Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Chapter 4 – First Weeks on the Island

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dream Audio Books present Robinson Crusoe by Daniel de Foe,
Chapter four, First weeks on the island. When I waked,
it was broad day, the weather clear, and the storm abated,
so that the sea did not rage and swell as before.

(00:23):
But that which surprised me most was that the ship
was lifted off in the night from the sand where
she lay by the swelling of the tide, and was
driven up almost as far as the rock which I
had first mentioned where I had been so bruised by
the wave dashing me against it. This being within about

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a mile from the shore where I was, and the
ship seeming to stand upright still, I wished myself on
board that at least I might save some necessary things
for my use. When I came down from my apartment
in the tree, I looked about me again, and the
first thing I found was the boat, which lay as

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the wind and the sea had tossed her up upon
the land, about two miles on my right hand. I
walked as far as I could upon the shore to
have got to her, but found a neck or inlet
of water between me and the boat, which was about
half a mile broad. So I came back for the present,

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being more intent upon getting at the ship, where I
hoped to find something for my present subsistence. A little
afternoon I found the sea very calm, and the tide
ebbed so far out that I could come within a
quarter of a mile of the ship. And here I
found a fresh renewing of my grief, for I saw

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evidently that if we had kept on board, we had
all been safe. That is to say, we had all
got safe on shore. I had not been so miserable
as to be left entirely destitute of all comfort and company,
as I now was. This forced tears to my eyes again,
But as there was little relief in that, I resolved,

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if possible to get to the ship. So I pulled
off my clothes, for the weather was so hot to
an extremity, and took the water. But when I came
to the ship, my difficulty was still greater to know
how to get on board, for as she lay aground
and high out of the water, there was nothing within

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my reach to lay hold of. I swam around her twice,
and the second time I spied a small piece of rope,
which I wondered I did not see at first, hung
down by the fore chains so low as that with
great difficulty I got hold of it, and by the
help of that rope I got up into the forecastle

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of the ship. Here I found that the ship was
bulged and had a great deal of water in her hold,
but that she lay so on the side of a
bank of hard sand, or rather earth, that her stern
lay lifted up upon the bank, and her head low
almost to the water. By this means all her quarter

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was free, and all that was in that part was dry.
For you may be sure, my first work was to
search and to see what was spoiled and what was free.
And first I found that all the ship's provisions were
dry and untouched by the water. And being very well

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disposed to eat, I went to the bread room and
filled my pockets with biscuit, and ate it as I
went about other things, for I had no time to lose.
I also found some rum in the great cabin, of
which I took a large stram, and which I had
indeed neat enough to spirit me for what was before

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me now I wanted nothing but a boat to furnish
myself with many things which I foresaw would be very
necessary to me. It was in vain to sit still
and wish for what was not to be had, And
this extremity roused my application. We had several spare yards,

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and two or three large spars of wood, and a
spare top mast or two in the ship. I resolved
to work to fall with these, and I flung as
many of them overboard as I can manage for their weight,
tying every one with the rope that they may not
drive away. When this was done, I went down the

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ship's side, and pulling them to me, I tied four
of them together at both ends as well as I could,
in the form of a raft, and laying two or
three short pieces of plank upon the crossways. I found
I could walk upon it very well, but that but
it was not able to bear any great weight, the
pieces being too light. So I went to work, and

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with the carpenter saw, I cut a spare top mast
into three lengths and added them to my raft. With
a great deal of labor and pains. But the hope
of furnishing myself with necessaries encouraged me to go beyond
what I should have been able to have done. Upon
another occasion. My raft was now strong enough to bear

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any reasonable weight. My next care was what to loaded
with and how to preserve what I had laid upon
it from the surf of the sea. But I was
not long considering this. I first laid all the planks
or wards upon it that I could get. Having considered
well what I most wanted, I got three of the
seamen's chests which had been broken open and emptied, and

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lowered them down upon my raft. The first of these
I filled with provisions, that is, bread rice, three Dutch cheeses,
five pieces of dried goat's flesh, which we lived much upon,
and a little remainder of European corn, which had been
laid by for some fowls, which we brought to see

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with us. But the fowls were killed. There had been
some barley and wheat together, but to my great disappointment
I found afterwards that the rats had eaten or spoiled
it all. As for liquors, I found several cases of
bottles belonging to our skipper, in which were some cordial waters,

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and in all about five or six gallons of wreck.
These I stowed by themselves, there being no need to
put them into the chest nor any room for them.
While I was doing this, I found the tide begin
to flow, though very calm, and I had the mortification

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to see my coat, shirt and waistcoat, which I had
left on the shore upon the sand swim away. As
for my breeches, which were only linen and open kneed,
I swam on board and them and my stockings. However,
this set me rummaging for clothes, of which I found enough,
but took no more than I wanted for present use,

