Page 32 - An American Robinson Crusoe

form the prow or forward going end. After he had shaped his boat, he began hollowing it out. This he did also
by burning for the most part. He used the branches of pitch bearing trees for this purpose. But it was so slow.
He worked at his boat all the time he could spare from his regular duties in attending to his goats, his garden
and his cave. He was always making his cave larger. Every time he made a piece of furniture or stored away
grain he must make more room in his cave by digging away the earth and carrying it out. He had made a large
strong wicker basket for this purpose.

He had had a vague idea that when he got his boat done he would dig a trench back from the bank of the creek
and thus float his boat. But he had not thought it out clearly. "Or anyway," he thought, "I can in some way
manage to roll it to the water." He must now actually plan to put some of these ideas into effect. He first went
over the ground and found that to dig a trench from the water to the boat, so that the water would come to the
boat, he would have to dig it twenty feet deep. "I can never do this," he said, "with my poor tools."

He next tried his rolling plan. But he had been so anxious to have a large boat that he had overlooked
everything else. Try as hard as he might he could not stir his boat from the spot. After many trials with the
longest levers he could handle, the boat still stuck fast. It would not budge an inch. He at last gave it up. "It
will lie here," he thought, "to remind me how foolish it is to attempt to do anything without first having
thought it out carefully."

There was nothing to do but to choose another tree trunk. This time he selected a much smaller one, and one
that lay at the top of the little slope or incline from the bank of the creek. After another weary six months of
work he had his second boat ready for launching. With a good stout lever he gave it a start, when it rolled
quickly down into the water. Robinson again wept for joy. O f all his projects this had cost him the most work
and pains and at last to see his plans successful filled him with delight.

The next problem was how to make it go. He had no certain knowledge how far it was around the island, but
he knew it was farther than he wanted to row or paddle his boat. Yet he knew from the way the wind blew that
he could not always depend upon a sail to help him. He must become skillful in paddling his boat. A sail too
would be very helpful at times. He imagined how pleasant it would be sitting in the boat sailing along with a
gentle wind. "When the wind is favorable," he thought, "I will only have to steer with my paddle."

So he set about weaving a sail of his sisal fibre. To do this he had to make a much larger loom than he had yet
used. His sail must be at least four feet square. He was now so skilled in weaving that this was soon finished.
He then made plenty of string, cord, and rope, put in a mast and was ready to sail. But he did not venture far
away until he had spent weeks and weeks in learning to steer, sail, and paddle his boat.

X X X IV

ROBINSON AS A SAILOR

Ever since Robinson had finished his boat he had been eager to make a tour of his island. He had indeed made
a journey by land. But the deep forests and tangled vines made it very difficult to travel. His journeys had
shown him but a small part of the land. He wished to know all about the land of which he, so far as he knew,
was the sole master.

His first care was to fit up his boat with provisions. He made some large baskets in which to carry food and a
large covered jar for water. These he stored in the bow and the stern of his boat. He fastened his parasol on the
stern for a shelter from the sun. He baked up a quantity of cakes or loaves of bread and packed them in his
baskets. He had woven these so carefully that they would almost hold water.

At last all was ready. It was on the sixth day of November in the sixth year of his life on the island that
Robinson hoisted his sail and set out upon this voyage of discovery. He had waited until the wind was gentle