Chapter 4 Chapter Four

After dinner I wanted to go for a walk, but I was so weak that I could barely hold a gun (because I always carry a gun when I go out).So I only took a few steps and sat on the ground, looking out at the sea in front of me.At this time, the sea was calm.I sat there with my heart racing and my thoughts running wild. This earth and sea, although I see them every day, what are they?Where do they come from?What am I and all other creatures, wild and domestic, man and beast?Where do they all come from? There is no doubt that we were all created by a hidden force; and it is this same force that created the land, the sea, and the sky.But what is this power?

Obviously, the most plausible answer is that God created it all.Then, an extraordinary conclusion can be drawn: since God created all these things, he must be able to guide and control them all and everything related to them.The power that can create all things can of course guide and control all things. That being the case, in the world created by God, no matter what happens, God cannot be ignorant of it, and it is even God's own arrangement. Since God knows what happened, God must also know that I am now stranded on this desert island, in a miserable situation.Since everything that happened was arranged by God, so it is also arranged by God that so many disasters befall me.

I can't think of any reason to overturn these conclusions.This made me more convinced that the disasters I encountered were all arranged by God; it was God's instigation that brought me into the current miserable situation.God has absolute dominion not only over me, but over everything in the world.So, I immediately thought: "Why did God treat me like this? What bad thing did I do that God punished me like this?" At this moment, my conscience immediately stopped me from asking such questions, as if I was blaspheming the gods; I seem to hear my conscience say to me: "You sinful person, you still want to ask what bad things you have done? Look back and look at the sins of half your life! Ask yourself, what bad things have you never done?" You should also ask, why are you still alive when you were dead long ago? Why didn't you drown in the anchorage outside Yarmouth Harbor? When your ship was overtaken by pirate ships from Saler , why didn't you die in battle? Why didn't you get eaten by wild beasts on the coast of Africa? Why didn't you drown when the whole ship was drowned here? And you ask now, I What bad things did you do?" Thinking of this, I couldn't help being stunned and speechless.So, I stood up frowning and walked back to the residence.I crawled over the wall and got ready for bed.

However, I was distracted and depressed, and I had no intention of falling asleep.I sat down in a chair and lit the lamp, for it was dark by now.I was worried about the recurrence of the old disease, and I was very scared.At this time, I suddenly remembered that no matter what kind of illness the Brazilians do not take medicine, they only chew tobacco leaves.I have a roll of tobacco leaves in my box, most of which have been roasted; there are also some green tobacco leaves, which have not been fully roasted. So, I got up to get the tobacco leaves.There is no doubt that this is what Heaven has directed me to do.Because, in the box, I not only found the medicine to heal my body, but also the medicine to heal my soul.Opening the case, I found the tobacco leaves I was looking for; there were also some books I had saved in the case, and I took out a Bible.Earlier I mentioned the recovery of several Bibles from the wreck.Until then, I had neither the leisure nor the intention to read the Bible.As I said just now, I took out a Bible and put it on the table with the tobacco.

I don't know how to use tobacco leaves to cure diseases, nor do I know whether they really cure diseases, but I have made many experiments, and I think that there will always be a method that will work.I first chewed a handful of tobacco leaves in my mouth, and suddenly my head became dizzy.Because the tobacco leaves are still half-green, the taste is very fierce, and I have no habit of smoking.Then, I took some tobacco leaves, soaked them in sugar cane wine for an hour or two, and decided to drink them as medicinal wine before going to bed.Finally, I took some tobacco leaves and burned them in a charcoal basin, and put my nose up to smell the smoke from the roasted tobacco leaves. I tried my best to endure the body odor and heat of the smoke, as long as I didn't suffocate, I could smell it.

While healing in this way, I picked up the Bible and began to read it.Because the smell of tobacco leaves made my mind dizzy, I couldn't read seriously at all, so I just opened the book casually, and the first sentence that caught my eyes was: "Call on me in time of trouble, and I will save you." You, and you will praise me." ① These words could not have been more suitable for my situation, and after reading them, they made a deep impression on me, and, as time passed, the impression became deeper and deeper, and I will never forget them. . As for being saved, it didn't move my heart at the time.In my opinion, the fact that I can be rescued is too slim and unrealistic.Just as God invited His people Israel to eat meat, they asked, "Can God hold a feast in the wilderness?" So I also asked, "Can God Himself deliver me from this place?" Because the hope of salvation It didn't come up until many years later, so this question has been circling in my head for many years.Having said that, this sentence still left a deep impression on me, and it often reminds me of the meaning of this sentence.It was late at night, as I mentioned earlier, the smell of smoke made me dizzy, and I wanted to sleep very much.

So I left the lamp burning in the cave, so that it would be easier to fetch things at night, and went to bed.Before going to sleep, I did something I had never done in my life: I knelt down and prayed to God, asking him to promise me that if I call on him in my trouble, he will save me.My prayers came and went without words.When my prayers were over, I drank some cachaça steeped in tobacco leaves.After the tobacco leaves were steeped, the wine became very strong and the smoke was so pungent that it was almost undrinkable.After drinking, go to bed immediately.Soon, I felt the force of the alcohol rushing to my forehead, very strong.I just fell asleep and didn't wake up until three o'clock in the afternoon the next day.Now, as I keep this diary, I am a little skeptical that it is possible that on the second day I slept all day and all night, and did not wake up until three o'clock in the afternoon on the third day.Because, a few years later, I found out that week was missing a day from my calendar and couldn't explain why.Had I lost time by crossing the equator to and fro, I should have lost more than a day.The truth is, I did miss a day, and I don't know why.

Anyway, I woke up feeling refreshed and fully rejuvenated physically.After waking up, I felt more energy than the day before, and my appetite increased because I was hungry.In a word, the malaria did not break out the next day, and the body gradually recovered.This day is the twenty-ninth. On the 30th, of course my health improved, and I went out again with a gun, but I dared not go too far.I killed one or two seabirds like black geese and took them home, but I didn't want to eat bird meat, so I cooked some turtle eggs, which tasted very good.In the evening, I drank some cachaça steeped in tobacco leaves again, because I felt that it was yesterday's drinking of this medicinal liquor that made my health better. head.The next day, July 1st, I thought I'd be better, but instead got a little chills, but not badly.

① Crossing the equator will not lose time.Here, Robinson may think of the date line in his mind, that is, the 83 international date line. On July 2, I used the three methods of treatment again, and my head became dizzy like the first time, and the amount of medicinal wine I drank was doubled. On July 3rd the illness was completely cured, but it took several weeks for the body to fully recover.During the process of recovering my physical strength, I kept thinking of this sentence in the Bible: "I will save you." But I deeply felt that salvation was absolutely impossible, so I didn't dare to have any extravagant hopes for it.Just when I felt discouraged and disappointed by this kind of thought, I suddenly realized: I only wanted God to save me from the current predicament, but I didn't think that I had already been saved.So, I asked myself: Am I not saved from the disease?Isn't this a miracle?