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for I had other things which my eye was more
upon as first tools to work with when on shore.
And it was after long searching that I found out
the carpenter's chest, which was indeed a very useful prize
to me, and much more valuable than a ship load
of gold would have been at that time. I got

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it down to my raft hole as it was, without
losing time to look into it, for I knew in
general what it contained. My next care was for some
ammunition and arms. There were two very good following pieces
in the great cabin, and two pistols. These I secured
first with some powder horn and a small bag of shot,

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and two old rusty swords. I knew there were three
barrels of powder in the ship but I knew not
where our gunner had stowed them. But with much much
search I found them, two of them dry and good,
the third had taken water. Those two I got to
my raft with my arms, and now I thought myself

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pretty well freighted, and began to think how I should
get on shore with them, Having neither sailor nor rudder,
and the least capful of wind would have overset all
my navigation. I had three encouragements. First, a smooth, calm sea.
Secondly the tide rising and setting in to the shore. Thirdly,

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what little wind there was blew me towards the land.
And thus, having found two or three broken oars belonging
to the boat, and besides the tools which were in
the chest, I found two saws, and axe and a hammer.
With this cargo I put to sea for a mile
or thereabouts. My raft went very well, only that I

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found it drive a little distant from the place where
I had landed before, by which I perceived that there
was some in draft of the water. And consequently I
hoped to find some creek or a river there which
I might make use of as a port to get
to land with my cargo. As I imagined. So it was.

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There appeared before me a little opening of the land,
and I found a strong current of the tide set
into it. So I guided my raft as well as
I could to keep in the middle of the stream.
But here I had liked to have suffered a second shipwreck,
which if I had, I think verily, would have broken
my heart, For knowing nothing of the coast, my raft

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ran aground at one end of it upon a shoal,
and not being aground at the other end, it wanted
but a little that all my cargo had slipped off
towards the end that was afloat, and to fallen into
the water. I did my utmost by setting my back
against the chests to keep them in their places, But

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I could not thrust off the raft with all my strength,
neither dursty stirred from the posture I was in, but
holding up the chests with all my might, I stood
in that manner near half an hour, in which time
the rising of the water brought me a little more
upon a level, And a little after the water, still rising,
my raft floated again, and I thrust her off with

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the oar I had into the channel, and then driving
up higher. I at length found myself in the mouth
of a little river, with land on both sides and
a strong current of tide running up. I looked on
both sides for a proper place to get to shore,
for I was not willing to be driven too high
up the river, hoping in time to see some ships

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at sea, and therefore resolved to place myself as near
the coast as I could. At length I spied a
little cove on the right shore of the creek, to which,
with great pain and difficulty, I guided my raft and
at last got so near that reaching ground with my ore,

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I could thrust her directly in. But here I had
liked to have dipped all my cargo into the sea again,
for that shore buying pretty steep, that is to say, sloping,
there was no place to land, and where one end
of my float, if it ran on shore, would lie
so high and the others sink lower. As before that

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it would endanger my cargo. Once again. All that I
could do was to wait till the tide was at
the highest, keeping the raft with my oar like can
anchor to hold the side of it fast to the shore.
Near a flat piece of ground which I expected the
water would flow over, and so it did. As soon

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as I found water enough for my raft, drew about
a foot of water. I thrust her upon that flat
piece of ground, and there fastened or moored her by
sticking my two broken oars into the ground, one on
one side near the end, and one on the other
side near the other end. And thus I lay till

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the water ebbed away, and left my raft and all
my cargo safe on shore. My next work was to
view the country and seek a proper place for my habitation,
and where to stow my goods, to secure them from
whatever might happen. Where I was, I yet knew not

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whether on the continent or on an island, whether inhabited
or not inhabited, whether in danger of wariled beasts or not.
There was a hill not a mile above me which
rose up very steep and high, and which seemed to
overtop some other hills which lay as in a ridge

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from it northward. I took out one of the falling pieces,
and one of the pistols, and a horn of powder,
and thus armed, I traveled for discovery up to the
top of that hill, where after I had with great
labor and difficulty got to the top, I saw my
fate to my great affliction, that is that I was

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in an island, environed every way with the sea, no land,
no land to be seen, except some rocks, which lay
a great way off, and two small islands less than this,
which lay about three leagues to the west. I found

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also that the island I was in was barren, and
as I saw good reason to believe, uninhabited, except by
wild beasts, of whom, however, I saw none. Yet I
saw abundance of fowls, but knew not their kinds either.
When I killed them, could I tell what was fit

