Робинзон Крузо
Surveys His Position
Thus,andinthisdispositionofmind,Ibeganmythirdyear; andthoughIhavenotgiventhereaderthetroubleofsoparticularaccountofmyworksthisyearasthefirst,yetingeneralitmaybeobserved,thatIwasveryseldomidle, buthavingregularlydividedmytime,accordingtotheseveraldailyemploymentsthatwerebeforeme,suchas, firstmydutytoGod,andthereadingtheScriptures,whichIconstantlysetapartsometimefor,thriceeveryday; secondly,thegoingabroadwithmygunforfood,whichgenerallytookmeupthreehoursineverymorning,whenitdidnotrain; thirdly,theordering,curing,preserving,andcookingwhatIhadkilledorcatchedformysupply; thesetookupgreatpartoftheday; alsoitistobeconsideredthatthemiddleoftheday,whenthesunwasinthezenith,theviolenceoftheheatwastoogreattostirout; sothataboutfourhoursintheeveningwasallthetimeIcouldbesupposedtoworkin,withthisexception,thatsometimesIchangedmyhoursofhuntingandworking,andwenttoworkinthemorning,andabroadwithmygunintheafternoon.
Tothisshorttimeallowedforlabor,desiremaybeaddedtheexceedinglaboriousnessofmywork;themanyhourswhich,forwantoftools,wantofhelp,andwantofskill,everythingIdidtookupoutofmytime. Forexample,Iwasfulltwoandfortydaysmakingmeaboardforalongshelf,whichIwantedinmycave; whereastwosawyers,withtheirtoolsandasaw-pit,wouldhavecutsixofthemoutofthesametreeinhalfaday.
Mycasewasthis: itwastobealargetreewhichwastobecutdown,becausemyboardwastobeabroadone. ThistreeIwasthreedaysa-cuttingdown,andtwomorecuttingofftheboughs,andreducingittoalog,orpieceoftimber.
