Робінзон Крузо
First Weeks on the Island
Thisgavemenotonlyegressandregress,asitwereaback-waytomytentandtomystorehouse,butgavemeroomtostowmygoods.
AndnowIbegantoapplymyselftomakesuchnecessarythingsasIfoundImostwanted,asparticularlyachairandatable; forwithouttheseIwasnotabletoenjoythefewcomfortsIhadintheworld. Icouldnotwriteoreat,ordoseveralthingswithsomuchpleasurewithoutatable.
SoIwenttowork: andhereImustneedsobserve,thatasreasonisthesubstanceandoriginalofthemathematics,sobystatingandsquaringeverythingbyreason,andbymakingthemostrationaljudgmentofthings,everymanmaybeintimemasterofeverymechanicart. Ihadneverhandledatoolinmylife;andyetintime,bylabor,application,andcontrivance,IfoundatlastthatIwantednothingbutIcouldhavemadeit,especiallyifIhadhadmoretools. However,Imadeabundanceofthingsevenwithouttools,andsomewithnomoretoolsthananadzeandahatchet,which,perhaps,werenevermadethatwaybefore,andthatwithinfinitelabor. Forexample,ifIwantedaboard,Ihadnootherwaybuttocutdownatree,setitonanedgebeforeme,andhewitflatoneithersidewithmyaxe,tillIhadbroughtittobethickasaplank,andthendubitsmoothwithmyadze. Itistrue,bythismethodIcouldmakebutoneboardoutofawholetree; butthisIhadnoremedyforbutpatience,anymorethanIhadfortheprodigiousdealoftimeandlaborwhichittookmeuptomakeaplankorboard. Butmytimeorlaborwaslittleworth,andsoitwasaswellemployedonewayasanother.
However,Imademeatableandachair,asIobservedabove,inthefirstplace,andthisIdidoutoftheshortpiecesofboardsthatIbroughtonmyraftfromtheship.