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for food and what not. At my coming back, I
shot at a great bird, which I saw sitting upon
a tree on the side of a great wood. I
believe it was the first gun that had ever been
fired there since the creation of the world. I had
no sooner fired than from all parts of the wood

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there arose an innumerable number of fowls of many sorts,
making a confused screaming and crying, and every one of them,
according to his usual note, but not one of them
of any kind that I knew. As for the creature
I killed, I took it to be a kind of hawk,

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its color and beat resembling it, but it had no
talons or claws more than common. Its flesh was carrion
and fit for nothing. Contented with this discovery, I came
back to my raft and fell to work to bring
my cargo on shore, which took me up the rest

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of that day. What to do with myself at night
I knew not, nor indeed where to rest, for I
was afraid to lie down on the ground, not knowing
but some wild beast might devour me, though as I
afterwards found, there was really no need for those fears. However,
as well as I could, I barricaded myself round with

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the chests and boards that I had brought on shore,
and made a kind of hut for that night's lodging.
As for food, I yet saw not which way to
supply myself, except that I had seen two or three
creatures like hares run out of the wood where I
shot the fowl. I now began to consider that I

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might yet get a great many things out of the
ship which would be useful to me, and particularly some
of the rigging and sails and such other things as
might come to land. And I resolved to make another
voyage on board the vessel, if possible, And as I
knew that the first storm that blue must necessarily break

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her all in pieces, I resolved to set all other
things apart till I had got everything out of the
ship that I could get. Then I called a council,
that is to say, in my thoughts, whether I should
take back the raft. But this appeared impracticable, so I

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resolved to go as before when the tide was down,
And I did so only that I stripped before I
went from my hut, having nothing on but my checkered shirt,
a pair of linen drawers, and a pair of pump
on my feet. I got on board the ship as
before and prepared a second raft. And having had experience

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of the first, I neither made this so unwieldy, nor
loaded it so hard. But yet I brought away several
things very useful to me. As first, in the carpenter stores,
I found two or three bags full of nails and spikes,
a great screw jack, a dozen or two of hatchets,
and above all that most useful thing called a grindstone.

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All these I secured, together with several things belonging to
the gunner, particularly two or three iron crows, and two
barrels of musket bullets, seven muskets, another following piece with
some small quantity of powder, more a large bag full
of small shot, and a great roll of sheet lead.

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But this last was so heavy I could not hoist
it up to get it over the ship's side. Besides
these things, I took all the men's clothes that I
could find, and a spare for a topsail, a hammock,
and some bedding, And with this I loaded my second
raft and brought them all safe on shore, to my

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very great comfort. I was under some apprehension during my
absence from the land that at least my provisions might
be devoured on shore. But when I came back I
found no sign of any visitor. Only there sat a
creature like a wild cat upon one of the chests, which,

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when I came towards it, ran away a little distance
and then stood still. She sat very composed and unconcerned,
and looked full in my face, as if she had
a mind to be acquainted with me. I presented my
gun at her, but as she did not understand it,

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she was perfectly unconcerned it. Nor did she offer to
stir away, upon which I tost her a bit of biscuit,
though by the way I was not very free of it,
for my store was not great. However, I spared her
a bit, I say, and she went to it, smelled
at it, and ate it, and looked as if pleased

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for more. But I thanked her and could spare no more,
so she marched off. Having got my second cargo on shore.
Though I was fain to open the barrels of powder
and bring them by parcels, for they were too heavy,
being large casts, I went to work to make me
a little tent with the sale and some poles which

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I cut for that purpose. And into this tent I
brought everything that I knew would spoil either with rain
or sun, and I piled all the empty chests in
casts up in a circle around the tent to fortify
it from any sudden attempt, either from man or beast.

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When I had done this, I blocked up the door
of the tent with some boards within, and an empty
chest set up on end without, and spreading one of
the beds upon the ground, laying my two pistols just
at my head and my gun at length by me.
I went to bed for the first time, and slept

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very quietly all night, for I was very weary and heavy.
For the night before I had slept little, and had
labored very hard all day to fetch all those things
from the ship and to get them on shore. I
had the biggest magazine of all kinds now that ever
was laid up idly for one man. But I was

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not satisfied still. For a while the ship sat upright
in that posture. I thought I ought to get everything
out of her that I could. So every day at
low water I went on board and brought away something
or other, But particularly the third time I went, I
brought away as much of the rigging as I could,

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as also all the small ropes and rope twine I
could get with a piece of spare canvas, which was
to mend the sails upon occasion, and the barrel of
wet gunpowder. In a word, I brought away all the
sails first and last, only that I was fain to
cut them in pieces and bring as much as I

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at a time as I could, for they were no
more useful to be sails but as mere canvas only.
But that which comforted me more still was that last
of all. After I had made five or six such
voyages as these, and thought I had nothing more to
expect from the ship that was worth my meddling with,

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I say, after all this, I found a great hogshead
of bread, three large runlets of rum or spirits, a
box of sugar, and a barrel of fine flour. This
was surprising to me, because I had given over expecting
any more provisions except what was spoiled by the water.

