บทที่ บทที่ 5 · BUILDS A HOUSE—THE JOURNAL

. BUILDS A HOUSE—THE JOURNAL

September 30, 1659.—I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being

shipwrecked during a dreadful storm in the offing, came on shore on

this dismal, unfortunate island, which I called “The Island of

Despair”; all the rest of the ship’s company being drowned, and myself

almost dead.

All the rest of the day I spent in afflicting myself at the dismal

circumstances I was brought to—viz. I had neither food, house, clothes,

weapon, nor place to fly to; and in despair of any relief, saw nothing

but death before me—either that I should be devoured by wild beasts,

murdered by savages, or starved to death for want of food. At the

approach of night I slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures; but

slept soundly, though it rained all night.

_October_ 1.—In the morning I saw, to my great surprise, the ship had

floated with the high tide, and was driven on shore again much nearer

the island; which, as it was some comfort, on one hand—for, seeing her

set upright, and not broken to pieces, I hoped, if the wind abated, I

might get on board, and get some food and necessaries out of her for my

relief—so, on the other hand, it renewed my grief at the loss of my

comrades, who, I imagined, if we had all stayed on board, might have

saved the ship, or, at least, that they would not have been all drowned

as they were; and that, had the men been saved, we might perhaps have

built us a boat out of the ruins of the ship to have carried us to some

other part of the world. I spent great part of this day in perplexing

myself on these things; but at length, seeing the ship almost dry, I

went upon the sand as near as I could, and then swam on board. This day

also it continued raining, though with no wind at all.

_From the 1st of October to the 24th_.—All these days entirely spent in

many several voyages to get all I could out of the ship, which I

brought on shore every tide of flood upon rafts. Much rain also in the

days, though with some intervals of fair weather; but it seems this was

the rainy season.

_Oct._ 20.—I overset my raft, and all the goods I had got upon it; but,

being in shoal water, and the things being chiefly heavy, I recovered

many of them when the tide was out.

_Oct._ 25.—It rained all night and all day, with some gusts of wind;

during which time the ship broke in pieces, the wind blowing a little

harder than before, and was no more to be seen, except the wreck of

her, and that only at low water. I spent this day in covering and

securing the goods which I had saved, that the rain might not spoil

them.

_Oct._ 26.—I walked about the shore almost all day, to find out a place

to fix my habitation, greatly concerned to secure myself from any

attack in the night, either from wild beasts or men. Towards night, I

fixed upon a proper place, under a rock, and marked out a semicircle

for my encampment; which I resolved to strengthen with a work, wall, or

fortification, made of double piles, lined within with cables, and

without with turf.

From the 26th to the 30th I worked very hard in carrying all my goods

to my new habitation, though some part of the time it rained

exceedingly hard.

The 31st, in the morning, I went out into the island with my gun, to

seek for some food, and discover the country; when I killed a she-goat,

and her kid followed me home, which I afterwards killed also, because

it would not feed.

_November_ 1.—I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for the

first night; making it as large as I could, with stakes driven in to

swing my hammock upon.

_Nov._ 2.—I set up all my chests and boards, and the pieces of timber

which made my rafts, and with them formed a fence round me, a little

within the place I had marked out for my fortification.

_Nov._ 3.—I went out with my gun, and killed two fowls like ducks,

which were very good food. In the afternoon went to work to make me a

table.

_Nov_. 4.—This morning I began to order my times of work, of going out

with my gun, time of sleep, and time of diversion—viz. every morning I

walked out with my gun for two or three hours, if it did not rain; then

employed myself to work till about eleven o’clock; then eat what I had

to live on; and from twelve to two I lay down to sleep, the weather

being excessively hot; and then, in the evening, to work again. The

working part of this day and of the next were wholly employed in making

my table, for I was yet but a very sorry workman, though time and

necessity made me a complete natural mechanic soon after, as I believe

they would do any one else.

_Nov._ 5.—This day went abroad with my gun and my dog, and killed a

wild cat; her skin pretty soft, but her flesh good for nothing; every

creature that I killed I took of the skins and preserved them. Coming

back by the sea-shore, I saw many sorts of sea-fowls, which I did not

understand; but was surprised, and almost frightened, with two or three

seals, which, while I was gazing at, not well knowing what they were,

got into the sea, and escaped me for that time.

_Nov._ 6.—After my morning walk I went to work with my table again, and

finished it, though not to my liking; nor was it long before I learned

to mend it.

_Nov._ 7.—Now it began to be settled fair weather. The 7th, 8th, 9th,

10th, and part of the 12th (for the 11th was Sunday) I took wholly up

to make me a chair, and with much ado brought it to a tolerable shape,

but never to please me; and even in the making I pulled it in pieces

several times.

