Chapter 6
In this time I found much employment (and very suitable also to the time), for I found great occasion of many things which I had no way to furnish myself with but by hard labour and constant application. Particularly I tried many ways to make myself a basket, but all the twigs I could get for the purpose proved so brittle that they would do nothing.
Accordingly the next day, I went to my country—house, as I called it, and cutting some of the smaller twigs, I found them to my purpose as much as I could desire. Whereupon I came the next time prepared with a hatchet to cut down a quantity, which I soon found, for there was great plenty of them. These I set up to dry within my circle or hedge, and when they were fit for use I carried them to my cave, and here during the next season I employed myself in making, as well as I could, a great number of baskets, both to carry earth, or to carry or lay up anything as I had occasion. And though I did not finish them very handsomely, yet I made them sufficiently serviceable for my purpose. And thus afterwards I took care never to be without them. And as my wicker ware decayed I made more; especially I made strong deep baskets to place my corn in instead of sacks, when I should come to have any quantity of it.
I mentioned before that I had a great mind to see the whole island, and that I had travelled up the brook, and so on to where I built my bower, and where I had an opening quite to the sea on the other side of the island. I now resolved to travel quite across the country to the seashore on that side. So taking my gun, a hatchet, and my dog, and a larger quantity of powder and shot than usual, with two biscuit-cakes, and a great hunch of raisins in my pouch for my store, I began my journey. When I had passed the vale where my bower stood as above, I came within view of the sea to the west, and it being a very clear day I fairly descried land, whether an island or a continent I could not tell. But it lay very high, extending from the west to the west—south-west at a very great distance. By my guess it could not be less than fifteen or twenty leagues off.
I could not tell what part of the world this might be, otherwise than that I knew it must be part of America, and, as I concluded by all my observations, must be near the Spanish dominions. Perhaps it was all inhabited by savages, where if I should have landed, I had been in a worse condition that I was now.
With these considerations I walked very leisurely forward. I found that side of the island where I now was much pleasanter than mine. The open or savanna fields were sweet, adorned with flowers and grass, and full of very fine woods. I saw abundance of parrots, and fain I would have caught one, if possible, to have kept it to be tame, and taught it to speak to me. I did, after some painstaking, catch a young parrot, for I knocked it down with a stick, and having recovered it I brought it home. But it was some years before I could make him speak. However, at last I taught him to call me by my name very familiarly. But the accident that followed, though it be a trifle, will be very diverting in its place.
I was exceedingly diverted with this journey. I found in the low grounds hares, as I thought them to be, and foxes. But they differed greatly from all the other kinds I had met with, nor could I satisfy myself to eat them, though I killed several. But I had no need to be venturous, for I had no want of food, and of that which was very good too; especially these three sorts—namely, goats, pigeons, and turtle or tortoise, which, added to my grapes, Leadenhall Market could not have furnished a table better than I in proportion to the company.
As soon as I came to the sea-shore I was surprised to see that I had taken up my lot on the worst side of the island. For here, indeed, the shore was covered with innumerable turtles, whereas on the other side I had found but three in a year and a half. Here was also an infinite number of fowls of many kinds; some which I had seen, and some which I had not seen of before—and many of them very good meat—but such as I knew not the names of, except those called penguins.
I could have shot as many as I pleased, but was very sparing of my powder and shot, and therefore had more mind to kill a she-goat if I could, which I could better feed on. Though there were many goats here more than on my side of the island—yet it was with much more difficulty that I could come near them, the country being flat and even, and they saw me much sooner than when I was on the hill.
I confess this side of the country was much pleasanter than mine. But yet I had not the least inclination to remove, for as I was fixed in my habitation, it became natural to me, and I seemed all the while I was here to be as it were upon a journey, and from home. However, I travelled along the shore of the sea towards the east. I suppose about twelve miles and then, setting up a great pole upon the shore for a mark, I concluded I would go home again, and that the next journey I took should be on the other side of the island east from my dwelling, and so round till I came to my post again; of which in its place.
I took another way to come back than that I went, thinking I could easily keep all the island so much in my view that I could not miss finding my first dwelling by viewing the country. But I found myself mistaken. For being come about two or three miles, I found myself descended into a very large valley, but so surrounded with hills, and those hills covered with wood, that I could not see which was my way by any direction but that of the sun, nor even then, unless I knew very well the position of the sun at that time of the day.
It happened, to my farther misfortune, that the weather proved hazy for three or four days while I was in this valley. Not being able to see the sun, I wandered about very uncomfortably, and at last was obliged to find out the seaside, look for my post, and come back the same way I went. And then by easy journeys I turned homeward, the weather being exceeding hot, and my gun, ammunition hatchet, and other things very heavy.
In this journey, my dog surprised a young kid, and seized upon it, and I running in to take hold of it, caught it, and saved it alive from the dog. I had a great mind to bring home if I could. For I had often been musing whether it might not be possible to get a kid or two. So raised a breed of tame goats which might supply me when my powder and shot should be all spent.
I made a collar to this little creature, and with a string which I made of some rope-yarn, which I always carried about me. I led him along, though with some difficulty, till I came to the bower. There I enclosed him and left him, for I was very impatient to be at home, from whence I had been absent above a month.
I cannot express what satisfaction it was to me to come into my old hutch and lie down in my hammock-bed. This little wandering journey, without a settled place of abode, had been so unpleasant to me, that my own house, as I called it to myself, was a perfect settlement to me compared to that. It rendered everything about me so comfortable that I resolved would never go a great way from it again while it should be my lot to stay on the island.
I reposed myself a week, to rest and regale myself after my long journey; during which most of the time was taken up in the weighty affair of making a cage for my poll, who began now to be a mere domestic, and to be mighty well acquainted with me. Then I began to think of the poor kid which I had penned in within my little circle, and resolved to go and fetch it home or give it some food. Accordingly, I went, and found it where I had left it. For indeed, it could not get out, but almost starved for want of food. I went and cut boughs of trees and branches of such shrubs as I could find, and threw it over. Having fed it, I tied it as I did before, to lead it away. But it was so tame with being hungry that I had no need to have tied it, for it followed me like a dog. As I continually fed it, the creature became so loving, so gentle, and so fond, that it became from that time one of my domestics also, and would never leave me afterwards.
