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在庄稼成长和成熟的时候，我前面也已谈到，还有许多事要做。我要给庄稼地打上篱笆，又要保护庄稼不受鸟害。然后是收割、晒干、运回家、打谷、簸去秕糠，而后把谷物收藏起来。然而，我没有磨，无法磨谷；我没有筛子，无法筛粉；我没有发醇粉和盐，无法做面包；我也没有炉子烤面包。所有这一切，我都一无所有，但我还是做成了面包。这些事我将在下面再告诉读者。但在当时，我总算有了自己的粮食，这对我是极大的安慰，为我的生活带来了更多有利的条件。前面提到，没有适当的工具，一切事情做起来特别吃力，特别费时间，可是也没有办法。同时，我也没有浪费时间。我把时间分配得很好，每天安排出一定的时间来做这些事。我已决定等我收获了更多的粮食后再做面包，所以我还有六个月的时间；在这半年中，我可以运用我全部的精力和心血，设法制造出加工粮食各项工序所需要的各种工具。到时，有了足够的粮食，就可以用来制造面包了。 But first, I was to prepare more Land, for I had now Seed enough to sow above an Acre of Ground. Before I did this, I had a Week's-work at least to make me a Spade, which when it was done was but a sorry one indeed, and very heavy, and requir'd double Labour to work with it; however I went thro' that, and sow'd my Seed in two large flat Pieces of Ground, as near my House as I could find them to my Mind, and fenc'd them in with a good Hedge, the Stakes of which were all cut of that Wood which I had set before, and knew it would grow, so that in one Year's time I knew I should have a Quick or Living-Hedge, that would want but little Repair. This Work was not so little as to take me up less than three Months, because great Part of that time was of the wet Season, when I could not go abroad. 目前，第一步，我必须多准备一点土地，因为我现在有了足够的种子，可以播种一英亩还多。在耕地之前，我至少花了一个星期，做了一把铲子。铲子做得又拙劣，又笨重，拿它去掘地，要付出双倍的劳力。但不管怎么说，我总算有了掘地的工具，并在我住所附近找了两大片平地把种子播下去。然后就是修筑了一道坚实的篱笆把地围起来，篱笆的木桩都是从我以前栽过的那种树上砍下来的。我知道这种树生长很快，一年内就能长成茂密的篱笆，用不着多少工夫去修理。这个工作花了我三个多月的时间，因为这期间大部分时间是雨季，我无法出门，故修筑篱笆的事时辍时续。 Within Doors, that is, when it rained, and I could not go out, I found Employment on the following Occasions; always observing, that all the while I was at work I diverted my self with talking to my Parrot, and teaching him to Speak, and I quickly learn'd him to know his own Name, and at last to speak it out pretty loud P O L, which was the first Word I ever heard spoken in the Island by any Mouth but my own. This therefore was not my Work, but an assistant to my Work, for now, as I said, I had a great Employment upon my Hands, as follows, (viz.) I had long study'd by some Means or other, to make my self some Earthen Vessels, which indeed I wanted sorely, but knew not where to come at them: However, considering the Heat of the Climate, I did not doubt but if I could find out any such Clay, I might botch up some such Pot, as might, being dry'd in the Sun, be hard enough, and strong enough to bear handling, and to hold any Thing that was dry, and requir'd to be kept so; and as this was necessary in the preparing Corn, Meal, etc. which was the Thing I was upon, I resolv'd to make some as large as I could, and fit only to stand like Jarrs to hold what should be put into them. 在家里，也就是说，在下雨不能出门的时候，我也找些事情做。我一面工作，一面同我的鹦鹉闲扯，以教它说话作为消遣。