Page:Life and adventures of Robinson Crusoe (2).pdf/14

14 goats in the island, but they were so shy, that it was the most difficult thing in the world to come up with them; but observing that they did not easily see objects above them, I killed them by climbing the rocks, and shooting at those in the valley.

After I had been about ten or twelve days on shore, it came into my thoughts, that I should lose my reckoning of time, and should not be able to distlnguishdistinguish [sic] the Sundays from the working days. To prevent this, I set up a large square post on the shore where I first landed, and cut upon it with a knife, “I came on shore here the 30th of September, 1659, R. C.” Upon the sides I cut every day a noteh, and every seventh noteh 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 weekly, monthly, and yearly reckoning.

I had got from the ship some pens, ink, and paper; some mathematical instruments, and three good Bibles, with several other books, which I carefully secured. I also brought to shore with me two cats, and a dog swam on shore, which was a trusty servant to me many years; nay, he was so good a companion to me, that I was at a loss for nothing that ho could fetch me; and he only wanted power of speech to become a most agreeable friend.

When my habitation was finished, I found it far too small to contain my moveables, I had hardly room to turn myself, so I set about enlarging my cave, and laboured till I had worked sideways into the rock farther than my outside pale, and hewing a way through, made a back door to my store-house. I then made mo a table and chair, which were great conveniences; shelved one side of my cave, and kuocked up pieces of wood into the rock, to hang my things on. When my cave was set to rights, it looked like a general magazine of all necessary things.

In tho rummaging among my things, I found a little bag with some husks of corn in it; and wanting it, I shook it out by the side of my fortifieation. This was just before somo heavy rain; and about a month afterwards, I saw green stalks shooting out of the ground; but how great was my astonishment, when some time after I saw about ten or twelve ears of barley, and a few stalks of riee: these were worth more than fifty times their weight in gold; and I carefully preserved them for seed.

When I had been about a year in the island, I was taken extremely ill. This fit of illness proved a violent ague, which made me so weak, I could hardly carry my gun. One night as I was ruminating on my sad eondition, expecting the return of my fit, it oeeurred to my thoughts, that the Brazilians took