The next morning he went to his oven and found his pots were a beautiful
red. He drew out the fire and allowed them to cool slowly. Then he
filled one with water and set it over the fire to heat it. Before many
minutes the water was boiling and Robinson had another reason to be
thankful. He wept for joy. His patient labors had brought their rewards.
No prince could feel as happy as Robinson now. He had overcome all
difficulties. Starting with nothing but his hands, he was now able to
supply all his wants. "If I only had a companion now," he thought, "I
would have nothing further to wish as long as I stay on the island."

XXXI

ROBINSON AS BAKER

Now that Robinson had fire, he determined to try to make bread. He had
seen the servants at home make bread many times, but he had not observed
closely and knew next to nothing about the way bread is made. He knew he
must in some way grind the corn into flour, but how could he do this? He
had no mill nor any tools with which to crush the corn.

He first tried to find a stone large and hard enough out of which he
might hollow a vessel or kind of mortar. He thought he could put the
corn into this mortar and grind it by means of another stone or pestle.
It was with great difficulty that he could get a stone of suitable size
and form. After several days' trial he at last got one cut out from some
layers of rock near the shore. He made a hollow place in it. Then he
took a smaller oblong shaped rock for his pestle.

He took great pride in these new tools. "I shall soon be a
stone-cutter," he said to himself, "as well as a farmer and potter." But
his stone mortar was a failure. The rock was too soft. Every time he
thrust the pestle down, it loosened small pieces of the stone vessel.
These mixed with the ground corn or flour and made it unfit to eat.
There was no way to separate the sand from the crushed grain.

He resolved then to try to make a mortar and pestle of hard wood. Now
that he had fire, he could do this, though it cost him many a hard day's
work. He found not far away a log of very hard wood. By building a fire
at the right distance from one end he was able to separate a piece of
the log. He rolled this to his cave and made a good-sized hollow in it
by burning. This pestle was not so difficult to make. He took a limb or
branch of an ironwood tree, burned it in two at the place to make it the
right length. By burning also he rounded one end and then he was read