON BUILDS A HOME FOR HIS GOAT + + +But the goat was a new care. Wild animals could come and kill and +carry Robinson's goat away while he slept, and if the goat got +frightened while he was hunting it would run away. + +"I will have to make me a little yard in front of my cave," he said, +"for my goat to live in." But from whence must come the tools? He had +neither hatchet nor saw. Where then were the stakes to come from? He +went in search of something. After hunting for a long time he came +upon a kind of thistle about two feet higher than himself, having at +its top a red torch-like blossom. There were a great many of them. + +"Good!" thought Robinson. "If I could only dig up enough of them and +plant them thick around the door of my cave, I would have just the +thing. No one could get at me, nor at the goat, either, The thorns +would keep anything from creeping through, peeping in or getting +over." + +So he took his mussel-shell spade and went to work. It was pretty +hard, but at length he succeeded in laying bare the roots of quite +a number. But he could not drag them to his cave on account of the +thorns sticking in him. He thought a long time. Finally, he sought +out two strong poles or branches which were turned up a little at one +end and like a sled runner. To these he tied twelve cross-pieces with +bark. To the foremost he tied a strong rope made from cocoa fiber. +He then had something that looked much like a sled on which to draw +his thistle-like brush to his cave. But for one day he had done enough. +The transplanting of the thistles was hard work. His spade broke and +he had to make a new one. In the afternoon he broke his spade again. +And as he made his third one, he made up his mind that it was no use +trying to dig with such a weak tool in the hard ground. It would only +break again. + +"If I only had a pick." But he had none. He found a thick, hard, sharp +stone. With it he picked up the hard earth, but had to bend almost +double in using it. "At home," he thought, "they have handles to +picks." The handle was put through a hole in the iron. He turned the +matter over and over in his mind, how he might put a hole through the +stone. But he found no means. He searched out a branch with a crotch +at one end. He tied the stone to this with strong cocoa fiber and +bark. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S TOOLS] + +How his eye glistened as he looked at the new tool! Now he began to +work. He first loosened up the earth with his pick, then he dug it +out with his spade and planted in a high thistle. Many days he had +to work, but finally one evening the hedge was ready. He had a row +in a semicircle in front of his cave. He counted the marks on his calendar +tree. The day on which he had begun to make his hedge he had +especially marked out. He had worked fourteen days. + +He had completed his hedge with the exception of a small hole that +must serve for a door. But the door must not be seen from without. + +As Robinson thought, it came to him that there was still place for +two thistles on the outside. He could easily get in, but the entrance +was difficult to find from the outside. + +Robinson looked on his hedge from without. It was not yet thick +enough. For this reason he planted small thistles between the larger +ones. With the digging them out and transplanting them he was a whole +week longer. + +Finally, the hedge and the yard were ready. Now Robinson could rest +without fear and sleep in his cave, and could have his goat near him +all the time. It delighted him greatly. It ran after him continually +like a dog. When he came back from an absence, it bleated for joy and +ran to meet him as soon as he got inside the hedge. Robinson felt that +he was not entirely alone. He had now a living being near him. + + + + +XX + +ROBINSON GETS READY FOR WINTER + + +There was one thing that troubled Robinson greatly. "What will become +of me when the winter comes? I will have no fire to warm me. I have +no clothing to protect me from the cold, and where shall I find food +when snow and ice cover all the ground and when the trees are bare +and the spring is frozen? It will be cold then in my cave; what shall +I do? It is cold and rainy already. I believe this is harvest time +and winter will soon be here. Winter and no stove, no winter clothing, +no winter store of food and no winter dwelling. What shall I do?" + +He considered again the project of making fire. He again sought out +two pieces of wood and sat down and rubbed them together. The sweat +rolled down his face. When the wood began to get warm, his hand would +become tired, and he would have to stop. When he began again the wood +was cold. He worked for an hour or two, then he laid the wood aside +and said, "I don't believe I can do it I must do the next best thing. +I can at least get warm clothing to protect me from the rain and +snow." He looked down at his worn, thin clothing, his trousers, his +shirt, his jacket; they had become so thin and worn that they were +threadbare. + +"I will take the skins of the hares which I have shot and will make +me something," he thought. He washed and cleaned them, but he needed +a knife and he set about making one. He split one end of a tough piece +of wood, thrust his stone blade in it and wound it with cocoa fibre. +His stone knife now had a handle. He could now cut the skins quite +well. But what should he do for needle and thread? Maybe the vines +would do. "But they are hardly strong enough," he thought. He pulled +the sinews from the bones of the rabbit and found them hard. Maybe +he could use them. He found fish skeletons on the seashore and bored +a hole in the end of the small, sharp rib bones. Then he threaded his +bone needle with the rabbit sinews and attempted to sew, but it would +not go. His needle broke. The skin was too hard. He bored holes in +the edge of the pieces of skin and sewed through the holes. This went +very well. + +He sewed the skins together with the hair side inward, made himself +a jacket, a pair of trousers, a hat, and finally covered his parasol +with rabbit skin, for the rain had already dripped through the leaves +of it. All went well, only the trousers did not fit. He loosened them +and puckered them to no purpose. "Anyway," he thought, "I am now well +protected from the cold, when it does come." + +[Illustration: ROBINSON IN HIS NEW SUIT] + + + + +XXI + +HOW ROBINSON LAYS UP A STORE OF FOOD + + +Now for the food. Could Robinson preserve the meat? He had often heard +his mother tell about preserving meat in salt. He had even eaten salt +meat, pickled meat. But where could he get salt? + +One day when the wind blew hard the water was driven upon the shore +and filled a little hollow. After a few days the ground glistened +white as snow where the water had been. Was it snow? Robinson took +it in his hands and put it in his mouth. It was salt. The sun had +evaporated the water in the hollow--had vaporized it--and the air had +drunk it up. What was left behind? Salt. Now he could get salt as long +as he needed it. + +He took cocoanut shells and strewed salt in them. Then he cut the +rabbit meat in thin strips, rubbed them with salt, and laid them one +on the other in the salt in the shells. He covered it over with a +layer of salt. He put over each shell the half of a larger one and +weighted it down with stones. After a period of fourteen days he found +the meat quite red. It had pickled. + +But he did not stop here. He gathered and stored in his cellar +cocoanuts and corn in such quantities that he would be supplied for +a whole winter. It seemed best to catch a number of rabbits, build +a house for them and keep them. Then he could kill one occasionally +and have fresh meat. Then it came to him that goats would be much better, +for they would give milk. He determined immediately to have a herd +of goats. He made a string or lasso out of cocoa fibre. + +Then he went out, slipped up quietly to a herd of goats and threw the +lasso over one. But the lasso slipped from the horns and the goat ran +away. The next day he had better luck. He threw the lasso, drew it +tight and the goat was captured. He brought it home. He rejoiced when +he saw that it gave milk. He was happy when he got his first cocoanut +shell full of sweet rich milk. His goat herd grew. He soon had five +goats. He had no more room in his yard. He could not provide food +enough. He must let them out. He must make another hedge around his +yard so that the goats could get food and yet be kept from going away. +He got stakes from the woods and gathered them before his cave. He +sharpened them and began to drive them in the earth. But it rained +more and more each day. He was wet through as he worked. He had +finally to stop work, for the rain was too heavy. + + + + +XXII + +ROBINSON'S DIARY + + +Robinson was much disturbed because he had no means of keeping a +record of things as they happened from day to day. He had his +calendar, it is true. He would not lose track of the time. But he +wished for some way to write down his thoughts and what happened. So +he kept up keen search for anything that would serve him for this +purpose. + +Every time he journeyed about the island he kept careful watch for +something that he might write upon. He thought of the leaves of the +palm tree, the white under surface of the shelf fungus. But these he +found would not do. He tried many kinds of bark and leaves. There was +a kind of tall reed or grass growing in the marshes whose rind seemed +good when dried. He examined the inner bark of many trees. He at last +found that the inner bark of a tree which resembled our elm tree +worked best. He would cut through the bark with his stone knife around +the tree. At about one foot from this he would cut another ring. He +then would cut through the bark lengthwise from one circular cut to +the other. He could then peel off the section easily. While it was +yet full of sap he would separate the soft, tough, thin inner layer +of the bark. This usually came off in sheets without a break. When +these sheets of bark were stretched and dried they could be used very +nicely instead of paper. + +Robinson next searched for something that would serve him as ink, and +this was much easier to find than paper. He had noticed many kinds +of galls of many different colors growing on trees. He did not know +what they were, or how they grew, but he had learned in his father's +store that ink was often made from galls gathered from trees. "Anyway," +he thought, "I can get ink from the cuttle-fish." He had watched this +animal get away from its enemies by sending out a cloud of purplish +fluid, in which to hide as it darted away. He had learned also that +indigo is made from the leaves of a plant. He had noticed a plant +growing in the open places in the forest whose leaves turned black +when dried. + +Robinson gathered a quantity of gall-nuts and soaked them in water. +To the black fluid thus obtained he added a little rice water to make +it flow well, and this served very well as an ink. He kept his ink +in a cup made from a cocoanut shell. + +He was not long in getting a pen, though the lack of a good sharp +knife made it hard to make a good one. In going about he had gathered +a quantity of large feathers. He saved these for the time when he +should have his paper and ink ready. Now, he cut away a quill to a +point and split it up a little way. He was now supplied with writing +materials. "Is it not wonderful," he thought, "how all our wants are +filled? We have only to want a thing badly enough and it comes." + +Robinson began at once to write down the date for each day and the +main thing he did or that happened on it. He called this his diary. +He had now a better way of keeping time than on his tree calendar. +He did not need it any more. + +You have no doubt wondered how Robinson could work in his cave, +especially at night without a light. The truth is, it was a great +source of discomfort to him. At sunset he was in total darkness in +his cave. During the day light enough streamed in from the open doorway. +To be alone in total darkness is not pleasant. "If I only had fire!" +he said again and again. + +He watched the many large beetles and fireflies flash their light in +the dark of the evening as he sat in front of his shelter. The thought +came to him that if he only had some way of keeping together a number +of them, they would serve very well for a candle in his cave at night. +How he longed for a glass bottle such as he had so often wantonly +broken when at home! Back of his shelter there was a hill where the +rock layers jutted out. He had noticed here several times the thin +transparent rock that he had seen in his father's store. It is called +isinglass. + +"I will make a living lantern," he said aloud in his eagerness. + +He soon had a suitable piece pried loose. He cut a part of a cocoanut +shell away and in its place he put a sheet of isinglass. That evening +at dark he gathered several handfuls of the great fire beetles and +put them in his lantern. What joy their glow gave him in his cave at +night. It was almost as much comfort as a companion. But while it +lighted up the deep dark of the cave and enabled him to move about, +he was unable after all to write in his diary at night. Every morning +he set his captives free. In the evening he would go out and capture +his light. + + + + +XXIII + +ROBINSON IS SICK + + +One evening Robinson went to bed sound and well. The next morning he +was sick. Before he had only the heat of the day to complain of. +To-day he was freezing. He wanted to go to work to get warm, but even +this did not break his chill. It increased till his teeth chattered +with the cold. + +"Perhaps," thought he, "if I can sleep a little I will get better." +But he could not sleep. He was burning with fever and then shaking +with cold by turns. He felt a strong thirst, but he was so weak that +he could scarcely get the goat's milk. He had no sooner drunk the milk +than his tongue was as dry as before. He felt better after a night +of sleep, but the next day his fever and chills were worse than before. +Then he bethought him of his parents. How kindly his mother had taken +care of him! Now no one was near that could assist him. + +"Ah," he sighed, "must I die here? Who would bury me? There is no one +to miss me." At this the tears came to his eyes. + +His sickness increased with each day. Occasionally the fever would +go down sufficiently to allow him to get something to eat. Then it +would be worse than before. In his dire need he wanted to pray, but +he was so weak that he could only stammer, "Dear God, help me, or I +shall die!" + +One night he had a strange dream. He thought he saw his good old +father standing before him calling to him. He spread out his arms and +cried aloud, "Here I am, here I am!" He tried to get up, but he was +so weak that he fell back fainting. + +He lay there a long time, but finally came to. He felt a burning +thirst, but no one reached him a drop of water. He prepared to die. +He folded his hands and prayed to God that he would be merciful to +him. He prayed forgiveness from his parents. Once more he raised his +head and gazed wildly around, then he sank back and knew no more. + +When he again awoke he felt better. His hot fever had gone. He +attempted to walk. He had just enough strength to crawl to the table +and fetch a shell of water. When he tried to walk he had to sit down +at every two or three steps. + +From this he recovered gradually, growing better and better, and he +thanked God inwardly for his recovery. His sickness had continued from +June 18 to July 3. + + + + +XXIV + +ROBINSON'S BOWER + + +Robinson's sickness set him thinking about his home. He had been so +afraid of animals when he came to the island that he thought of +nothing but protection from them. He had been now a year on the island +and had seen nothing more dangerous than a goat. The fear of animals +had practically faded away. In thinking over his sickness he made up +his mind that it was caused by sleeping in his cave where the sun +never shone. The ventilation seemed good, but the walls were damp, +especially in the rainy season. Then the water would trickle down +through the cleft in spite of all he could do. + +He resolved to build, if possible, a little cottage, or, as he called +it, a bower, in the yard in front of his shelter. The hedge of +thistles was growing and formed a fence that an animal could not get +through. His screen of willows on the outside of this would soon hide +him from view from the sea. He had the wall of rock and the hill +behind him. + +He planned out his way of building it very carefully. "It must be +done," he said (Robinson formed the habit of talking to himself, so +that he would not forget how to talk), "without hammer, nails, or +saw." + +He first sought out four posts, as large as he could well handle. +There were always broken trees and branches in the forest. If he +searched long enough he could find posts just suited to his need. He +wanted four of the same thickness and height and with a fork at the +end. After long searching he found what he wanted. He was careful to +get those that he could drag to his shelter. + +He placed these in the ground, forming the corners of a square about +ten feet long. In the forks he placed poles running around about eight +feet from the ground. At about every three feet he fastened others, +running in the same way, with heavy cords made of fibre. He found his +greatest trouble with the roof. It must be sloped to shed rain. He +had to find two more forked posts, three or four feet longer than the +others. These he placed opposite each other in the centers of two +sides. Upon these he placed a ridge pole. He then laid other poles +lengthwise from ridge pole to the edge of the frames. + +His frame was now done. His plan was now to cover this frame with +straw or grasses tied in bundles. He had seen the barns in the country +thatched in this way by the Dutch farmers in New York State. He +gathered the straw of the wild rice. It was long, straight and tough. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S BOWER] + +It was easily tied into flat bundles. These he bound securely on to +the frame work with cords. He began at the bottom so that the ends +of the row would lap over the tops of the last one put on. + +In this way he built a very comfortable and rainproof bower. It was +easy to make a bed of poles covered with straw. A table and bench were +added and shelves of poles. + +Robinson felt great joy over this new home. "I will not now be sick +any more," he said. "In case of danger I can get into my cave. But +at all other times I will live in my bower." He had use still for his +cave. He could use it to store some things in. But he had to be +careful about the dampness in wet weather. + +Robinson was getting to feel at home. He was no longer so sad. He did +not grieve so much for home. He looked upon his home with great +delight It was secure. He had his herd of goats always in his sight. +At evening he would do his milking. He found he could keep the milk +for some time in the cave. He was tempted to try making some butter +from the good, rich cream. "But," said Robinson, "I have neither +vessels to make it in nor bread to eat it on." + +He planned many things to do. "I will make a hammock some day for my +bower and some vessels to use in my work," he thought. + + + + +XXV + +ROBINSON AGAIN EXPLORES HIS ISLAND + + +When Robinson recovered his strength he had a strong desire to see +more of the island. At first he had been in constant fear of wild +animals, but now he thought he would like to see all there was to see +in the island. On the 15th of July he started out. First he went to +a brook which ran into the sea near his cave. Its water was clear and +pure; along its shore lay beautiful meadows. As he came to the upper +course of the brook the meadow gave way to forest. On the border of +the forest he found melons and grapes. + +The night came on and he slept again in a tree. The next morning he +went farther and came to a clear rivulet. Here the region was +wonderfully beautiful. The flowers bloomed as in a garden, and near +the flowers stood splendid apple and orange trees. He took as much +of the fruit as he could carry and went on his way. This journey +continued three days. The grapes which he had carried he dried in the +sun and made raisins. + +The 10th of September came, one year had passed on the island. He was +many hundred miles from home, alone on an island. With tears he cried +out, "Ah! what are my dear parents saying? They have no doubt long +given me up as dead. If I could only send them a message to comfort +them and let them know how much I love them!" + +The day was celebrated as a holiday. He thanked God that He had given +him so many good things. Often he had lived the whole day in care and +anxiety. Now he tried to be more cheerful and to meet the troubles +of each day with courage. + +But Robinson was not yet satisfied. He longed to know more of the +island and prepared himself for a greater journey. He slung his +hunting pouch over his shoulder, filled it full of food, took his bow +and arrows, stuck his stone hatchet in his belt and started on his +way. He traveled over meadows, through beautiful forests in which were +hundreds of birds. He was delighted as they sang and fluttered about. + +The journey was beautiful and pleasant to Robinson. In the forests +he often saw small wild creatures, but he shot nothing. After the first +night he slept under a tree in the soft grass, for he had now no fear +of wild animals. + +Along the shore he saw great groves of palms with their large nuts. +He saw, too, many goats in all parts of the island. + +Now he was ready to take the shortest way home. He had not gone far +before he came into a dark forest. He became confused and wandered +about for several days. On the fourth day he came to a little pile +of stones, which he had made to mark the way as he was going out. From +this place the way was easy to find. On this trip he was gone already +two weeks. + + + + +XXVI + +ROBINSON AND HIS BIRDS + + +Of all the things he saw on his journey Robinson was most delighted +with the birds. They were of the most beautiful colors. The forest +was full of them. They gleamed like jewels in the deep masses of foliage. +In the morning their singing filled the air with sound. + +Robinson had never taken much notice of the birds at home. But now +every living thing attracted him. He loved to see them happy. He would +watch often by the hour and learn the habits of nesting and getting +food of nearly every bird on the island. + +Robinson did not know the names of many of the birds he saw on the +island. He had to make names for them. The strangest thing he saw on +his journey was the nest of what he called the yellow-tail. This bird +lives in colonies and makes its nest at the ends of the long leaves +of the mountain palm. When he first saw these queer looking sacks hanging +from the leaves he was amazed. He had never seen so strange a sight. +From the end of each great leaf hung a long, closely woven nest. +Robinson could not make out at first what they were. Soon, however, +he saw the birds come out of the mouths of the nests. Here, one hundred +feet from the ground, they hung their nests. But they were perfectly +safe. + +He had not gone far from the tree in which the yellow tails had their +nests when he was suddenly startled by a voice crying, "Who, who are +you?" Robinson was greatly frightened and hid beneath the drooping +branches of a cedar tree. He feared every moment that the owner of +the voice would make his appearance. But it kept at a distance. Every +few minutes from the depths of the forest would come the doleful cry, +"Who, who are you?" Robinson did not dare to stir from his hiding +place. He remained there over night. After the night came on he heard +the strange voice no more. + +The next day he renewed his journey. He saw many birds that were +wholly strange to him. There was a kind of wild pigeon that built its +home in a hole in the rock. It was a most beautiful bird with long, +slender, graceful feathers in its tail. He saw the frigate bird +soaring high above the island. The number and beauty of the +humming-birds amazed Robinson. They were of all colors. One had a bill +in the shape of a sickle. The most brilliant of them all was the +ruby-crested hummingbird. + +Near noon, while Robinson was shielding himself from the scorching +heat of the sun in a deep, shaded glen, he was startled again by the +strange voice crying, "Who, who, who are you?" He lay quite still, +determined if possible to allow the voice to come, if it would, within +sight. He heard it slowly coming up the glen. Each time it repeated +the cry it sounded nearer. At last he saw spying at him through the +boughs of the tree under which he was lying a large bird with soft, +silky feathers of green and chestnut. "Who, who, who are you?" said +the bird. Robinson could not help but laugh. He had been frightened +at the cry of a bird. + +But the bird that interested Robinson most was the parrot. There were +several kinds of them. They flew among the trees with great noise and +clatter and shrieking. Robinson determined if possible to secure one +for a pet. "I can teach it to talk," he said, "and I will have +something to talk to."' As soon as he returned home he set about +catching one. He noticed that a number were in the habit of visiting +an old tree near the shelter every morning. He planned to snare one +and tried several mornings, but he could not get one into the snare. +He tried to hit one with his bow and arrow. He at last succeeded in +hitting one and stunning it so that it fell to the ground. He ran +rapidly to pick it up, but before 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 +better to get a pair of young birds and raise them. The old ones would +be hard to tame and difficult to teach. It was easy enough to find +a nest in a hollow tree. He secured from the nest two birds just ready +to fly. He made a cage for them out of willow rods. He placed the cage +at the entrance of his cave and studied how he would feed them. Much +to his surprise the parent birds discovered their young ones and +brought them food and fed them through the open work of the cage. + +When the birds were grown they rapidly learned to talk. Robinson took +great delight in teaching them. He taught them to call his name and +when he came near they would call out, "Poor old Robinson Crusoe!" + +These birds remained for many years with Robinson. In fact, he was +never afterward without a parrot. They helped him to pass away very +pleasantly many hours that