(Continuing from Part 24)
Although I had become more comfortable on the island, I had never forgotten my desire to escape.
I had built a strong home, learned to grow grain, and discovered how to make useful pots from clay.
Yet I was still separated from the rest of the world.
Sometimes I climbed the hills and looked across the sea toward the distant mainland.
I remembered the land I had seen during my journey to the opposite coast.
It seemed possible that people lived there.
Perhaps, if I could reach them, I might eventually find a ship and return to civilization.
But the water between the island and the mainland was wide and dangerous.
I had no boat.
For a long time, I considered whether I could build one.
I remembered seeing people in Africa and Brazil using canoes made from the trunks of large trees.
They cut down a tree, hollowed out the trunk, and shaped it into a vessel that could float.
Some of these canoes were large enough to carry several people.
I began thinking that I might make something similar.
The idea excited me.
I imagined loading a canoe with food, fresh water, weapons, and other supplies.
Then I would paddle across the sea toward the mainland.
If the weather remained calm, perhaps I could complete the journey.
But I did not fully consider all the difficulties.
I was so eager to begin that I thought more about building the canoe than about how I would use it.
I searched the island for a suitable tree.
I wanted one with a thick, straight trunk and strong wood.
After examining several places, I discovered an enormous tree.
It was much larger than any tree I had previously cut.
I believed its trunk would make an excellent canoe.
I began working immediately.
First, I had to cut down the tree.
This was an enormous task.
I had no proper saw for such a large trunk, and my axes were not designed for work of this size.
Nevertheless, I continued.
Day after day, I struck the wood with my axe.
The tree was so thick that progress seemed painfully slow.
Sometimes I became exhausted before I had made much difference.
But I refused to give up.
After many days of labor, the great tree finally fell.
I stood looking at it with satisfaction.
The hardest part, I thought, was finished.
I soon discovered that I was mistaken.
The fallen trunk was still covered with branches.
I had to cut them away and remove the unnecessary wood.
Then I began shaping the outside of the canoe.
I wanted the front to be narrow enough to move through the water.
The middle needed to remain broad enough to carry supplies.
The rear also required careful shaping.
I had seen canoes before, but I had never built one.
I had to rely on my memory and judgment.
Slowly, the enormous log began to resemble a boat.
Then came the most difficult task.
I needed to hollow out the inside.
I used my tools to cut and remove the wood.
At first, I made a shallow space in the center.
Then I continued digging deeper.
The work required great patience.
Every piece of wood had to be removed by hand.
Sometimes I worked for hours and seemed to accomplish almost nothing.
I began using fire to help hollow the trunk.
I carefully burned portions of the wood and then removed the softened material with my tools.
This made the work somewhat easier, although I had to be careful not to damage the canoe.
Weeks passed.
Still, I continued.
I had become determined to finish the project.
At last, after months of labor, the canoe was complete.
It was enormous.
I believed it could carry more than twenty men.
I examined it with pride.
The sides were strong, the inside was deep, and the shape appeared suitable for traveling through water.
I imagined how wonderful it would be to push the canoe into the sea and begin my journey.
But then I faced a problem that I had almost completely ignored.
The canoe was far from the water.
I had built it in the place where the tree had fallen.
Between the canoe and the shore lay a considerable distance of uneven ground.
I had never seriously considered how I would move such a heavy object.
At first, I believed that I could drag it.
I cut wooden rollers and placed them beneath the canoe.
Then I tried to push it forward.
It did not move.
I pulled with ropes and used wooden levers.
Still, the canoe remained almost exactly where it was.
I worked until I was exhausted.
Then I rested and tried again.
Nothing succeeded.
The canoe was simply too heavy for one man to move.
I began thinking about other possibilities.
Perhaps I could dig a channel from the canoe to the sea.
If I filled the channel with water, the boat might float.
I examined the ground and measured the distance.
But the land was too high.
To make a channel deep enough, I would have to remove an enormous quantity of earth.
The task might require many years.
I also considered digging a sloping path toward the shore.
But even if I cleared the ground, I would still need enough strength to move the canoe.
I had no horses, oxen, or other people to help me.
Gradually, I was forced to accept the truth.
My beautiful canoe was useless.
I had spent months building a boat that I could never launch.
The disappointment was terrible.
I stood beside the great wooden vessel and thought about all the work I had wasted.
I had been so eager to escape that I had forgotten to ask the most important question.
How would I get the canoe into the water?
I realized that I had made a serious mistake.
Before beginning any difficult project, I should consider not only whether I could build something, but also whether I could actually use it.
My canoe was an impressive piece of work.
But it could not carry me anywhere.
I had created a boat that would remain forever on dry land.
For several days, I felt deeply discouraged.
I had imagined myself sailing toward freedom.
Now I was forced to return to my ordinary life on the island.
Yet I did not entirely regret the experience.
I had learned something valuable about planning.
Hard work alone was not enough.
A person also needed good judgment.
As I walked back toward my shelter, I promised myself that I would think more carefully before beginning another great project.
I still hoped to escape one day.
But next time, I would begin by finding a place where a boat could actually reach the sea.