The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1857-12-23


fans made of the leaves Of the og-book, he
was kept as cool as possible-for it was the
hottest of South Sea weather. Feeling
however, that his life depended upon the
exercise of his strong will. he gave orders
that he should by no possibility be allow
ed to sleep over five minutes at a time
And with, this vigilant watch kept up for
days, the ship navigated by his directions,
as he lay on the cabin floor entered the
port of Peru.
A boat sent Immediately on shore
brought off the Emperor's physician, who
looking at tho PROSTATE man and exam-
ming his wounds. advised only that they
should send for confessor Other pre-
scriptions the medical man thought would
, be useless, as death was evidently so close
at hand. But the Captain was of a diff
erent opinion. "a physician for the soul
IS very well at a proper time and place"
said he: "but at present | want one for
the body-and happen to know of one
who will cure mew
1t SO happened that in a previous
touch at that same port-Captain Gard
ner had heard Of the sick mate of an A
merican vessel who had been left behind
by his shipmates, and to whom as char
ity to q suffering countryman, he then Off
cred passage home. The mans mess
age Of reply was, that he fortunately stood
in no need of the kindness, as he was I'M
der the care Of a Spanish doctor who lived
at Peru, ia village back in the mountains)
who had taken him to his own house and
treated him like his own child. And, for
this kind old doctor Captain Gardner now
sent with all convenient haste-dispensing
at once, with sny further attendance by
the physician of the Emperor.
Early on the second morning arrived
the ''good Samaritan, and there was
comfort in his words. He could cure the
crushed man if he only had him at his
house in the mountains. But, how to
ret him there! There was no road
only mule path along the edges Of the
precipices, climbing wild cliffs and scram-
bling through tangled ravines - forty
miles of footpath, penetrating the depths
of a wilderness
But the Captains yankee ingenuity
seconded the good will Of the DOCTOR
He constructed new vehicle as he lay
lin the other physicians opinion dying,)
on the floor.
A couple of long, 1.-THE spars were bro't
by his orders, and hammock was rugged
to hang suspended from the center. His
friends had two mules, and, with the spars
fastened to their sides. they were to walk
like the bearers Of a palanquin, one be-
fore, the other behind him-a tandem
hammock, in which he could ride, he was
surely quite rs comfortable as men could
carry him.
And, of the two days journey which he
made over the mountains, Captain Gard
ner's description was one of glowing le-
membrance. By the elasticity Of tho
spars that supported him, he was borne
without jolting; and part of the time, he
slept most refreshingly. But the path was
a giddy one to sailors eye-along the
edges of cliffs where a single false step
would have dashed him and his mules lin
to grease spots" and now and then turn
ing where his two spars formed bridge
from mule to mule over chasm-hun-
dreds of feet of jagged rocks nearly per-
pendicular, stretching away below, Che
still thrillingly remembers, las he looked
occasionally over the side of his matt
rass.
They arrived safely at the mountain
home of the old Spaniard, however, and,
here all was comfort and kind care. They
only differed on o, e point. The doctor
thought the broken collar bone should be
set; but the Captain resisted. He had
felt the broken ends knit where they were
he said, and natures mending would do
for him. And he was right, for after for
ty years he opened his shirt bosom and
showed me the ridge projection of the bro
ken bone, strong and healthy and doing
as GOOD service as a whole one that very
day at 'Sconset.
1t took six weeks of kind nursing to
put him on his feet again, and then with
grateful farewell to the kind old doctor
of Peru, Captain Gardner returned to his
ship--taking command, and once more
pursuing the object of his voyage. And
soon happening the requisite number of
transporting whales, (who for lack Of 2
newspaper, had not the Slightest idea.
probably, that it was the very same nan
| whom one Of their number had chewed