without them would have been sad. + +Another bird that Robinson loved was the little house wren. This bird +was exceedingly tame and friendly. It was a very sweet and strong +singer. It loved to make its nest in or near his shelter. There it +would build and rear its young, within reach of his hands, while its +throat was always bursting with melody. + +The mocking bird, too, always nested near and awakened him in the +morning with its wonderful song. + +Robinson became a great friend and favorite of the bird inhabitants +of the 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 +and table. He had his cave in case of danger. He had his cellar in +which to keep his meat. He would sit in the shade near the door of +his bower and think of the many things he should be thankful for. But +there was one hardship that Robinson could not get used to and that +was the eating of raw food. "How fine it would be if only I could +parch a few grains of corn in the fire! I could like live a prince," +thought he, "if I had fire. I would grind some of my corn into flour +and make some corn bread or cakes and cook rice." He did so long for +roasted meat and determined again to make the attempt to get fire. + +Robinson was fast losing his idle, thoughtless ways of doing things. +He had become a thoughtful and diligent man in the short time that +he had been on the island. Trouble and hardship had made a man of him. +"I must carefully think over the whole matter of getting fire," he +said. He had failed twice and was now resolved to succeed. "If the +lightning would only 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 +keep it when once thus obtained? It was clear he must have some way +of producing fire when he wanted it, just as they did at home? He thought +over the ways he had tried and the one most likely to be successful. +He resolved to make a further trial of the method by twirling a stick +in his hands. He selected new wood that was hard and dry. He carefully +sharpened a stick about eighteen inches long and, standing it upright +in a hollow in the block of wood, began to roll it between his hands. +By the time Robinson's hands were well hardened, it seemed that he +was going to succeed at last. But he lacked the skill to be obtained +only by long practice. + +"If I could only make it go faster," he said. "There must be some way +of doing this. I believe I can do it. I used to make my top spin round +with a cord; I wonder if I can use the cord here." The only cord he +had was attached to his bow. He was going to take it off when a +thought struck him. He loosened the string a bit and twisted it once +about his spindle. Then he drew the bow back and forth. The spindle +was turned at a great rate. He saw he must hold one end with his left +hand while the other rested in the hollow in the block. With his +right, he drew the bow back and forth. How eagerly he worked! He had +twirled but a few minutes when the dust in the hollow burst into fire +from the heat produced by the rapidly twirling spindle. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S TOOLS FOR MAKING FIRE] + +Robinson was too overjoyed to make any use of it. He danced and +capered about like one gone mad until the fire had gone out. But that +was of no matter now, since he could get fire when he wanted it. + +He hastened to make him a rude fireplace and oven of stones. He +hollowed out a place in the ground and lined and covered it with large +flat stones. On one side he built up a chimney to draw up the smoke +and make the fire burn brightly. He brought wood and some dry fungus +or mushroom. This he powdered and soon had fire caught in it. He +kindled in this 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 rabbit +meat on a spit or forked stick held in his hand over the fire. Nothing +Robinson had ever eaten was to be compared to this. + +"I can do many things now," thought Robinson. "My work will not be +nearly so hard. My fire will be my servant and help me make my tools +as well 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 +no longer gather it fresh from the fields and forest. Corn had again +become ripe. He had found in a wet, marshy place some wild rice-plants +loaded with ripened grain. As he now had fire he only had to have some +way of storing up grains and he would not lack for food. He knew that +grain stored away must be kept dry and that he must especially provide +against dampness in his cave or in his bower. + +If he only had some baskets. These would be just the thing. But how +was he to get them? Robinson had never given a thought to either +material or the method of making them. He, however, was gradually +acquiring skill and 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 study the materials that I have at hand." He +remembered the splint market baskets in which his father took +vegetables home from the store. He recalled how the thin splints were +woven. + +"They went over and under," he said. "That is simple enough if I had +the splints." He set himself diligently to work to find a plant whose +bark or split branches could be used for splints. He tried to peel +off the rough outer bark of several trees in order to examine the inner +layers of soft fibrous material. He found several trees that gave +promise of furnishing abundance of long, thin strips, but the labor +of removing the bark with his rude imperfect tools was so great that +he resolved that he would have to find some other kind of material. + +"Why need the strips be flat?" he thought. "I believe I could weave +them in the same way if I used the long, thin, tough willow rods I +saw growing by the brookside, when I was returning from my journey." + +He found on trial that the weaving went very well, but that he must +have strong, thick rods or ribs running up and down to give strength +and form to his basket. He worked hard, but it was slow work. It was +three days before his first basket was done. He made many mistakes +and was obliged many times to undo what he had accomplished in order +to correct some error. And at last when he had woven the basket as +large as he thought was suitable for his purpose, he did not know how +to stop or finish the top so as to keep the basket from unraveling. +At last he hit upon the plan of fastening two stout rods, one outside, +the other inside, the basket. These he sewed firmly, over and over, +to the basket with a kind of fibre from a plant he had discovered that +looked almost to be what he had heard called the century plant in the +parks at home. + +On attempting his next basket, he thought long how he might improve +and save time. He must hasten, or the now almost daily rains would +destroy his ripened wild corn and rice. + +"If I could use coils of that long grass I saw growing in the marsh +beside the rice," he thought, "I could make twice the progress." He +gathered an armful, twisted it into cables about an inch thick and +wove it into his frame of upright rods instead of the horizontal layer +of willow canes. This answered his purpose just as well and rendered +the making of large baskets the work of a few hours. He found, +however, that the willow rods or osiers were not pliant enough to work +well in fastening his coils of grass cables together. He tried several +things and at last succeeded best when he used the long thread-like +fibre of the century-like plant. He had, however, to make a stout +framework of rods. He would first coil his grass rope into this frame +and then sew it together with twine or thread made from this fibre. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON'S BASKETS] + +He afterwards tried making smaller and finer baskets out of the fibre +that he had discovered, which could be easily had from the +thick-leaved plant he thought he had seen at home. He first used long, +tough, fine roots 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 laid in a supply of these. He found that when he wanted +to use them, a good soaking in water made them as pliable and tough +as when first cut. + +The making of the baskets and storing up grains made it possible for +Robinson to become a farmer and thus make himself independent. This +thought was a great relief to him. + + + + +XXIX + +ROBINSON BECOMES A FARMER + + +Robinson had now been on the island long enough to know how the +seasons changed. He found that there were two kinds of weather there, +wet weather and dry weather. There were two wet seasons in each year +and two dry ones. During the wet seasons, which lasted nearly three +months, Robinson had to remain pretty closely at home, and could not +gather grain, for the plants were then starting from the seeds. It +ripened in the dry seasons. Robinson soon found that he must have a +store of corn and wild rice for food during the rainy seasons. He, +however, knew nothing about planting and harvesting, nor preparing +the ground for seed. + +He had it all to learn with no teacher or books to instruct him. He +found a little space near his dwelling free from trees and thought +he would plant some corn seed here. He did not know the proper time +for planting. 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 +dry season. He watched and waited to rejoice his eyes with the bright +green of sprouting corn, but the seed did not grow. There was no rain +and the sun's heat parched the land till it was dry and hard on the +upland where his corn was planted. + +"Very well," thought Robinson, "I will plant it at the beginning of +the wet season, either in March or September." He did so; the seed +quickly sprouted up. But the weeds, shrubs, and vines sprouted as +quickly, and before Robinson was aware, his corn was overgrown and +choked out by a rank growth of weeds and vines. + +"I see," said Robinson, "that I must thoroughly prepare the soil +before planting my seed." But he had no spade and no other tool that +would stand the strain of digging among tough matted roots. But he +must succeed. He put a new handle in the stone hoe or pick he had +already made. His mussel shell spade was worn out. He must set himself +to fashion out another. He decided to make one from the tough heavy +wood of a tree that grew plentifully in the forest. + +He was lucky enough to find a tree of this kind whose bole had been +split lengthwise by the falling of an old rotten tree near it. With +his stone tools and the help of fire he managed after several days' +work to make a wide sharpened tool out of one of the large pieces +split off. It was a little over three feet long. He had trimmed one +end small and cut notches in the sides about one foot from the flat +end. He could place his foot in the notch and thrust his wooden spade +into the earth. With his rude tool he dug up and turned the soil of +a small space of ground several times to kill the vines and weeds. +His corn quickly sprouted after this attempt and outstripped the weeds +and vines which Robinson constantly had to hold in check by pulling +and hoeing. He was rejoiced at his growing crop and went each morning +to feast his eyes on the rapidly expanding leaves and ears. + +One morning as he came in sight of the little clearing he thought he +saw something disappearing in the low brush on the other side as he +approached. Alas, his labor had been in vain! A herd of wild goats +had found out the place and had utterly destroyed his crop. Robinson +sat down 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 able +to harvest my crop. I cannot watch it all the time." + +He had already learned from his experience in making the fence around +the goat pasture that the branches of many kinds of shrubs and trees, +when broken off and thrust into the ground, will send out roots and +leaves and at length if planted close together in a line, will form +a thick hedge which no kind of beast can get through or over. He found +out some willow trees whose branches broke easily, and soon had enough +to thrust into the ground about six inches apart around the entire +edge of his 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 +he tried planting again at the proper season. He spaded up the ground +and pulled out the matted roots as best he could and with great pains +and care planted his corn in straight even rows. To make them straight +and each hill of corn the same distance from its neighbors, he first +marked off the ground in squares whose sides were about three and one +half feet long. + +"Now," thought he, "I will reap the reward of my labor." The corn grew +rapidly, and toward the end of the first dry season was filling out +and ripening its ears. But to Robinson's dismay a new danger +threatened his crop against which he could not fence. He was in +despair. The birds were fast eating and destroying his partially +ripened corn. He could not husk it yet. It was not ripe enough. He +thought how easy it would be to protect his field if he had a gun. +But he had learned that it is useless to 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 +them up on poles, dead, as a warning to the rest." It seemed almost +a hopeless task, but he went about it. It was in vain he tried to kill +some of them by throwing rocks and sticks. He could not get near +enough to 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 other fibre that he was now acquainted with. The birds thus +caught he fastened on broken branches of trees which he stuck into +the earth in different