Part 10 (1/2)

I have mentioned that I saved the skins of all the creatures that I killed, Ithem up stretched out with sticks in the sun; by which means some of them were so dry and hard, that they were fit for little; but others, it seereat cap for my head, with the hair on the outside to shoot off the rain; and this I performed so well, that after this I made a suit of clothes wholly of those skins; that is to say, a waistcoat and breeches open at the knees, and both loose; for they were rather wanted to keep e, that they retchedly made; for if I was a bad carpenter, I was a worse tailor; however, they were such as I ood shi+ft with; and when I was abroad, if it happened to rain, the hair of the waistcoat and cap being outmost, I was kept very dry

After this I spent a deal of tireat want of one, and had a great mind to make one: I had seen thereat heats which are there; and I felt the heats every jot as great here, and greater too, being nearer the equinox; besides, as I was obliged to beto me, as well for the rains as the heats I took a world of pains at it, and was a great while before I could ht I had hit the way, I spoiled two or three before I made one to my mind; but at last I made one that answered indifferently well The main difficulty I found was to make it to let down: I could make it to spread; but if it did not let down too, and draw in, it would not be portable for me any way, but just over my head, which would not do However, at last, as I said, I made one to answer; I covered it with skins, the hair upwards, so that it cast off the rain like a penthouse, and kept off the sun so effectually, that I could walk out in the hottest of the weather, with greater advantage than I could before in the coolest; and when I had no need of it, I could close it, and carry it underentirely co myself wholly upon the disposal of his providence: this ret the want of conversation, I would ask hts, and, as I hope I may say, with even my Maker, by ejaculations and petitions, was not better than the utmost enjoyment of human society in the world?

I cannot say, that after this, for five years, any extraordinary thing happened to me; but I lived on in the same course, in the sa I was eh to have sufficient stock of the year's provisions beforehand; I say, besides this yearly labour, and un, I had one labour toa canal to it, six feet wide, and four feet deep, I brought it into the creek, al, as I ht to do, how I should be able to launch it; so never being able to bring it to the water, or bring the water to it, I was obliged to let it lie where it was, as a memorandum to teach h I could not get a tree proper for it, and was in a place where I could not get the water to it, at any less distance than, as I have said, of near half a ave it over; and though I was near two years about it, yet I never grudged o off to sea at last

However, though ua was finished, yet the size of it was not at all answerable to the design which I had in viehen Iover to the Terra Firly, the sn, and now I thought no n was to make a tour round the island: for as I had been on the other side, in one place, crossing, as I have already described it, over the land, so the discoveries I er to see the other parts of the coast; and now I had a boat, I thought of nothing but sailing round the island

For this purpose, and that Iwith discretion and consideration, I fitted up a little mast to my boat, and made a sail to it out of some of the pieces of the shi+p's sails, which lay in store, and of which I had a great store byfitted my mast and sail, and tried the boat, I found she would sail very well Then I made little lockers and boxes at each end of my boat, to put provisions, necessaries, and ammunition, &c into, to be kept dry, either fro hollow place I cut in the inside of the boat, where I could laydown over it to keep it dry

I fixed my umbrella also in a step at the stern, like a mast, to stand over ; and thus I every now and then took a little voyage upon the sea, but never went far out, nor far froer to view the circudoly I victualledin two dozen of my loaves (cakes I should rather call them) of barley-bread; an earthen pot full of parched rice, a food I ate a great deal of, a little bottle of ru e watch-coats, of those which, as I mentioned before, I had saved out of the seamen's chests; these I took, one to lie upon, and the other to cover ht

It was the 6th of Noven, or e, and I found it h the island itself was not very large, yet when I cae of rocks lie out about two leagues into the sea, some above water, so dry half a league reat way out to sea to double that point

When I first discovered theain, not knowing how far ithow I should get back again; so I came to an anchor, for I hadwhich I got out of the shi+p

Having securedup an hill, which seemed to over-look that point, where I saw the full extent of it, and resolved to venture

Inthe sea fro, and indeed a most furious current, which ran to the east, even came close to the point; and I took the er, that when I cath of it, and not be able to otten first upon this hill, I believe it would have been so; for there was the same current on the other side of the island, only that it set off at a farther distance; and I saw there was a strong eddy under the shore; so I had nothing to do but to get out of the first current, and I should presently be in an eddy