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I soon emptied the hogshead of the bread and wrapped
it up parcel by parcel, and pieces of the sails
which I cut out, and in a word, I got
all this safe on shore. Also the next day I
made another voyage, and now having plundered the ship of
what was portable and fit to hand out, I began

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with the cables, cutting the great cable into pieces such
as I could move. I got two cables and a
hawser on shore with all the iron work I could get,
And having cut down the spirit sail yard and the
mizzen yard and everything I could get to make a
large raft, I loaded it with these heavy goods came away.

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But my good luck began now to leave me for
this raft was so unwieldy and so overladen that after
I had entered the little cove where I had landed
the rest of my goods, not being able to guide
it so handily as I did the other, it overset
and threw me and all my cargo into the water.

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As for myself it was no great harm, for I
was near the shore. But as to my cargo, it
was a greater part of it lost, especially the iron,
which I expected would have been of great use to me. However,
when the tide was out, I got most of the
pieces of the cable ashore and some of the iron,

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though with infinite labor, for I was fain to dip
for it into the water, a work which fatigued me
very much. After this, I went every day on board
and brought away what I could get. I had now
been thirteen days on shore, and had been eleven times

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on board the ship, in which time I had brought
away all that one pair of hands could well be
supposed capable to bring, though I believe verily, had the
calm weather held, I should have brought away the whole
ship piece by piece. But preparing the twelfth time to
go on board, I found the wind began to rise. However,

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at low water I went on board, and though I
thought I had rummaged the cabin so effectually that nothing
more could be found, yet I discovered a locker with
drawers in it, in one of which I found two
or three razors and one pair of large scissors, with
some tin or a dozen of good knives and forks.

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In another I found about thirty six pounds value of money,
some European coins, some brazil, some pieces of eight, some gold,
and some silver. I smiled to myself at the sight
of this money. Oh drug, said I aloud, What art
thou good for? Thou art not worth to me? No?

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Not the taking off the ground one of those knives
is worth all this heap. I have no manner of
use for thee e'en remain where thou art, and go
to the bottom as a creature whose life is not
worth saving. However, upon second thoughts, I took it away,
and wrapping all this in a piece of canvas, I

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began to think of making another raft. But while I
was preparing this, I found the sky overcast, and the
wind began to rise, and in a quarter of an
hour it blew a fresh gale from the shore. It
presently occurred to me that it was in vain to
pretend to make a raft with the wind offshore, and

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that it was my business to be gone before the
tide of flood began, otherwise I might not be able
to reach the shore at all. Accordingly, I left myself
down into the water and swam across the channel which
lay between the ship and the sands, and even that
with difficulty enough, partly with the weight of the things

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I had about me, and partly the roughness of the water.
For the wind rose very hastily, and before it was
quite high water it blew a storm, but I had
got home to my little tent, where I lay, with
all my wealth about me, very secure. It blew very

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hard all night, and in the morning, when I looked out,
behold no more ship was to be seen. I was
a little surprised, but recovered myself with the satisfactory reflection
that I had lost no time, nor abaded any diligence
to get everything out of her that could be useful

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to me, and that indeed there was little left in
her that I was able to bring away if I
had had more time. I now gave over any more
thoughts of the ship or of anything out of her,
except what might drive on shore from her wreck, as
indeed divers pieces of her afterwards did. But those things

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were of small use to me. My thoughts were now
wholly employed about securing myself against either savages, if any
should appear, or wild beasts, if anywhere in the island.
And I had many thoughts of the method how to
do this, and what kind of dwelling to make, whether
I should make me a cave in the earth or

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a tent upon the earth. And in short I resolved
upon both the manner and description of which it may
not be improper to give an account of. I soon
found the place I was in not fit for my
settlement because it was upon a low moorish ground near
the sea, and I believed it would not be wholesome,

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and more particularly because there was no fresh water near it.
So I resolved to find a more healthy and more
convenient spot of ground. I consulted several things in my
situation which I found would be proper for me. First,
health and fresh water I just now mentioned. Secondly, shelter

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from the heat of the sun. Thirdly, security from ravenous creatures,
whether man or beast. Fourthly, of view to the sea,
that if God sent any ship in my sight, I
might not lose any advantage for my deliverance, of which
I was not willing to banish all my expectation. Yet,

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in search of a place proper for this, I found
a little plane on the side of a rising hill
whose front towards this little plain was steep as a
house side, so that nothing could come down upon me
from the top. On the one side of the rock
there was a hollow place worn a little way in,

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like the entrance or door of a cave, but there
was not really any cave or any way into the
rock at all. On the flat of the green. Just
before this hollow place I resolved to pitch my tent.
This plain was not above one hundred yards broad and
about twice as long, and lay like a green before
my door, and at the end of it descended irregularly

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every way down into the low ground by the seaside.
It was on the north northwest side of the hill,
so that it was sheltered from the heat every day
till it came to a west and by south sun
or thereabouts, which in those countries is near the setting.

