About the beginning of August, as I said, I had finished my bower and began to enjoy myself. The 3d of August, I found the grapes I had hung up were perfectly dried, and indeed were excellent good raisins of the sun. I began to take them down from the trees, and it was very happy I did so, as the rains which followed would have spoiled them and I should have lost the best part of my winter food. No sooner had I taken them all down, and carried most of them home to my cave, but it began to rain, and from hence, which was the 14th of August, it rained, more or less, every day till the middle of October.
From the 14th of August to the 26th, incessant rain, so I could not stir, and was now very careful not to be much wet. Still I was for three nights forced out to let the mantle of the beast come upon me, and was much pleased that it did not wander far. For these three nights it still act'd much more like a wary animal, and thru the smok'd lens I did see that it would often focus out to sea, its sight much sharper than my own, but saw nothing. In the mornings I did realize it was focus'd on that view of the waters that had appear'd in my fever vision, 'round the black rocks, and I did bethought myself that the mind of the beast might still perceive it had been a true vision, and the dark dream lord did indeed hide beneath the waves. At this I felt some humor, as a man may feel at the foolish antics of a dog.
During this confinement in my cover by the rain, I worked daily two or three hours at enlarging my cave, and by degrees worked it on towards one side till I came to the outside of the hill and made a door which came beyond my fence or wall. I came in and out this way, but I was not easy at lying so open. As I had managed myself before, I was in a perfect enclosure, whereas now, I thought I lay exposed. Yet I could not perceive there was any living thing to fear, the biggest creature I had yet seen upon the island being a goat.
September 18.
The first night of the full moon. The beast began to act in its usual manner once again, and kill'd two hares.
September the thirtieth, 1660.
I was now come to the unhappy anniversary of my landing. I cast up the notches on my post, and found I had been on shore three hundred and sixty-five days since the shipwreck and the death of the mate. I kept this day as a solemn fast, having not tasted the least refreshment for twelve hours, even till the going down of the sun. I then ate a bisket and a bunch of grapes, and went to bed, finishing the day as I began it.
A little after this, my ink beginning to fail me, I contented myself to use it more sparingly and to write down only the most remarkable events of my life without continuing a daily memorandum of other things.
My first crops, my strange discoveries,
my second anniversary
The rainy season and the dry season began now to appear regular to me, and I learned to divide them so as to provide for them accordingly. I have mentioned I had saved the few ears of barley and rice which I had so surprisingly found sprung up. I believe there were about thirty stalks of rice, and about twenty of barley. Now I thought it a proper time to sow it after the rains, the sun being in its southern position, going from me.
I dug a piece of ground with my wooden spade. As I was sowing, it occurred to my thoughts I should not sow it all at first because I did not know when was the proper time for it. It was a great comfort to me afterwards that I did so, for not one grain of what I sowed this time came to any thing.
Finding my first seed did not grow, which I imagined was from the drought, I sought for a moister piece of ground to make another trial in. I dug up a piece of ground near my new bower and sowed the rest of my seed in February, a little before the vernal equinox. This, having the rainy month of March and April to water it, sprung up and yielded a very good crop. But having only part of the seed left, and not daring to sow all I had, I got but a small quantity at last, my whole crop not amounting to above half a peck of each kind.
But by this experiment I was made master of my business and knew when was the proper time to sow. I might expect two seed-times, and two harvests, every year.
I found now the seasons of the year might generally be divided, not into summer and winter, as in Europe, but into the rainy seasons and the dry seasons, which were thus:
From the middle of February to the middle of April
rainy; the sun being then on or near the equinox.
From the middle of April till the middle of August
dry; the sun being then north of the line.
From the middle of August till the middle of October
rainy; the sun being then come back to the line.
From the middle of October till the middle of February
dry; the sun being then to the south of the line.
The rainy seasons held sometimes longer and sometimes shorter, as the winds happen'd to blow, but this was the general observation I made. After I had found the ill consequences of being abroad in the rain, I took care to furnish myself with provisions beforehand, that I might not be obliged to go out.