Have I not also been rescued from the most unfortunate and dreadful circumstances?But have you ever thought of this level?Have you done your part and done what you should do? "God saved me, but I didn't praise God." That is to say, I didn't regard all this as God's salvation for me, so I didn't feel grateful. How could I expect a greater salvation? Thinking of this, I was greatly moved, and immediately knelt down and thanked God loudly for making me recover from my illness. On the morning of the Fourth of July, I picked up the Bible and started reading from the New Testament.This time I really read it seriously, and decided to read it every morning and evening, and there is no set number of chapters that must be read, as long as I want to read it, I can read it.Not long after reading the scriptures carefully, I was deeply and sincerely moved in my heart, and realized that my past life was really sinful, and the scene in my dream once again appeared in front of me.I seriously thought about the words I heard in my dream: "Nothing that happened can make you repent." On that day, I sincerely prayed to God to give me a chance to repent.Suddenly, as if by providence, when I was flipping through the Bible as usual, I came across this sentence: "God has exalted him at his right hand as King and Saviour, and will give repentance and forgiveness of sins to the Israelites." So I put down the book, and raised my hands to the sky; at the same time, my soul went up to the sky, and I cried out with ecstasy, "Jesus, your Son of David, Jesus, you Raised up by God as a King and Savior, please give me a heart of repentance!" This is the first time in my life that I can count as a real prayer, because this prayer is connected to my situation, and this This prayer is inspired by the Word of God with a hope that is truly biblical.It can also be said that it was only from this period that I began to hope that God would hear my prayers.

Now, I am beginning to use a completely different perspective from before to understand the sentence I mentioned above: "If you call on me, I will save you." In the past, the so-called salvation I understood was to save me Rescue me from my present predicament, for, though I am free here, this deserted island is really a prison to me, and the worst prison in the world at that.Now, I understand "salvation" in another sense: I look back on my past life with horror, and I feel deeply guilty.So now I ask nothing of God but to deliver me from the depths of my sin, for my guilt weighs on me day and night.As for my present lonely life, it is nothing at all.I had no intention of praying to God to save me from this desert island, it never occurred to me to do so.The salvation of the body is nothing compared to the salvation of the soul.Here, I say these words in order to let readers understand: If a person is really enlightened in the world, he will definitely realize that true happiness is not being saved by God from affliction, but being saved from sin. Now, without further ado, let's get back to the diary. My current situation is: Although life is still very difficult, but the spirit is much lighter.My mind was ennobled by my Bible reading and my prayers, and my heart was more comforted than I had ever known before.At the same time, health and strength have also been restored, and I regain my spirits, organize my work, and resume my normal life. From the 4th to the 14th of July my main activity was going out and walking around with my gun.Like a person recovering from a serious illness, walk and rest; gradually expand the range of activities as the physical strength gradually recovers.At that time, I was depressed and physically weak, which is hard for ordinary people to imagine.My method of treatment is, so to speak, unprecedented; perhaps, malaria has never been cured by this method before.But I can't introduce this method to others.In this way the malaria was cured, but it left me very weak.For a long time after that, my nerves and limbs continued to twitch frequently. This serious illness taught me a lesson: the rainy season is the most harmful to health, especially the rain brought by hurricanes and storms.And in the dry season, it either doesn't rain, and when it rains it always blows a storm.Therefore, the storm in the dry season is more harmful than the rain in September and October. I have been on a desert island for more than ten months, and the possibility of being rescued is almost zero. I have every reason to believe that no one has ever been to this island before me.Now that I have settled as I wish, I am eager to know more about the island and see what else it has that I have not yet discovered. On July 15th I began a more detailed survey of the island.I went to the small river first.This creek, as already mentioned, is where my raft landed.I walked up the river about two miles and found the tide to go as far as here.It turned out that this was a small stream with clear water and a very good