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Before I set up my tent, I drew a half
circle before the hollow place, which took in about ten
yards in its semi diameter from the rock, and twenty
yards in its diameter from its beginning and ending. In
this half circle, I pitched two rows of strong stakes,

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driving them into the ground till they stood very firm
like piles, the biggest end being out of the ground
above five feet and a half and sharpened at the top.
The two rows did not stand above six inches from
one another. Then I took the pieces of cable which

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I had cut in the ship, and laid them in rows,
one upon another within the circle between these two rows
of stakes up to the top, placing other steaks in
the inside, leaning against them about two feet and a
half high, like a spur to a post. And this
fence was so strong that neither man nor beast could

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get into it or over it. This cost me a
great deal of time and labor, especially to cut the
piles in the woods, bring them to the place, and
drive them into the earth. The entrance into this place
I made to be not by a door, but by
a short ladder to go over the top which ladder

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when I was in, I lifted over with me after me,
and so I was completely fenced in and fortified, as
I thought, from all the world, and consequently slept secure
in the night, which otherwise I could not have done,
though as it appeared afterwards that there was no need
for all of this caution from the enemies that I

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apprehended danger from. Into this fence or fortress, with infinite labor,
I carried all my riches, all my provisions, ammunition and
stores of which you had the account above, and I
made a large tent which to preserve me from the
reins that in one part of the year are very violent.

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There I made double, one smaller tent within and one
larger tent above it, and covered the uppermost with a
large tarpaulin which I had saved among the sails. And
now I lay no more for a while in the
bed which I had brought on shore, but in a hammock,

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which was indeed a very good one, and belonged to
the mate of the ship. Into this tent I brought
all my provisions and everything that would spoil by the wet,
And having thus enclosed all my goods, I made up
the entrance, which till now I had left open, and
so passed and repassed, as I said, by a short ladder.

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When I had done this, I began to work my
way into the rock, and bringing all the earth and
stones that I dug down out through my tent, I
laid them up within my fence, in the nature of
a terrace, so that it raised the ground within about
a foot and a half. And thus I made me
a cave just behind my tent, which served me like

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a cellar to my house. It cost me much labor,
and many days before all these things were brought to perfection.
And therefore I must go back to some other things
which took up some of my thoughts at the same time.
It happened, after I had laid my scheme for the
setting up of my tent and making the cave, that

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a storm of rain falling from a thick dark cloud,
A sudden flash of lightning happened, and after that a
great clap of thunder, as is naturally the effect of it.
I was not so much surprised with the lightning as
I was with the thought which darted into my mind
as swift as the lightning itself. Oh, my powder. My

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very heart sank within me when I thought that at
one blast all my powder might be destroyed, on which
not my defense only, but the providing my food, as
I thought entirely depended. I was nothing near so anxious
about my own danger, though had the powder took fire,
I should never have known who had hurt me. Such

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impression did this make upon me that after the storm
was over, I laid aside all my works, my building
and fortifying, and applied myself to making bags and boxes
to separate the powder, and to keep it a little
and a little in a parcel, in the hope that
whatever might come, it might not all take fire at once,

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and to keep it so apart that it should not
be possible to make one part fire another. This work
in about a fortnight, and I think my powder, which
was an all about two hundred and forty pounds weight,
was divided in not less than a hundred parcels. As
to the barrel that had been wet. I did not

(35:14):
apprehend any danger from that, so I placed it in
my new cave, which in my fancy I called my kitchen,
and the rest I hid up and down in holes
among the rocks, so that no wet might come to it,
marking very carefully where I laid it. In the interval
of time, while this was doing, I went out once

(35:36):
at least every day with my gun as well, to
divert myself as to see if I could kill anything
fit for food, and as near as I could, to
acquaint myself with what the island produced. The first time
I went out, I presently discovered that there were goats
in the island, which was a great satisfaction to me.