_Note_.—I soon neglected my keeping Sundays; for, omitting my mark for

them on my post, I forgot which was which.

_Nov._ 13.—This day it rained, which refreshed me exceedingly, and

cooled the earth; but it was accompanied with terrible thunder and

lightning, which frightened me dreadfully, for fear of my powder. As

soon as it was over, I resolved to separate my stock of powder into as

many little parcels as possible, that it might not be in danger.

_Nov._ 14, 15, 16.—These three days I spent in making little square

chests, or boxes, which might hold about a pound, or two pounds at

most, of powder; and so, putting the powder in, I stowed it in places

as secure and remote from one another as possible. On one of these

three days I killed a large bird that was good to eat, but I knew not

what to call it.

_Nov._ 17.—This day I began to dig behind my tent into the rock, to

make room for my further conveniency.

_Note_.—Three things I wanted exceedingly for this work—viz. a pickaxe,

a shovel, and a wheelbarrow or basket; so I desisted from my work, and

began to consider how to supply that want, and make me some tools. As

for the pickaxe, I made use of the iron crows, which were proper

enough, though heavy; but the next thing was a shovel or spade; this

was so absolutely necessary, that, indeed, I could do nothing

effectually without it; but what kind of one to make I knew not.

_Nov._ 18.—The next day, in searching the woods, I found a tree of that

wood, or like it, which in the Brazils they call the iron-tree, for its

exceeding hardness. Of this, with great labour, and almost spoiling my

axe, I cut a piece, and brought it home, too, with difficulty enough,

for it was exceeding heavy. The excessive hardness of the wood, and my

having no other way, made me a long while upon this machine, for I

worked it effectually by little and little into the form of a shovel or

spade; the handle exactly shaped like ours in England, only that the

board part having no iron shod upon it at bottom, it would not last me

so long; however, it served well enough for the uses which I had

occasion to put it to; but never was a shovel, I believe, made after

that fashion, or so long in making.

I was still deficient, for I wanted a basket or a wheelbarrow. A basket

I could not make by any means, having no such things as twigs that

would bend to make wicker-ware—at least, none yet found out; and as to

a wheelbarrow, I fancied I could make all but the wheel; but that I had

no notion of; neither did I know how to go about it; besides, I had no

possible way to make the iron gudgeons for the spindle or axis of the

wheel to run in; so I gave it over, and so, for carrying away the earth

which I dug out of the cave, I made me a thing like a hod which the

labourers carry mortar in when they serve the bricklayers. This was not

so difficult to me as the making the shovel; and yet this and the

shovel, and the attempt which I made in vain to make a wheelbarrow,

took me up no less than four days—I mean always excepting my morning

walk with my gun, which I seldom failed, and very seldom failed also

bringing home something fit to eat.

_Nov._ 23.—My other work having now stood still, because of my making

these tools, when they were finished I went on, and working every day,

as my strength and time allowed, I spent eighteen days entirely in

widening and deepening my cave, that it might hold my goods

commodiously.

_Note_.—During all this time I worked to make this room or cave

spacious enough to accommodate me as a warehouse or magazine, a

kitchen, a dining-room, and a cellar. As for my lodging, I kept to the

tent; except that sometimes, in the wet season of the year, it rained

so hard that I could not keep myself dry, which caused me afterwards to

cover all my place within my pale with long poles, in the form of

rafters, leaning against the rock, and load them with flags and large

leaves of trees, like a thatch.

_December_ 10.—I began now to think my cave or vault finished, when on

a sudden (it seems I had made it too large) a great quantity of earth

fell down from the top on one side; so much that, in short, it frighted

me, and not without reason, too, for if I had been under it, I had

never wanted a gravedigger. I had now a great deal of work to do over

again, for I had the loose earth to carry out; and, which was of more

importance, I had the ceiling to prop up, so that I might be sure no

more would come down.

_Dec_. 11.—This day I went to work with it accordingly, and got two

shores or posts pitched upright to the top, with two pieces of boards

across over each post; this I finished the next day; and setting more

posts up with boards, in about a week more I had the roof secured, and

the posts, standing in rows, served me for partitions to part off the

house.

_Dec._ 17.—From this day to the 20th I placed shelves, and knocked up

nails on the posts, to hang everything up that could be hung up; and

now I began to be in some order within doors.

_Dec._ 20.—Now I carried everything into the cave, and began to furnish

my house, and set up some pieces of boards like a dresser, to order my

victuals upon; but boards began to be very scarce with me; also, I made

me another table.

