all the while I washere to be as it were upon a journey, and from home. However, Itravelled along the sea-shore towards the east, I suppose about twelvemiles; and then setting up a great pole upon the shore for a mark, Iconcluded I would go home again; and that the next journey I took shouldbe on the other side of the island, east from my dwelling, and so roundtill I came to my post again: of which in its place.
I took another way to come back than that I went, thinking I couldeasily keep so much of the island in my view, that I could not miss myfirst dwelling by viewing the country: but I found myself mistaken; forbeing come about two or three miles, I found myself descended into avery large valley, but so surrounded with hills, and those hills coveredwith wood, that I could not see which was my way by any direction butthat of the sun, nor even then, unless I knew very well the position ofthe sun at that time of the day. And it happened to my farthermisfortune, that the weather proved hazy for three or four days while Iwas in this valley; and not being able to see the sun, I wandered aboutvery uncomfortable, and at last was obliged to find out the sea-side,look for my post, and come back the same way I went; and then by easyjournies I turned homeward, the weather being exceeding hot, and my gun,ammunition, hatchet, and other things very heavy.
In this journey, my dog surprised a young kid, and seized upon it; andrunning to take hold of it, I caught it, and saved it alive from thedog. I had a great mind to bring it home if I could; for I had oftenbeen musing whether it might not be possible to get a kid or two, and soraise a breed of tame goats, which might supply me when my powder andshot should be all spent. I made a collar for this little creature, andwith a string which I had made of some rope-yarn, which I always carriedabout me, I led him along, though with some difficulty, till I came tomy bower, and there I enclosed him and left him; for I was veryimpatient to be at home, from whence I had been absent above a month.
I cannot express what a satisfaction it was to me to come into my oldhutch, and lie down in my hammock-bed. This little wandering journey,without a settled place of abode, had been so unpleasant to me, that myown house, as I called it to myself, was a perfect settlement to me,compared to that; and it rendered every thing about me so comfortable,that I resolved I would never go a great way from it again, while itshould be my lot to stay on the island.
I reposed myself here a week, to rest and regale myself after my longjourney: during which, most of the time was taken up in the weightyaffair of making a cage for my Pol, who began now to be more domestic,and to be mighty well acquainted with me. Then I began to think of thepoor kid which I had penned within my little circle, and resolved tofetch it home, or give it some food: accordingly I went, and found itwhere I left it (for indeed it could not get out,) but was almoststarved for want of food. I went and cut boughs of trees, and branchesof such shrubs as I could find, and threw it over, and having fed it, Itied it as I did before, to lead it away; but it was so tame with beinghungry, that I had no need to have tied it, for it followed me like adog: and as I continually fed it, the creature became so loving, sogentle, and so fond, that it was from that time one of my domesticsalso, and would never leave me afterwards.
The rainy season of the autumnal equinox was now come, and I kept the30th of September in the same solemn manner as before, being theanniversary of my landing on the island; having now been there twoyears, and no more prospect of being delivered than the first day I camethere. I spent the whole day in humble and thankful acknowledgments forthe many wonderful mercies which my solitary condition was attendedwith, and without which it might have been infinitely more miserable. Igave humble and hearty thanks to God for having been pleased to discoverto me, that it was possible I might be more happy even in this solitarycondition, than I should have been in the enjoyment of society, and inall the pleasures of the world: that he could fully make up to me thedeficiencies of my solitary state, and the wont of human society, by hispresence, and the communications of his grace to my soul; supporting,comforting, and encouraging me to depend upon his providence here, andto hope for his eternal presence hereafter.
It was now that I began sensibly to feel how much more happy the life Inow led was, with all its miserable circumstances, than the wicked,cursed, abominable life I led all the past part of my days: and now Ichanged both my sorrows and my joys: my very desires altered, myaffections changed their gusts, and my delights were perfectly new fromwhat they were at my first coming, or indeed for the two years past.