taste.It's the dry season, and there are places in the stream where there isn't even a drop of water; if there is, it doesn't flow. Beside the brook, there are lovely patches of meadow, level and green; and in the higher places abutting the plateau (where the river, evidently, cannot be flooded), grows a good deal of tobacco, very green. Yes, the stalks are thick and long.There are other kinds of plants nearby, but unfortunately I don't know any of them.These plants may have their own uses, but I don't know it. I looked everywhere for cassava, the plant used by the Indians in the tropics to make bread, but I couldn't find it.I found many large aloe vera, but did not know what it was used for at the time.I also saw some sugarcane, which was not very tasty because it was wild and not cultivated.I feel that I have discovered a lot this time.On the way home, I wondered how to use these new discoveries, but I had no clue.When I was in Brazil, I did not pay attention to observe wild plants, and now I am in trouble and cannot use them. The next day, the sixteenth, I went further down the same path.Both the creek and the meadow had come to an end, but the trees were thick.There, many fruits grow, all kinds of melons on the ground, and grapes on the trees.The grapes grow luxuriantly, the vines are covered with branches, and the grapes are bunches, red and big.This unexpected discovery made me very happy.But experience warned me not to be gluttonous.I remember that, on landing at Burbury, some Englishmen who were slaves there died of dysentery and fever from eating too many grapes.However, I still figured out a good way to use these grapes, which is to dry them in the sun and make them into raisins for storage.I believe that raisins are delicious; when the grapes are not ripe, you can eat raisins, which are nutritious and delicious.Later it turned out to be the case. I stayed there that night and didn't go home.By the way, this is my first sleepover.At night, I took out the old method, climbed a big tree, and slept comfortably all night.The next morning, I resumed my investigation.In the valley I walked about four miles to the north, with endless mountains to the south and north. At last I came to an open field, sloping to the west.A clear stream flows down from the mountain and flows due east.There is fresh green in front of me, thriving, with a spring atmosphere; the surrounding scenery is like an artificial garden. I walked down this beautiful hillside for a while, secretly happy, but mixed with distress.I looked around, and I couldn't help thinking, it's all mine now, I'm the undisputed king of this place, I have title to it, and if it's transferable, I can pass it on to my children and grandchildren, like the British mining. Like the lord of the town.There again I found many coconut trees, orange trees, lemon trees, and orange trees, but all wild and seldom bearing fruit, at least for the time being.But the limes I gather are not only delicious, they are extremely nutritious.Later, I mixed lime juice with water and it tasted nourishing, cooling and refreshing. Now, I have to gather some fruit to ship home.I gathered grapes, limes and lemons to store for the rainy season.Because I know that the rainy season is coming. I therefore gathered a great heap of grapes in one place, a small heap in another, and a great heap of limes and lemons in another.Then, I took some of each and went home.I decided that the next time I came back, I would bring a bag or something to hold the fruit and bring home the fruit I had gathered. It took three days on the road to get home.The so-called home is my tent and cave. But before they got home, the grapes were all rotten.These grapes grow too plump and have a lot of water. When they are squeezed on the road, they are all broken and watery, so they are not edible at all. Only a few of them are not too broken and can barely be eaten.As for the limes, they were all well poured, but I couldn't possibly carry many. The next day, the nineteenth, I went back to ship my harvest with the two little bags I had made beforehand.However, when I came to the front of the pile of grapes, the grapes that were full and intact were now dragged apart, some were trampled to pieces, and some had been eaten.The scene in front of him was a mess.This can't help but surprise me.It seemed that there must be some wild animal in the vicinity; as for what kind of beast, of course I have no way of knowing. Only now did I realize that it is not an option to gather grapes and pile them up, nor is it possible to transport them back in bags; they will be eaten by wild animals if they are piled up, and they will be crushed when shipped back.So, I came up with another way.I gathered many grapes, and hung them on branches; and these branches, of course, stretched out in the shade to the sun, and let the sun dry the grapes.But I can bring back as many lemons and limes as I can in the bag. After going home this time, I thought