_Dec._ 24.—Much rain all night and all day. No stirring out.

_Dec._ 25.—Rain all day.

_Dec._ 26.—No rain, and the earth much cooler than before, and

pleasanter.

_Dec._ 27.—Killed a young goat, and lamed another, so that I caught it

and led it home in a string; when I had it at home, I bound and

splintered up its leg, which was broke.

_N.B._—I took such care of it that it lived, and the leg grew well and

as strong as ever; but, by my nursing it so long, it grew tame, and fed

upon the little green at my door, and would not go away. This was the

first time that I entertained a thought of breeding up some tame

creatures, that I might have food when my powder and shot was all

spent.

_Dec._ 28, 29, 30.—Great heats and no breeze, so that there was no

stirring abroad except in the evening for food; this time I spent in

putting all my things in order within doors.

_January_ 1.—Very hot still: but I went abroad early and late with my

gun, and lay still in the middle of the day. This evening, going

farther into the valleys which lay towards the centre of the island, I

found there were plenty of goats, though exceedingly shy, and hard to

come at; however, I resolved to try if I could not bring my dog to hunt

them down.

_Jan._ 2.—Accordingly, the next day I went out with my dog, and set him

upon the goats, but I was mistaken, for they all faced about upon the

dog, and he knew his danger too well, for he would not come near them.

_Jan._ 3.—I began my fence or wall; which, being still jealous of my

being attacked by somebody, I resolved to make very thick and strong.

_N.B._—This wall being described before, I purposely omit what was said

in the journal; it is sufficient to observe, that I was no less time

than from the 2nd of January to the 14th of April working, finishing,

and perfecting this wall, though it was no more than about twenty-four

yards in length, being a half-circle from one place in the rock to

another place, about eight yards from it, the door of the cave being in

the centre behind it.

All this time I worked very hard, the rains hindering me many days,

nay, sometimes weeks together; but I thought I should never be

perfectly secure till this wall was finished; and it is scarce credible

what inexpressible labour everything was done with, especially the

bringing piles out of the woods and driving them into the ground; for I

made them much bigger than I needed to have done.

When this wall was finished, and the outside double fenced, with a turf

wall raised up close to it, I perceived myself that if any people were

to come on shore there, they would not perceive anything like a

habitation; and it was very well I did so, as may be observed

hereafter, upon a very remarkable occasion.

During this time I made my rounds in the woods for game every day when

the rain permitted me, and made frequent discoveries in these walks of

something or other to my advantage; particularly, I found a kind of

wild pigeons, which build, not as wood-pigeons in a tree, but rather as

house-pigeons, in the holes of the rocks; and taking some young ones, I

endeavoured to breed them up tame, and did so; but when they grew older

they flew away, which perhaps was at first for want of feeding them,

for I had nothing to give them; however, I frequently found their

nests, and got their young ones, which were very good meat. And now, in

the managing my household affairs, I found myself wanting in many

things, which I thought at first it was impossible for me to make; as,

indeed, with some of them it was: for instance, I could never make a

cask to be hooped. I had a small runlet or two, as I observed before;

but I could never arrive at the capacity of making one by them, though

I spent many weeks about it; I could neither put in the heads, or join

the staves so true to one another as to make them hold water; so I gave

that also over. In the next place, I was at a great loss for candles;

so that as soon as ever it was dark, which was generally by seven

o’clock, I was obliged to go to bed. I remembered the lump of beeswax

with which I made candles in my African adventure; but I had none of

that now; the only remedy I had was, that when I had killed a goat I

saved the tallow, and with a little dish made of clay, which I baked in

the sun, to which I added a wick of some oakum, I made me a lamp; and

this gave me light, though not a clear, steady light, like a candle. In

the middle of all my labours it happened that, rummaging my things, I

found a little bag which, as I hinted before, had been filled with corn

for the feeding of poultry—not for this voyage, but before, as I

suppose, when the ship came from Lisbon. The little remainder of corn

that had been in the bag was all devoured by the rats, and I saw

nothing in the bag but husks and dust; and being willing to have the

bag for some other use (I think it was to put powder in, when I divided

it for fear of the lightning, or some such use), I shook the husks of

corn out of it on one side of my fortification, under the rock.

It was a little before the great rains just now mentioned that I threw

this stuff away, taking no notice, and not so much as remembering that

I had thrown anything there, when, about a month after, or thereabouts,

I saw some few stalks of something green shooting out of the ground,

which I fancied might be some plant I had not seen; but I was

surprised, and perfectly astonished, when, after a little longer time,

I saw about ten or twelve ears come out, which were perfect green

barley, of the same kind as our European—nay, as our English barley.