(35:58):
But then it was a t with this misfortune to me,
that is that they were so shy, so subtle, and
so swift a foot, that it was the most difficult
thing in the world to come at them. But I
was not discouraged at this, not doubting, but I might
now and then shoot one, as it soon happened, For

(36:18):
after I had found their haunts a little, I laid
weight in this manner for them. I observed that they
saw me in the valleys. Though they were upon the rocks,
they would run away as in a terrible fright. But
if they were feeding in the valleys and I was
upon the rocks, they took no notice of me. From

(36:39):
whence I concluded that by the position of their optics,
their sight was so directed downward that they did not
readily see objects that were above them. So afterwards I
took this method. I always climbed the rocks first to
get above them, and then had frequently a fair mark.

(37:00):
The first shot I made among these creatures I killed
a she goat which had a little kid by her,
which she gave suck to, which grieved me heartily, for
when the old one fell, the kid stood stocked still
by her till I came and took her up. And
not only so, but when I carried the old one
with me upon my shoulders, the kid followed me quite

(37:24):
to my enclosure, upon which I laid down the dam,
and took the kid in my arms and carried it
over my pail, in hopes to have bred it up tame.
But it would not eat, and so I was forced
to kill it and eat it myself. These two supplied
me with flesh a great while, for I ate sparingly

(37:44):
and saved my provisions my bread, especially as much as
I possibly could. Having now fixed my habitation, I found
it absolutely necessary to provide a place to make a
fire in and fuel to burn and what I did
for that, and also how I enlarged my cave, and

(38:04):
what conveniences I made, I shall give a full account
of in its place. But I must now give some
little account of myself and of my thoughts about living,
which it may well be supposed were not a few.
I had a dismal prospect of my condition. For as

(38:26):
I was not cast away upon that island without being driven,
as is said, by a violent storm, quite out of
the course of our intended voyage, in a great way,
that is, some hundreds of leagues, out of the ordinary
course of the trade of mankind, I had great reason
to consider this as a determination of Heaven, that in

(38:48):
this desolate place, and in this desolate manner, I should
end my life. The tears would run platively down my
face when I made these reflections, and sometimes I would
expostulate with myself why Providence should completely ruin his creatures
and render them so absolutely miserable, so without help, abandoned,

(39:13):
so entirely depressed, that it could hardly be rational to
be thankful for such a life. But something always returned
swift upon me to check these thoughts and to reprove me,
And particularly one day walking with my gun in my
hand by the seaside. I was very pensive upon the

(39:35):
subject of my present condition, when reason, as it were,
expostulated with me the other way. Thus, well, you are
in a desolate condition, it is true, But pray, remember
where are the rest of you? Did you not come
eleven of you in the boat? Where are the ten?

(39:59):
Why were they not saved and you lost? Why were
you singled out? Is it better to be here or there?
And then I pointed to the sea. All evils are
to be considered with the good that is in them,

(40:19):
and with what worse attends them. It occurred to me
again how well I was furnished for my subsistence, And
what would have been my case if it had not happened,
which was one hundred thousand to one, that the ship
floated from the place where she first struck, and was

(40:40):
driven so near to the shore that I had time
to get all these things out of her. What would
have been my case if I had been forced to
have lived in the condition in which I at first
came on shore, without necessaries of life, or necessaries to
supply and procure them. Particularly, said I aloud, though to myself,

(41:03):
what should I have done without a gun, without ammunition,
without any tools to make anything or to work with,
without clothes, betting a tent, or any manner of covering,
And that now I had all these things to sufficient quantity,
and was in a fair way to provide myself in

(41:24):
such a manner as to live without my gun when
my ammunition was spent, so that I had a tolerable
view of subsisting without any want as long as I lived.
For I considered from the beginning, I would provide for
the accidents that might happen, and for the time that

(41:45):
was to come, even not only after my ammunition should
be spent, but even after my health and strength should decay.
I confess I had not entertained any notion of my
munition being destroyed at one blast, I mean, my powder
being blown up by lightning. And this made the thoughts

(42:07):
of it so surprising to me when it lightened and thundered,
as I observed just now, and now being about to
enter into a melancholy relation of a scene of silent life,
such perhaps as was never heard of in the world before,
I shall take it from its beginning and continue it

(42:29):
in its order. It was, by my account the thirtieth
of September, when in the manner as above said, I
first set foot upon this horrid island, when the sun,
being to us in its autumnal equinox, was almost over
my head. For I reckon myself by observation to be

(42:51):
in the latitude of nine degrees twenty two minutes north
of the line. After I had been there about ten
or twelve, it came to my thoughts that I should
lose my reckoning of time for want of books and
pen and ink, and should even forget the sabbath days.

