During this time, I made my rounds in the woods for game every day, when the rain permitted me, and made frequent discoveries, in these walks, of something or other to my advantage. I found a kind of wild pigeons, who built, not as wood-pigeons, in a tree, but rather as house-pigeons, in the holes of the rocks. Taking some young ones I endeavoured to breed them up tame, but when they grew older they flew all away. Which, more likely than not, was in terror of the beast, for all creatures but man can smell it within my skin. However, I frequently found their nests and got their young ones, which were very good meat.
And now, in managing my household affairs, I found myself wanting in many things, which I thought at first it was impossible for me to make. I was at a great loss for candle. As soon as it was dark, which was generally by seven o'clock, I was obliged to go to bed. I remember the lump of bees-wax with which I made candles in my African adventure, but I had none of that now. The only remedy I had was when I had killed a goat I saved the tallow. With a little dish made of clay, which I baked in the sun, to which I added a wick of some oakum, I made me a lamp. This gave me light, tho’ not a clear steady light like a candle.
In the middle of all my labours it happened that, in rummaging my things, I found a little bag which had been fill’d with corn for the feeding of poultry. What little remainder of corn had been in the bag was all devoured with the rats, and I saw nothing in the bag but husks and dust. Being willing to have the bag for some other use (I think, it was to put powder in, when I divided it for fear of the lightning, or some such use), I shook the husks of corn out of it on one side of my fortification, under the rock.
It was a little before the great rain just now mentioned I threw this stuff away, taking no notice of any thing, and not so much as remembering I had thrown any thing there. About a month after I saw some few stalks of something green shooting out of the ground, which I fancied might be some plant I had not seen. I was surprised and perfectly astonished when, after a little longer time, I saw about ten or twelve ears come out which were perfect green barley of the same kind as our European, nay, as our English barley.
It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion of my thoughts on this occasion. I had hitherto acted upon no religious foundation at all. Indeed, I had very few notions of religion in my head, as my father did speak often against those who would prejudge us for the blood we carried. But after I saw barley grow there in a climate which I knew was not proper for corn, and as I knew not how it came there, it startled me strangely. I began to suggest God had caused this grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and it was so directed purely for my sustenance on that wild miserable place.
I began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature should happen upon my account. And this was the more strange to me, because I saw near it still some other straggling stalks which proved to be stalks of rice, which I knew because I had seen it grow in Africa when I was ashore there.
At last it occurred to my thoughts I had shook out a bag in that place and then the wonder began to cease. I must confess, my religious thankfulness to God's providence began to abate too upon the discovering all this was nothing but what was common. Tho’ I ought to have been as thankful for so strange and unforeseen a providence, as if it had been miraculous.
Laying up every corn, I resolv’d to sow them all again, hoping, in time, to have some quantity sufficient to supply me with bread. Besides this barley, there were, as above, 20 or 30 stalks of rice, which I preserv’d with the same care, and whose use was of the same kind or to the same purpose, viz. to make me bread, or rather food. I found ways to cook it up without baking, tho’ I did that also after some time.
My island moves, the ship returns,
my illness
But to return to my journal.
I work’d excessively hard these three or four months to get my wall done, and the 14th of April I closed it up, contriving to get into it not by a door, but over the wall, by a ladder, that there might be no sign on the outside of my habitation.
April 16.
I finished the ladder. I went up with the ladder to the top and then pulled it up after me and let it down in the inside. This was a complete enclosure to me. Within I had room enough, and nothing could come at me from without unless it could first mount my wall.
The very next day after this wall was finished, I had almost all my labour overthrown at once, and myself killed.