It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion of my

thoughts on this occasion. I had hitherto acted upon no religious

foundation at all; indeed, I had very few notions of religion in my

head, nor had entertained any sense of anything that had befallen me

otherwise than as chance, or, as we lightly say, what pleases God,

without so much as inquiring into the end of Providence in these

things, or His order in governing events for the world. But after I saw

barley grow there, in a climate which I knew was not proper for corn,

and especially that I knew not how it came there, it startled me

strangely, and I began to suggest that God had miraculously caused His

grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and that it was so

directed purely for my sustenance on that wild, miserable place.

This touched my heart a little, and brought tears out of my eyes, and I

began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature should happen upon

my account; and this was the more strange to me, because I saw near it

still, all along by the side of the rock, some other straggling stalks,

which proved to be stalks of rice, and which I knew, because I had seen

it grow in Africa when I was ashore there.

I not only thought these the pure productions of Providence for my

support, but not doubting that there was more in the place, I went all

over that part of the island, where I had been before, peering in every

corner, and under every rock, to see for more of it, but I could not

find any. At last it occurred to my thoughts that I shook a bag of

chickens’ meat out in that place; and then the wonder began to cease;

and I must confess my religious thankfulness to God’s providence began

to abate, too, upon the discovering that all this was nothing but what

was common; though I ought to have been as thankful for so strange and

unforeseen a providence as if it had been miraculous; for it was really

the work of Providence to me, that should order or appoint that ten or

twelve grains of corn should remain unspoiled, when the rats had

destroyed all the rest, as if it had been dropped from heaven; as also,

that I should throw it out in that particular place, where, it being in

the shade of a high rock, it sprang up immediately; whereas, if I had

thrown it anywhere else at that time, it had been burnt up and

destroyed.

I carefully saved the ears of this corn, you may be sure, in their

season, which was about the end of June; and, laying up every corn, I

resolved to sow them all again, hoping in time to have some quantity

sufficient to supply me with bread. But it was not till the fourth year

that I could allow myself the least grain of this corn to eat, and even

then but sparingly, as I shall say afterwards, in its order; for I lost

all that I sowed the first season by not observing the proper time; for

I sowed it just before the dry season, so that it never came up at all,

at least not as it would have done; of which in its place.

Besides this barley, there were, as above, twenty or thirty stalks of

rice, which I preserved with the same care and for the same use, or to

the same purpose—to make me bread, or rather food; for I found ways to

cook it without baking, though I did that also after some time.

But to return to my Journal.

I worked excessive hard these three or four months to get my wall done;

and the 14th of April I closed it up, contriving to go into it, not by

a door but over the wall, by a ladder, that there might be no sign on

the outside of my habitation.

_April_ 16.—I finished the ladder; so I went up the ladder to the top,

and then pulled it up after me, and let it down in the inside. This was

a complete enclosure to me; for within I had room enough, and nothing

could come at me from without, unless it could first mount my wall.

The very next day after this wall was finished I had almost had all my

labour overthrown at once, and myself killed. The case was thus: As I

was busy in the inside, behind my tent, just at the entrance into my

cave, I was terribly frighted with a most dreadful, surprising thing

indeed; for all on a sudden I found the earth come crumbling down from

the roof of my cave, and from the edge of the hill over my head, and

two of the posts I had set up in the cave cracked in a frightful

manner. I was heartily scared; but thought nothing of what was really

the cause, only thinking that the top of my cave was fallen in, as some

of it had done before: and for fear I should be buried in it I ran

forward to my ladder, and not thinking myself safe there neither, I got

over my wall for fear of the pieces of the hill, which I expected might

roll down upon me. I had no sooner stepped down upon the firm ground,

than I plainly saw it was a terrible earthquake, for the ground I stood

on shook three times at about eight minutes’ distance, with three such

shocks as would have overturned the strongest building that could be

supposed to have stood on the earth; and a great piece of the top of a

rock which stood about half a mile from me next the sea fell down with

such a terrible noise as I never heard in all my life. I perceived also

the very sea was put into violent motion by it; and I believe the

shocks were stronger under the water than on the island.

I was so much amazed with the thing itself, having never felt the like,

nor discoursed with any one that had, that I was like one dead or

stupefied; and the motion of the earth made my stomach sick, like one

that was tossed at sea; but the noise of the falling of the rock

awakened me, as it were, and rousing me from the stupefied condition I

was in, filled me with horror; and I thought of nothing then but the

hill falling upon my tent and all my household goods, and burying all

at once; and this sunk my very soul within me a second time.

