Into this fence, or fortress, with infinite labour, I carry’d all my riches, all my provisions, ammunition, and stores, of which you have the account above. The last three days of this activity were the nights of the moon, and it did increase the time of moving, as I could not risk assuming the mantle of the beast either within my fence or whilst moving my treasures.
I made a large tent which, to preserve me from the rains, I made double, viz. one smaller tent within, and one larger tent above it, and covered the uppermost with a large tarpaulin, which I had saved among the sails. And now I lay no more for a while in the bed which I had brought on shore, but in a hammock, which was indeed a very good one and belonged to the mate of the ship. For many years, while I lay in it on nights not of the moon, I would recall his face as the beast pounced upon him. It is an awful thing to allow the beast to kill a man, and often my father told me such things would torment one's thoughts and meditations for life.
I began to work my way into the rock, bringing all the earth and stones I dug down out through my tent. I laid them up within my fence in the nature of a terrace so it raised the ground within about a foot and an half. Thus I made me a cave just behind my tent, which served me like a cellar to my house. It cost me much labour and many days before all these things were brought to perfection. Therefore I must go back to some other things which took up some of my thoughts.
It happen'd, after I had laid my scheme for setting up my tent and making the cave, that a storm of rain falling from a thick, dark cloud, a sudden flash of lightning came, and after that, a great clap of thunder, as is naturally the effect of it. I was not so much surpris'd with the lightning as I was with a thought, one which darted into my mind as swift as the lightning itself: O my powder! My very heart sunk within me when I thought at one blast all my powder might be destroyed. Tho’ had the powder took fire, I would have never known who had hurt me.
Such impression did this make upon me, after the storm was over, I laid aside all my works and applied myself to make bags and boxes to separate the powder, in hope whatever might come it might not all take fire at once, and to keep it so apart that it should not be possible to make one part fire another. I finished this work in about a fortnight. I think my powder, which in all was about 240 lb. weight, was divided in not less than a hundred parcels. As to the barrel that had been wet, I did not apprehend any danger from that, so I placed it in my new cave, which, in my fancy, I called my kitchen. The rest I hid up and down in holes among the rocks so no wet might come to it, marking where I laid it.
In the interval of time while this was doing, I went out at least once every day with my gun, as well to divert myself as to see if I could kill any thing fit for food, and to acquaint myself with what the island produced. The first time I went out, I presently discovered there were goats upon the island, which was a great satisfaction to me, and I observ'd this was the creature the beast had fed upon during those first nights on the island. Then it was attended with this misfortune to me. They were so shy, so subtle, and so swift of foot, it was the most difficult thing in the world to come at them. I was not discouraged at this, not doubting but I might now and then shoot one, as it soon happened. The first shot I made among these creatures, I killed a she-goat, which had a little kid by her which she gave suck to, which grieved me heartily. But when the old one fell, the kid stood stock still by her, ‘till I came and took her up. Not only so, but when I carried the old one with me upon my shoulders, the kid followed me quite to my enclosure. I laid down the dam and took the kid in my arms and carried it over my pale, in hopes to have bred it up tame. But it would not eat, and stood in terror of the beast's scent. So I was forced to kill it and eat it myself. These two supplied me with flesh a great while, for I ate sparingly and preserved my provisions (my bread especially) as much as I could.
This was also of great relief, for my father had always taught me that the beast must hunt and it must feed, for these things are in its nature. While all of our family are wont to chayn our beasts at some time or another, if it is not allow'd to follow its nature it becomes more angry and vengeful towards those it lives within. I had worry'd with nothing to hunt and eat, the beast would destroy all that I laboured to build up here on this island.