Butte record., 1855-10-27


ment, borne to her, so our mariners
averred, by this i,le's enchanted air.
Nor did the widows answer undo The
thought.
How did you come to cross the isle
this morning then, Hunilla:" said our
captain.
''Senor, something came fitting by
me. 1t touched my cheek, my heart,
Senor."
'What do you say, Hunilla'"
81 h We SAID, Senior, something came
through the air.
1t was a narrow chance. For when
crossing the Isle HunilIa gained the
high land in the centre, she must then
for the first perceived our masts, and
also marked that their sails were being
loosed, perhaps even heard the echoing
ch rus of the windlas song. The strange
ship was about to sail, and she behind.
With all haste she now desccnds the
height on the hither side, but soon loses
sight of the ship among the suknen jun
gles at the mountains base She strur-
gles on through the withered branches,
which seek at every step to bar her path,
till she comes to the isolated rock, still
some way from the water. This she
climbs, to reassure herself. The ship
is still in plainest sight. But now worn
out with over tension, Hunilla oil but
faints :; she fears to step down from her
giddy perch; she is fein to pause, there
where she is, and as last resort catches
the turban from her head, unfurls and
waves it over the jungles towards US.
During the telling of her story the
mariners formed voiceless circle round
HuEilla and the captain, and when at
length the word was given to man the
fasIest boat and pull round to che isles
thither side, to bring away HuniIla's
chest and tortoise oil, such alacrty of
both CHEEKY and sad obedience seldom
before was seen. Little ado was made.
Already the anchor had been recommt.
ted to the bottom, and the ship swung
calmly to it.
But IIuniIla insisted upon accompany
ing the boat as an Indispensable pilot to
her hidden hut. SO being refreshed with
the best the steward could supply, she
started with US Nor did ever any wife
OF the most famous admiral in her hus-
bands barge receive more silent rever.
ence of respect, than poor llunilla from
this bouts crew.
Rounding many vitreous cape and
buff, in two hours time we shot inside
the fatal reef, wound into a secret cove,
looked up along green many gabled
lazy wall, and saw the islands solitary
dwelling
1t hung upon an impending cliff, shell
tered on two sides by tangled thickets,
and half screened from view in front by
outings Of the rude stairway, which
climbed the precipice from the sea. Built
of canes, it was thathed with long, mil
dewed grass. 1t seemed an abandoned
hay.ick, whose haymakers were now no
more. The roof inclined but one way,
the ewes coming to within two feet Of
the ground. and here was simple ap-
paratus to collect the dews, or rather
double distilled and finest winnowed
rains, which, in mercy or in mockery,
The night skies sometimes drop upon
these blighted Encaniadas. All along
beneath the caves, spotted sheet, quite
weather-stained, was spread, pinned to
short, upright stakes, set in the shallow
sand. A small clinker, thrown into the
cloth, weighed its middle down, thereby
straining all moisture into a calabash
plac d below. THIS vessel supplied each
drop of water ever drank upon the isle
by the Cholos. Hunila told US the cal
abash would sometimes, but not often, be
hall filled over night. 1t held six quarts,
perhaps. But said she, we were used
to thir.t. At Sandy Payta, where live,
no shower from heaven ever fell; all the
water there is brought on mules from the
inland wales"
Tied among the thickets we're some
twenty moaning tortoises, supplying HUI
nllla's lonely larder, while hundreds of
vast tableted black bucklers, like dis
placed, shattered tombstones of dark
slate, were also scattered round. These
we're the keleton backs Of those great
tortoises from which Felipe and Truxill