He drew out some of the coals and wood, but afterwards graduallyincreased the fire again. He could not, however, get the pots hot enoughto turn red. He brought the dryest and hardest wood, but could notsucceed in getting them hot enough to turn red. At length he was tiredout and was compelled to give it up. When the pots were cool he tried toboil 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 hecould in the open air. He resolved to make an oven of stones largeenough to take in the wood as well as the pots. It must be above groundso 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 ovenabout four feet high with a chimney at one side. He had put in thecenter a stone table on which he could place three quite large pots. Heleft 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 firehis oven. He first carried together a good quantity of dry wood, then heput in his pots and laid the wood around them. In a short time he had avery hot fire. He kept this up all day and until late at night.
SOME OF ROBINSON'S DISHES]
The next morning he went to his oven and found his pots were a beautifulred. He drew out the fire and allowed them to cool slowly. Then hefilled one with water and set it over the fire to heat it. Before manyminutes the water was boiling and Robinson had another reason to bethankful. He wept for joy. His patient labors had brought their rewards.No prince could feel as happy as Robinson now. He had overcome alldifficulties. Starting with nothing but his hands, he was now able tosupply all his wants. "If I only had a companion now," he thought, "Iwould have nothing further to wish as long as I stay on the island."
XXXI
ROBINSON AS BAKER
Now that Robinson had fire, he determined to try to make bread. He hadseen the servants at home make bread many times, but he had not observedclosely and knew next to nothing about the way bread is made. He knew hemust in some way grind the corn into flour, but how could he do this? Hehad 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 hemight hollow a vessel or kind of mortar. He thought he could put thecorn 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 sizeand form. After several days' trial he at last got one cut out from somelayers of rock near the shore. He made a hollow place in it. Then hetook a smaller oblong shaped rock for his pestle.
He took great pride in these new tools. "I shall soon be astone-cutter," he said to himself, "as well as a farmer and potter." Buthis stone mortar was a failure. The rock was too soft. Every time hethrust 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. Nowthat he had fire, he could do this, though it cost him many a hard day'swork. He found not far away a log of very hard wood. By building a fireat the right distance from one end he was able to separate a piece ofthe log. He rolled this to his cave and made a good-sized hollow in itby burning. This pestle was not so difficult to make. He took a limb orbranch of an ironwood tree, burned it in two at the place to make it theright length. By burning also he rounded one end and then he was readyfor the grinding. After cleaning his mortar and pestle carefully heplaced some corn in the hollow and soon had some fine yellow meal orflour without any grit or sand in it.
His next care was to separate the coarse outer husk or covering of thekernel from the finer parts that make the meal. He had no sieve. Hisnet was too coarse. It let both bran and meal go through. "I must make anet or cloth fine enough to sift or bolt my flour," said he. Such wasnow his skill in spinning and weaving that this was not hard to do. Hehad soon woven in his loom a piece of fine netting which allowed themeal to shake through, but held back the coarse bran or outer husk ofthe kernel. Out of the dry corn that he had stored up he now made quitea quantity of flour. This he kept tightly covered in a large earthen potor jar that he had made for this purpose. "I must keep all my food cleanand protect it from the ants and other insects as well as dust anddamp," he thought.
His preparations were now nearly made. He had already his stove of flatstones. On this he could set his pots to boil water, cook rice, andmeat, 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 loafto bake it. By the use of flat stones he soon rebuilt his stove so as tohave an oven that did fine service. Now it was mixing the dough thatclaimed his attention. He had of course no yeast to make raised or lightbread. He poured goats' milk on the flour and kneaded it into a thickdough. He did not forget to add salt. He placed his loaf in a shallowearthen pan he had made for this purpose. After the fire had heated thestones of his oven through, he put in his loaf and soon was enjoying ameal of corn bread and meat stew.
Robinson soon tried to make cocoa from the beans of the cocoa palm thatgrew in the island. This with good rich goats' milk in it he thought thebest drink in the world. He often thought of making sugar from the sugarcane plant he had discovered in the island. But the labor of squeezingout the juice was too great. He could think of no way to do this withoutthe help of horses or oxen.