of the rich products and beautiful scenery in the valley, and I was very happy.That side is close to the stream, the trees are lush, and it is not afraid of the storm. Only then did I realize that the place I had chosen to live was really the worst place on the island.In short, I began to think about the problem of moving, intending to find a safe place to settle there, because there are rich products and pleasant scenery. The idea of ​​moving had been on my mind for a long time; the place was beautiful and inviting.Sometimes, this idea is particularly strong.But if you think about it carefully, living by the sea also has the advantages of living by the sea.Maybe there are some other unlucky people, like me, who got bad luck and came to this desert island.Of course, the chances of such a thing happening are indeed very small, but shutting oneself up in the forest in the middle of the island is tantamount to shutting oneself up.At that time, not only was there no hope for such a thing to happen, but there was no possibility of it.After thinking about it, I feel that it is better not to move home. The home is not ready to move, but I do like the place very much.I therefore used to go there during the month of July, and resolved to build a hut there, and enclose it from the outside with a strong and solid wall.The wall was made of two tiers of hedge, as high as my own, with strong stakes, and bushes between them.I'm safe sleeping in it.Sometimes I slept in it for two or three nights in a row, and I used a ladder to climb up and down as usual.In this way, I think I have a country house and a beach house.The country house was not completed until the beginning of August. I had just laid the walls of my new house and was about to enjoy the fruits of my labor when it began to rain heavily.I was stuck in my old house and couldn't go out.At the new house I also pitched a tent of canvas, as here at the old one, and it was well propped up, but there was no hill to keep out the storm, and no cave to retreat to when it rained heavily. As mentioned above, in early August, I had my hut built and ready to enjoy it.On August 3rd, I found that the bunches of grapes I had hung on the branches had been completely dried and turned into fine raisins.I started to collect them from the tree. I'm glad I got the raisins in time, otherwise the raisins would have been ruined by the heavy rain immediately afterwards.Then I will lose more than half of my winter food.In fact, I have almost two hundred bunches of grapes in the sun, and each bunch is very large.I had just harvested all the raisins and transported most of them to the cave at my old residence for storage when it began to rain.From this period, that is, from August 14th to mid-October, it rained almost every day; sometimes it rained so heavily that it was impossible to go out for several days in a row. During this rainy season, my family has increased more than I expected.Before that, a cat disappeared. I don't know if it died or ran away. I don't know, so I have been thinking about it very much.Unexpectedly, at the end of August, it suddenly came back, bringing back three kittens.This surprised me. What makes me feel even more strange is that these kittens are completely domestic cats, which look exactly the same as the big cats. How did they come out?Because, both of my cats are female cats.There are indeed feral cats on the island, and I shot one.But that feral cat is a whole other breed, not the same as the European cat.Later, these three kittens bred many offspring, which made me very troubled.In the end, I view these infested cats as vermin beasts and either kill them or drive them out of the house. From August 14th to 26th, it rained non-stop, and I couldn't go out.Now I dare not get in the rain.During this period, I have been trapped in the house, and the food reserves are decreasing day by day.I have ventured out twice.The first time I killed a goat, and on the second and last day, that is, on the twenty-sixth day, I found a big turtle, which was a great feast for me.My food was distributed like this: a bunch of raisins for breakfast, a piece of roasted mutton or turtle for lunch (unfortunately, I have no utensils for steaming or boiling things), and two or three turtle eggs for dinner. Working two or three hours a day to expand the cave while I was stuck at home in heavy rain. I extended the hole to the other side, and opened it to the outside of the wall, as a side door and an entrance and exit.So, I can enter and exit from this road.But it was too easy to get in and out, and I couldn't sleep well at night; because before, I always surrounded myself and made it airtight. And now, I feel empty, and any beast can sneak up on me.Of course, no terrible beast has been found so far. The biggest animal I have ever seen on the island is just a goat. From September 13th to today is exactly the first anniversary of my arrival on the desert island.This is an unfortunate day.I