parts of his field. The birds heeded the warning +and visited his corn field no more that season. + +At the end of the season he gathered or husked his corn and after it +was thoroughly dry he shelled it from the cob with his hands. He used +his baskets in which to carry his husked ears from the field to his +cave and in which to store it when shelled. He found that the ears +were larger and better filled and plumper than when the plants grew +wild. He selected the largest and best filled ears for his seed the +next time. In this way his new crop of corn was always better in kind +and yielded more than the old one. + +At first he grew two crops a year, but by experimenting he found out +about how much he needed for his own use and planted once a year +enough to give him a liberal supply. + +He observed that the wild rice grew in swampy lands, so that he did +not make the mistake of trying to raise it upon the upland where the +corn grew best. He saw at once that the planting of rice on low, +marshy or wet land was beyond his present strength and tools. "Some +time in the future," he thought, "I may try it." + +Robinson also found wild grapes in abundance. These he dried by +hanging them on the branches of trees. He thus had a store of raisins +for each rainy season. + + + + +XXX + +ROBINSON AS POTTER + + +Robinson was now anxious to cook his food, to boil his rice and +vegetables and bake bread, but he could do nothing without cooking +vessels. He had tried to use cocoanut shells, but these were too small +and there was no way to keep them from falling over and spilling the +contents. He determined to try to make some clay vessels. He knew +where he 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 perplexed to mould the clay into right shapes. He tried taking +a lump and shaping it into a vessel with his hands. He tried many times, +but each time the clay broke and he was forced to try some other way. +He recalled how he had made his basket out of strands of twisted grass +and wondered whether he could not make his pots in the same way. + +He spun the clay out into a long rope and began to coil it around a +small 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 from the inside of the pot. He found he could copy in this way +any form he wished, but he finally hit upon the plan of making a form +of wicker work and coiling the clay rope inside it, for he saw that +whether he succeeded or not in getting the clay free from the basket +he could use the pot, and besides if the pot would stand the fire the +basket would burn 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 filled it with water and put it on his stove or oven, but +how sadly had he deceived himself. In a short time the water soaked +into the clay and soon the pot had fallen to pieces. + +"How foolish I am!" said Robinson to himself; "the pots have to be +fired before they can be used." He set about this at once. He found +two stones of equal size, placed them near each other and laid a third +across these. He then placed three large pots upon them and made a +hot fire under them. No sooner had the flame shot up than one of the +pots cracked in two. "I probably made the fire too hot at first," thought +Robinson. + +He drew out some of the coals and wood, but afterwards gradually +increased the fire again. He could not, however, get the pots hot +enough to turn red He brought the dryest and hardest wood, but could +not succeed in getting them hot enough to turn red. At length he was +tired out and was compelled to give it up. When the pots were cool +he tried to boil water in one. It was no better than the sun dried +one. He saw that he must provide some way to get the pots much hotter +than he could in the open air He resolved to make an oven of stones +large enough to take in the wood as well as the pots. It must be above +ground so that there might be plenty of draught for the fire. With +great labor, he pried up and carried together flat stones enough to +make an oven about four feet high with a chimney at one side. He had +put in the center a stone table on which he could place three quite +large pots. He left an opening in one side that could be partially +closed by a large, flat stone. + +He worked eagerly and at the end of the second day he was ready to +fire his oven. He first carried together a good quantity of dry wood, +then he put in his pots and laid the wood around them. In a short time +he had a very hot fire. He kept this up all day and until late at +night. + +The next morning he went to his oven and found his pots were a +beautiful red. He drew out the fire and allowed them to cool slowly. +Then he filled one with water and set it over the fire to heat it. +Before many minutes the water was boiling and Robinson had another +reason to be thankful. He wept for joy. His patient labors had brought +their rewards. No prince could feel as happy as Robinson now. He had +overcome all difficulties. Starting with nothing but his hands, he +was now able to supply all his wants. "If I only had a companion now," +he thought, "I would have nothing further to wish as long as I stay +on the island." + +[Illustration: SOME OF ROBINSON'S DISHES] + + + + +XXXI + +ROBINSON AS BAKER + + +Now that Robinson had fire, he determined to try to make bread. He +had seen the servants at home make bread many times, but he had not +observed closely and knew next to nothing about the way bread is made. +He knew he must in some way grind the corn into flour, but how could +he do this? He had no mill nor any tools with which to crush the corn. + +He first tried to find a stone large and hard enough out of which he +might hollow a vessel or kind of mortar. He thought he could put the +corn into this mortar and grind it by means of another stone or +pestle. It was with great difficulty that he could get a stone of +suitable size and form. After several days' trial he at last got one +cut out from some layers of rock near the shore. He made a hollow +place in it. Then he took a smaller oblong shaped rock for his pestle. + +He took great pride in these new tools. "I shall soon be a +stone-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 time +he thrust the pestle down, it loosened small pieces of the stone +vessel. These mixed with the ground corn or flour and made it unfit +to 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. Now +that he had fire, he could do this, though it cost him many a hard +day's work. He found not far away a log of very hard wood. By building +a fire at the right distance from one end he was able to separate a +piece of the log. He rolled this to his cave and made a good-sized +hollow 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 the +place to make it the right length. By burning also he rounded one end +and then he was ready for the grinding. After cleaning his mortar and +pestle carefully he placed some corn in the hollow and soon had some +fine yellow meal or flour without any grit or sand in it. + +His next care was to separate the coarse outer husk or covering of +the 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 must +make 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 hard +to do. He had soon woven in his loom a piece of fine netting which +allowed the meal to shake through, but held back the coarse bran or +outer husk of the kernel. Out of the dry corn that he had stored up +he now made quite a quantity of flour. This he kept tightly covered +in a large earthen pot or jar that he had made for this purpose. "I +must keep all my food clean and protect it from the ants and other +insects as well as dust and damp," he thought. + +His preparations were now nearly made. He had already his stove of +flat 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 any +thickness. He must have an oven or enclosed place into which he could +put the loaf to bake it. By the use of flat stones he soon rebuilt +his stove so as to have an oven that did fine service. Now it was mixing +the dough that claimed his attention. He had of course no yeast to +make raised or light bread. He poured goats' milk on the flour and +kneaded it into a thick dough. He did not forget to add salt. He +placed 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 in +his 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 palm +that grew in the island. This with good rich goats' milk in it he +thought the best drink in the world. He often thought of making sugar +from the sugar cane plant he had discovered in the island. But the +labor of squeezing out the juice was too great. He could think of no +way 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 had +noticed 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 began +to devise ways of making a catch. How he longed for a fish-hook, such +as he had so often used when loitering along the Hudson River! "But +a fish-hook is not to be thought of," he said to himself, "unless I +can make one of bone." He went down to the brook and searched long +for a fish-bone that he might make use of for this purpose. He found +nothing. + +"I must try something else," he thought. He remembered the nets he +used to see along the Hudson and wondered if he could not make a small +one to pull through the water and thus catch the fish. + +He had now a better source of fibre for weaving and for spinning into +lines and ropes. He had discovered this when he was trying to find +a good strong thread or yarn with which to bind the coils of his +grass-made baskets together. He obtained fibre in great abundance from +the century-like plant. He found if he broke off the long leaves of +this plant and allowed them to decay there remained a long, tough +fibrous substance out of which strong cords could be twisted or yarn +made for weaving a coarse cloth or netting. + +Out of this he spun yarn thread to make a net about three or four feet +by two feet. He fastened cords to four corners of this, tied them to +a 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 must +wade out as far as I can," he said to himself, "and draw the net +through the water." + +As he did this he was surprised at the many forms of sea life, new +to him, that he saw. He, however, was careful and watchful. He walked +along near the shore to a point where some, rocks showed above the +surface. As he looked ahead he saw the single eye of a giant +cuttle-fish glaring at him from among the rocks. It was thrusting out +its long arms towards him. He drew back quickly, but as he did so he +was 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 seize +him in his rows of sharp teeth, but was prevented reaching him by the +shallowness of the water. + +Robinson was too much terrified to continue longer his attempt at +fishing. He went back to his cave with only a few small ones, not +worth the trouble of dressing for his dinner. + +The next day undismayed he tried again. He succeeded in drawing in +some very beautiful large fish. Their sides shone as burnished gold +and silver. "Now," he thought, "I will have a feast." He carried them +home, carefully cleaned and dressed them, seasoned them with his salt, +and broiled them over his fire. Imagine his disappointment when they +proved 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 difficult +thing than he thought it. He must not only catch fish, but catch ones +that could be eaten. He could only tell the good from the bad by +trying them. + +He was more fortunate in his next venture. He was going along the +shore at the mouth of the creek which ran near his cave when he +noticed a group of fishes, dark bluish above with silvery sides. The +largest of them were about two feet long. They were feeding on the +bottom in the brackish water at the mouth of the creek, which at its +mouth opened out into quite a little bay or inlet. They would take +up a mouthful of earth from the bottom and let it wash through their +mouths, keeping all the bits of food that happened to be in it. When +one fish got a good place to feed the others swam around it and tried +to get some of the food. + +Robinson watched his chance and slipped his net under a group, while +each one was busy trying to get the best mouthful of mud. He drew up +three quite large fish, but just as he was about to lift them from +the water, one of the cords which bound the net to the poles broke +and he saw his catch fall back into the creek and dart away in the +deepest water. But Robinson was not to be discouraged. He soon mended +his net and at last was successful. In a short time he drew out another +catch of two fish. + +These proved excellent food and were so abundant as to furnish +Robinson with all the fish he wanted as long as he stayed on the +island. + + + + +XXXIII + +ROBINSON BUILDS A BOAT + + +Robinson had wished for a boat many times. He wished to explore the +shore of his island. He wanted to go clear around it so that he might +see it on every side. But he knew the work of making a boat would be +great, if not wholly impossible. + +The shaping of boards to build a boat with his rude tools was not to +be thought of. He knew how the Indians made boats out of bark of +trees. 