(43:11):
But to prevent this, I cut with my knife upon
a large post in capital letters, and making it into
a great cross, I set it up on the shore
where I first landed. I came on shore here on
the thirtieth September sixteen fifty nine. Upon the sides of

(43:32):
this square post, I cut every day a notch with
my knife, and every seventh notch was as long again
as the rest, and every first day of the month
as long again as that long one. And thus I
kept my calendar, or weekly, monthly and yearly reckoning of time.

(43:55):
In the next place, we are to observe that among
the many things which I brought out of the ship
in several voyages, which, as above mentioned I made to it.
I got several things of less value, but not at
all less useful to me, which I omitted setting down before,

(44:16):
as in particular pens, ink and paper, several parcels in
the captain's mates, gunners and carpenters, keeping three or four compasses,
some mathematical instruments, dials, perspectives, charts, and books of navigation,
all which I huddled together, whether I might want them

(44:37):
or no. Also I found three very good bibles, which
came to me in my cargo from England, and which
I had packed up among my things. Some Portuguese books also,
and among them two or three Popish prayer books, and
several other books, all which I carefully secured. I must

(45:00):
not forget that we had in the ship a dog
and two cats, of whose imminent history I may have
occasion to say something in its place, for I carried
both the cats with me, and as for the dog,
he jumped out of the ship of himself and swam
on shore to me the day after I went on
shore with my first cargo, and was a trustee servant

(45:21):
to me many years. I wanted nothing that he could
fetch me, nor any company that he could make up
to me. I only wanted to have him talk to me,
but that he would not do. As I observed before,
I found pens, ink and paper, and I husbanded them

(45:42):
to the utmost. And I shall show that while my
ink lasted, I kept things very exact. But after that
was gone, I could not, for I could not make
any ink by any means that I could devise. And
me in mind that I wanted many things, notwithstanding all

(46:03):
that I had a mass together, and of these ink
was one, as also a spade, pickaxe, and shovel to
dig or remove the earth, needles, pins and thread as
for linen. I soon learned to want that without much difficulty.

(46:25):
This want of tools made every work I did go
so heavily, and it was near a whole year before
I had entirely finished my little pail or surrounded my habitation.
The piles or steaks, which were as heavy as I
could well lift, were a long time in cutting and
preparing in the woods, and more by far in bringing home,

(46:47):
so that I spent sometimes two days in cutting and
bringing home one of these posts, and a third day
in driving it into the ground, for which purpose I
got a heavy piece of wood at first, but at
last bethought myself of one of the iron crows, which, however,
though I found it, made driving these posts or piles

(47:08):
very laborious and tedious work. But what need I have
been concerned at the tediousness of anything I had to do,
seeing I had time enough to do it in nor
had I any other employment if that had been over
at least that I could foresee, except arranging the island

(47:31):
to seek for food, which I did more or less
every day. I now began to seriously consider my condition
and the circumstances I was reduced to, and I drew
up the state of my affairs in writing, not so
much to leave them to any that were to come
after me, for I was likely to have but few

(47:53):
errors as to deliver my thoughts from daily pouring over
them and afflicting my mind. And as my reason began
now to master my despondency, I began to comfort myself
as well as I could, and to set the good
against evil, that I might have something to distinguish my

(48:14):
case from worse. And I stated very impartially like debtor
and creditor the comforts I enjoyed against the miseries I suffered. Thus, Evil,
I am cast upon a horrible, desolate island, void of
all hope of recovery. Good, But I am alive and

(48:39):
not drowned, as all my ship's company were. Evil, I
am singled out and separated, as it were, from all
the world to be miserable. Good. But I am singled
out too, from all the ship's crew to be spared

(48:59):
from death. And he that miraculously saved me from death
can deliver me from this condition. Evil. I am divided
from mankind, a solitaire one banished from human society. Good,
But I am not starved and perishing on a barren

(49:21):
place affording no sustenance. Evil. I have no clothes to
cover me. Good, but I am in a hot climate
where if I had clothes, I could hardly wear them. Evil.
I am without any defense or means to resist any
violence of man or beast. Good, But I am cast

(49:46):
on an island where I see no wild beasts to
hurt me as I saw on the coast of Africa,
And what if I had been shipwrecked there. Evil, I
have no soul to speak to or relieve me good.
But God wonderfully sent the ship in near enough to

(50:08):
the shore that I have got out as many necessary
things as will either supply my ones or enable me
to supply myself, even as long as I live upon
the whole Here was an undoubted testimony that there was
scarce any condition in the world so miserable, but there

(50:31):
was something negative or something positive to be thankful for
in it. And let this stand as a direction from
the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in
this world, that we may always find in it something
to comfort ourselves with, and to set in the description

