TOOLS AND WEAPONS, 461

were, for they took in pieces all my clumsy unhandy things, and
made them clever, convenient tables, stools, bedsteads, cupboards,
lockers, shelves, and everything they wanted of that kind,

But to let them seo how Nature made artificers at first, I
carried the carpenters to see Will Atkins’s basket-house, as I
called it; and they both owned they never saw an instance of such
natural ingenuity before, nor anything so regular and so handily
built, at least: of its kind. And one of them, when he saw it,
after musing a good while, turning about to me, “I am sure,”
says he, “that man has no need of us; you need do nothing but
vive him tools.”

Then T brought them out all my store of tools, and gave every
man a digging-spade, a shovel, and a rake, for we had no harrows
or ploughs; and to every separate place a pick axe, crow, a broad
axe, and a saw—always appointing that as often as any were broken
or worn out, they should be supplied without grudging out of the
general stores that T left behind

Nails, staples, hinges, hammers, chisels, Knives, scissors, and
all sorts of tools and iron-work, they had without tale as they
required; for no man would care to take more than they wanted,
and he must be a fool that would waste or spoil them on any
account whatever. And for the use of the smith, I left two ton of
unwrought iron for a supply.

My magazine of powder and arms, which I brought them, was
such, even to profusion, that they could not but rejoice at them ;
for now they could march as I used to do, with a musket upon
each shoulder, if there was occasion; and were able to fight a
thousand savages if they had but some little advantages of situa-
tion, which also they could not miss of if they had occasion.

T carried on shore with me the young man whose mother was
starved to death, and the maid also. She was a sober, well
educated, religious young woman, and behaved so inoffensively
that every one gave her a good word. She had, indeed, an un-
happy life with us, there being no woman in the ship but herself;
but she bore it with patience. After a while, seeing things so
well ordered, and in so fine a way of thriving upon my island, and
considering that they had neither business nor acquaintance in the