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 spied a sail, please myself with the hopes of it, and then after looking steadily, till I was
almost blind, lose it quite, and sit down and weep like a child, and thus increase 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 table and a chair, and all as handsome about me as I could, I began to keep my journal; of which I
shall here give you the copy (though in it will be told all these particulars over again) as long as it lasted; for
having no more ink, I was forced to leave it off.
CHAPTER V . 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.
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Robinson Crusoe
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.
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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
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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. 28,29,30,31. . 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
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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;