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 by +hollowing out a large log. The forest was full of the boles of trees +that had been blown down. But they were far away from the shore. At +first he did not think of this very much. He had overcome so many +difficulties that he thought, "Never mind, I will get my boat to +water, no matter where I make it, in some way." So he selected a tree +trunk some distance from the bank of the little creek near his cave +and began work. + +He had first to burn out his log the proper length and hack it into +boat 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 the +danger of spoiling the shape of the slowly forming boat. Both ends +must be sharpened, but one more than the other to form the prow or +forward going end. After he had shaped his boat, he began hollowing +it out. This he did also by burning for the most part. He used the +branches 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 regular +duties in attending to his goats, his garden and his cave. He was +always making his cave larger. Every time he made a piece of furniture +or stored away grain he must make more room in his cave by digging +away the earth and carrying it out. He had made a large strong wicker +basket for this purpose. + +He had had a vague idea that when he got his boat done he would dig +a trench back from the bank of the creek and thus float his boat. But +he had not thought it out clearly. "Or anyway," he thought, "I can +in some way manage to roll it to the water." He must now actually plan +to put some of these ideas into effect. He first went over the ground +and found that to dig a trench from the water to the boat, so that +the water would come to the boat, he would have to dig it twenty feet +deep. "I can never do this," he said, "with my poor tools." + +He next tried his rolling plan. But he had been so anxious to have +a large boat that he had overlooked everything else. Try as hard as +he might he could not stir his boat from the spot. After many trials +with 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 anything +without first having thought it out carefully." + +There was nothing to do but to choose another tree trunk. This time +he selected a much smaller one, and one that lay at the top of the +little slope or incline from the bank of the creek. After another weary +six months of work he had his second boat ready for launching. With +a good stout lever he gave it a start, when it rolled quickly down +into the water. Robinson again wept for joy. Of all his projects this +had cost him the most work and pains and at last to see his plans +successful filled him with delight. + +The next problem was how to make it go. He had no certain knowledge +how far it was around the island, but he knew it was farther than he +wanted to row or paddle his boat. Yet he knew from the way the wind +blew that he could not always depend upon a sail to help him. He must +become skillful in paddling his boat. A sail too would be very helpful +at times. He imagined how pleasant it would be sitting in the boat +sailing along with a gentle wind. "When the wind is favorable," he +thought, "I will only have to steer with my paddle." + +So he set about weaving a sail of his sisal fibre. To do this he had +to make a much larger loom than he had yet used. His sail must be at +least four feet square. He was now so skilled in weaving that this +was soon finished. He then made plenty of string, cord, and rope, put +in a mast and was ready to sail. But he did not venture far away until +he had spent weeks and weeks in learning to steer, sail, and paddle +his boat. + + + + +XXXIV + +ROBINSON AS A SAILOR + + +Ever since Robinson had finished his boat he had been eager to make +a tour of his island. He had indeed made a journey by land. But the +deep forests and tangled vines made it very difficult to travel. His +journeys had shown him but a small part of the land. He wished to know +all about the land of which he, so far as he knew, was the sole +master. + +His first care was to fit up his boat with provisions. He made some +large baskets in which to carry food and a large covered jar for +water. These he stored in the bow and the stern of his boat. He +fastened his parasol on the stern for a shelter from the sun. He baked +up a quantity of cakes or loaves of bread and packed them in his +baskets. He had woven these so carefully that they would almost hold +water. + +At last all was ready. It was on the sixth day of November in the +sixth year of his life on the island that Robinson hoisted his sail +and set out upon this voyage of discovery. He had waited until the +wind was gentle and blowing as far easterly as it does at that place. +He scudded along bravely, running with the land toward the East and +North. All went well until + +[Illustration] + +he came to a low reef or ledge of rocks running far out to sea in a +north-easterly direction. + +When Robinson observed this he went on shore and climbed to a high +point to see if it was safe to venture. He was afraid of hidden +currents, or streams of water. These might carry him away from the +shore and prevent him from getting around the point. + +He did indeed observe that there was a current running out to sea past +the ledge, but he thought he could by careful paddling keep his boat +from striking the rock. If he could once get beyond the ledge, the +wind would help him double or get around the point. Indeed the danger +was that the wind would blow him on to the rocks. + +He waited for two days for a gentle wind. At last without sail he +pushed his boat into the current and was born swiftly seaward. He +found the current much stronger than he thought it would be. It rushed +his 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 steadily +going out to sea. He gave himself up for lost. He reproached himself +for being so rash and foolhardy as to trust his fortunes in so frail +a craft. How dear at this time seemed the island to him! The wind which +he had depended on to help him at this point had died down so that +it was at the mercy of the current. He kept urging his boat to the +westward as much as possible, with all his strength, hoping that a +breeze would finally spring up. + +He struggled on bravely until about noon. He had been carried out a +great distance into the sea, but not so far as to lose sight of the +land. All at once he felt the breeze freshening up. It caught his sail +and soon his boat was cutting across the current. He did not have to +go 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 long +the shore ran away to the southward again. He ran briskly along the +west side until he found a little bay or cove. He determined to enter +this, draw up his boat on shore and make his way back home across the +island on foot. He was almost exhausted with his great labor and was +worn out with anxiety. + +In the centre of the arms of the cove he found a little creek entering +the 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 with +tears in his eyes thanked God for his deliverance. The island which +had seemed to him a prison now seemed the fairest and dearest place +in the world. + +Having made his boat safe he started back toward his shelter. But he +was too tired to go far. He soon came to a little grove of trees +beneath which he laid himself down and soon was fast asleep. + +You can imagine with what surprise Robinson was awakened out of his +sleep by a voice calling his name. "Robinson, Robinson Crusoe," it + +[Illustration] + +said, "poor Robinson Crusoe! Where are you Robinson, where have you +been?" + +He was so fast asleep that he did not at first rouse up entirely and +thought he was dreaming. But the voice kept calling, "Robinson, +Robinson, poor Robinson Crusoe!" He was greatly frightened and started +up. But no sooner were his eyes opened than he saw his parrot sitting +on 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 was +a pleasant surprise. She immediately flew to him and lit on his +shoulder. She showed in many ways how glad she was to see him and kept +saying, "Poor Robinson, poor Robinson Crusoe!" + +Robinson remained here over night and the next morning made his way +back to the shelter. Up to this time Robinson had never seen any +dangerous animals on the island. He had grown used to life there and +went about without fear of animals. But as he was returning across +a 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 soon +there was thrust out the head of a great serpent. Its jaws were open +and its eyes were fixed on a poor terrified little rabbit. The rabbit +seemed rooted to the spot. It could not stir a muscle and was soon +caught in the folds of the great snake. + +This sight made Robinson greatly afraid. He wanted to rush to the +rescue of the rabbit, but what could he do against such a foe? He +resolved in the future to keep a more careful watch and always to +sleep in his bower. + +Robinson had enough of exploring for some time. He was contented to +remain at home. He made many things he needed. He had saved all the +skins of the goats he had killed for meat and all that had died from +any cause. These he made into rugs for his bed. He kept at his loom +too, for he was anxious to weave enough of his coarse cloth to make +him a suit of clothes. He learned how to braid mats and rugs out of +his fibre, and finally replaced his awkward hat and parasol with +others braided very skillfully from the long grasses that grew so +abundantly in the marshy places. + +Another thing that Robinson was now able to make or weave out of his +fibre was a hammock. He had slept all this time on a bed made of poles +laid lengthwise and thickly covered with the skins of goats and +rabbits. + +Now he could have a comfortable place to sleep. He did not stop until +he had made two. One was for the bower and the other was for use +out-of-doors. When his work was done in the evening or in the heat +of the midday he would lie in it at full length under the shade of +the trees. + + + + +XXXV + +A DISCOVERY + + +Robinson could not forget his boat. It seemed a companion. "It may +be the means of my escape from this place," he thought. He took frequent +journeys across the island to where his little boat lay in the cove. +He would start out in the morning and walk over to the west side of +the island, take his boat and have a pleasant little sail. He always +returned home before dark, for to tell the truth, Robinson was a +coward. He was as timid as a hare. He was afraid of everything and +spent many nights without sleep because of fear. + +It was while on one of his visits to his boat that Robinson made a +discovery that changed his whole life. It happened one day, about +noon, when he was going toward his boat that he, with great surprise, +saw the print of a man's naked foot on the shore in the sand. He stood +like one rooted to the ground. He could not move, so great was his +surprise and fear. He listened, looked around, but could hear and see +nothing. He went up to a little hill to look further, but nothing was +in sight. There was but the one footprint. There was no doubt about +it, there it was, foot, toes, heel and every part of a foot. Robinson +tried to think how it might have gotten there, but he could not. It +was a mystery. He was greatly afraid and started at once for his +shelter. He ran like one pursued. At every little way he would look +behind to see if anyone was following him. + +Never a frightened rabbit ran to his hiding place with more terror +than Robinson ran to his cave. He did not sleep that night for fear +and remained in his shelter for three days, never venturing out. But +his food was growing short and his goats needed to be milked. He +finally with a thousand wild fancies forced himself to go about his +duties. + +But he could not get the footprint out of his mind. He spent many sad +and fearful days thinking about it. "How could it have gotten there? +Whose was it? Was the owner savage or not? What did he want on the +island?" were some of the questions that haunted him. + +"Perhaps," he thought one day, "I just imagined I saw a footprint, +or perhaps it was one of my own that I have made when going to sail +my boat." He took courage at this and began to go about the island +again. But he went in great fear, always looking behind him. He was +always ready to run at the first sign of danger. He had made himself +a large, strong, new bow and plenty of arrows. He carried these in +a quiver he had made from his cloth. He fashioned too a sharp-pointed, +lance-like weapon which he hurled with a kind of sling. In his belt +he carried some new sharpened stone knives. He had found a better kind +of rock out of which to make his knives. It resembled glass and could +be brought to a fine, keen edge. + +Armed thus, he began to have more confidence. He had a strong desire +to see the footprint again and make up his mind about it. He wished +to measure it. In this way he could tell certainly whether it was a +chance print of his own foot or not. So, after a few days, he again +ventured across the island. Alas, on measuring the print it was much +larger than his own! There could no longer be any doubt that it +belonged to someone else. + +Again great fear fell on poor Robinson. He shook with cold and fright. +He resolved to make himself more secure against attack. + +He cut and carried willow stakes and set them in a thick hedge around +in front of his shelter. This was outside the first and enclosed it. +In a season or two these had grown to such a height as to shut out +all view of his home from sight to one coming to it from the front. + +His