I lay here, however, two days; because the wind blowing pretty fresh (at ESE and that being just contrary to the said current) reat breach of the sea upon the point; so that it was not safe for o too far off because of the strea abated over-night, the sea was calain to all rash and ignorant pilots; for no sooner was I coth froreat depth of water, and a current like a sluice of awith it with such violence, that all I could do could not keep her so e of it: but I found it hurried me farther and farther out from the eddy, which was on the left hand There was no wind stirring to help ; and now I began to give myself over for lost; for, as the current was on both sides the island, I knew in a few leagues distance they one; nor did I see any possibility of avoiding it; so that I had no prospect before ; not by the sea, for that was caler I had indeed found a tortoise on the shore, as big almost as I could lift, and had tossed it into the boat; and I had a great jar of fresh water, that is to say, one ofdriven into the vast ocean, where, to be sure, there was no shore, no ues at least?

And now I sa easy it was for the providence of God to make the most miserable condition that mankind could be in, worse Now I looked back upon my desolate solitary island, as the most pleasant place in the world, and all the happiness ain: I stretched out er wishes; ”O happy desert!” said I, ”I shall never see thee !” Then I reproached myself with my unthankful temper, and how I had repined at ive to be on shore there again? Thus we never see the true state of our condition, till it is illustrated to us by its contraries; nor kno to value e enjoy, but by the want of it

It is scarce possible to i driven from my beloved island (for so it appeared to ues, and in the utain: however, I worked hard, till indeed th was almost exhausted; and kept my boat as much to the northward, that is, towards the side of the current which the eddy lay on, as possibly I could; when about noon, as the sun passed the ht I felt a little breeze of wind inup from the SSE This cheered my heart a little, and especially when in about half an hour otten at a frightful distance from the island; and, had the least cloud or hazy weather intervened, I had been undone another way too; for I had no compass on board, and should never have kno to have steered towards the island, if I had but once lost sight of it; but the weather continuing clear, I appliedaway to the north as et out of the current

Just as I had set an to stretch away, I saw even by the clearness of the water, some alteration of the current was near; where the current was so strong, the water was foul; but perceiving the water clear, I found the current abate, and presently I found to the east, at about half a mile, a breach of the sea upon soain; and as thethe rocks to the north-east, so the other returned by the repulse of the rock, and ain to the north-ith a very sharp streaht to the to uess what ladly I put my boat into the strealadly I spreadcheerfully before the wind, and with a strong tide or eddy under foot

This eddy carried ain directly towards the island, but about two leagues more towards the northward than the current lay, which carried me away at first; so that when I came near the island, I found myself open to the northern shore of it, that is to say, the other end of the island, opposite to that which I went out froue of way by the help of this current or eddy, I found it was spent, and served reat currents, viz that on the south side which had hurried ues on the other side; I say, between these two, in the west of the island, I found the water at least still, and running no way; and having still a breeze of wind fair for h notsuch fresh way as I did before

About four o'clock in the evening, being then within about a league of the island, I found the point of the rocks which occasioned this distance stretching out as is described before, to the southward, and casting off the current more southwardly, had of course , but directly setting the way my course lay, which was due west, but alale, I stretched across this eddy slanting north-west, and in about an hour ca sot to land

When I was on shore, I fell onto lay aside all thoughts ofht my boat close to the shore, in a little cove that I had espied under so quite spent with the labour and fatigue of the voyage

I was now at a great loss which way to get home with my boat; I had run soit by the way I went out; and what ht be at the other side (I mean the west side) I knew not, nor had I any mind to run anytothe shore, and to see if there was no creek where I ain if I wanted her In about threethe shore, I caood inlet, or bay, about a mile over, which narrowed till it came to a very little rivulet, or brook, where I found a convenient harbour for my boat, and where she lay as if she had been in a little dockstowed my boat very safe, I went on shore to look about me, and see where I was

I soon found I had but a little passed by the place where I had been before when I travelled on foot to that shore; so taking nothing out ofhot, I began e as I had been upon, and I reachedstanding as I left it; for I always kept it in good order, being, as I said before, ot over the fence, and laid me down in the shade to rest e you if you can, that read my story, what a surprise I must be in when I aked out ofme by my name several times, ”Robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe, poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you, Robin Crusoe? Where are you? Where have you been?”