128 ROOFING THE CAVERN.

eighteen days entirely in widening and deepening my cave, that
it might hold my goods commodiously. ;

Note—During all this time I worked to make this room or
cave spacious enough to accommodate me as a warehouse or maga-
zine, a kitchen, a dining-room, and a cellar. As for my lodging,
I kept to the tent, except that sometimes, in the wet season of the
year, it rained so hard that I could not keep myself dry; which
caused me afterwards to cover all my place within my pale with
long poles in the form of rafters, leaning against the rock, and load
them with flags and large leaves of trees like a thatch.

December 10. I began now to think my cave or vault finished,
when on a sudden (it seems I had made it too large) a great quan-
tity of earth fell down from the top and one side, so much that,
in short, it frightened me; and not without reason too, for if I
had been under it, I had never wanted a grave-digger. Upon this
disaster I had a great deal of work to do over again; for I had
the loose earth to carry out, and, which was of more importance, I
had the ceiling to prop up, so that I might be sure no more would
come down.

December 11. This day I went to work with it accordingly, and
got two shores or posts pitched upright to the top, with two pieces
of board across over each post. This I finished the next day, and
setting more posts up with boards, in about a week more I had
the roof secured; and the posts, standing in rows, served me for
partitions to part of my house.

December 17. From this day to the 20th I placed shelves, and
knocked up -nails on the posts to hang everything up that
could be hung up; and now I began to be in some order within
doors.

December 20. NowI carried everything into the cave, and began
to furnish my house, and set up some pieces of board, like a
dresser, to order my victuals upon; but boards began to be very
scarce with me. Also I made me another table.

December 24. Much rain all night and allday. No stirring out.

December 25. Rain all day.

December 26. No rain, and the earth much cooler than before
and pleasanter.