138 CRUSOR’S LACK OF CLOTHES.

and it was a very great help to me that I had among all the men’s
clothes of the ship almost three dozen of shirts. There were also
several thick watch-coats of the seamen’s, which were left indeed,
but they were too hot to wear. And though it is true that the
weather was so violently hot that there was no need of clothes, yet
L could not go quite naked: no, though Thad been inclined to it,
which [ was not, nor could not abide the thoughts of it, though
T was all alone.

The reason why T could not go quite naked was, T could not
bear the heat of the sun so well when quite naked as with some
clothes on; nay, the very heat frequently blistered my skin, where-
as, with a shirt on, the air itself made some motion, and whistling
under that shirt, was twofold cooler than without it. No more
could T ever bring myself to go out in the heat of the sun without
acap ora hat, the heat of the sun beating with such violence as
it does in that place would give me the headache presently, by
darting so directly on my head without a cap or hat on, so that I
could not bear it, whereas, if T put on my hat, it would presently
go away,

Upon those views I began to consider about putting the few
rags L had, which I called clothes, into some order. L had worn
out all the waistcoats I had, and my business was now to try if I
could not make jackets out of the great watch-coats which I had
by me, and with such other materials as L had; so 1 set to work
a-tailoring, or rather indeed a-botching, for L made most piteous
work of it. However I made shift to make two or three new
waistcoats, which IL hoped would serve me a great while. As for
breeches or drawers, 1 made but a very sorry shift indeed till
afterward,

L have mentioned that I saved the skins of all the creatures
that I killed and | had hung them up
stretched out with sticks in the sun, by which means some of them
were so dry and hard that they were fit for little, but others it
seems were very useful. The first thing L made of these was a
great cap for my head, with the hair on the outside to shoot off
the rain; and this I performed so well, that after this I made me
a suit of clothes wholly of these skins—that is to say, a waistcoat,

 

1 mean four-footed ones