With my camp established, I began to improve my living conditions. My first project was to make proper furniture for my new home. I had never worked with wood before, but I learned quickly. I made a table and a chair from boards I cut from the trees. The work was slow because I had only simple tools. It took me weeks to make one chair, but I was very proud of it. Next, I built shelves on the walls of my cave. Now I could organize all my supplies neatly. I divided my gunpowder into small packages and hid them in different places. I was afraid that lightning might strike and explode it all at once. The rainy season came, and I discovered problems with my tent. Water leaked through in several places despite my careful work. I spent many days making repairs and improvements. During the heavy rains, I stayed inside and worked on smaller projects. I made baskets from thin branches to carry things. I tried to make clay pots, but they broke when I dried them in the sun. After many failures, I learned to bake them in a hot fire. Finally, I had pots that could hold water and cook food. This was a great achievement that changed my daily life. Now I could boil water and make hot stews and soups. One day, I found something surprising in my cave. Small green plants were growing from a bag I had thrown away. I remembered that the bag had once held some old grain. I had emptied it because I thought the grain was spoiled. But now I saw that barley and rice were sprouting from the ground! I was so happy that tears came to my eyes. I carefully protected the young plants from birds and animals. When they grew tall, I harvested the grain and saved every seed. I did not eat any of it for the first three years. Instead, I planted everything and grew more and more. Eventually, I had enough grain to make bread. Making bread was another long learning process. First, I had to make tools to grind the grain into flour. I carved a large wooden bowl and a heavy stone to crush the grain. Then I had to figure out how to bake the bread without a proper oven. I built a clay oven that worked quite well. My first loaf of bread was ugly but tasted wonderful. I also learned to raise goats for milk and meat. At first, I only hunted them with my gun. But I worried about running out of gunpowder someday. So I dug pits and set traps to catch them alive. I caught several young goats and kept them in a fenced area. They grew tame and let me milk them every day. I learned to make butter and cheese from the milk. My herd grew larger as the goats had babies. Soon I had more milk and meat than I could use. I built a second shelter in a beautiful valley I had discovered. This became my country house, where I went in the summer months. The valley was full of fruit trees and had a lovely stream. I planted more grain there and created a small garden. I surrounded it with a tall hedge to keep the goats out. My two homes made me feel like a wealthy landowner. Of course, I was the only person in my kingdom. My subjects were two cats, a dog, and a flock of goats. I also had a parrot that I taught to speak my name. The bird would call out 'Robinson! Robinson Crusoe!' Hearing my name spoken aloud gave me great comfort. I made clothes for myself from the skins of goats. I had a tall fur cap, a jacket, and trousers that reached my knees. I also made an umbrella to protect me from sun and rain. I must have looked very strange, but there was no one to see me. Every morning, I read from my Bible and prayed. I thanked God for keeping me alive and providing for my needs. I no longer felt as desperate and miserable as before. I had food, shelter, and even some comfort in my life. The only thing I truly missed was human companionship. I longed to hear another human voice. I dreamed of my family in England whom I would probably never see again. But I tried not to dwell on such sad thoughts. I focused on my work and on being grateful for what I had.
B1Chapter 7 / 15766 words70 sentences
Building a Home
Chapter 7 · Robinson Crusoe · B1 English. Tip: Click on any word while reading to see its translation. Take your time with each chapter and review the vocabulary before moving on.
Chapter Summary
Robinson constructs shelter and begins to adapt to island life.
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Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
How long did it take Robinson to make one chair?
2
What surprising plants grew from the bag Robinson had thrown away?
3
Why didn't Robinson eat any of the grain for the first three years?
4