(Continuing from Part 14)
After making a list of the good and bad things in my life, I began to feel calmer.
I was still alone, but I had food, tools, weapons, and a safe place to sleep.
I decided to write a journal describing my experiences on the island.
I had rescued paper, pens, and ink from the ship. I knew these supplies would not last forever, so I wanted to use them carefully.
I began by recording the events of my first weeks.
September 30, 1659
Today I reached this unhappy island after our ship was destroyed in a terrible storm.
All the other men drowned. I alone survived.
I have no proper shelter, no food, and almost nothing to protect myself.
I fear that I may die here.
I have decided to call this place the Island of Despair.
Tonight, I must sleep in a tree because I am afraid of wild animals.
October 1
This morning, I was surprised to discover that our ship had moved closer to shore.
The tide had carried it onto a sandbank.
I felt hopeful because I might be able to recover food and useful supplies.
But I also felt sad.
If the other sailors had remained aboard, perhaps some of them could have survived.
I swam to the ship and began searching for anything that might help me.
October 1 to October 24
During these weeks, I made many journeys to the wreck.
I built rafts and carried supplies to shore.
Sometimes it rained heavily, but whenever the weather improved, I returned to the ship.
I collected food, clothing, weapons, tools, ropes, and timber.
On October 20, one of my rafts overturned.
For a moment, I thought I had lost everything aboard it.
Fortunately, the water was shallow. When the tide went out, I recovered many of the heavier objects.
October 25
A strong wind and heavy rain continued throughout the day.
The wrecked ship finally broke apart.
When I looked toward the sea, I could see only pieces of it appearing at low tide.
I felt sad because the ship had been my greatest source of supplies.
Now I would have to depend on what I had already saved.
I spent the day protecting my possessions from the rain.
October 26 to October 31
I searched for a suitable place to live and chose a level area beneath a steep rock.
I marked out a half-circle where I intended to build a strong fence.
During the following days, I carried my possessions to this new location.
On October 31, I went hunting and shot a female goat.
Her young goat followed me home.
I hoped to keep the little animal alive, but it would not eat, and I eventually killed it for food.
November 1
Today I put up my tent beneath the rock.
I used wooden stakes to support a hammock inside it.
For the first time, I slept in the place that I intended to make my permanent home.
November 2 to November 4
I arranged boxes, boards, and pieces of timber around my shelter.
These materials formed a temporary fence.
On November 3, I went hunting and killed two birds that looked like ducks.
Their meat was good to eat.
In the afternoon, I began making a table.
I soon discovered that even a simple piece of furniture required considerable skill.
On November 4, I organized my daily routine.
I decided to hunt in the morning, work until about eleven, eat and rest during the hottest hours, and return to work in the evening.
The heat was too strong for continuous labor.
November 5 to November 12
While walking with my gun and dog, I killed a wild cat.
Its meat was useless, but I saved its skin.
Near the shore, I also saw several strange sea animals.
I later understood that they were seals.
They frightened me at first, but they quickly escaped into the water.
On November 6, I finished my table.
It was rough and uneven, but it served its purpose.
Over the following days, I worked on making a chair.
Several times, I took it apart because I was dissatisfied with the result.
Finally, I produced something that I could sit upon.
I was beginning to learn carpentry through practice.
November 13
Today brought heavy rain, thunder, and lightning.
The rain cooled the air, but the lightning frightened me.
I suddenly remembered my gunpowder.
If lightning struck my shelter and caused the powder to explode, I might lose my life and all my ammunition.
I decided to divide the powder into smaller quantities and store them separately.
November 14 to November 16
I spent three days making small wooden boxes.
Each box could hold a little gunpowder.
I placed the boxes in different safe locations.
This work gave me greater peace of mind.
Even if one store of powder was destroyed, I might still have some remaining.
During these days, I also shot a large bird that was good to eat, although I did not know its name.
November 17
Today I began digging into the hillside behind my tent.
I wanted to make a larger storage room for my possessions.
But I quickly discovered that I lacked three important things: a proper pickaxe, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow or basket.
I had iron bars that could help me break the ground, but I needed something better for moving earth.
November 18
I went into the woods searching for suitable timber.
I discovered a tree with extremely hard wood, similar to a kind I had known in Brazil.
Cutting it was very difficult.
The wood was so hard that I feared damaging my axe.
Nevertheless, I cut a piece and dragged it home.
I began shaping it into a wooden shovel.
The task required great patience.
I had no proper workshop and no skilled carpenter to help me.
Everything depended on my own hands.
Eventually, I made a shovel that was strong enough for digging, although it would not last as long as one with a metal edge.
I also tried to make a wheelbarrow.
I could construct the body, but I did not know how to make a suitable wheel and axle.
Finally, I abandoned that idea.
Instead, I made a simple wooden container that I could carry on my shoulder.
It would help me remove earth from the cave.
November 23
Today I returned to digging.
My new tools were not perfect, but they were useful.
I planned to continue enlarging the cave until it could hold my possessions safely.
As I looked at my work, I understood something important.
Before coming to the island, I had depended on other people for almost everything.
Now I had to become my own carpenter, builder, hunter, and laborer.
Every small achievement required time and effort.
Yet every new skill made me better prepared for the difficulties ahead.