counted the notches on the post and found that I had been ashore for 365 days.I made this day a day of fasting and held a religious ceremony. I knelt down on the ground with extreme piety and humility, asking God to repent of my sins, accept his just punishment for me, and ask him to have mercy on me and forgive me through Jesus Christ. I.From morning till night, I did not eat or drink for twelve hours, until the sun went down, and I ate a few biscuits and a bunch of raisins, and then I went to bed. I haven't kept the Sabbath for a long time.At first, I didn't have any religious ideas in my head; later, I forgot to mark the Sabbath with long marks to distinguish the weeks, so I didn't know which day was which at all.Now, I count the days and know that it has been a year.So, I divided this year's marks into weeks, and set aside a Sabbath every seven days.At the end of the day, I found myself missing a day or two. Soon I was running out of ink, so I had to save some of it, and only write down the big events in life, and some other trivial things, I didn't write in the diary any more. At this time, I began to understand the laws of the rainy season and the dry season, learned how to divide the two seasons, and prepared accordingly.But this experience did not come easily, and it came at a price.Now I will tell you about my worst experiment.As mentioned earlier, I had several ears of barley and rice in my collection; which at first I thought had grown out of the ground.I estimate there are about thirty ears of rice and twenty ears of wheat.At that time, the rainy season had just passed and the sun was gradually moving south. I thought it was time to sow seeds. So, I used a wooden shovel to loosen a piece of land, and divided the field into two parts for sowing.While sowing, it occurred to me that I couldn't sow all the seeds, because I hadn't figured out when the best time to plant them was.In this way, I planted two-thirds of the seeds, and kept a little of each. Thankfully, I got it right.None of the seeds I planted this time grew.Because after the seeds were planted, there was no rain for several months, and there was no moisture in the soil, which could not nourish the seeds to grow. They did not pop up until the rainy season came, as if the seeds had just been sown. I found that the seeds sown for the first time did not grow. I guessed that it was due to the drought of the land.So I wanted to find a wetter land and try again.A few days before the spring equinox in February, I dug a field near the hut and sowed all the remaining seeds.Then came the rainy season in March and April. The rain nourished the seeds, and soon they grew vigorously and obtained a good harvest.But because there are too few seeds, the barley and rice received are only about half a bucket each. This experiment made me a good farmer, knowing when to plant seeds.Now I know that I can sow twice a year and reap twice. While the crops were growing, I made a small discovery which was of great use to me afterwards.About November, just after the rainy season, the weather began to clear, and I went to my country hut.It's been a few months since I left there, but I find everything to be the same.The double wall I had built was not only intact, but the stumps which had been cut from the vicinity had sprouted and sprouted long branches, like willows which had been pruned last year.I don't know what kind of trees these are, but I was overjoyed to see all the little trees alive.I trimmed them down to make them as tall as possible.Three years later, the trees are in unbelievable grace.Although the fence was twenty-five yards in diameter, the trees soon covered it.It is really tree-lined here, and it is very comfortable to live in it throughout the dry season. Inspired by this, I decided to plant a row of trees outside the semicircular wall of my original residence.I planted two rows of trees, or stumps, about eight yards from the fence.Trees grow quickly.At first the trees covered my hedges, and made my dwelling quite concealed; later, they made good fortifications.About these, I will describe later. Now I know that here, unlike in Europe, the year is divided into summer and winter, but a rainy season and a dry season.The times of the year are broadly divided as follows: The second half of February, March and the first half of April are rainy, and the sun is on or near the equator. second half of april May June July first half of august Dry, the sun is north of the equator. second half of august September first half of october It rains and the sun returns to the equator. second half of october November December January first half of february Dry, the sun is south of the equator. The rainy season is sometimes long and sometimes short, mainly determined by the wind direction.Of course, this is just my general observation.Life experience tells me that I will get sick in the rain, so I stock up enough food before the rainy season arrives, so that I don't have