Page 25 - An American Robinson Crusoe

Robinson was fast losing his idle, thoughtless ways of doing things. He had become a thoughtful and diligent
man in the short time that he had been on the island. Trouble and hardship had made a man of him. "I must
carefully think over the whole matter of getting fire," he said. He had failed twice and was now resolved to
succeed. "If the lightning would only strike a tree," he thought, "and set it on fire."

But he could not wait for such a thing to happen, and how could he keep it when once thus obtained? It was
clear he must have some way of producing fire when he wanted it, just as they did at home. He thought over
the ways he had tried and the one most likely to be successful. He resolved to make a further trial of the
method by twirling a stick in his hands. He selected new wood that was hard and dry. He carefully sharpened
a stick about eighteen inches long and, standing it upright in a hollow in the block of wood, began to roll it
between his hands. By the time Robinson's hands were well hardened, it seemed that he was going to succeed
at last. But he lacked the skill to be obtained only by long practice.

"If I could only make it go faster," he said. "There must be some way of doing this. I believe I can do it. I used
to make my top spin round with a cord; I wonder if I can use the cord here." The only cord he had was
attached to his bow. He was going to take it o ff when a thought struck him. He loosened the string a bit and
twisted it once about his spindle. Then he drew the bow back and forth. The spindle was turned at a great rate.
He saw he must hold one end with his left hand while the other rested in the hollow in the block. With his
right, he drew the bow back and forth. How eagerly he worked! He had twirled but a few minutes when the
dust in the hollow burst into fire from the heat produced by the rapidly twirling spindle.

[Illustration: ROBINSON'S TOOLS FOR M AKING FIRE]

Robinson was too overjoyed to make any use of it. He danced and capered about like one gone mad until the
fire had gone out. But that was of no matter now, since he could get fire when he wanted it.

He hastened to make him a rude fireplace and oven of stones. He hollowed out a place in the ground and lined
and covered it with large flat stones. On one side he built up a chimney to draw up the smoke and make the
fire burn brightly. He brought wood and some dry fungus or mushroom. This he powdered and soon had fire
caught in it. He kindled in this way the wood in his stove and soon had a hot fire.

The first thing he did in the way of cooking was to roast some rabbit meat on a spit or forked stick held in his
hand over the fire. Nothing Robinson had ever eaten was to be compared to this.

"I can do many things now," thought Robinson. "My work will not be nearly so hard. My fire will be my
servant and help me make my tools as well as cook my food. I can now cook my corn and rice."

X X VIII

ROBINSON MAKES BASKETS

Robinson still continued anxious about his food supply when he could no longer gather it fresh from the fields
and forest. Corn had again become ripe. He had found in a wet, marshy place some wild rice-plants loaded
with ripened grain. As he now had fire he only had to have some way of storing up grains and he would not
lack for food. He knew that grain stored away must be kept dry and that he must especially provide against
dampness in his cave or in his bower.

If he only had some baskets. These would be just the thing. But how was he to get them? Robinson had never
given a thought to either material or the method of making them. He, however, was gradually acquiring skill
and confidence in himself. So far he had managed to meet all his wants. He had invented tools and made his
own clothes and shelter, and, "Now," said he to himself, "I will solve the new problem. I must first study the
materials that I have at hand." He remembered the splint market baskets in which his father took vegetables