To dry the pots Robinson stood them in the sun
a few days. When they were dry he tried to cook some soup in one of
them. He filled it with water and put it on his stove or oven, but
how sadly had he deceived himself. In a short time the water soaked
into the clay and soon the pot had fallen to pieces.
"How foolish I am!" said Robinson to himself; "the pots have to be
fired before they can be used." He set about this at once. He found
two stones of equal size, placed them near each other and laid a third
across these. He then placed three large pots upon them and made a
hot fire under them. No sooner had the flame shot up than one of the
pots cracked in two. "I probably made the fire too hot at first," thought
Robinson.
He drew out some of the coals and wood, but afterwards gradually
increased the fire again. He could not, however, get the pots hot
enough to turn red He brought the dryest and hardest wood, but could
not succeed in getting them hot enough to turn red. At length he was
tired out and was compelled to give it up. When the pots were cool
he tried to boil water in one. It was no better than the sun dried
one. He saw that he must provide some way to get the pots much hotter
than he could in the open air He resolved to make an oven of stones
large enough to take in the wood as well as the pots. It must be above
ground so that there might be plenty of draught for the fire. With
great labor, he pried up and carried together flat stones enough to
make an oven about four feet high with a chimney at one side.
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