flock of goats gave him many troubled thoughts. His goats were +his greatest treasure. From them he obtained without trouble his meat, +his milk and butter. + +"What if they were discovered and killed or carried away?" He resolved +to divide his herd into three parts and secrete these in separate +fenced pastures in different parts of the island. His herd of goats +now numbered twenty-five. He made thorough search about the island +for the most secluded and best hidden spots where he could fence in +a pasture. + +One day as he was exploring on the west side of the island to find +another open space for a goat field, he thought he spied away out to +sea a boat. He looked long and anxiously and yet he was not sure that +it was a boat he saw. But how easy, thought Robinson, for the people +of the mainland, which must be at no great distance to the westward, +to come across to this side of the island in fair weather. He thought +too, how fortunate he was to have been cast on the east side of the +island. For there he had his shelter in the very safest part. + +As he was coming down from a hill where he had gone to get a better +view of the sea he made another discovery. About him everywhere at +the foot of the hill were bones of all kinds. Near by too, were charcoal +and ashes. There could be no mistake, the place was visited by human +beings. These were very likely savages. Everything showed that they +came for the purpose of feasting and not for plundering. It was very +likely that they neither sought anything on the island nor expected +it. + +[Illustration: WATCHING FOR SAVAGES] + +This thought greatly relieved Robinson. He returned home in a very +thankful and composed state of mind. He had now been on the island +almost eighteen years and had not been discovered. Yet, no doubt, the +island had been visited many times by the savages since he had been +there. + +In a short time his fear of discovery wore off and he began to live +just as he did before his discovery. + +He took, however, greater precaution against surprise. He always +carried his bow and arrows, his lance and knives. He was also very +careful about making a great smoke from his fire. He burned a great +quantity of wood in a pit and made charcoal. With this material he +had a fine fire with a very little smoke. Every day also he went to +the top of the hill back of his shelter in order to discover if possible +the approach of savages. + + + + +XXXVI + +THE LANDING OF THE SAVAGES + + +Another year passed by, Robinson longed more and more to get away from +the island. Year after year he had hoped and watched in vain for a +passing ship. Every day he would scan the waters that held him +prisoner for the welcome sight of a sail. He had been disappointed. +Now his only hope was to escape to the mainland in some way. He feared +the savages. He had heard stories of their being cannibals. But if +they could come to his island in their canoes against the prevailing +wind, why could he not get to the mainland with it in his favor? + +Strange as it may be, Robinson began to wish for the return of the +savages. He hoped to watch them at a distance and find out something +about their customs. More especially he wished that he might capture +one of them. He had two reasons for this. In the first place he would +have a companion. He pictured fondly how he would teach him gentle +manners and the English speech. And, too, the companion would be able +to help him. Besides this he longed above all to know more of the +mainland and whether it would be safe to go there. He wanted to find +out in what kind of boat they made the voyage. He thought that if he +had such a person he would have someone to show him the way to reach +the land. + +The more he thought, the more anxious he became to see the savages +on the island. He thought so much about it by day that he dreamed about +it at night. One night he dreamed that the savages came, drew their +boats upon the shore and began to prepare their feast. As he watched +them one of their number broke away from his fellows and came straight +toward his hiding-place. Robinson thought he rushed out, drove away +those that followed the fleeing man and rescued him. This dream made +a deep impression upon him and made him await the coming of the savages +with great hopes and eagerness. + +It was more than eighteen months after he had formed this plan of +capturing one of the savages before the savages made their appearance. +Robinson was surprised one morning to see no less than five canoes +drawn up on the shore at a point on his side of the island about two +miles below his shelter, to the south. The people that had come in +them were on shore and out of sight. Robinson went back to his shelter +to make his plans. He made up his mind that he would be foolish to +attack them. There must be twenty-five or thirty of them. He finally +went to a point where he could see farther inland and soon caught +sight of a crowd of about thirty savages. They were naked and dancing +around and around in a circle. All the while they were singing and +making hideous noises. There was a fire in the center of the ring of +savages. "They are cooking their feast," thought Robinson. "Maybe I +can surprise them while they eat and rush in and seize one." But this +seemed too great a risk to run. He had no weapons but his bow and +arrows, his lance and knife. What could he do against so great a +number? + +But fortune favored his plans. As he gazed at them from his safe +distance he saw one of their number break away from the rest and run +with utmost speed directly toward his hiding-place. At once two other +savages pursued him. They had no weapons but clubs. They ran with +great swiftness, but the man in front was steadily gaining ground. + +Robinson now to tell the truth was dreadfully frightened to see the +savage run directly toward him and his shelter. He kept his place, +however, and watched the race. The man running away ran along the +shore and would soon come to the little creek that emptied into the +sea below his home. Robinson saw that the savage would have to swim +this to escape. He ran down thither and concealed himself behind a +tree and waited for the fugitive to come up. As he did so, the fleeing +savage plunged in and swam across with a few strong strokes. When he +was well on the bank, Robinson presented himself and made signs to +him to come to him and he would help him. The savage was at first almost +overcome with astonishment and fright, for Robinson presented a very +unusual sight. The savage at once ran to him and fell down at his +feet. Indeed so great was his fright and distress that he placed one +of Robinson's feet upon his neck in sign that he yielded up his life +into his hands. Robinson raised him up and motioned for him to take +the lance and help in defence against the men, now coming up. They +hid behind trees and waited for them to swim across the stream. But +this they did not do. When they reached the creek, they could see nothing +of their runaway. They very slowly turned and went back to their +companions. + +Robinson was well content not to let them know that there was any one +on the island. He feared they might return and destroy his shelter +and fields. + +Robinson took the savage to his shelter and gave him bread and raisins +to eat, and a cup of water to drink. He was very hungry and ate +greedily. After he had eaten, Robinson made signs for him to lie down +and sleep, for the Indian was nearly tired out with his long and swift +run. + +He was a handsome fellow of his race. His limbs were large, straight +and strong. He had a good face. His hair was long and black, his +forehead high, and his eyes bright. His skin was not black, but of +an olive color. His teeth were fine set and as white as ivory. + +He slept about an hour; when he awoke he came running to Robinson and +again made signs to him that he was his slave. "You saved my life," +he seemed to say, "and now I will serve you." Robinson named him Friday +at once, for that was the day on which the great event of his escape +had taken place. + +Robinson's next care was to fit him out with some clothing. He had +by this time several suits made of his coarse cloth. He soon had Friday +dressed in one of the old ones, with a straw or braided hat on his +head. He did not think it safe to allow Friday to sleep with him in +the bower. He made a little tent for him inside the enclosure. This +was covered with goatskins and made a very good protection from both +heat and rain. + +Robinson took care to keep all his knives and weapons near him in the +bower. But his fears that Friday might harm him were unfounded. Friday +from the first was faithful to his master. He was sweet and obedient +in all things. He seemed to look upon Robinson with the love of a +child for its father and never tired of serving him. + + + + +XXXVII + +ROBINSON AS A TEACHER + +(From Robinson's Diary) + + +"I began to consider that having now two mouths to feed instead of +one, I must provide more ground for my harvest and plant a larger +quantity of corn than I used to plant. So I marked out a larger piece +of land and began to fence it in. Friday worked not only very +willingly but very hard. I told him that it was for corn to make more +bread because he was now with me. He let me know that he was grateful +for my kindness and would work much harder if I would tell him what +to do. + +"This was the pleasantest year of all the life I led in this place. +Friday began to talk pretty well and understood the names of almost +all the things that I called for and of all the places which I wished +to send him. I was careful to teach him all the things I knew. I +showed him how to plant and harvest corn, how to gather fibre, spin +yarn and to weave it into cloth. He learned these things quickly and +became very skillful in making pots. He knew something about this +because at home he had seen the women make them. He ornamented them +with figures of birds and flowers. I taught him about the true God. +But as for writing he could never do much with this. I had no books +and could not make him understand the importance of writing. He began +to talk a great deal to me. This delighted me very much. I began to +love him exceedingly. He was so very honest and faithful. + +"After I had taught him English I tried one day to find out whether +he had any wish to return to his own country and as I talked to him +about it I saw his face light up with joy and his eye sparkle. From +this I had no doubt but that Friday would like to be in his own country +again. This for a time made me sad, to think how eagerly he would +leave me to be among his savage friends. 'Do you not wish you were +back in your own country, Friday?' I said to him one day. 'Yes,' he +said, 'I be much O glad to be back in my country.' 'What would you +do there,' said I? 'Would you turn wild again and do as the savages +do?' He shook his head and said very gravely, 'No, no, Friday tell +them to live good. He tell them to plant corn and live like white mans.' + +"One day when we were on the top of a hill on the west side of the +island, Friday suddenly began to jump and dance about in great glee. +I asked him what the matter was. 'O, joy, O glad,' he said; 'there +my country!' The air was so clear that from this place, as I had before +discovered, land could be distinctly seen looking westward. + +"I asked him how far it was from our island to his country and whether +their canoes were ever lost in coming and going. He said that there +was no danger. No canoes were ever wrecked and that it was easy to +get back and forth. I asked him many things about his people and country. +He told me that away to the west of his country there lived 'white +mans like you.' I thought these must be the people of Central America, +and asked him how I might come from this island and get among these +white men. He made me understand that I must have a large boat as big +as two canoes. + +"I resolved at once to begin to make a boat large enough for us to +pass over to the land we could see lying to the west and if possible +to go on to the white man's country Friday told me about. It took us +nearly two months to make our boat and rig her out with sails, masts, +rudder, and anchor. We had to weave our sails and twist our rope. We +burned out the canoe from a large fallen log. We used a great stone +tied securely to the end of a strong rope for an anchor. + +"When we had the boat in the water, Friday showed great skill in +rowing or paddling it. + +[Illustration: ROBINSON AND FRIDAY SAILING THE BOAT] + +"He had managed boats ever since he was old enough, but he did not +know how to handle a sail or rudder. He learned very quickly, however, +to sail and steer the boat and soon was perfectly at home in it. + +"We made our boat safe by keeping it in the little cove at the mouth +of the creek. I had Friday to fetch rocks and build a dock or place +for landing. But the rainy season was now coming on and we must wait +for fair weather. In the meantime I planned to lay by such quantities +of food as we would need to take along." + + + + +XXXVIII + +ANOTHER SHIPWRECK + + +One evening Robinson sat in his shelter thinking of his plans to +escape to Friday's country. He was sad. For, after all, this place +was very dear to him. It was the only home he had. Had he not made +everything