(50:51):
of good and evil on the credit side of the account.
Having now brought my mind a little to relish my condition,
and given over looking out to sea to see if
I should spy a ship, I say, giving over these things,
I begun to apply myself to arrange my way of living,

(51:14):
and to make things as easy to me as I could.
I've already described my habitation, which was a tent under
the side of a rock, surrounded with a strong pail
of posts and cables. But I might now rather call
it a wall, for I raised a kind of wall
up against it, of turfs about two feet thick on

(51:34):
the outside, and after some time I think it was
a year and a half, I raised rafters from it,
leaning to the rock, and thatched or covered it with
boughs of trees and such things as I could get
to keep out the rain, which I found at some
times of the year very violent. I have already observed

(51:57):
how I brought all my goods into this page and
into the cave which I had made behind me. But
I must observe too that at first this was a
confused heap of goods, which, as they lay in no order,
so they took up all my place. I had no
room to turn myself. So I set myself to enlarge

(52:19):
my cave and work farther into the earth. For it
was a loose sandy rock which yielded easily to the
labor I was stowed on it, And so when I
found I was pretty safe as to beasts of prey,
I worked sideways to the right hand into the rock,
and then turning again to the right, worked quite out

(52:40):
and made me a door to come out on the
outside of my pale or fortification. This gave me not
only egress and regress, as it was a way back
to my tent and to my storehouse, but gave me
room to store my goods. And now I began to
apply myself to such necessary things as I found I

(53:03):
most wanted, particularly a chair and a table, for without
these I was not able to enjoy the few comforts
I had in the world. I could not write, or eat,
or do several things with so much pleasure without a table.
So I went to work. And here I must needs

(53:24):
observe that as reason is the substance and origin of
the mathematics, so by stating and squaring everything by reason,
and by making the most rational judgments of things, every
man may be in time master of every mechanic art.
I had never handled a tool in my life, and

(53:46):
yet in time, by labor, application and contrivance, I found
at last that I wanted nothing, but I could have
made it, especially if I had tools. However, I made
a bondets of things even without tools, and some with
no tools more than an ads and a hatchet, which

(54:07):
perhaps were never made that way before, and that with
infinite labor. For example, if I wanted a board, I
had no other way but to cut down a tree,
set it on an edge before me and hew it
flat on either side with my axe, till I brought
it to be thin as a plank, and then dub

(54:30):
it smooth with my ads. It is true by this
method I could make but one board out of a
whole tree. But this I had no remedy for but patience,
any more than I had for the prodigious deal of
time and labor which it took me up to make
a plank or board. But my time or labor was

(54:54):
little worth, and so it was as well employed one
way as another. However, I made me a table and
a chair, as I observed above and in the first place,
And this I did out of the short pieces of
boards that I brought on my raft from the ship.

(55:15):
But when I had wrought out some boards as above,
I made large shelves of the breadth of a foot
and a half one over another, all along one side
of my cave, to lay all my tools, nails, and
iron work on, and in a word, to separate everything
at large into their places, that I might come easily

(55:35):
at them. I knocked pieces into the wall to hang
my guns and all things that would hang up, so
that had my cave been to be seen, it looked
like a great general magazine of all necessary things, and
had everything so ready at my hand, that it was
a great pleasure to me to see all my goods

(55:56):
in such order, and especially to find my stock of
all necessaries so great. And now it was that I
began to keep a journal of every day's employment. For indeed,
at first I was in too much hurry, and not
only hurry as to labor, but in too much discomposure
of mind, and my journal would have been full of

(56:20):
many dull things. For example, I must have said thus
thirtieth after I had got to shore and escaped drowning,
instead of being thankful to God for my deliverance, having
first vomited with the great quantity of salt water which
had gotten into my stomach, and recovering myself a little,

(56:40):
I ran about the shore, wringing my hands and beating
my head and face, exclaiming at my misery, and crying out.
I was undone, undone till tired and faint, I was
forced to lie down on the ground to repose, but
durst not sleep for fear of being devoured. Some days
after after this, and after I had been on board

(57:02):
the ship and got all I could out of her.
Yet I could not forbear getting up to the top
of a little mountain and looking out to sea in
hopes of seeing a ship. Then, fancy at a vast
distance I spy a sail, please myself with the hopes
of it. And then, after looking steadily till I was

(57:23):
almost blind, lose it quite and sit down and weep
like a child, And thus increased my misery by my folly.
But having gotten over these things in some measure, and
having settled my household, staff and habitation, made me a

(57:45):
table and a chair, and all as handsome about me
as I could, I began to keep my journal, of
which I shall hear give you the copy, though in
it will be told all the particulars all over again,
as long as it lasted. For having no more ink,

(58:05):
I was forced to leave it off end of Chapter
four