I can scarce express the agitations of my mind at this sight. Hitherto I
had looked upon the actions of this life no otherwise than only as the
events of blind chance and fortune. But now the appearance of this
barley, flourishing in a barren soil, and my ignorance in not conceiving
how it should come there, made me conclude _that miracles were not yet
ceased:_ nay, I even thought that God had appointed it to grow there
without any seed, purely for my sustenance in this miserable and
desolate island. And indeed such great effect this had upon me, that it
often made me melt into tears, through a grateful sense of God's
mercies; and the greater still was my thankfulness, when I perceived
about this little field of barley some rice stalks, also wonderfully
flourishing.

While thus pleased in mind, I concluded there must be more corn in the
island; and therefore made a diligent search narrowly among the rocks;
but not being able to find any, on a sudden it came into my mind, how I
had shaken the husks of corn out of the bag, and then my admiration
ceased, with my gratitude to the Divine Being, _as thinking it was but
natural_, and not to be conceived a miracle; though even the manner of
its preservation might have made me own it as a wonderful event of God's
kind providence.

It was about the latter end of June when the ears of this corn ripened,
which I laid up very carefully together with 20 or 30 stalks of rice,
expecting one day I should reap the fruit of my labour; yet four years
were expired before I could allow myself to eat any barley-bread, and
much longer time before I had any rice. After this, with indefatigable
pains and industry for three or four months, at last I finished my wall
on the 14th, of April, having no way to go into it, but by ladder