The coast continued to loom up before me, head-land after head-land, stretches of beach and rocky bay shores. Allowing for the indentations of the coast that I followed, I concluded that the island was a large one; and, the fact that I was gradually turning toward the direction of the sun convinced me that its shape was nearly round.
I always camped just before sunset that I might have sufficient time to make a fire, cook and eat supper before dark.
I had not kept a fire after supper was cooked, as, having neither seen nor heard anything of wild animals of any kind, I did not feel the need of it; and, beside, I was becoming accustomed to being alone, and to sleeping in the open air, and the nervousness of the first few nights after I was cast ashore had entirely left me.
At the end of the sixth day I had, in my journey, turned around so that the direction which I followed was a little more than right angles to that taken where I left my house. In other words, instead of going nearly south, my course was now nearly southeast.
At the end of the seventh day I came to a large stream which was too wide and deep to ford. The next day being Sunday I resolved to pitch camp and remain there until Monday. Meanwhile I would decide whether to devise some means of fording the stream, or follow up its course.
Although I had not, as yet, done any work on Sunday, I decided that it would be no great violation of the day to try to evaporate a little sea water, while I was in camp, and thus procure a little salt, which I was craving.
That night before going to sleep, I revolved several schemes in my mind, and, ere I fell asleep, I believed I had solved the question of making salt.
CHAPTER XI.
The Cave on the Mountain; A Beacon; Attacked by Wild Pigs.
After breakfast the following morning, I cut a large quantity of fine, long grass, which I proceeded to make into large bunches, all I could hold in my hands, tieing them with wisps of the grass itself. Then I cut two forked stakes and set them into the ground about ten feet apart. Going a few rods up the bank of the stream where I saw some bamboos growing, I cut one, and trimming it, carried it to the camp, and placed it, one end in each of the forks of the stakes.