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clothes together, offering them fewer targets. I toiled a long while over my shirt, using the thin fishing line and a small hook. Then I repaired my trousers as well.

Proud of my resourcefulness and industry, I set about making my bed. I didn't surrender to laziness but put my shoes back on and went into the jungle to gather large leaves with which to feather my lair. I made a huge pile at the entrance and meticulously carpeted the damp ground. The leaves offered excellent protection from the cold and damp. I decided to put in central heating as well. I cautiously moved a few smouldering logs into the cave. I arranged them in a triangular shape and poked twigs and branches between them. After I blew on them a few times, they caught fire. I gathered the rest of my belongings into the cave in case of rain. Using the bags of rice and beans for my pillow, I covered myself as usual.

I was tempted to stay there on that shore and wait for rescue. Any plane that passed overhead would easily spot me, and there was a clearing large enough for a helicopter to land. Starvation was no threat here. The tamarind fruit could keep me alive for a month. I had the cave to sleep in as well. I could have done a bit of remodelling, stopped up the leaks, put in a chimney, brought more leaves for padding. It was an ideal spot, but I went on packing. I tied my shoes together by their laces and slung them around my neck. I