Before, as I walked about, either on my hunting, or for viewing thecountry, the anguish of my soul at my condition would break out upon meon a sudden, and my very heart would die within me, to think of thewoods, the mountains, the deserts I was in; and how I was a prisoner,locked up with the eternal bars and bolts of the ocean, in anuninhabited wilderness, without redemption. In the midst of the greatestcomposures of my mind, this would break out upon me like a storm, andmake me wring my hands, and weep like a child: sometimes it would takeme in the middle of my work, and I would immediately sit down and sigh,and look upon the ground for an hour or two together: this was stillworse to me; but if I could burst into tears, or give vent to myfeelings by words, it would go off; and my grief being exhausted,would abate.
But now I began to exercise myself with new thoughts; I daily read theword of God, and applied all the comforts of it to my present state. Onemorning, being very sad, I opened the Bible upon these words, "I willnever leave thee, nor forsake thee:" immediately it occurred that thesewords were to me; why else should they be directed in such a manner,just at the moment when I was mourning over my condition, as oneforsaken of God and man? "Well then," said I, "if God does not forsakeme, of what ill consequence can it be, or what matters it, though theworld should forsake me; seeing on the other hand, if I had all theworld, and should lose the favour and blessing of God, there would be nocomparison in the loss?"
From this moment I began to conclude in my mind, that it was possiblefor me to be more happy in this forsaken, solitary condition, than itwas probable I should ever have been in any other particular state inthe world; and with this thought I was going to give thanks to God forbringing me to this place. I know not what it was, but something shockedmy mind at that thought and I durst not speak the words. "How canst thoube such a hypocrite," said I, even audibly, "to pretend to be thankfulfor a condition, which, however thou mayest endeavour to be contentedwith, thou wouldest rather pray heartily to be delivered from?" Here Istopped: but though I could not say I thanked God for being here, yet Isincerely gave thanks to God for opening my eyes, by whatever afflictingprovidences, to see the former condition of my life, and to mourn for mywickedness, and repent. I never opened the Bible, or shut it, but myvery soul within me blessed God for directing my friend in England,without any order of mine, to pack it up among my goods; and forassisting me afterwards to save it out of the wreck of the ship.
Thus, and in this disposition of mind, I began my third year; and thoughI have not given the reader the trouble of so particular an account ofmy works this year as the first, yet in general it may be observed, thatI was very seldom idle; but having regularly divided my time, accordingto the several daily employments that were before me; such as, first, Myduty to God, and the reading the Scriptures, which I constantly setapart some time for, thrice every day: secondly, Going abroad with mygun for food, which generally took me up three hours every morning, whenit did not rain: thirdly, Ordering, curing, preserving, and cooking whatI had killed or catched for my supply: these took up great part of theday; also it is to be considered, that in the middle of the day, whenthe sun was in the zenith, the violence of the heat was too great tostir out; so that about four hours in the evening was all the time Icould be supposed to work in; with this exception, that sometimes Ichanged my hours of hunting and working, and went to work in themorning, and abroad with my gun in the afternoon.
To this short time allowed for labour, I desire may be added theexceeding laboriousness of my work; the many hours which, for want oftools, want of help, and want of
skill, every thing I did took up out ofmy time: for example, I was full two and forty days making me a boardfor a long shelf, which I wanted in my cave; whereas, two sawyers, withtheir tools and a saw-pit, would have cut six of them out of the sametree in half a day.
My case was this; it was a large tree which was to be cut down, becausemy board was to be a broad one. This tree I was three days cutting down,and two more in cutting off the boughs, and reducing it to a log, orpiece of timber. With inexpressible hacking and hewing, I reduced boththe sides of it into chips, till it was light enough to move; then Iturned it, and made one side of it smooth and flat as a board, from endto end; then turning that side downward, cut the other side, till Ibrought the plank to be about three inches thick, and smooth on bothsides. Any one may judge the labour of my hands in such a piece of work;but labour and patience carried me through that, and many other things:I only observe this in particular, to