不久，我就教会它知道它自己叫什么，后来它居然会响亮地叫自己为"波儿"。这是我上岛以来第一次从别的嘴里听到的话。教鹦鹉说话，当然不是我的工作，只是工作中的消遣而已。前面谈到，我目前正在着手一件重要的工作。我早就想用什么办法制造一些陶器，我急需这类东西，可就是不知怎么做。这里气候炎热，因此，我敢肯定，只要能找到陶土，就能做一些钵子或罐子，然后放到太阳底下晒干；炎热的太阳一定能把陶土晒得既坚硬又结实，并能经久耐用，可以用来装一些需要保存的干东西。要加工粮食，制造面粉等工作，就必需要有盛器贮藏。所以，我决定尽量把容器做大一些，可以着地放，里面就可以装东西。 It would make the Reader pity me, or rather laugh at me, to tell how many awkward ways I took to raise this Paste, what odd mishapen ugly things I made, how many of them fell in, and how many fell out, the Clay not being stiff enough to bear its own Weight; how many crack'd by the over violent Heat of the Sun, being set out too hastily; and how many fell in pieces with only removing, as well before as after they were dry'd; and in a word, how after having labour'd hard to find the Clay, to dig it, to temper it, to bring it home and work it; I could not make above two large earthern ugly things, I cannot call them Jarrs, in about two Months Labour. 要是读者知道我怎样制造这些陶器，一定会为我感到又可怜又可笑。我不知用了多少笨拙的方法去调合陶土，也不知做出了多少奇形怪状的丑陋的家伙；有多少因为陶土太软，吃不住本身的重量，不是凹进去，就是凸出来。根本不合用；又有多少因为晒得太早，太阳热力过猛而晒裂了；也有多少在晒干后一搬动就碎裂了。一句话，我费了很大的力气去找陶土，找到后把土挖出来，调合好，运回家，再做成泥瓮。结果，我工作了差不多两个月的时间，才做成两只大瓦罐，样子非常难看，简直无法把它们叫作缸。 However, as the Sun bak'd these Two, very dry and hard, I lifted them very gently up, and set them down again in two great Wicker-Baskets which I had made on purpose for them, that they might not break, and as between the Pot and the Basket there was a little room to spare, I stuff'd it full of the Rice and Barley Straw, and these two Pots being to stand always dry, I thought would hold my dry Corn, and perhaps the Meal, when the Corn was bruised. 最后，太阳终于把这两只大瓦罐晒得非常干燥非常坚硬了。我就把它们轻轻搬起来，放进两只预先特制的大柳条筐里，防备它们破裂。在缸和筐子之间的空隙处，又塞上了稻草和麦秆。现在，这两个大缸就不会受潮，以后我想就可以用来装粮食和粮食磨出来的面粉。 
我大缸做得不成功，但那些小器皿却做得还像样，像那些小圆罐啦，盘子啦，水罐啦，小瓦锅啦等等，总之，一切我随手做出来的东西，都还不错，而且，由于阳光强烈，这些瓦罐都晒得特别坚硬。 But all this would not answer my End, which was to get an earthen Pot to hold what was Liquid, and bear the Fire, which none of these could do. It happen'd after some time, making a pretty large Fire for cooking my Meat, when I went to put it out after I had done with it, I found a broken Piece of one of my Earthen-ware Vessels in the Fire, burnt as hard as a Stone, and red as a Tile. I was agreeably suppris'd to see it, and said to my self, that certainly they might be made to burn whole if they would burn broken. 但我还没有达到我的最终目的。这些容器只能用来装东西，不能用来装流质放在火上烧，而这才是我真正的目的。过了些时候，一次我偶然生起一大堆火煮东西，煮完后我就去灭火，忽然发现火堆里有一块陶器的碎片，被火烧得像石头一样硬，像砖一样红。这一发现使我惊喜万分。我对自己说，破陶器能烧，整只陶器当然也能烧了。 