Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1872-03-09

"Hand it over.
l gave her a guinea and ate the
carrot.
"Now," said she, II go straight
on in that direction for sh
Come along, old one"
"Never! I will take the opposite
point of the compass, and run my
chance. Goodbye"
And l struck out vigorously in
the opposite direction.
After a day and halfs vigorous
swimming / Preached the point Of
low sandy shore, which seemed to
stretch for miles in a direction due
south, as judged from the position
o. the sun. / was well satisfied to
feel dry ground undermy legs again,
and l landed with much gratitude.
I was extremely hungry, and l
walked for miles along the shore
picking up mussels and;periwinkles,
and eating them raw. / saw no
trace of a human being of any kind,
and as the sun went down l began
to wish myself in the sea again.
Night came on, and l was hungry
and alone. However, 1 still wan
dered on the listless, purposeless
way until l fell over something that
lay across my path. To my intense
JOY found, ou investigation, that
it was a sleeping, breathing human
being. l could not tell whether it
was man or woman, as there
was no moon, and the clothes be
or she wore might have suited
either sex equally well. I endeav-
ored to awaken the figure, but in
vain, so determined to sit by his
or her side until morning. Accor-
DINGHY l dropped into sitting pos
ture, when, to any extreme amaze
ment, an explosion of fire took
place Immediately under me. The
fearful idea flashed across me that
the island was o mass of slumber-
ing fire, only waiting for accidental
contact with an exciting cause to
blow itself and everything upon it
miles into the air! On closer exam
ination, however, l found that l had
sat down upon box of vesuvians,
and one of them had exploded.
1t suddenly occurred to me to use
these vesuvians as q means of iden-
tifying my companion. l ignited
one, but it was not flaming vesu-
Wan: it smouldered, and fixed, and
emelt, but afforded no assistance. l
lit another, and held it close to the
persons nose, but it only illumina-
ted small circle as big as a half
crown. 1 lit thild, and this time
the red.hot end tumbled on the
sleeper's cheek. The sleeper start
ed up. 1t was Dolly Fortescue!
l. was not bit surprised. l had
brought myself to look upon Dolly as
my Fate. Dolly was not o bit sur
prised. She looked at me-grin-
ned and spoke.
"That dash hot, you odd one!.'
When morning broke we looked
about US. The island, we found,
was about twenty-five miles long
and seven broad, principally rock
no vegetation-no. fresh water.
The isla2d was crescent-shaped, the
two horns being twenty miles as
under. l had landed on one horn,
she on the other, and we had met
in the middle. The only native in
habitants of the place were peri
wrinkles and mussels. So we set to
work to make ourselves comforta-
BILE.
The object of this narrative is not
to give detailed account OF this
highly ingenious manner in which
we contived to live comfortable,
and even luxuriously, on our island,
but rather to exhibit the caprice Of
determined destiny.
l detested Dolly with all my
heort and avoided her whenever it
was practicable, but she paid me
every attention, and, nOtwithstand-
ing her unpleasant appearance. she
was really valuable to me. With
all her faults, must admit that
she paid me q higher honor than
any other human being has ever
paid me. She chirstened the island
"Fortescue," and crowned me its
monarch. My first act as king was
to try her for drawing her knife on
the policeman in Bembridge lock-
up, and by that means breaking out
Of custody. She was found guilty
by an impartial Jury OF Me, and
sentenced to transportation for life
on the other side of the island
She went meekly and uncomplain-
iDgly-but, as she took all our cook
ing implements with her, l wa'
obliged to follow.
This inconvenient life went on for
thirteen years. At the expiratier
of that period my kingdom was Wis
tied by a missionary ship which had
drifted out other course. I signal
led, and my signals were answered
A boat full of Baptist missionaries
put off to us, bearing many bales
of tracts for our conversion. They
were very much disappointed and
disgusted when they heard that We
were Christians. And when we
added that we were Protestants they
moodily returned to their boats, anC
mechanically began to put of tC
sea.
/ screamed aloud in my terror q
their contemplated departure with
out us.
Their chief explained that thei
mission was to convert, and that VI
needed no conversion.
"You are Christian" said he
protestant. and no doubt Baptist
What oaV xvo do2"