to go out for food in the rain.During the rainy season, I try to stay at home as much as possible. Every rainy season, I do some work that is suitable for doing at home.I know that there are still many things that I lack in my life, which can only be produced by labor and patience, and I just do these things when I stay at home.In particular, I have thought of many ways to weave a basket, but the branches I got were too brittle to be useful.When I was a child, I liked to stand at the door of the rattan shop in the city and watch the craftsmen weaving baskets or baskets.Like most kids, I was nosy; I not only observed carefully, but also sometimes helped, so I learned to play tricks.Now, this technology can come in handy. Given the right materials, I can weave baskets.It occurred to me that the branches of the tree from which the stakes were cut might be as tough as the English willow.So, I decided to try this kind of branch. The next day I went to my country house and cut some twigs nearby, which turned out to be quite suitable.So, for the second time, I brought an ax and prepared to chop some more.There are many such trees over there, and many branches are cut off in a short while.I dried them on the fence and took them back to the cavern of my seaside home.When the second rainy season came, I used them to weave baskets, and as many as I could, to hold soil or things.My baskets are not very pretty, but they do the job.In the future, I often make some baskets, and make new ones when they are worn out.I also made a lot of deeper baskets, which are solid and practical.Later, when I harvested more grains, I used self-made baskets instead of bags. After spending a lot of time solving the basket problem, I wanted to tackle the other two problems.First, I have no vessel for the liquid; though I have two barrels, both filled with cachaça.In addition, there were several glass bottles, some of ordinary size and some square, for water and spirits.I had no pot for cooking, but a great pot, which I also took down from the ship.But this pot is too big to be used for boiling soup or cooking meat.Next, I need a pipe, but I can't make one right away.But then I figured out a way to make one. All through the summer, or dry season, I was busy planting second stakes and weaving baskets.Meanwhile, I was working on another job that was taking up far more time than expected. As mentioned earlier, I have always wanted to travel around the island.I went first to the end of the creek, and at last I came to the place where I had built my country house, where there was an open field that stretched down to the sea on the other side of the island.I decided to go to the coast on the other side of the island first.I took my gun, my axe, my dog, and more powder and cartridges; I also took two large rations and a large bag of raisins.And so I embarked on a journey.I crossed the valley where my hut was, looked westward, and saw the sea.On this day, the weather was clear and the land across the sea was clearly visible.I don't know if it's an island or a mainland; I can see that the terrain is very high, stretching from west to west-southwest in a continuous line; but it is far away from the small island where I am, estimated to be about 45 nautical miles to 60 nautical miles. I don't know where it is, but it's probably part of America.According to my observation, it is close to the Spanish territory, maybe it is the world of savages.It must have been worse if I had landed there then.Now, I am more willing to obey the fate, and feel that this arrangement is as good as it can be.When I think about it this way, I feel calm.I stopped looking for trouble and went to the land across the sea. Also, after some reflection, I have come to the following conclusion: If this land is indeed the coast of Spanish dominion, then sooner or later there will be ships passing by; The wild coast between the Dominion and Brazil, inhabited by the most savage natives.These natives are man-eating savages.Anyone who falls into their hands will be eaten by them. I walked forward slowly while thinking.I feel that the environment on the small island where I am now is much better than the one where I used to live.The grassland here is open and green, the wild flowers everywhere exude fragrance, and there are dense forests everywhere.I saw many parrots, and I really wanted to catch one and teach it to talk.After some hard work, I brought down a small parrot with a stick.After it woke up, I took it home. But it took many years before I taught it to talk, and finally got it to call my name affectionately.It almost scared me to death afterward, but it's also very funny to talk about. I am very satisfied with this trip.In the lower part of the country, I also found many animals like hares and foxes.I have never seen either of these animals before.I killed a few but didn't want to eat their meat.There was no need for me to venture, for there was no shortage of food, and my food was very good, especially three kinds of goat, pigeon, and soft-shelled turtle, with raisins.Not even Liddenhull, London, could provide a more sumptuous feast, as far as the average quantity of food per head is concerned.In spite of my wretchedness, I thank Heaven that I was not only not short of food, but in abundance, and even of delicacies. On this trip, I walked less than two miles a day.I'm always going back and forth, back and forth, hoping to find something new.Therefore, when I went to a place to stay for the night, I was very sleepy.Sometimes I climbed up a tree to sleep; if I slept on the ground, I put a stake around it, or put a stake between two trees.That way, if a wild animal approaches, it will wake me up first. 