ROBINSON CRUSOE 325 the south-east corner of the island. They had land enough, and it was very good and fruitful; about a mile and a half broad, and three or four miles in length. Our men taught them to make wooden spades, such as I made for myself, and gave among them twelve hatchets and three or four knives ; and there they lived, the most subjected, innocent creatures that ever were heard of. After this, the colony enjoyed a perfect tranquillity, with respect to the savages, till I came to revisit them, which was about two years after; not but that, now and then, some canoes of savages came on shore for their triumphal, unnatural feasts ; but as they were of several nations, and perhaps had never heard of those that came before, or the reason of it, they did not make any search or inquiry after their countrymen ; and if they had, it would have been very hard to have found them out. Thus, I think, I have given a full account of all that hap- pened to them till my return, at least,what was worth notice. The Indians or savages were wonderfully civilized by them, and they frequently went among them ; but forbid, on pain of death, any one of the Indians coming to them, because they would not have their settlement betrayed again. One thing was very remarkable, viz.: that they taught the savages to make wicker-work, or baskets, but they soon cutdid their masters ; for they made abundance of most ingenious things in wicker- work, particularly of all sorts of baskets, sieves, bird-cages, cupboards, &c. ;as also chairs to sit on, stools, beds, couches, and abundance of other things; being very ingenious at such work, when they were once put in the way of it. My coming was a particular relief to these people, because we furnished them with knives, scissors, spades, shovels, pick- axes, and all things of that kind which they could want. With the help of those tools, they were so very handy that they came at last to build up their huts, or houses, very handsomely, rad- dling or working it up like basket-work all the way round; which was a very extraordinary piece of ingenuity, and looked very odd, but was an exceeding good fence, as well against heat as against all sorts of vermin; and our men were so taken with it, that they got the wild savages to come and do the like for them; so that when I came to see the two Englishmen’s colonies, they looked, at a distance, as if they all lived like bees in a hive. As for Will Atkins, who was now become a very industrious, useful, and sober fellow, he had made himéelf such a tent of basket-work as, I believe, was never seen ; it