He was so busy
that he forgot to go into the shade from time to time in order to shield
himself from the scorching sunshine. He felt a new need.

"I must make me a hat," said Robinson to himself. "But how?" He had no
straw, no thread and no needle. He looked around for a long time, but
found nothing. The sun mounted even higher in the heavens, and shone
hotter and hotter. He went to seek shelter at last in the deep shade of
a nearby tall plant.

As he stood there he examined the plant more carefully. "Out of these
leaves," he said, "I might make a hat." He climbed up the short stem of
the plant and saw that it had not only leaves as long as himself, but
between the leaves were big bunches of long, thin fruit, as thick as
three fingers and similar in shape to a cucumber.

He plucked the leaves and fruit and was about to eat some of the fruit
when he heard near him a light stir as of some animal. He rolled the
leaves and fruit together and hastened back to the cave.

[Illustration: THE BANANA TREE]

The bananas, for that is what the fruit proved to be, were sweet and
refreshing. After he had eaten enough he set immediately about making
his hat. He broke off a couple of reeds. He bent one into a hoop. But
the hoop would not hold without thread. Sometimes it was too large and
sometimes too small. But it must fit his head. He pulled up grass and
bound its ends together, but the grass stalks were not strong enough. He
hunted until he found a tree whose inner bark was soft and came out in
long fibres. He bound his reed with this. This, too, made the hoop soft
so that it did not hurt his head.

When the hoop was ready and fitted to his head he found the banana
leaves could not be used. Their veins ran straight out from the midrib.
This made them easily torn, and besides, they were too large. They were
not the best shape. He saw that leaves about a foot long with broad and
tapering points would be best. He saw too, that if the leaves had their
veins running parallel with the midrib they would be stronger. He made
search and at length found leaves that seemed made for his purpose. They
were thick and leathery and tapered from base to apex like a triangle.

He now proceeded with his hat-making. He would take a leaf and lay it on
the ground with the base toward him. Then he laid the hoop on the base
of the leaf, wrapped it around the hoop and fastened it with thorns. He
did the same with the other leaves. The thorns were hi