The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe (10 page)

It was a little before the great rain just now mentioned I threw this stuff away, taking no notice of any thing, and not so much as remembering I had thrown any thing there. About a month after I saw some few stalks of something green shooting out of the ground, which I fancied might be some plant I had not seen. I was surprised and perfectly astonished when, after a little longer time, I saw about ten or twelve ears come out which were perfect green barley of the same kind as our European, nay, as our English barley.

It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion of my thoughts on this occasion. I had hitherto acted upon no religious foundation at all. Indeed, I had very few notions of religion in my head, as my father did speak often against those who would prejudge us for the blood we carried. But after I saw barley grow there in a climate which I knew was not proper for corn, and as I knew not how it came there, it startled me strangely. I began to suggest God had caused this grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and it was so directed purely for my sustenance on that wild miserable place.

I began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature should happen upon my account. And this was the more strange to me, because I saw near it still some other straggling stalks which proved to be stalks of rice, which I knew because I had seen it grow in Africa when I was ashore there.

At last it occurred to my thoughts I had shook out a bag in that place and then the wonder began to cease. I must confess, my religious thankfulness to God's providence began to abate too upon the discovering all this was nothing but what was common. Tho’ I ought to have been as thankful for so strange and unforeseen a providence, as if it had been miraculous.

Laying up every corn, I resolv’d to sow them all again, hoping, in time, to have some quantity sufficient to supply me with bread. Besides this barley, there were, as above, 20 or 30 stalks of rice, which I preserv’d with the same care, and whose use was of the same kind or to the same purpose, viz. to make me bread, or rather food. I found ways to cook it up without baking, tho’ I did that also after some time.

But to return to my journal.

I work’d excessively hard these three or four months to get my wall done, and the 14th of April I closed it up, contriving to get into it not by a door, but over the wall, by a ladder, that there might be no sign on the outside of my habitation.

April 16.

I finished the ladder. I went up with the ladder to the top and then pulled it up after me and let it down in the inside. This was a complete enclosure to me. Within I had room enough, and nothing could come at me from without unless it could first mount my wall.

The very next day after this wall was finished, I had almost all my labour overthrown at once, and myself killed.

As I was busy in the inside of it, just at the entrance into my cave, I was terribly frightened with a most dreadful surprising thing indeed. All on a sudden I found the earth come crumbling down from the roof of my cave and from the edge of the hill over my head. Two of the posts I had set up in the cave cracked in a frightful manner. I was scared, but thought nothing of what was the cause, only thinking that the top of my cave was falling in as some of it had done before. For fear I should be buried in it, I ran forward to my ladder, and not thinking myself safe there neither, I got over my wall for fear of the pieces of the hill which I expected might roll down upon me.

I had no sooner stepped down upon the firm ground than I saw it was a terrible earthquake. The ground I stood on shook three times at about eight minutes' distance, with three such shocks as would have overturned the strongest building that could be supposed to have stood on the earth. A great piece of the top of a rock, which stood about half a mile from me, fell down, with such a terrible noise as I never heard in all my life. I perceived also the very sea was put into a violent motion by it. I believe the shocks were stronger 'neath the water than on the island, and for reasons I could not give a name to, I was struck with the thought of some great creature turning and stretching in its sleep, as does a man or e'en a dog.

I was so much amaz’d with the thing itself (having never felt the like, nor discours’d with any one that had) I was like one dead or stupify’d. The motion of the earth made my stomach sick, like one that was toss’d at sea, or so I first thought. I did soon recognize this as the beast, growling and snarling within me tho’ it was still more than a week from the first night of the moon, for some element of this earthquake disturbed it greatly, and I did try to examine the beast within my skin to learn why. But the noise of the falling of the rock awak’d me, as it were, and rousing me from the stupify'd condition I was in, fill’d me with horror. I thought of nothing but the hill falling upon my tent and my household goods, and burying all at once. This sunk my very soul within me a second time.

After the third shock was over and I felt no more for some time, I began to take courage and the beast grew quiet within me. Yet I had not heart enough to go over my wall again for fear of being buried alive, but sat still upon the ground cast down and disconsolate, not knowing what to do. All this while, I had not the least serious religious thought. Nothing but the very common
Lord, have mercy upon me!
and when it was over, that went away too.

While I sat thus I found the air overcast, and grow cloudy, as if it would rain. Soon after the wind rose by little and little, so in less than half an hour it blew a most dreadful hurricane. The sea 'round the black rocks was, all on a sudden, covered with foam and froth. The shore was covered with a breach of the water, the trees were torn up by the roots, and a terrible storm it was. This held about three hours, and then began to abate. In two hours more it was quite calm, and began to rain very hard.

All this while I sat upon the ground, very much terrify’d and dejected, when on a sudden it came into my thoughts that these winds and rain being the consequence of the earthquake, the earthquake itself was spent and over. I might venture into my cave again. With this thought my spirits began to revive, and the rain also helping to persuade me, I went in and sat down in my tent. But the rain was so violent my tent was ready to be beaten down with it. I was forced to get into my cave, tho’ very much afraid and uneasy for fear it should fall on my head.

This violent rain forced me to a new work, viz. to cut a hole through my new fortification like a sink, to let the water go out, which would else have drown’d my cave. After I had been in my cave for some time and found no more shocks of the earthquake follow, I began to be more composed. And now to support my spirits, which indeed wanted it very much, I went to my little store and took a small sup of rum, which I did then, and always, very sparingly, knowing I could have no more when that was gone.

It continued raining all night, and a great part of the next day, so I could not stir abroad. My mind being more composed, I began to think of what I had best do, concluding if the island was subject to these earthquakes, there would be no living for me in a cave. I must consider of building me some little hut in an open place which I might surround with a wall, as I had done here. If I staid where I was I should be buried alive.

