ROBINSON CRUSOE. 73

the rats, and I saw nothing in the bag but husks and dust ; and
being willing to have the bag for some other use (I think it was
to put powder in, when I divided it, for the fear of the light-
ning, or some such use), I shook the husks of corn out of it
on one side of my fortification, under the rock.

It was a little before the great rains just now mentioned,
that I threw this stuff away, taking no notice, and not so much
as remembering that I had thrown anything there, when, about
a month after, or thereabouts, I saw some few stalks of some-
thing green shooting out of the ground, which I fancied might
be some plant I had not seen; but I was surprised and per-
fectly astonished, when, after a little longer time, I saw about
ten or twelve ears come out, which were perfectly green barley,
of the same kind as our European — nay, as our English
barley.

It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion
of my thoughts on this occasion; I had hitherto acted upon
no religious foundation at all; indeed, I had very few notions
of religion in my head, nor’ had entertained any sense of any-
thing that had befallen me, otherwise than as chance, or, as we
lightly say, what pleases God, without so much as inquiring
into the end of Providence in these things, or his order in gov-
erning events for the world. But after I saw barley grow there,
in a climate which I knew was not proper for corn, and espe-
cially that I knew not how it came there, it startled me strangely,
and I began to suggest that God had miraculously caused his
grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and that it was so
directed purely for my sustenance on that wild, miserable place.

‘This touched my heart a little, and brought tears out of my
eyes, and I began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature
should happen upon my account ; and this was the more strange
to me, because I saw near it still, all along by the side of the
rock, some other straggling stalks, which proved to be stalks
of rice, and which I knew, because I had seen it grow in Africa,
when I was ashore there.

I not only thought these the pure preductions of Providence
for my support, but not doubting that there was more in the
place, I went all over that part of the island where I had been
before, peering in every corner, and under every rock, to see
for more of it, but I could not find any. At last it occurred to
my thoughts, that I shook a bag of chickens’ meat out in that
place ; and then the wonder began to cease ; and I must con-
fess, my religious thankfulness to God’s providence began to
abate, too, upon the discovering that all this was nothing but