我一走到海边，便发现我住的那边是岛上环境最糟的地方，这真有点出乎我的意料。在这儿，海滩上龟鳖成群；而在我住的那边海边，一年半中我才找到了三只。此外，还有无数的飞禽，种类繁多；有些是我以前见过的，有些却从未见过。不少飞禽的肉都很好吃。在这么多飞禽中，我只认出一种叫企鹅的东西，其余的我都叫不上名字。 这儿鸟那么多，我本可以爱打多少就打多少，但我不想浪费弹药。要是能打到一只山羊就能吃得更好。可是，这儿山羊虽比我住的那边多，但因这一带地势平坦，稍一靠近它们就被发现，不像那边我埋伏在山上难以被山羊察觉。 我承认这边比我住的地方好得多，但我无意搬家，因为我在那边已住惯了。这边再好，总觉得是在外地旅行，不是在家里。我沿着海边向东走，估计大约走了十二英里后，我在岸上竖了一根大柱子作为记号，便决定暂时回家。我准备下次旅行从家里出发，向相反方向走，沿海岸往东兜上一个圈子，回到这儿立柱子的地方。这些我后面再交待。 回家时我走了另一条路。我以为，只要我注意全岛地势就不会迷路而找不到我在海边的居所。但我想错了。走了两三英里后，我发现自己进入了一个大山谷，四周群山环绕，山上丛林密布，除非看太阳才能辩出东西南北，可是此刻太阳也无助于辩别方向，因为我不知道是在上午、中午还是下午。 更糟的是，在山谷里的三四天中，浓雾弥漫，不见阳光，我只得东撞西碰，最后不得不回到海边，找到了我竖起的那根柱子，再从原路往回走。我走走歇歇，慢慢回家里去。这时天气炎热，身上带着枪枝弹药以及斧头等东西，感到特别沉重。 回家路上，我的狗袭击了一只小山羊，并把小羊抓住了。 我连忙跑过去夺过小羊，把它从狗嘴里救了下来。我以前经常想到，要是能驯养几头山羊，让其繁殖，那么，到我弹尽粮绝时，可以杀羊充饥。因此，我决定把这头小山羊牵回家去饲养。 我给小羊做了个项圈，又用我一直带在身边的麻纱做了根细绳子，颇费了一翻周折才把羊牵回我的乡间住宅。我把小羊圈了起来就离开了。当时，我急于回老家，因离家已一个多月了。 回到老家，我躺在吊床上，心里有说不出的高兴和满足。 这次外出，作了一次小小的漫游，一直居无定所，总感到不称心。现在回到家里，跟出门在外的生活一比，更觉得这个家确实完满无缺，舒适安定。因此我决定，如果我命中注定要在这个岛上度过余生，以后就决不离家走太远了。 我在家里呆了一星期，以便好好休息，恢复长途旅行的疲劳。在这期间，我做了一件大事，就是给抓到的那只小鹦鹉做了个笼子。这时，这只小鹦鹉已完全驯顺了，并且与我亲热起来。这件大事完成后，我想起了那只可怜的小山羊，它一直被关在我做的羊圈里。我决定去把它带回老家来。到了乡间住宅那边，见那小羊还在原来的圈里——事实上，它也不可能逃出来。因为没有东西吃，它差不多快饿死了。我出去到外面弄了点嫩枝嫩叶喂它。等它吃饱之后，我仍像原来那样用绳子牵着它走。然而，小羊因饥饿而变得十分驯服。我根本不必用绳牵它走，它就会像狗一样乖乖地跟在我后面。后来，我一直饲养它，它变得又温和又可爱，成了我家庭成员中的一员，从此再也没有离开我。 时值秋分，雨季又来临了。九月三十日这一天，是我上岛的纪念日。像去年一样，我严肃虔诚地度过了这一天。我来到这岛上已两年了，但与两年前刚上岛时一样，毫无获救的希望。整整一天，我怀着谦卑和感激的心情，追念上帝给我的种种恩惠。如果没有这些恩惠，我孤寂的生活就会更凄苦了。我卑顺地、衷心地感谢上帝，因为上帝使我明白，尽管我目前过着孤单寂寞的生活，但也许比生活在自由快乐的人世间更幸福。上帝无时无刻不在我的身边，时时与我的灵魂交流，支持我，安慰我，鼓励我，让我信赖天命，并祈求他今后永与我同在。所有这一切，都足以弥补我寂寞生活中的种种不足。 直到现在，我才充分意识到，我现在的生活比过去幸福得多。尽管我目前处境不幸，但我过去过的却是一种罪恶的、可憎的、令人诅咒的生活。我现在完全改变了对忧愁和欢乐的看法，我的愿望也大不相同，我的爱好和兴趣也变了。与初来岛上相比，甚至与过去两年相比，我获得了一种前所未有的欢乐。 过去，当我到各处打猎，或勘查岛上环境时，一想到自己的处境，我的灵魂就会痛苦不堪；想到自己被困在这些树林、山谷和沙滩中间，被困在没有人烟的荒野里，我觉得自己就像是个囚犯，那茫茫的大海就是我牢狱的铁栅栏，并且永无出狱之日。一想到这些，我总是忧心如焚。即使在我心境最宁静的时候，这种念头也会像暴风雨一样突然向我袭来，使我扭扯双手，像小孩一样号啕痛哭。有时在劳动中，这种念头也会突然袭来。我就会立刻坐下来，长吁短叹，两眼死盯着地面，一两个小时一动也不动，这就更令人痛苦了。因为，假如我能哭出来，或用语言发泄出来，苦恼就会过去；悲哀发泄出来后，心情也会好一些。 可现在，我开始用新的思想修炼自己。我每天读《圣经》，并把读到的话与自己当前的处境相联系，以从中得到安慰。一天早晨，我心情十分悲凉。打开《圣经》，我读到了这段话："我决不撇下你，也不丢弃你。"我立刻想到，这些话正是对我说的。否则，怎么会在我为自己的处境感到悲伤，在我感到自己被上帝和世人丢平时，让我读到这段话呢？"好啊，"我说，"只要上帝不丢弃我，那么，即使世人丢弃我，那又有什么害处，又有什么关系呢？从另一方面来说，即使世人不丢弃我，但我若失去上帝的宠幸和保佑，还有什么能比这种损失更大呢？"从这时期，我心里有了一种新的认识。我在这里虽然孤苦伶仃，但也许比我生活在世界上任何其他地方更幸福。有了这种认识，我禁不住衷心感激上帝，感谢他把我引导到这儿来。 可是，一想到这里，不知怎么的，我心头突然一惊，再也不敢把感谢的话说出来。我大声对自己说："你怎么能做伪君子呢？你是在假装对自己的处境表示感激，因为你一面对目前的处境表示满足，一面却恨不得恳求上帝，把你从这里拯救出来。"于是，我不再说话了。事实上，我虽然不能说我感谢上帝把我带到这儿来，但我还是要衷心感谢上帝，因为他用种种灾难折磨我，使我睁开眼睛，看清了我过去的生活，并为自己的罪恶而感到悲痛和后悔。我每次读《圣经》，总是衷心感谢上帝，是他引导我在英国的朋友把《圣经》放在我的货物里，虽然我没有嘱托他。我也感谢上帝，是他后来又帮助我把《圣经》从破船中取了出来。 就在这种心情下，我开始了荒岛上的第三年生活。我虽然没有把这一年的工作像第一年那样一件一件地给读者叙述，但一般说来，可以这么说，我很少有空闲的时候。对每天必不可少的日常工作，我都定时进行，生活很有规律。比如，第一，定出时间，一天三次祈祷上帝和阅读《圣经》；第二，带枪外出觅食。如果不下雨，一般在上午外出，时间约三小时；第三，把打死或捕获的猎物加以处理，或晒、或烤、或腌、或煮，以便收藏作为我的粮食。这些事差不多用去了每天大部分的时间。此外还必须考虑到，每天中午，太阳在天顶时，酷热难当，根本无法出门。因此，每天真正能够用来工作的时间，只有晚上四小时。不过，有时我也把打猎和工作的时间调换一下，上午工作，下午带枪外出。 一天中能工作的时间太短。此外，我还得提一下我工作的艰苦性。因为缺乏工具，缺乏助手，缺乏经验，做每件工作都要浪费许多时间。例如，为了在我的洞室里做一个长架子，我花了整整四十二天的功夫才做成一块木板；而实际上，如果有两个锯木工在锯坑里用锯子锯，只要半天就能从同一棵树上锯出六块木板来。 我做木板的方法是这样的：因为我需要一块较宽的木板，就选定一棵大树把它砍倒。砍树花了三天的时间，再花了两天把树枝削掉，这样树干就成了一根大木头，或者说是成了木材。然后用大量的时间慢慢劈削，把树干两边一点点地削平。削到后来，木头就轻了，这样就可以搬动了。然后把削轻的木头放在地上，先把朝上的一面从头至尾削光削平，像块木板的板面一样；再把削平的这一面翻下去，削另一面，最后削成三寸多厚两面光滑的木板。任何人都可以想象，做这样的工作，我得用双手付出多少劳力啊！但劳力和耐心终于使我完成了这件工作以及许多其他工作。我把做木板作为一个例子，说明为什么我花了那么多的时间只能完成很少的工作；同时也可以说明，做任何工作，如果有助手和工具，本来是一件轻而易举的事情，但若单凭一个人空手去做，便要花费大量的劳力和时间。 尽管如此，靠了耐心和劳动，我完成了大量的工作。下面，我将叙述我如何为生活环境所迫，完成了许多必不可少的工作。 现在正是十一、十二月之间，即将收获大麦和稻子。我耕种和施肥的面积不大，因为，上面说过，我所有的种子每样只不过半斗，而又因第一次在旱季播种，把播下去的种子完全毁了。但这一次却丰收在望。然而，我突然发现，庄稼受到好几种敌人的威胁，而且这些敌人简直难以对付。全部收获又将丧失殆荆首先，就是山羊和像野兔似的野物。它们尝到了禾苗的甜味后，等禾苗一长出来，就昼夜伏在田里，把长出地面的禾苗吃光，禾苗根本就无法长出茎秆来。 除了做个篱笆把庄稼地围起来，我想不出其他办法。我花了大量艰苦的劳动，才把篱笆筑好。尤其吃力的是，我必须很快把篱笆建成。好在我种子不多，因而耕种面积也不大，所以不到三星期我就把庄稼地围起来了。白天，我打死３只野物；晚上，我把狗拴在大门外的一根柱子上，让狗整夜吠叫，看守庄稼地。不久，那些敌人就舍弃了这块地方，庄稼长得又茁壮又好，并很快成熟起来。 在庄稼长出禾苗时，遭到了兽害；而现在庄稼结穗时，又遇到了鸟害。一天，我到田里去看看庄稼的生长情况，却发现无数的飞禽围住了我那块小小的庄稼地，飞禽种类之多，简直数不胜数。它们围着庄稼地，仿佛等我走开后就可飞进去饱餐一顿。我立刻向鸟群开了枪（我外出时是枪不离身的）。 枪声一响，我又看到在庄稼地中无数的飞禽纷纷腾空而起，而刚才我还没有发现在庄稼地中竟也潜伏着这么一大群飞禽。 这使我非常痛心。可以预见，要不了几天，它们就会把我的全部希望吃个精光。我将无法耕种任何庄稼，到头来只好挨饿，而我又不知如何对付这些飞禽。但我决心不能让我的庄稼白白损失，即使整天整夜守着也在所不惜。我先走进庄稼地看看损失的情况，发现那些飞禽已糟蹋了不少庄稼，但大麦和稻子还都在发青期，所以损失还不大。假如我能把其余部分保住，还可能有一个不错的收成。 我站在庄稼地旁，把枪装上弹药。当我走开时，我清楚地看到那些偷谷贼都停在周围的树上，好像专等我走开似的。 that's the truth.我慢慢走远，假装已经离开。一旦它们看不见我了，就立即又一个个飞进庄稼地。见此情景，我气极了。等不及让更多的鸟飞下来，我就走到篱笆边开了一枪，一下子打死了三只。