XXXII
ROBINSON AS FISHERMAN
Robinson was now eager to use his fire and cooking vessels. He hadnoticed with hungry eyes fine large fish in the creek near his cave. Buthe had never taken the trouble to catch any. "What is the use?" hethought. "I cannot eat them raw." It was different now and he began todevise ways of making a catch. How he longed for a fish-hook, such as hehad so often used when loitering along the Hudson River! "But afish-hook is not to be thought of," he said to himself, "unless I canmake one of bone." He went down to the brook and searched long for afish-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 usedto see along the Hudson and wondered if he could not make a small one topull through the water and thus catch the fish.
He had now a better source of fibre for weaving and for spinning intolines and ropes. He had discovered this when he was trying to find agood strong thread or yarn with which to bind the coils of hisgrass-made baskets together. He obtained fibre in great abundance fromthe century-like plant. He found if he broke off the long leaves of thisplant and allowed them to decay there remained a long, tough fibroussubstance out of which strong cords could be twisted or yarn made forweaving a coarse cloth or netting.
Out of this he spun yarn thread to make a net about three or four feetby two feet. He fastened cords to four corners of this, tied them to along 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. Atthe sight of him and his net, they scurried away to deep water. Neithercould he succeed in the shallow water along the shore. "I must wade outas far as I can," he said to himself, "and draw the net through thewater."
As he did this he was surprised at the many forms of sea life, new tohim, that he saw. He, however, was careful and watchful. He walked alongnear the shore to a point where some rocks showed above the surface. Ashe looked ahead he saw the single eye of a giant cuttle-fish glaring athim from among the rocks. It was thrusting out its long arms towardshim. He drew back quickly, but as he did so he was terrified to hear thesnap of some huge creature's jaws near him. A great shark had seen himand had thrown himself on his back to seize him in his rows of sharpteeth, but was prevented reaching him by the shallowness of the water.
Robinson was too much terrified to continue longer his attempt atfishing. He went back to his cave with only a few small ones, not worththe trouble of dressing for his dinner.
The next day undismayed he tried again. He succeed
ed in drawing in somevery beautiful large fish. Their sides shone as burnished gold andsilver. "Now," he thought, "I will have a feast." He carried them home,carefully cleaned and dressed them, seasoned them with his salt, andbroiled them over his fire. Imagine his disappointment when they provedunfit to eat. Their flesh was coarse and tough and ill-tasting. He sawthat the catching of fish for his table was a more difficult thing thanhe thought it. He must not only catch fish, but catch ones that could beeaten. 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 shoreat the mouth of the creek which ran near his cave when he noticed agroup of fishes, dark bluish above with silvery sides. The largest ofthem were about two feet long. They were feeding on the bottom in thebrackish water at the mouth of the creek, which at its mouth opened outinto quite a little bay or inlet. They would take up a mouthful of earthfrom the bottom and let it wash through their mouths, keeping all thebits of food that happened to be in it. When one fish got a good placeto 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, whileeach one was busy trying to get the best mouthful of mud. He drew upthree quite large fish, but just as he was about to lift them from thewater, one of the cords which bound the net to the poles broke and hesaw his catch fall back into the creek and dart away in the deepestwater. But Robinson was not to be discouraged. He soon mended his netand at last was successful. In a short time he drew out another catch oftwo fish.
These proved excellent food and were so abundant as to furnish Robinsonwith 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 theshore of his island. He wanted to go clear around it so that he mightsee it on every side. But he knew the work of making a boat would begreat, if not wholly impossible.
The shaping of boards to build a boat with his rude tools was not to bethought of. He knew how the Indians made boats out of bark of trees. Buthe saw that for his purpose so light a boat would not do. He finallyremembered a second Indian way of making a boat by hollowing out a largelog. 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 thisvery much. He had overcome so many difficulties that he thought, "Nevermind, I will get my boat to water, no matter where I make it, in someway." So he selected a tree trunk some distance from the bank of thelittle creek near his cave and began work.
He had first to burn out his log the proper length and hack it into boatshape with his stone tools. This was very slow and tedious work. He hadto handle the fire with great care for there was always the danger ofspoiling the shape of the slowly forming boat. Both ends must besharpened, but one more than the other to form the prow or forward goingend. After he had shaped his boat, he began hollowing it out. This hedid also by burning for the most part. He used the branches of pitchbearing trees for this purpose. But it was so slow. He worked at hisboat all the time he could spare from his regular duties in attending tohis goats, his garden and his cave. He was always making his cavelarger. Every time he made a piece of furniture or stored away grain hemust make more room in his cave by digging away the earth and carryingit 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 atrench back from the bank of the creek and thus float his boat. But hehad not thought it out clearly. "Or anyway," he thought, "I can in someway manage to roll it to the water." He must now actually plan to putsome of these ideas into effect. He first went over the ground and foundthat to dig a trench from the water to the boat, so that the water wouldcome to the boat, he would have to dig it twenty feet deep. "I can neverdo this," he said, "with my poor tools."
