s
to me, but that there was no help for; neither was my time so much loss
to me, because I had divided it; a certain part of it was every day
appointed to these works; and as I resolved to use none of the corn for
bread till I had a greater quantity by me, I had the next six months to
apply myself wholly by labour and invention, to furnish myself with
utensils proper for the performing all the operations necessary for the
making the corn, when I had it, fit for my use.

But first I was to prepare more land, for I had now seed enough to sow
above an acre of ground. Before I did this, I had a week's work at least
to make me a spade, which, when it was done, was a very sorry one
indeed, and very heavy, and required double labour to work with it;
however, I went through that, and sowed my seeds in two large flat
pieces of ground, as near my house as I could find them to my mind, and
fenced them in with a good hedge, the stakes of which were all cut off
that wood which I had set before, which I knew would grow; so that in
one year's time I knew I should have a quick or living hedge, that would
want but little repair. This work was not so little as to take me up
less than three months; because great part of that time was in the wet
season, when I could not go abroad.

Within-door, that is, when it rained, and I could not go out, I found
employment on the following occasion, always observing, that all the
while I was at work, I diverted myself with talking to my parrot, and
teaching him to speak; and I quickly learnt him to know his own name; at
last, to speak it out pretty loud, Pol; which was the first word I ever
heard spoken in the island by any mouth but my own. This therefore was
not my work, but an assistant to my work; for now, as I said, I had a
great employment upon my hands, as follows: viz. I had long studied, by
some means or other, to make myself some earthen vessels, which indeed I
wanted sorely, but knew not where to come at them: however, considering
the heat of the climate, I did not doubt but, if I could find out any
such clay, I might botch up some such pot as might, being dried by the
sun, be hard enough and strong enough to bear handling, and to hold any
thing that was dry, and required to be kept so; and as this was
necessary in preparing corn, meal, &c. which was the thing I was upon, I
resolved to make some as large as I could, and fit only to stand like
jars to hold what should be put into them.

I