This set me to studying how to order my Fire, so as to make it burn me some Pots. I had no Notion of a Kiln, such as the Potters burn in, or of glazing them with Lead, tho' I had Some Lead to do it with; but I plac'd three large Pipkins, and two or three Pots in a Pile one upon another, and plac'd my Fire-wood all round it with a great Heap of Embers under them, I ply'd the Fire with fresh Fuel round the out-side, and upon the top, till I saw the Pots in the inside red hot quite thro', and observ'd that they did not crack at all; when I saw them clear red, I let them stand in that Heat about 5 or 6 Hours, till I found one of them, tho' it did not crack, did melt or run, for the Sand which was mixed with the Clay melted by the violence of the Heat, and would have run into Glass if I had gone on, so I slack'd my Fire gradually till the Pots began to abate of the red Colour, and watching them all Night, that I might not let the Fire abate too fast, in the Morning I had three very good, I will not say handsome Pipkins; and two other Earthen Pots, as hard burnt as cou'd be desir'd; and one of them perfectly glaz'd with the Running of the Sand. 于是我开始研究如何控制火力，给自己烧出几只锅子来。我当然不知道怎样搭一个窑，就像那些陶器工人烧陶器用的那种窑；我也不知道怎样用铅去涂上一层釉，虽然铅我还是有一些的。我把三只大泥锅和两三只泥罐一个个堆起来，四面架上木柴，泥锅和泥罐下生了一大堆炭火，然后在四周和顶上点起了火，一直烧到里面的罐子红透为止，而且十分小心不让火把它们烧裂。我看到陶器烧得红透后，又继续保留了五六小时的热度。后来，我看见其中一只虽然没有破裂，但已开始溶化了，这是因为掺在陶土里的沙土被火烧溶了，假如再烧下去，就要成为玻璃了。于是我慢慢减去火力，那些罐子的红色逐渐退去。我整夜守着火堆，不让火力退得太快。 After this Experiment, I need not say that I wanted no sort of Earthen Ware for my Use; but I must needs say, as to the Shapes of them, they were very indifferent, as any one may suppose, when I had no way of making them; but as the Children make Dirt-Pies, Or as a Woman would make Pies, that never learn'd to raise Past. 到了第二天早晨，我便烧成了三只很好的瓦锅和两只瓦罐，虽然谈不上美观，但很坚硬；其中一只由于沙土被烧溶了，还有一层很好的釉。 No Joy at a Thing of so mean a Nature was ever equal to mine, when I found I had made an Earthen Pot that would bear the Fire; and I had hardly Patience to stay till they were cold, before I set one upon the Fire again, with some Water in it, to boil me some Meat, which it did admirably well; and with a Piece of a Kid, I made Some very good Broth, though I wanted Oatmeal, and several other Ingredients, requisite to make it so good as I would have had it been. 这次实验成功后，不用说，我不缺什么陶器用了。但我必须说，这些东西的形状，是很不像样的。大家也可以想象，因为我没有办法制造这些东西，只能像小孩子做泥饼，或像不会和面粉的女人做馅饼那样去做。 
当我发现我已制成了一只能耐火的锅子时，我的快乐真是无可比拟的，尽管这是一件多么微不足道的事情。我等不及让锅子完全冷透，就急不可耐地把其中一只放到火上，倒进水煮起肉来。结果效果极佳。我用一块小山羊肉煮了一碗可口的肉汤。当然，我没有燕麦粉和别的配料，否则我会做出非常理想的汤来。下一个问题是我需要一个石臼舂粮食。因为我明白，仅凭自己的一双手，是无法做出石磨的。至于如何做石臼，我也一筹莫展。三百六十行中，我最不懂的就是石匠手艺了，更何况没有合适的工具。我费了好几天的功夫，想找一块大石头，把中间挖空后做个石臼。可是岛上尽是大块岩石，根本无法挖凿，而且石质不硬，是一些一碰就碎的沙石，经不住重锤去舂，而且即使能捣碎谷物，也必然会从石臼中舂出许多沙子和在面粉里。因此，当我花了很长时间找不到适当的石料时，就放弃了这个念头，决定找一大块硬木头。这要容易得多。我弄了一块很大的木头，大得我勉强能搬得动。然后用大斧小斧把木头砍圆；当起初具圆形时，就用火在上面烧一个槽。火力和无限的劳力，就像巴西的印第安人做独木舟那样终于把臼做成了。又用铁树做了一个又大又重的杵。舂谷的工具做好后，我就放起来准备下次收获后舂谷做面粉，再用面粉做面包。
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