see the queer shapes and forms that I made out of it. For some of
my pots and jars were too weak to bear their own weight; and they
would fall out here, and in there, in all sorts of ways; while
some, when they were put in the sun to bake, would crack with the
heat of its rays. You may guess what my joy was when at last a
pot was made which would stand the heat of the fire, so that I
could boil the meat for broth.

The next thing to be made was a sieve, to part the grain from the
husks. Goat's hair was of no use to me, as I could not weave or
spin; so I made a shift for two years with a thin kind of stuff,
which I had brought from the ship. But to grind the corn with the
stones was the worst of all, such hard work did I find it. To
bake the bread I burnt some wood down to an ash, which I threw on
the hearth to heat it, and then set my loaves on the hearth, and
in this way my bread was made.

The next thing to turn my thoughts to was the ship's boat, which
lay on the high ridge of sand, where it had been thrust by the
storm which had cast me on these shores. But it lay with the keel
to the sky, so I had to dig the sand from it, and turn it up with
the help of a pole. When I had done this I found it was all in
vain, for I had not the strength to launch it. So all I could do
now, was to make a boat of less size out of a tree; and I found
one that was just fit for it, which grew not far from the shore,
but I could no more stir this than I could the ship's boat. What
was to be done? I first dug the ground flat and smooth all the
way from the boat to the sea, so as to let it slide down; but
this plan did not turn out well, so I thought I would try a new
way, which was to make a trench, so as to bring the sea up to the