Hillsdale Whig standard. (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1846-1851, 1850-06-04

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rebly close TO them; he therefore set 10 work
to hunt them down on foot with long pole.
and thus added very agreeable dish TO his
rePast, FOR whom roasted, they proved cx-
tremely tender and succulcnt. With flesh
and fowl to supply his table, ii was not long
before he got third requisite Of good din
ner. On the south side of the island was O
coral reef, Upwards often leagues IN length,
which the tide, when it went out, left high
and dry. AT low water the fish hid them
selves IN the hollows where the water re-
manned, and our solitary islander discovered
IN this fact new source for employmen -
Every day at low water he went cut 70 the
reef sought for the reservoirs, which contain
ed the greatest number of fish, and then har-
pooned them with his boarding sabre; some
of these he salted and dried. the rest wore
Immediately cooked.
But however earnestly NJ. Cremasy labor
cd to improve his position, one thought domi-
mated over all others-the hope of finding the
means OF escaping from his solitude. When
not employed In procuring and preparing food,
he passed his whole time on the lookout for
any vessel that might shape her course with.
in sight Of Providence. His eyeS were ever
turn9d towrd that point ofthc compass where
his own ship had disappeared, and a thou
sand painful apprehensions disquieted him
the dread OF ite having been wrecked on
some OF The suaken rocks Of that dangerous
archipelago being the most paramount. But
he was not one 70 give himself up for any
time To inactivity. He knew the value or
the proyerb which tells men to ssast them
selves if they look for AID OF others, and ac-
cordingiy resolved upon constructing bea-
con which should be visible at the distance
of ssveral leagues Il was not without diff
Guilty that he succeeded in collecting guam
tity of heavy wood TO make a pile; he heap
ed 1t above mass of dry leaves, and placed
dry branches IN alternate layers wita the
trunks OF the cocoa and the palmetto. This
accomplished, his eyes wandered toward the
ocean to seize the favorable moment for light
ing up lis beacon; but day followed day and
his solitude grew more and more dreary.-
His only pleasure consisted in watching the
frigate birds as they chased tho gulls, and
robbed thsm OF the prey they brought home
from the great waters. II was, after all q
melancholy sort of pleasure, for the screams
oil the famished sea birds did not teud much
to enltysn the solitary of the shore.
NJ. CtomaSy at length began to get unea.
sy about the condition OF ms wardrobe How
could he manage TO cover himself, he asked,
when his shirt and trousers were worn 10
tatteTs. The necessity OF the case sugges-
ted an expedient. He manufactured Sind
of cloth out oftne threadlike substance of tho
interior OF the palm, which hs woye together
as Well he was able. 1t was not trst rate
production, but il served at all events 10 pre-
vent the sun from scorching, aud the night
ar from chilling him, and then had the inef-
fable satisfaction of udmiring his own handi-
work. lie managed also to fabricate pair
OF sandals out oi the ropy bark Of the cocoa
nut tree, ia ihis primitive costume he de-
termined upon examining the island thor
oughly. The task was hot difficult, for Prov
idence is little more than two leagues in cir
cumference and the surface is nearly level.
About one-third OF It, the part which lies to
windward, 10 covered with forest of cocoa
nut. The currents ana the prevailing winds
have cast innumerable seeds on the eastern
shore. where they have germinated, taken
root, and IN the lapse Of ages created the for
est We spoke of. The Remainder of the is,
land is merely a sandy plain, with stunted
shrubs scattered here aud there; but little
grass, and what there is, coarse in touch, |
and salt to the taste. A more desolate spot
altogether can hardly be inagined but here !
it seemed prnbable that NJ. Cremasy was des-
tined TO end his days. Deliverance came,
however, when he last expected it.
He was one evening returning to his ajou- |
pa in very pensive mood, absorbed in tliots |
of the home he feared he should never revs- |
1t, when, as he stopped to gather some she'll !
tsh for his supper. ne fancied that something |
like the sails Of a ship glittored on the hori- |
zon in the rays Of the setting sun. He had |
been so often deceived by tho clouds which |
assumed the same form, that he was afraid |
TO trust to his first impression. He watched |
the object steadily, and noted that, while the |
aspect of every thing else changed, this alone /
preserved its first appearance, and moreover,
that it ..nesred the island. He could no lon
ger doubt that it was ship. His heart beat
high between fear and hope. Was it his own
vessel or s,rangorl Should he at once light |
the beacon, at the risk of rapidly, and per-
haps uselessly, consuming what il had given
SO much trouble to collect! But the sail grew
closer. lie resolved to take his chance, and |
The moment il became dark enough Fof his
purpose, he set fire TO the pile. "A pyramid
Of flame shot up into the sky, and a minute
the report OF gun assured him
hat the signal had been seen. lie nov lis
tened intenty, and the next sound that rea-
shed his cars, was the noise of the oars in
he row-locks, as with measured beat they
urged the boat to shore. The keel grated
on the rocky bottom but he had already hail
I'd the GROW, ind in the joyous answer that
ioated over the breeze he heard his own Ian
yusge, and recognized the voices of his ship
mates. The vessel in tho offing was his own
md the mate had come back to look for him.
Carried away by the violent currents, and
water and provisions falling, the former bad
r - 4
yotte, to victual the ship; he then returned
a search Of his captain.
The exile wrote the history Of his thirty
wo days, imprisonment, and placed it in
,ottle, which he hung on one of the most prom
net trees on the coast. An English vessel pas
ing by few months since happened to send
. boat on shore for supply ofcocs nuts, and
hus discovered the narrative. The sailors
llso found that the islsnd was overrun with
Wild poultry; for whom M. Cremssy took leave
# Providence he left behind him small