After the third shock was over, and I felt no more for some time, I

began to take courage; and yet I had not heart enough to go over my

wall again, for fear of being buried alive, but sat still upon the

ground greatly cast down and disconsolate, not knowing what to do. All

this while I had not the least serious religious thought; nothing but

the common “Lord have mercy upon me!” and when it was over that went

away too.

While I sat thus, I found the air overcast and grow cloudy, as if it

would rain. Soon after that the wind arose by little and little, so

that in less than half-an-hour it blew a most dreadful hurricane; the

sea was all on a sudden covered over with foam and froth; the shore was

covered with the breach of the water, the trees were torn up by the

roots, and a terrible storm it was. This held about three hours, and

then began to abate; and in two hours more it was quite calm, and began

to rain very hard. All this while I sat upon the ground very much

terrified and dejected; when on a sudden it came into my thoughts, that

these winds and rain being the consequences of the earthquake, the

earthquake itself was spent and over, and I might venture into my cave

again. With this thought my spirits began to revive; and the rain also

helping to persuade me, I went in and sat down in my tent. But the rain

was so violent that my tent was ready to be beaten down with it; and I

was forced to go into my cave, though very much afraid and uneasy, for

fear it should fall on my head. This violent rain forced me to a new

work—viz. to cut a hole through my new fortification, like a sink, to

let the water go out, which would else have flooded my cave. After I

had been in my cave for some time, and found still no more shocks of

the earthquake follow, I began to be more composed. And now, to support

my spirits, which indeed wanted it very much, I went to my little

store, and took a small sup of rum; which, however, I did then and

always very sparingly, knowing I could have no more when that was gone.

It continued raining all that night and great part of the next day, so

that I could not stir abroad; but my mind being more composed, I began

to think of what I had best do; concluding that if the island was

subject to these earthquakes, there would be no living for me in a

cave, but I must consider of building a little hut in an open place

which I might surround with a wall, as I had done here, and so make

myself secure from wild beasts or men; for I concluded, if I stayed

where I was, I should certainly one time or other be buried alive.

With these thoughts, I resolved to remove my tent from the place where

it stood, which was just under the hanging precipice of the hill; and

which, if it should be shaken again, would certainly fall upon my tent;

and I spent the two next days, being the 19th and 20th of April, in

contriving where and how to remove my habitation. The fear of being

swallowed up alive made me that I never slept in quiet; and yet the

apprehension of lying abroad without any fence was almost equal to it;

but still, when I looked about, and saw how everything was put in

order, how pleasantly concealed I was, and how safe from danger, it

made me very loath to remove. In the meantime, it occurred to me that

it would require a vast deal of time for me to do this, and that I must

be contented to venture where I was, till I had formed a camp for

myself, and had secured it so as to remove to it. So with this

resolution I composed myself for a time, and resolved that I would go

to work with all speed to build me a wall with piles and cables, &c.,

in a circle, as before, and set my tent up in it when it was finished;

but that I would venture to stay where I was till it was finished, and

fit to remove. This was the 21st.

_April_ 22.—The next morning I begin to consider of means to put this

resolve into execution; but I was at a great loss about my tools. I had

three large axes, and abundance of hatchets (for we carried the

hatchets for traffic with the Indians); but with much chopping and

cutting knotty hard wood, they were all full of notches, and dull; and

though I had a grindstone, I could not turn it and grind my tools too.

This cost me as much thought as a statesman would have bestowed upon a

grand point of politics, or a judge upon the life and death of a man.

At length I contrived a wheel with a string, to turn it with my foot,

that I might have both my hands at liberty. _Note_.—I had never seen

any such thing in England, or at least, not to take notice how it was

done, though since I have observed, it is very common there; besides

that, my grindstone was very large and heavy. This machine cost me a

full week’s work to bring it to perfection.

_April_ 28, 29.—These two whole days I took up in grinding my tools, my

machine for turning my grindstone performing very well.

_April_ 30.—Having perceived my bread had been low a great while, now I

took a survey of it, and reduced myself to one biscuit cake a day,

which made my heart very heavy.

_May_ 1.—In the morning, looking towards the sea side, the tide being

low, I saw something lie on the shore bigger than ordinary, and it

looked like a cask; when I came to it, I found a small barrel, and two

or three pieces of the wreck of the ship, which were driven on shore by

the late hurricane; and looking towards the wreck itself, I thought it

seemed to lie higher out of the water than it used to do. I examined

the barrel which was driven on shore, and soon found it was a barrel of

gunpowder; but it had taken water, and the powder was caked as hard as

a stone; however, I rolled it farther on shore for the present, and

went on upon the sands, as near as I could to the wreck of the ship, to

look for more.