with his own hands? It was doubly dear to him on this +account. He thought how it would grieve him to leave his goats, his +fields, and the many comforts he had here. + +He had been telling Friday of his home in New York. He told him of +the great city, and of its many wonderful sights. He told him of his +country and people, of his flag and its history. All these things +brought back memories of his boyhood and he wondered what changes had +come in his long absence. Friday, with wonderful intelligence, +listened to all Robinson told him. He was delighted in hearing +Robinson tell of the wonders of the great world, for he had never +known anything about it. As they talked Robinson noticed the approach +of a storm. The sky was getting black with clouds. The winds were +blowing a hurricane. The waves were coming in mountain high. It +reminded him of the eventful night now twenty-five years ago when his +ship was tossed up on the shore like an egg shell and broken to +pieces. + +Suddenly there was a sound that made Robinson start from his seat with +the wildest alarm. Was it the sound of a cannon from the ocean or the +terrible crash and roar of the water on the rocks of the coast? There +it is again; it is a cannon! Some ship is in distress! This is its +signal! Robinson ran out and down to the shore with Friday at his +heels. + +"O master!" said Friday, "can we not help? If they only knew the +island was here and how to steer into the harbor beyond the point of +land on the south." + +Robinson was so excited that he scarcely knew what he was doing. He +ran up and down the shore calling wildly, but the awful roar of the +sea and wind drowned his cries. Suddenly his thoughts came to him. +"Quick, Friday, get some fire in a pot. We will run to the point, +gather grass and wood, and make a fire there. Maybe we can guide them +into the harbor." + +They soon had a great beacon light sending its welcome greeting far +over the sea. The pilot of the ship saw it and steered his ship nearer +and nearer. Robinson was ready to shout for joy as the ship seemed +about to make the harbor. The ship had her sails torn in shreds and +her rudder broken. It was hard to steer her in such a gale. On +rounding the point, she was blown on the rocks. With a frightful crash +which could be heard above the din of the storm she struck and held +fast. Robinson could hear the cries of the men and the orders of the +officers. They were trying to get boats ready to put off, but such +was the confusion of the storm and the enormous waves breaking over +the deck that it could not be done quickly. Before the men could get +a boat into the sea, and get into it, the ship gave a lurch to one +side as though about to sink. All the men jumped for one boat. It was +overburdened. The wind tossed it about. The sea soon filled it and +it went down and all were lost. + +Robinson and Friday remained on the shore all night. They watched to +see if they could not help some poor sailor that might cling to a +plank and be blown on shore. They saw no one. + +At last they lay down, but they could not sleep. Many times they +sprang up and ran about for fear that some poor fellow would need +their help. At last morning came. The storm ceased. Robinson and +Friday searched everywhere for the bodies of the sailors, but could +find none. But the wind had blown the ship in plain view, and into +shallow waters. It was lying on the bottom with more than half its +bulk out of the water. The masts were gone. It was a sad sight. No +human being could be seen on it. + +They were now rejoiced that they had their boat ready. "Let us take +it," said Robinson "and go out to the ship. It may be some person is +still on the unfortunate ship." They were soon by the ship's side. +They rowed around it until they saw a rope hanging down from the deck. +Robinson seized this and clambered up. Friday tied the boat fast, and +followed. Robinson opened the door leading from the deck into the ship +and went down. He searched in all the cabins, and knocked at all the +doors. He called, but all was still. When he was satisfied that every +person on board had been drowned he wept bitterly. + +Friday stood there with open and staring eyes. He looked and looked. +He was astonished at the large ship and at the wonderful things before +him. They were in the cabin where the passengers had been. There stood +trunks under the benches and clothes hung on the hooks on the wall. +One trunk was open. In it were telescopes through which the travelers +had looked at the land. Robinson saw also paper, pens, pen-holders +and ink. Books were also near by. Robinson first took a thick book. +It was the Bible, out of which his mother had so often taught him. +Then they came to the sailors' cabin. There hung muskets and swords +and bags of shot and cartridges. Then they went to the work-room. There +were saws, hammers, spades, shovels, chisels, nails, bottles, and pails, +knives and forks. And something more, over which Robinson was most +glad, matches. At last they came into the store-room. There lay bags +of flour and barley, teas, lentils, beans and sugar. Then Robinson +embraced Friday in his great joy and said to him, "How rich we are!" + + + + +XXXIX + +SAVING THINGS FROM THE SHIP + + +After Robinson had looked through the ship he began to plan the way +to get the tools and things he most wanted on shore. He and Friday +first carried everything together that he wanted to take on shore. +When they had done this, he found he had the following things. Robinson +stood everything together that he needed most. + + 1. A case of nails and screws. + 2. Two iron axes and several hatchets. + 3. A saw. + 4. A small case of planes, tongs, augers, + files, chisels, etc. + 5. A third case with iron brackets, hooks, + hinges, etc. + 6. A case of matches. + 7. A barrel of gunpowder. + 8. Two muskets and a pistol. + 9. Several swords. + 10. A bag of cartridges. + 11. A large sail cloth and some rope. + 12. A telescope. + +By means of the ship's ropes, Robinson let everything down into his +boat. He himself took the Bible and then they rowed to the shore, and +unloaded the boat. Everything was put into the bower where rain could +not harm it. By the time they had this done, night was coming on and +they decided to do no more that day, but wait until the next day. + +"We must work fast," said Robinson. "The first storm is likely to +break the ship in pieces and destroy everything in it." + +The next morning early they ate a hastily prepared breakfast and were +off to the boat. Neither Robinson nor Friday stopped for their noonday +lunch. "A storm is brewing," said Robinson, "the air is calm, the sky +is overcast with clouds, the heat is oppressive. We must hurry." With +the utmost diligence they rowed back and forth all day. They made nine +trips. They had now on shore a surprising quantity of all kinds of +tools, goods and weapons. They had all kinds of ware to use in the +kitchen, clothes, and food. Robinson prized a little four-wheeled +wagon and a whetstone. + +But in looking over his stores, Robinson suddenly discovered that he +had no needles or thread. They went at once to procure these important +articles. In looking for needles and thread, Robinson found a small +trunk full of money and valuable stones. There were diamonds, rubies, +pearls, and much gold. Robinson pushed it to one side. "What can I +do with riches on this island? I would give them all for some needles +and thread," he said to Friday. But on second thought he took the trunk +and its contents along with him to his cave. For in the trunk were +also letters and writings. "Perhaps," he said, "these tell to whom +the valuables belong and I can return them some time." + +Robinson at last found a case containing everything one could need +with which to cut and sew cloth. There were scissors, thread, needles, +thimbles, tapes, and buttons. But now the wind was rising and they +must hurry. They were nearly ready for departure. They were passing +through a part of the ship not before visited. They were surprised +to hear a sound coming from a room whose door was kept shut by a heap +of stuff that had been thrown against it by the violent pitching of +the ship in the storm. Robinson and Friday cleared away the rubbish +and were surprised to find a dog almost drowned. He was so weak from +want of food that his cries could be heard a short distance only. Robinson +took him tenderly in his arms and carried him to the boat, while +Friday carried the sewing case and the trunk. + +The wind was now blowing a gale. A few yards from the ship they were +in great danger. Robinson grasped the rudder and made Friday stand +ready to cut away the mast in case they found the wind too strong. +With the greatest difficulty they finally made the little cove at the +mouth of the creek and were soon landed with their precious cargo. +The next morning they eagerly searched the waters for the ship. Not +even their field glasses could reveal anything of it. Some planks, +a mast, and parts of a small boat were blown on shore. All else had +disappeared. + +Robinson set to work at once to make a door for his bower out of the +pine wood cast up by the waves. How easy the work proceeded with saws, +hammers, augers, squares, planes, nails, hinges, and screws! With the +wagon too, Friday could now gather his corn quickly and easily, or +haul in a great quantity of grapes to dry for raisins. + +Friday had never seen a gun. He did not know the use of firearms. The +muskets that Robinson had brought from the ship were a great mystery +to him. Robinson showed him their use. He showed how they could defend +themselves. He told Friday that these weapons would kill at a +distance. He took some powder and touched a match to it. Friday was +greatly frightened. + +Robinson then proceeded to load the gun. He + +[Illustration: ROBINSON SHOWING FRIDAY HOW TO SHOOT] + +put in some powder, a ball of lead or bullet. Then at the hammer he +placed a little cap which gave a flash when struck. This ignited the +powder. When all was in readiness Robinson bade Friday follow him. +They went slowly out into the forest along the stream. Soon Robinson +espied a rabbit sitting under a clump of grass. Robinson raised his +gun, took careful aim, pressed the trigger. There was a flash and loud +report and there lay the rabbit dead. But Friday, too, was lying on +the ground. He had fainted from astonishment and fright. Robinson +dropped his gun and raised the poor fellow up to a sitting position. +He quickly recovered. He ran to get the rabbit. He examined it +carefully. Robinson at last pointed out the hole the bullet had made +and the mystery of the way the rabbit was killed was solved. + +Robinson had lived alone so long that he had learned to love every +living creature on the island. He never harmed anything except when +he needed food. He had lived so quietly that the birds and animals +did not fear him. They lived near his shelter and seemed to know him. + +Robinson was delighted with his new tools and weapons. But they +reminded him of home. Nothing that he had seen in all the time he had +been on the island so turned his thoughts toward home and friends. +Robinson would sit for hours thinking of the past and making plans +for the future. He was homesick. + + + + +XL + +THE RETURN OF THE SAVAGES + + +Robinson now renewed his plans for escaping from the island to +Friday's country. They first rebuilt their boat with their new tools. +They hollowed out the center till the sides were thin toward the top. +They shaped her sides and keel. They made her prow sharp so that she +would cut the water easily. They made a new mast, strong and tall and +shapely. They made larger and stronger sails and ropes. They made two +pairs of extra oars. They made boxes and cupboards in the prow and +stern for keeping their fresh water and provisions. Friday's eyes +sparkled with joy when it was done. He hoped he would now be able to +return to his own island and parents. Robinson noticed his joy and +asked him, "Do you want to return to your own people?" + +"Yes," said Friday, "very much." + +"Would you trust yourself in this boat?" + +"Yes," said Friday. + +"Very well," said his master, "you may have it and start home when +you please.". "Yes, Master, but you come too, my people will not hurt +you." Robinson resolved to venture over to Friday's land with him. + +But before their preparations were complete the rainy season of our +fall set in. They resolved to wait until the weather was settled and +as soon as the rainy season was over to set out. They ran their boat +well up into the creek and covered it over with a large tarpaulin made +of sail-cloth obtained from the ship. + +Robinson had now been on the island twenty-seven years. For the last +three years he had lived happily with his companion Friday. Every year +in September, Robinson celebrated the day his life was saved and he +was thrown up on the island. Robinson celebrated it this year with +more than the usual thankfulness. He thought that it would be his last +anniversary on the island. + +One morning, Friday had gone to the beach to find a turtle. Soon he +came running back out of breath. "O Master," he cried, "they are +coming, they are coming to take me prisoner!" He was trembling with +fright. + +"We must take our guns and defend ourselves," said Robinson. "But we +will not kill