lved to
preserve it against next season, and, in the mean while, use my best
endeavours to provide myself with other food.

But where were my labours to end? The want of a plough to turn up the
earth, or shovel to dig it, I conquered by making me a wooden spade. The
want of a harrow I supplied myself, with dragging over the corn a great
bough of a tree. When it was growing I was forced to fence it; when ripe
to mow it, carry it home, thrash it, part it from the chaff, and save
it. And, after all, I wanted a mill to grind it, sieve to dress it, yest
and salt to make it into bread, and an oven to bake it. This set my
brains to work to find some expedient for every one of these necessaries
against the next harvest.

And now having more seed, my first care was to prepare me more land. I
pitched upon two large flat pieces of ground near my castle, for that
purpose, in which sowed my seed, and fenced it with a good hedge. This
took me up three months: by which time the wet season coming on, and the
rain keeping me within doors, I found several occasions to employ
myself; and, while at work, used to divert myself in talking to my
parrot, learning him to know and speak his own name _Poll_ the first
welcome word I ever heard spoke in the island. I had been a long time in
contriving how to make earthen vessels, which I wanted extremely; and
when I considered the heat of the climate, I did not doubt but if I
could find any such clay, I might botch up a pot, strong enough, when
dried in the sun, to bear handling, and to hold any thing that was dry,
as corn, meal, and other things.

To be short, the clay I found; but it would occasion the most serious
person to smile, to see what aukward ways I took, and what ugly
misshapen things I made; how many either fell out or cracked by the
violent heat of the sun, and fell in pieces when they were removed; so
that I think it was two months time before I could perfect any thing:
and even then but two clumsy things in imitation of earthen jars. These,
however, I very gently placed in wicker baskets, made on purpose for
them, and between the pot and the baskets, stuffed it full of rice and
barley straw, and these I presume would hold my dried corn, and perhaps
the meal when the corn was bruised. As for the smaller thing, I made
them with better success, such as little round pots, flat dishes,
pitchers, and pipkins, the fun baking them very hard.

Yet still I wanted one thing absolutely nece