's which were left, but they were too hot to wear; and though it is
true that the weather was so violently hot that there was no need of
clothes, yet I could not go quite naked--no, though I had been inclined
to it, which I was not--nor could I abide the thought of it, though I was
alone. The reason why I could not go naked was, I could not bear the
heat of the sun so well when quite naked as with some clothes on; nay,
the very heat frequently blistered my skin: whereas, with a shirt on, the
air itself made some motion, and whistling under the shirt, was twofold
cooler than without it. No more could I ever bring myself to go out in
the heat of the sun without a cap or a hat; the heat of the sun, beating
with such violence as it does in that place, would give me the headache
presently, by darting so directly on my head, without a cap or hat on, so
that I could not bear it; whereas, if I put on my hat it would presently
go away.
Upon these views I began to consider about putting the few rags I had,
which I called clothes, into some order; I had worn out all the
waistcoats I had, and my business was now to try if I could not make
jackets out of the great watch-coats which I had by me, and with such
other materials as I had; so I set to work, tailoring, or rather, indeed,
botching, for I made most piteous work of it. However, I made shift to
make two or three new waistcoats, which I hoped would serve me a great
while: as for breeches or drawers, I made but a very sorry shift indeed
till afterwards.
I have mentioned that I saved the skins of all the creatures that I
killed, I mean four-footed ones, and I had them hung up, stretched out
with sticks in the sun, by which means some of them were so dry and hard
that they were fit for little, but others were very useful. The first
thing I made of these was a great cap for my head, with the hair on the
outside, to shoot off the rain; and this I performed so well, that after
I made me a suit of clothes wholly of these skins--that is to say, a
waistcoat, and breeches open at the knees, and both loose, for they were
rather wanting to keep me cool than to keep me warm. I must not omit to
acknowledge that they were wretchedly made; for if I was a bad carpenter,
I was a worse tailor. However, they were such as I made very good shift
with, and when I was out, if it happened to rain, the hair of my
waistcoat and cap being outermost, I was kept very dry.
After this, I spent a gr
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