anyone unless they attack us." This quieted Friday. They +loaded four muskets and three pistols. Robinson put the pistols in +his belt, where he also fastened a sword. He gave Friday a pistol and +a musket, for Friday had learned to shoot well. Besides Friday carried +a bag of powder and bullets. Robinson took his field glasses and saw +twenty-one savages with two prisoners. The prisoners were bound and +lying on the ground. This was a war party celebrating a victory with +a feast. They probably intended to kill their prisoners. "We must save +the lives of those men," said Robinson. + +The savages this time had landed quite near Robinson's shelter, not +more than a half mile below the creek's mouth. Soon he and Friday +started off. Robinson commanded Friday to follow quietly and not to +speak or shoot. + +"We will surprise them and give them a good scare," said Robinson. + +When yet a considerable distance away they could hear the savages +yelling and screaming. Some of them were dancing their war dance. +Their faces and bodies were painted to make them look terrible to +their enemies. They were dancing around their prisoners with hideous +cries and gestures. They could now see the prisoners plainly. One had +a beard and was plainly a white man. Robinson was surprised and +determined to save him at all risks. + +"Get your gun ready to fire," he said to Friday, "and when I say the +word let us run forward yelling and firing our guns over their heads. +This will fill them with such fright that they will take to their +heels and boats and get away as soon as possible. In the scramble and +confusion we will rush in and rescue the prisoners." + +This plan did not please Friday at all. His savage blood was up and +he wanted to kill all he could. "Let's fire on them," he said. "Let's +kill all but the prisoners." + +"No, no," said Robinson, "it's always wrong to take life unless it +cannot be avoided to save one's own. Let's try my plan first." + +With great reluctance Friday consented. At a signal from Robinson they +rushed forward, and when in plain sight they fired off their muskets +in the air. If the ground had suddenly exploded beneath their feet +there could have been no more confusion, astonishment, and fright. +A few took to their heels. Others lay as if dead. They had swooned +from fright. But as Robinson came up they jumped to their feet and +pushed into the boats, leaving the prisoners behind. Robinson and Friday +still rushed forward and fired their remaining loaded guns and pistols +in the air. The savages made all haste to get into their boats and +push off. Soon they were well out to sea, paddling rapidly for the +west. Robinson reloaded his arms and gave them a farewell volley, but +not a soul was killed or even wounded. This gave Robinson great +pleasure. He had accomplished his purpose without bloodshed. + +They could now turn to the prisoners. Robinson ran back to them and +quickly cut their ropes. Robinson asked the white man who he was, but +the man was too weak to answer. Robinson gave him a piece of bread. + +The fear of death being removed, the white man soon grew stronger. +When Friday came running back from watching the boats and saw the +savage that had been a prisoner he gave a loud yell. He threw his arms +around the man, kissed him and laughed and cried for joy. He put his +head on his breast and hugged him again and again. Robinson was +greatly surprised and puzzled. He asked Friday what his actions meant. +But so intent was Friday that he got no answer. + +At last Friday recovered far enough from his great joy to say with +face beaming with delight, "O, Master, this man is my dear father." +They at once began a long conversation, each one told his story. +Suddenly Friday jumped up and said, "How foolish I am, I have not +thought to give my father anything to eat and drink. He must be nearly +starved." And away he ran toward the shelter and was soon back with +food and water to drink. + +[Illustration: FRIDAY AND HIS FATHER] + +Robinson learned through Friday from his father that the white man +was a Spaniard, that he had been captured by the tribe that had a battle +with Friday's people. The Spaniard was one of sixteen men that had +been saved by Friday's people from a wrecked ship. So weak were the +prisoners that they could not walk to the shelter. Robinson and Friday +made a litter and carried them one after the other. When once there, +Friday prepared some rich rice soup. The prisoners ate heartily and +in a few days were strong enough to go about the island. + + + + +XLI + +DELIVERANCE AT LAST + + +Friday had not forgotten the plan for going to his home. He would +often mention it and spent hours talking about it during the long +rainy season. But now that the Spaniard and Friday's father had come +into the family, Robinson felt he must change his plans a little. He +felt very sorry for the Spaniards left in Friday's country. They did +not have enough to eat and were sick and sad besides. He talked the +matter over with the Spaniard many times. They at last planned to send +for them. The Spaniard and Friday's father were to go. Robinson was +for doing it at once. But the Spaniard advised delay. "How can we get +food for ourselves and fifteen others? Your small store will soon be +used up," he argued. Robinson at last saw that this difficulty must +be overcome. There was just one thing to do, and this, to delay their +departure until a new crop of corn could be raised. This would take +six months. + +But at it they went. The four men could do much and work fast. They +cleared more ground and planted all the seed corn they could spare +from their store. Besides this they sowed about twelve bushels of +barley they had gotten in the ship. + +The care for so much crop, its harvesting and storing away, kept them +very busy for the season. Robinson not only did this, but also +increased his flock of goats by catching kids and putting them in his +pasture. He gathered, too, all the grapes he could and dried them on +the branches of trees. + +At the end of the harvesting season, they made ready their boat. They +filled it with all the bread it could well carry. They put in raisins +and fresh water. Robinson gave the Spaniard and Friday's father each +a musket and plenty of powder and bullets. Now, all was ready. Friday +gave his father a loving farewell. He stretched out his arms towards +him as the boat moved away. The Spaniard and Robinson waved their hats +and they were off. + +They promised to be back in eight or nine days. Robinson and Friday +made every preparation to receive the guests. They were to have a home +not far from Robinson's built of poles, and thatched with the long +marsh grasses, like Robinson's bower. There was no need of hiding or +defending it. It did not take long to fix it up. + +Eight days had now passed since the boat had left. Friday could hardly +restrain himself longer. He watched the ocean all the time. He would +go to the top of the hill with the field + +[Illustration: ROBINSON AND FRIDAY SEE A SHIP] + +glasses every hour during the day to catch a first glimpse of them. + +On the ninth day, as Friday put up his glasses to search the waters +he dropped them with a yell of surprise. He tore down the hill with +the utmost speed and rushed up to Robinson as one gone mad. "Look, +look, O Master!" he cried, "a big ship; a big ship way out on the sea!" +Robinson took the glasses, and sure enough, there within hailing +distance was a large ocean going vessel. Robinson was overcome with +excitement. + +For twenty-eight years his aching eyes had scanned the waters for this +welcome sight. His joy was boundless. The ship looked like an +American. Yes, there floated the American flag! How welcome a sight +to Robinson. He could not utter a word. Tears filled his eyes and +streamed down his cheeks. He would soon have news from home. He ran +to the shore and shot off a gun to attract the attention of those on +board. He heard answering shots at once. + +Soon a boat was lowered and in it three men rowed toward the shore. +It was the captain himself and two sailors. The captain was astonished +to find a man in the lonely island. Robinson told how it all had happened +and how he would like to return home. To his unspeakable delight the +captain told him that the ship was bound for New York and would take +him along free of charge, but he must leave that day. The ship could +not be delayed any longer. Of course Robinson would go. Friday was +beside himself with grief. He did not want to be left behind alone. +He did not know that the Spaniards would ever return. Something might +happen to them on the sea. But before the eventful day the Spaniards +landed. They brought word that Friday's father had died after his +return home. Friday was thrown into a fit of grief at the news. He +wept and repeated over and over his praise of the good man. + + + + +XLII + +ROBINSON AT HOME + + +It was with a sad heart that Robinson made ready to leave. Every +familiar place seemed now doubly dear to him. He went from one to +another with tears in his eyes. Here lay his home. Here were his +fields, his crops and his goats. Everything was the work of his own +hands. He had made them all. Which should he take? He hesitated long. +He must take home some of his belongings to show the people at home. +And there were his parrot and the dog which had won a place in +Robinson's heart. He decided to take them along. At length he got +together his diary, his parasol, his Bible, his treasures, a suit of +clothes, his dog, and a hat. He had saved, too, his bow and arrows. +These he decided to take along. Everything else he gave to his good +man Friday and the Spaniard who wished to be allowed to remain on the +island. + +Robinson kissed Friday tenderly. He with great effort finally tore +himself away and ran to the shore where the ship's boat awaited him. +But Robinson had not counted on the strength of Friday's love for him. +Robinson's boat had + +[Illustration: ROBINSON LEAVING THE ISLAND] + +not yet reached the ship when Friday sprang into the water and swam +after him shouting, "Master, take me with you, I would rather die than +stay here without you." Robinson was touched at the devotion showed +by the faithful Friday, and gave orders to turn the boat back, and +take him on board. The anchor was raised. The ship started on her way +to the home Robinson had left so long ago. + +The wind was favorable and in seven weeks the spires and buildings +of his native city were in sight. His vessel came slowly up to the +wharf where he had taken ship so many years ago. Here, too, he had +played and idled his time away. He remembered it all. His idleness +and playing truant came back in sad memories. Before Robinson and Friday +landed, their good friend the captain gave them each a new suit of +clothes. + +Everything had changed. He scarcely knew the place. He was astonished +and confused by the din, hurry and bustle of a great city. Friday +seemed dazed by it all and clung to Robinson's side. The buildings +were so tall, the street cars, the carriages were different. +Everywhere there were iron machines, casting out smoke, puffing and +running about on iron rails. Robinson had never seen these. + +Robinson, however, did not stop to admire; he pushed on to a certain +street and house where lived his parents at the time of his departure. +It was with difficulty that he found the place. It was now in the +heart of the city. Upon inquiry he found, after much searching, that +his father had removed his store and home to another part of the city, +his mother had died of grief for her disobedient son. Robinson was +sorely grieved at this. He had hoped to see her and tell her how sorry +he was that he had caused her so much anxiety and sorrow. + +When he had found the place where his father lived he stole quietly +up to the house and opened the door. His father, now a gray-haired +man, bent with age and sorrow, was sitting in his armchair reading. + +Robinson came forward, but his father did not recognize him. "Who are +you?" he said. "I am Robinson, your long-lost son." He knelt by his +father's side and asked forgiveness for all the trouble he had caused. +His father was overcome. He could not speak. He drew Robinson with +feeble hands to his breast. "My son, I forgive you," he said. + +Robinson's boyhood friends heard of his strange return. They had +thought him dead long ago. They never tired of hearing him tell his +strange story. They pitied him in his misfortune. But Robinson told +them that it all happened to him because he was idle and disobedient +in his youth. + +Robinson at once relieved his father at the store. The business +thrived. His father died. He soon had a home of his own with a happy +family. Friday, the dog, and the parrot lived in it, dearly beloved +and cared for by their master the rest of their days. In the home +there is a young Robinson who loves to hear his father read from his +diary of the wonderful things that happened on the island. + +Robinson tried many times to find the rightful owner of the gold and +jewels, but never succeeded. At last he gave them to a school where +boys with idle habits were taught to lead useful and industrious +lives. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's An American Robinson Crusoe, by Samuel B. 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