Having now fixed my habitation, I found it necessary to provide a place to make a fire in and fuel to burn. What I did for that, as also how I enlarged my cave and what conveniences I made, I shall give a full account of in its proper place. I must first give some little account of myself and of my thoughts about living, which, it may well be supposed, were not a few.
I had a dismal prospect of my condition. As I was not cast away upon that island without being driven, as is said, by a violent storm, quite out of the course of our intended voyage and some hundreds of leagues out of the ordinary course of the trade of mankind, I had great reason to consider it as a determination of Heaven that in this desolate place I should end my life. The tears would run plentifully down my face when I made these reflections. Sometimes I would expostulate with myself why Providence should thus completely ruin its creatures and render them so miserable, so abandoned without help, so entirely depressed, that it could hardly be rational to be thankful for such a life.
But something always returned swift upon me to check these thoughts, and to reprove me. Particularly, one day, walking with my gun in my hand by the sea side, I was very pensive upon the subject of my present condition, when reason, as it were, expostulated with me t’other way.
"Well, you are in a desolate condition, ‘tis true. But, pray remember, where are the rest of you? Were there not eleven on the ship? Did not nine of them escape into the boat? Where are the nine? Why were not they sav’d and you lost? Why were you singled out? Is it better to be here or there?" And then I pointed to the sea. All evils are to be considered with the good that is in them, and with what worse attends them.
Then it occurr’d to me again how well I was furnished for my subsistence, and what would have been my case if it had not happened (which was a hundred thousand to one) that the ship floated from the place where she first struck, and was driven so near to the shore I had time to get all these things out of her? What would have been my case if I had to have lived in the condition in which I at first came on shore, without necessaries of life, or necessaries to supply and procure them?
"Particularly," said I aloud, tho’ to myself, "what should I have done without a gun, without ammunition, without any tools to make any thing or to work with? Without cloathes, bedding, a tent, or any manner of covering?" And now I had all these to a sufficient quantity, and was in a fair way to provide myself in such a manner as to live without my gun, when my ammunition was spent. I had a tolerable view of subsisting without any want as long as I lived. I considered from the beginning how I should provide for the accidents that might happen, and for the time that was to come, not only after my ammunition should be spent, but even after my health or strength should decay.
And now entering into a melancholy relation of a scene of silent life, such, perhaps, as was never heard of in the world before, I shall take it from its beginning and continue it in its order. It was, by my account, the 30th of September, when, in the manner as above said, the beast first set foot upon this horrid island. The sun being to us in its autumnal equinox, was almost just over my head. I reckoned myself, by observation, to be in the latitude of 9 degrees 22 minutes north of the line.
After I had been there about ten or twelve days, it came into my thoughts that I should lose my reckoning of time for want of books, and pen and ink, and should even forget the Sabbath days from the working days. To prevent this, I cut it with my knife upon a large post in capital letters. Making it into a great cross, I set it up on the shore where I first landed, viz. ‘I came on shore here on the 30th of September, 1659.’ Upon the sides of this square post I cut every day a notch with my knife, and every seventh notch was as long again as the rest, and every first day of the month as long again as that long, and every full moon marked by a second notch across that one for the day. Thus I kept my kalendar, or weekly, monthly, and yearly reckoning of time.
My papers and books, my account,
my chair and table
But it happened among the many things which I brought out of the ship in the several voyages I made to it, I got several things of less value, but not at all less useful to me, which I found some time after rummaging in the chests. In particular, pens, ink, and paper. Several parcels in the captain's, mate's, gunner's, and carpenter's keeping. Three or four compasses (which point'd in many directions, but ne'er north in the many years on this island), some mathematical instruments, perspective glasses , charts, and books of navigation, all which I huddled together, whether I might want them or no. Also I found three very good bibles, which came to me in my cargo from England and which I had packed up among my things. Some Portugueze books also, and, among them, two or three popish prayer books, and several other books, all which I secured.