With these thoughts, I resolv’d to remove my tent from the place where it now stood, being just under the hanging precipice of the hill, and which if it should be shaken again would certainly fall upon my tent. I spent the two next days, being the 19th and 20th of April, in contriving where and how to remove my habitation.

The fear of being swallowed alive affected me so that I never slept in quiet. Yet the apprehension of lying abroad, without any fence, was almost equal to it. Still, when I looked about, and saw how every thing was put in order, how I was concealed, and how safe from danger, it made me very loth to remove.

In the mean time, it occurred to me it would require a vast deal of time for me to do this. I must be contented to run the risk where I was till I had formed a convenient camp and secured it so as to remove to it. With this conclusion I composed myself for a time, and resolv’d I would go to work with all speed to build me a wall with piles and cables, &c. in a circle as before, and set up my tent in it when it was finished. I would venture to stay where I was till it was ready and fit to remove to. This was the 21st.

April 22.

The next morning I began to consider of means to put this measure into execution. I was at a great loss about the tools. I had three large axes and abundance of hatchets (for we carried the hatchets for traffic with the Indians), but with much chopping and cutting knotty hard wood, they were all full of notches and dull. Tho’ I had a grind-stone, I could not turn it and grind my tools too. This caused me as much thought as a statesman would have bestowed upon a grand point of politics or a judge upon the life and death of a man. At length I contrived a wheel with a string to turn it with my foot, that I might have both my hands at liberty.

Note
. I had never seen any such thing in England, or at least not to take notice how it was done, tho’ since I have observ’d it is very common there. Besides, my grind-stone was very large and heavy. This machine cost me a full week's work to bring it to perfection.

April 24, 25, 26

The beast was most unhappy and bothered still by the earthquake. It would not run or hunt or feed, but only pace in the area it awoke in. All three mornings I would find myself just a few yards from where the mantle of the beast had fallen upon me, the ground covered with its many footprints, or paw prints as they may be called. It was very hungry, and thus I awoke each day finding myself ravenous and desiring for much food.

April 28, 29.

These two whole days I took up in grinding my tools, my machine for turning my grind-stone performing very well.

April 30.

Having perceived my bread had been low a great while, I now took a survey of it, and reduced myself to one bisket-cake a day, which made my heart very heavy.

May 1.

In the morning, looking toward the sea-side, the tyde being low, I saw something lie on the shore bigger than ordinary, and it looked like a cask. When I came to it, I found a small barrel and two or three pieces of the wreck of the ship which were driven on shore by the late hurricane. Looking towards the wreck itself, I thought it seemed to lie higher out of the water than it used to do. I examined the barrel that was driven on shore and soon found it was a barrel of gunpowder. It had taken water, and the powder was caked as hard as a stone. However, I rolled it farther on the shore for the present and went on upon the sands, as near as I could to the wreck of the ship, to look for more.

When I came down to the ship, I found it strangely remov’d. The forecastle, which lay before buried in sand, was heaved up at least six feet. The stern (which was broke to pieces and parted from the rest by the force of the sea soon after I had left rummaging of her) was tossed up, as it were, and cast on one side. The sand was thrown so high on that side next her stern I could now walk quite up to her when the tyde was out, whereas there was a great piece of water before, so I could not come within a quarter of a mile of the wreck without swimming. I was surprised with this at first, but soon concluded it must be done by the earthquake. As by this violence the ship was more broke open than formerly, so many things came daily on shore which the sea had loosened and which the winds and water rolled by degrees to the land.

This diverted my thoughts from the design of removing my habitation. I busied myself, that day especially, in searching whether I could make any way into the ship, but I found nothing was to be expected of that kind, for all the inside of the ship was choked up with sand. However, as I had learned not to despair of any thing, I resolv’d to pull every thing to pieces I could of the ship, concluding every thing I could get from her would be of some use or other to me.

I could not help but see that prominent on the broken part of the stern was the dark stain where the mate had been kill'd.

May 3.

I began with my saw and cut a piece of a beam through which I thought held some of the upper part or quarter deck together. When I had cut it through, I clear’d away the sand as well as I could from the side which lay highest. The tyde coming in, I was oblig’d to give over for that time.

May 4.

I went a-fishing, but caught not one fish I durst eat of till I was weary of my sport. I had made me a long line of some rope-yarn, but I had no hooks. Yet I frequently caught fish enough, as much as I cared to eat, all which I dried in the sun and ate them dry.

May 5.

Worked on the wreck. Cut another beam asunder, and brought three great fir-planks off from the decks, which I tied together, and made swim on shore when the tyde of flood came on.

May 6.

Worked on the wreck. Got several iron bolts out of her and other pieces of iron-work. Worked very hard and came home very much tired and had thoughts of giving it over.

May 7.

Went to the wreck again, but not with an intent to work. Found the weight of the wreck had broke itself down, the beams being cut. Several pieces of the ship seemed to lie loose, and the inside of the hold lay so open I could see into it; but almost full of water and sand.

May 8.

Went to the wreck and carried an iron crow to wrench up the deck, which lay now quite clear of the water and sand. I wrenched up two planks and brought them on shore also with the tyde. I left the iron crow in the wreck for next day.

May 9.

Went to the wreck, and with the crow made way into the body of the wreck. Felt several casks, and loosened them with the crow, but could not break them up. I felt also a roll of English lead, and could stir it but it was too heavy to remove.

May 10--14.

Went every day to the wreck. Got a great many pieces of timber, and boards, or plank, and two or three hundred weight of iron. Six of these planks did carry the dark stain of the mate's death.