因为我知道，它们现在所吃掉的每一颗谷粒，几年后对我来说就是一大斗。鸟给打死了，这正是我所期望的。我把打死的鸟从地里拾起来，用英国惩治恶名昭著的窃贼的办法，把它们用锁链吊起来，以警效尤。真想不到，这个办法居然十分灵光。从此以后，那些飞禽不仅不敢再到庄稼地来，甚至连岛上的这一边也不敢飞来了。在那些示众的死鸟挂在那儿期间，附近连一只鸟都看不见。 不用说，这件事使我很高兴。十二月底，是一年中的第二个收获季节，我收割了我的庄稼。 要收割庄稼，就得有镰刀；可是我没有，这就难为我了。 无奈之中，只得用一把腰刀来改做；这种腰刀是我从船上的武器舱中取出来的。好在第一次收成不多，所以割起来也没多大困难。而且，我收割的方法也非常独特：只割下麦穗或稻穗，把茎干留下来。我把穗子装进自制的大筐子里搬回家，再用双手把谷粒搓下来。收获完毕后，我发现原来的半斗种子差不多打了两斗稻和两斗半多的大麦。这当然只是我估计估计罢了，因为当时手头根本就没有量具。 这对我是一个极大的鼓励。我预见到，早晚有一天，上帝会赐给我面包吃。可是，现在我又感到为难了。因为我既不知道怎样把谷粒磨成粉，甚至根本不知道怎样脱谷，怎样筛去秕糠；即使能把谷粒磨成粉，我也不知道怎样把粉做成面包；即使做成了面包，也不知怎样烤面包。另外，我想多积一点粮食，以保证不断供应。为此，我决定不吃这次收获的谷物，而是全部留起来做种子，待下一季再播种。同时，我决定用全部时间全力研究磨制面粉和烤制面包这一艰巨的工作。 人们常说"为面包而工作"，其意思是"为生存而工作"。 而现在，我可以说是真的为"面包"而工作了。为了制成面包这样小小的不起眼的东西，你首先得作好播种准备，生产出粮食，再要经过晒、筛、制、烤等种种奇怪而繁杂的必不可少的过程，真不能不令人惊叹。我也想，很少人会想到，我们天天吃的面包要真的自己动手从头做起是多么不容易啊！ 目前，我犹如初生的婴孩，除了自己一身之外，别无他物。做面包的事成了天天苦恼我的心玻而且，自从我第一次无意中发现在石壁下长出稻子和大麦，并获得了一把粮种之后，随着时光的流逝，我简直无时无刻不想到做面包的事。 首先，我没有犁，无法耕地；也没有锄头或铲子来掘地。 这个困难我克服了，前面提到，我做了一把木头铲子。工具拙劣，干起活来很不得力。虽然我花了不少日子才做成一把木铲，但因为没有铁，很快就磨损了。结果工作更加困难，效率也更低。 尽管如此，我还是将就着使用这把木铲；我耐着性子用木铲掘地，即使效果不佳也不在意。种子播下后，我又没有耙，不得不自己在地里走来走去，或用一颗大树在地里拖来拖去。这样做与其说是在耙地，还不如说是在扒地。 在庄稼成长和成熟的时候，我前面也已谈到，还有许多事要做。我要给庄稼地打上篱笆，又要保护庄稼不受鸟害。然后是收割、晒干、运回家、打谷、簸去秕糠，而后把谷物收藏起来。然而，我没有磨，无法磨谷；我没有筛子，无法筛粉；我没有发醇粉和盐，无法做面包；我也没有炉子烤面包。 所有这一切，我都一无所有，但我还是做成了面包。这些事我将在下面再告诉读者。但在当时，我总算有了自己的粮食，这对我是极大的安慰，为我的生活带来了更多有利的条件。前面提到，没有适当的工具，一切事情做起来特别吃力，特别费时间，可是也没有办法。同时，我也没有浪费时间。我把时间分配得很好，每天安排出一定的时间来做这些事。我已决定等我收获了更多的粮食后再做面包，所以我还有六个月的时间；在这半年中，我可以运用我全部的精力和心血，设法制造出加工粮食各项工序所需要的各种工具。到时，有了足够的粮食，就可以用来制造面包了。 目前，第一步，我必须多准备一点土地，因为我现在有了足够的种子，可以播种一英亩还多。在耕地之前，我至少花了一个星期，做了一把铲子。铲子做得又拙劣，又笨重，拿它去掘地，要付出双倍的劳力。但不管怎么说，我总算有了掘地的工具，并在我住所附近找了两大片平地把种子播下去。 然后就是修筑了一道坚实的篱笆把地围起来，篱笆的木桩都是从我以前栽过的那种树上砍下来的。我知道这种树生长很快，一年内就能长成茂密的篱笆，用不着多少工夫去修理。这个工作花了我三个多月的时间，因为这期间大部分时间是雨季，我无法出门，故修筑篱笆的事时辍时续。 在家里，也就是说，在下雨不能出门的时候，我也找些事情做。我一面工作，一面同我的鹦鹉闲扯，以教它说话作为消遣。不久，我就教会它知道它自己叫什么，后来它居然会响亮地叫自己为"波儿"。这是我上岛以来第一次从别的嘴里听到的话。教鹦鹉说话，当然不是我的工作，只是工作中的消遣而已。前面谈到，我目前正在着手一件重要的工作。 我早就想用什么办法制造一些陶器，我急需这类东西，可就是不知怎么做。这里气候炎热，因此，我敢肯定，只要能找到陶土，就能做一些钵子或罐子，然后放到太阳底下晒干；炎热的太阳一定能把陶土晒得既坚硬又结实，并能经久耐用，可以用来装一些需要保存的干东西。要加工粮食，制造面粉等工作，就必需要有盛器贮藏。所以，我决定尽量把容器做大一些，可以着地放，里面就可以装东西。 要是读者知道我怎样制造这些陶器，一定会为我感到又可怜又可笑。我不知用了多少笨拙的方法去调合陶土，也不知做出了多少奇形怪状的丑陋的家伙；有多少因为陶土太软，吃不住本身的重量，不是凹进去，就是凸出来。根本不合用；又有多少因为晒得太早，太阳热力过猛而晒裂了；也有多少在晒干后一搬动就碎裂了。一句话，我费了很大的力气去找陶土，找到后把土挖出来，调合好，运回家，再做成泥瓮。结果，我工作了差不多两个月的时间，才做成两只大瓦罐，样子非常难看，简直无法把它们叫作缸。 最后，太阳终于把这两只大瓦罐晒得非常干燥非常坚硬了。我就把它们轻轻搬起来，放进两只预先特制的大柳条筐里，防备它们破裂。在缸和筐子之间的空隙处，又塞上了稻草和麦秆。现在，这两个大缸就不会受潮，以后我想就可以用来装粮食和粮食磨出来的面粉。 我大缸做得不成功，但那些小器皿却做得还像样，像那些小圆罐啦，盘子啦，水罐啦，小瓦锅啦等等，总之，一切我随手做出来的东西，都还不错，而且，由于阳光强烈，这些瓦罐都晒得特别坚硬。 但我还没有达到我的最终目的。这些容器只能用来装东西，不能用来装流质放在火上烧，而这才是我真正的目的。过了些时候，一次我偶然生起一大堆火煮东西，煮完后我就去灭火，忽然发现火堆里有一块陶器的碎片，被火烧得像石头一样硬，像砖一样红。这一发现使我惊喜万分。我对自己说，破陶器能烧，整只陶器当然也能烧了。 于是我开始研究如何控制火力，给自己烧出几只锅子来。 我当然不知道怎样搭一个窑，就像那些陶器工人烧陶器用的那种窑；我也不知道怎样用铅去涂上一层釉，虽然铅我还是有一些的。我把三只大泥锅和两三只泥罐一个个堆起来，四面架上木柴，泥锅和泥罐下生了一大堆炭火，然后在四周和顶上点起了火，一直烧到里面的罐子红透为止，而且十分小心不让火把它们烧裂。我看到陶器烧得红透后，又继续保留了五六小时的热度。后来，我看见其中一只虽然没有破裂，但已开始溶化了，这是因为掺在陶土里的沙土被火烧溶了，假如再烧下去，就要成为玻璃了。于是我慢慢减去火力，那些罐子的红色逐渐退去。我整夜守着火堆，不让火力退得太快。 到了第二天早晨，我便烧成了三只很好的瓦锅和两只瓦罐，虽然谈不上美观，但很坚硬；其中一只由于沙土被烧溶了，还有一层很好的釉。 这次实验成功后，不用说，我不缺什么陶器用了。但我必须说，这些东西的形状，是很不像样的。大家也可以想象，因为我没有办法制造这些东西，只能像小孩子做泥饼，或像不会和面粉的女人做馅饼那样去做。 当我发现我已制成了一只能耐火的锅子时，我的快乐真是无可比拟的，尽管这是一件多么微不足道的事情。我等不及让锅子完全冷透，就急不可耐地把其中一只放到火上，倒进水煮起肉来。结果效果极佳。我用一块小山羊肉煮了一碗可口的肉汤。当然，我没有燕麦粉和别的配料，否则我会做出非常理想的汤来。 下一个问题是我需要一个石臼舂粮食。因为我明白，仅凭自己的一双手，是无法做出石磨的。至于如何做石臼，我也一筹莫展。三百六十行中，我最不懂的就是石匠手艺了，更何况没有合适的工具。我费了好几天的功夫，想找一块大石头，把中间挖空后做个石臼。可是岛上尽是大块岩石，根本无法挖凿，而且石质不硬，是一些一碰就碎的沙石，经不住重锤去舂，而且即使能捣碎谷物，也必然会从石臼中舂出许多沙子和在面粉里。因此，当我花了很长时间找不到适当的石料时，就放弃了这个念头，决定找一大块硬木头。这要容易得多。我弄了一块很大的木头，大得我勉强能搬得动。然后用大斧小斧把木头砍圆；当起初具圆形时，就用火在上面烧一个槽。火力和无限的劳力，就像巴西的印第安人做独木舟那样终于把臼做成了。又用铁树做了一个又大又重的杵。舂谷的工具做好后，我就放起来准备下次收获后舂谷做面粉，再用面粉做面包。 第二个需要克服的困难是，我得做一个筛子筛面粉，把面粉和秕糠分开。没有筛子，就无法做面包。做筛子想想也把我难倒了。我没有任何材料可以用来做筛子，也就是那种有很细很细网眼的薄薄的布可以把面粉筛出来。这使我停工好几个月，不知怎么办才好。除了一些破布碎片外，我连一块亚麻布也没有。虽然我有山羊毛，但我根本不知道怎样纺织，即使知道，这里也没有纺织工具。后来，我忽然想起一个补救办法，也是当时唯一的办法，那就是在从船上搬下来的那些水手衣服里，有几块棉布和薄纱围巾。我拿了几块出来做成三个小筛子，总算能凑合着用，这样应付了好几年。至于后来怎么办，我下面再叙述。 下一步要考虑的是制面包的问题，也就是我有了粮食之后怎样制成面包。首先，我没有发酵粉。这是绝对没有办法做出来的，所以我也就不去多费脑筋了。至于炉子的问题，颇费了我一番周折。但最后，我还是想出了一个试验的办法。具体做法如下：我先做了些很大的陶器，但不太深；这些容器直径有两英尺，但深仅九英寸。像上次烧制陶器那样，我把它们也放在火里烧过，完工后就成了大瓦盆，放置一边备用。 制面包时，我先用方砖砌成一个炉子；这些方砖也是我自己烧制出来的，只不过不怎么方整罢了。然后，在炉子里生起火。 当木柴烧成热炭或炽炭时，我就把它们取出来放在炉子上面，并把炉子盖满，让炉子烧得非常热。然后把所有的火种通通扫尽，把面包放进去，再用做好的大瓦盆把炉子扣住，瓦盆上再盖满火种。这样做不但能保持炉子的热度，还能增加热度。用这种方法，我制出了非常好的大麦面包，绝不亚于世界上最好的炉子制出来的面包。不久之后，我就成了一个技术高明的面包师傅，因为我还用大米制成了一些糕点和布叮不过，我没有做过馅饼，因为除了飞禽和山羊肉外，我没有别的佐料可以放进去。 毫不奇怪，这些事情占去了我在岛上第三年的大部分时间。一方面，我要为制面包做许多事情；另一方面，我还要料理农务，收割庄稼。我按时收获，把谷物都运回家。我把穗子放在大筐子里，有空时就用双手搓出来。因为我既无打谷场，也无打谷的工具。 现在，我的粮食贮藏量大大增加了，就必须扩建谷仓。我需要有地方来存放粮食。现在，我已有了二十浦式耳大麦和二十多浦式耳大米，可以放心吃用了，因为我从船上取下来的粮食早就吃完了。同时，我也想估算一下，一年要消耗多少粮食，然后准备一年只种一季，数量足够我吃就行了。 我发现，四十浦式耳的大麦和大米足够我吃一年还有余。 因此我决定每年播种同样数量的种子，并希望收获的粮食足够供应我做面包和其他用途。 毫无疑问，在做上述那些事情的同时，我常想到我在岛上另一边所看到的陆地。我心里暗暗怀着一种愿望，希望能在那里上岸，并幻想自己在找到大陆和有人烟的地方后，就能继续设法去其他地方，最终能找到逃生的办法。 那时，我完全没有考虑这种情况的危险性，没有考虑到我会落入野人的手里，而这些野人比非洲的狮子和老虎还要凶残，我一旦落入他们的手里，就要冒九死一生的危险，不是给他们杀死，就是给他们吃掉。我听说，加勒比海沿岸的人都是吃人的部族。而从纬度来看，我知道我目前所在的这个荒岛离加勒比海岸不会太远。再说，就算他们不是吃人的部族，他们也一定会把我杀掉。他们正是这样对待落到他们手里的欧洲人的，即使一二十个欧洲人成群结伙也难免厄运。 而我只是孤身一人，毫无自卫的能力。这些情况我本来应该好好考