Learning to Survive

As the years passed, I became skilled at many things I had never done before. Necessity is a great teacher, and I learned from every mistake. I became a carpenter, a baker, a potter, and a farmer. I learned to make candles from goat fat to light my cave at night. I discovered how to dry grapes into raisins that lasted for months. I learned which plants were safe to eat and which were poisonous. My biggest challenge was building a boat. I still dreamed of escaping to the mainland I could see in the distance. For months, I worked on cutting down a great tree. I chopped and burned and carved until I had shaped a canoe. It was large enough to carry twenty men and all my supplies. I was extremely proud of my work until I realized my terrible mistake. The canoe was too heavy to move, and it was too far from the water. I could not possibly drag it to the sea by myself. I had wasted months of hard work on a useless project. I thought about digging a canal to bring water to the boat. But that would take at least ten years of digging. I finally gave up and learned a valuable lesson. Always think carefully before starting a big project. Consider all the problems that might arise before beginning. Later, I built a smaller canoe near the shore. This one I could actually launch into the water. I sailed it around the island to explore all the coastline. One day, strong currents nearly carried me out to open sea. I was terrified that I would drown far from my island home. I paddled desperately for hours against the current. Finally, I caught a favorable wind and made it back to shore. I fell to my knees and thanked God for saving me again. After that, I was more careful with my sailing adventures. I gave up the idea of trying to reach the mainland. Perhaps God wanted me to stay on this island for a reason. I decided to be content with my situation. I had plenty of food, a comfortable home, and my health. Many people in England had far less than I did. My daily routine became regular and organized. I woke at sunrise and read my Bible for an hour. Then I went hunting or fishing for three hours. I worked on various projects until the heat of midday. I slept during the hottest hours when working was impossible. In the evening, I prepared my food and ate my simple meals. I taught myself to cook many different dishes. I made bread, roasted goat meat, and even a kind of pudding. I brewed a drink from barley that was almost like beer. I became quite a good cook out of necessity. The seasons on my island were different from England. There were two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. I learned to plant my crops at the right times. My first attempts at farming had failed because of bad timing. But gradually, I understood the patterns of the weather. I kept careful notes in my journal about everything I observed. One year, I became very sick with a terrible fever. I lay in my hammock for days, unable to eat or drink. I thought surely I would die alone on this island. In my delirium, I had terrifying dreams about my sinful past. I saw my father's sad face and heard his warnings again. A voice in my dream said, 'Repent, or you will die.' When I finally recovered, I was a changed man. I prayed more seriously and read my Bible more carefully. I began to see my island not as a prison but as a gift. God had delivered me from death many times. Perhaps this solitude was meant to teach me something. I learned to find peace in my simple life. I no longer spent every day longing for rescue. I accepted that I might spend the rest of my life here. If that was God's will, then I would accept it. The years continued to pass, one after another. I marked each day faithfully on my wooden calendar. More than fifteen years had passed since my shipwreck. I had grown older and perhaps wiser on my island. But I could never have imagined what would happen next.

Chapter Summary

Comprehension Questions

What terrible mistake did Robinson make when building his first large canoe?

What drink did Robinson brew from barley?

How many years had passed since Robinson's shipwreck by the end of this chapter?

How did Robinson's attitude toward his situation change after his serious illness?

Vocabulary

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