Page 26 - An American Robinson Crusoe

home from the store. He recalled how the thin splints were woven.

"They went over and under," he said. "That is simple enough if I had the splints." He set himself diligently to
work to find a plant whose bark or split branches could be used for splints. He tried to peel off the rough outer
bark of several trees in order to examine the inner layers of soft fibrous material. He found several trees that
gave promise of furnishing abundance of long, thin strips, but the labor of removing the bark with his rude
imperfect tools was so great that he resolved that he would have to find some other kind of material.

"Why need the strips be flat?" he thought. "I believe I could weave them in the same way if I used the long,
thin, tough willow rods I saw growing by the brookside, when I was returning from my journey."

He found on trial that the weaving went very well, but that he must have strong, thick rods or ribs running up
and down to give strength and form to his basket. He worked hard, but it was slow work. It was three days
before his first basket was done. He made many mistakes and was obliged many times to undo what he had
accomplished in order to correct some error. And at last when he had woven the basket as large as he thought
was suitable for his purpose, he did not know how to stop or finish the top so as to keep the basket from
unraveling. At last he hit upon the plan of fastening two stout rods, one outside, the other inside, the basket.
These he sewed firmly, over and over, to the basket with a kind of fibre from a plant he had discovered that
looked almost to be what he had heard called the century plant in the parks at home.

On attempting his next basket, he thought long how he might improve and save time. He must hasten, or the
now almost daily rains would destroy his ripened wild corn and rice.

"If I could use coils of that long grass I saw growing in the marsh beside the rice," he thought, "I could make
twice the progress." He gathered an armful, twisted it into cables about an inch thick and wove it into his
frame of upright rods instead of the horizontal layer of willow canes. This answered his purpose just as well
and rendered the making of large baskets the work of a few hours. He found, however, that the willow rods or
osiers were not pliant enough to work well in fastening his coils of grass cables together. He tried several
things and at last succeeded best when he used the long thread-like fibre of the century-like plant. He had,
however, to make a stout framework of rods. He would first coil his grass rope into this frame and then sew it
together with twine or thread made from this fibre.

[Illustration: ROBINSON'S BASKETS]

He afterwards tried making smaller and finer baskets out of the fibre that he had discovered, which could be
easily had from the thick-leaved plant he thought he had seen at home. He first used long, tough, fine roots he
had seen when digging up the tree at the mouth of his cave. Afterwards he discovered some tall, tough reeds
growing near by. He laid in a supply of these. He found that when he wanted to use them, a good soaking in
water made them as pliable and tough as when first cut.

The making of the baskets and storing up grains made it possible for Robinson to become a farmer and thus
make himself independent. This thought was a great relief to him.

X XIX

ROBINSON BECOMES A FARMER

Robinson had now been on the island long enough to know how the seasons changed. He found that there
were two kinds of weather there, wet weather and dry weather. There were two wet seasons in each year and
two dry ones. During the wet seasons, which lasted nearly three months, Robinson had to remain pretty
closely at home, and could not gather grain, for the plants were then starting from the seeds. It ripened in the
dry seasons. Robinson soon found that he must have a store of corn and wild rice for food during the rainy