Chapter 25
September, 30th
I have been on this island for a year now. I noticed my ink was running out, so I dropped writing in the journal every day.
After the rains ended I returned to my valley hut to find the branches in the fence all green, with new leaves growing all over them. This was not only beautiful but also useful to me because soon my hut was covered entirely and was hardly visible. The leaves kept shadow over it and it was very pleasant to stay in there during the dry season. I liked it so much that I decided to make a fence from the same branches around my first fortification as well.
With the end of the rainy season I thought now was the right time to sow the barley and rice grains from the stalks outside my house. I was cautious so I only sowed two-thirds of the grains. This was fortunate because none of these grains came up as the next couple of months were extremely dry. I planted the rest of the seeds I had just before the next rainy season and they came up alright.
This experience made me notice that there are two rainy and two dry seasons on the island. With this in mind, I could now plan when to sow grains.
Soon I realized I needed baskets. I cut branches from the same tree which I used for both my fences. After drying these branches, I used them to make baskets.
When I finished that, I decided to take another, longer trip around the island. This time I could take more food with me, now that I had the baskets.
After I had passed the valley where my hut was, I went down the beach. It was then that I saw land far out at sea. It must have been a bigger island or even the continent of South America.