He next tried his rolling plan. But he had been so anxious to have alarge boat that he had overlooked everything else. Try as hard as hemight he could not stir his boat from the spot. After many trials withthe longest levers he could handle, the boat still stuck fast. It wouldnot budge an inch. He at last gave it up. "It will lie here," hethought, "to remind me how foolish it is to attempt to do anythingwithout first having thought it out carefully."
There was nothing to do but to choose another tree trunk. This time heselected a much smaller one, and one that lay at the top of the littleslope or incline from the bank of the creek. After another weary sixmonths of work he had his second boat ready for launching. With a goodstout lever he gave it a start, when it rolled quickly down into thewater. Robinson again wept for joy. Of all his projects this had costhim the most work and pains and at last to see his plans successfulfilled him with delight.
The next problem was how to make it go. He had no certain knowledge howfar it was around the island, but he knew it was farther than he wantedto row or paddle his boat. Yet he knew from the way the wind blew thathe could not always depend upon a sail to help him. He must becomeskillful in paddling his boat. A sail too would be very helpful attimes. He imagined how pleasant it would be sitting in the boat sailingalong with a gentle wind. "When the wind is favorable," he thought, "Iwill only have to steer with my paddle."
So he set about weaving a sail of his sisal fibre. To do this he had tomake a much larger loom than he had yet used. His sail must be at leastfour feet square. He was now so skilled in weaving that this was soonfinished. He then made plenty of string, cord, and rope, put in a mastand was ready to sail. But he did not venture far away until he hadspent 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 atour of his island. He had indeed made a journey by land. But the deepforests and tangled vines made it very difficult to travel. His journeyshad shown him but a small part of the land. He wished to know all aboutthe 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 somelarge 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 hisparasol on the stern for a shelter from the sun. He baked up a quantityof cakes or loaves of bread and packed them in his baskets. He had woventhese so carefully that they would almost hold water.
At last all was ready. It was on the sixth day of November in the sixthyear of his life on the island that Robinson hoisted his sail and setout upon this voyage of discovery. He had waited until the wind wasgentle and blowing as far easterly as it does at that place. He scuddedalong bravely, running with the land toward the East and North. All wentwell until he came to a low reef or ledge of rocks running far out tosea in a north-easterly direction.
When Robinson observed this he went on shore and climbed to a high pointto see if it was safe to venture. He was afraid of hidden currents, orstreams of water. These might carry him away from the shore and preventhim from getting around the point.
He did indeed observe that there was a current running out to sea pastthe ledge, but he thought he could by careful paddling keep his boatfrom striking the rock. If he could once get beyond the ledge, the windwould help him double or get around the point. Indeed the danger wasthat the wind would blow him on to the rocks.
He waited for two days for a gentle wind. At last without sail he pushedhis boat into the current and was born swiftly seaward. He found thecurrent much stronger than he thought it would be. It rushed his frailboat on past the point of the rocks and out into the sea. Try as best hemight 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 andfoolhardy as to trust his fortunes in so frail a craft. How dear at thistime seemed the island to him! The wind which he had depended on to helphim at this point had died down so that it was at the mercy of thecurrent. 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 agreat distance into the sea, but not so far as to lose sight of theland. All at once he felt the breeze freshening up. It caught his sailand soon his boat was cutting across the current. He did not have to gofar before he was free from it and making headway for the island, whichhe reached about four o'clock in the afternoon.
He found himself on the northern shore of the island, but before longthe shore ran away to the southward again. He ran briskly along the westside 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 islandon foot. He was almost exhausted with his great labor and was worn outwith anxiety.
In the centre of the arms of the cove he found a little creek enteringthe sea. He paddled into this and found a good place to hide his boat.
As soon as Robinson was again on land he fell on his knees and withtears in his eyes thanked God for his deliverance. The island which hadseemed to him a prison now seemed the fairest and dearest place in theworld.
Having made his boat safe he started back toward his shelter. But he wastoo tired to go far. He soon came to a little grove of trees beneathwhich he laid himself down and soon was fast asleep.