was spent.

_Dec._ 28, 29, 30. The weather being excessively hot, with little air,
obliged me for the most part, to keep within doors.

_Jan_ 1. Still sultry, however, obliged by necessity, I went out with my
gun, and found a great store of goats in the valleys; they were
exceedingly shy, nor could my dog hunt them down.

_Jan._ 3 to 14. My employment this time was to finish the wall before
described, and search the island. I discovered a kind of pigeons like
our house-pigeons in a nest among the rocks. I brought them home, nursed
them till they could fly, and then they left me. After this, I shot
some, which proved excellent food. Some time I spent vainly in
contriving to make a cask; I may well say it was vain, because I could
neither joint the staves; nor fix the heads, so as to make it tight: So,
leaving that, took some goat's tallow I had about me, and a little okum
for the wick, and provided myself with a lamp, which served me instead
of candles.

But now a very strange event happened. For being in the height of my
search, what should come into my hand, but a bag, which was used to hold
corn (as I supposed) for the fowls; so immediately resolving to put
gunpowder in it, I shook all the hulks and dirt upon one side of the
rock, little expecting what the consequences would be. The rain had
fallen plentifully a few days before; and about a month after, to my
great amazement something began to lock out very green and flourishing;
and when I came to view it more nicely, every day as it grew, I found
about ten or twelve ears of green barley appeared in the very same shape
and make as that in England.