The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-07-04
CHAPTER II.

w -A"o'' at''' 'hcIe ICES large island
named Kc'gGelen's Land, or-as
Capt. Cook called 1.-THE Island of
DesOiation.
1t was.discovered just a hundred
years ago, Tin 1772) by the French
naval officer whose name it bears. 1t
was uninhabited then, and is to day
as deserted as ever.
Inc smallest school-boy among
our readers can find it upon his man
OF the world, about midway between
the south end of Africa and AustroI.
ia, we'll up toward the Southern
Pole.
1t is hundred miles in length by
fifty In breadth, and is consequently
Ihree or four times as large as Rhode
Its coasts are so wild and danger
Gus that its discoverer, during the
two expeditions that he made to it
did not once bring his ships to an,
Choir in any of its bays or harbors.
Its shape is very irregular, but
something like that of an Rour.glass.
it being nearly cut in two by couple
oflarge bays; but these two divisions
are equal in size, the northern PENN
sula being much larger than the
southern.
Its coast line is widely broken and
jagged, Its innumerable CULTS being
long and narrow, and its promonto.
RES are correspondingly sharp and
slender. reaching out into the ocean
like fingers.
The body of the island indeed re.
sembles that of some huge monster
of the antediluvian world, even as
its capes and headlands resemble
such monsters unsightly limbs and
claws.
A more terrific solitude than this
isle of Desolation does not exist up.
on the wrecked planet.
Neither the SHOWS of Himalaya
nor the sands of Sahara can outvie
its terrors.
No inhabitant is there, not even a
savage-no house, no tree, no shrub,
no fence no road mo field no garden,
no horse, no dog-not even a snake
or wolf.
Lone, blasted and barren, it looks
like the skeleton of land that has
persisted. -.
1t may indeed be that Desola-
ton Is the relic-the surviving frag-
ment-ofa continent that went down
here countless ages ago, with hosts
OF inhabitants, in some vast conyul-
sion of nature.
II has certainly undergone dread
full visitations; been rent with earth
quakes, pulverized by frosts, dashed
and wasted by fierce tempests.
Its mountains are only of moder-
ate height, but are capped entirely
with snow.
Its vegetation is limited to few
dwarfish plants, including some
MOSES, species of lichen, a coarse
grass, a plant resembling a small
cabbage, and sort of cress.
Its winds are raw and piercing, its
summers cold and frosty, its winters
those of the Polar Circles.
The Interior of the island is oc.
cupied by immense DOGGY swamps,
where the ground sinks at every
step.
The rains in DesOlation are al
most lncessant, in their season. and
the island is accordingly veined with
numerous torrents of fresh water,
some of which have worn out OF the
solid rock tremendous cavities and
gullies. The only other season than
that of the rains is one of almost
constant snow.
The fogs of that CHASTITY region are
we'll worthy of the rains, being a
cloud-like density, and lowering al
most continually over the whole face
of the island.
The sun of Desolation is USUALLY
hidden by a canopy of lead-colored
clouds, and appears, on the rare &C.
casions when it is visible, scarcely
brighter than the moon of other lat
itudes. AS TO the moon itself, and
the stars, the clouds and fogs rarely
permit them to betray their exist
ence.
No fish worthy of note, not even
fish OF prey, abound in the advance
waters, by reason, perhaps, of their
containing poisonous minerals, or
deadly exhalations from the vol
canic fires beneath them.
Yet the dark grim sea inclosing
Desolation has done something to
repair the sterility of the island.
Penguins, ducks, gulls, cormorants
and other marine birds are plentiful
in some of its harbors.
Seals also abound.
Strange and terrible land!
Not a single man being, SO far as
is known, has ever lived there, save
as is to be recorded in these pages.
Near the middle of a dull, dismal
afternoon, some eleven weeks later
than the date of the preceding
events, the good ship Flying Chi.
ders drew near the island of Desola-
ton, shaping her course toward her
northernmost bay, called by Capt.
Cook, Christmas Harbor.
A fair breeze was blowing from
the north, and the ship was carry
ing every stitch of her canvas, in
Guiding studding-sails.
Her crew-both watches-were
busy about the deck, and her pas
sengers--a score in number-had
gathered in groups, mostly forward,
and were gazing with great interest
upon the wild, rugged shores before
them, so far as the fog suspended
upon those shores permitted them to
become visible.
The ship had come here for wa
ter, nearly all her water casks being
stove or started during squall ten
days previously, and every soul
aboard OF her having been since that
date upon short allowance.
Upon the quarter deck stood Can't.
Luke Pedder, looking unusually hap
Ply, with Will. Hawley beside him.
i mean to get our water aboard
before dark, Captain Pedder, and so
avoid losing night here said the
young executive, totally unconscious
OF the plot to leave him alone on that
desolate island, and of the extraordi-
nary adventures which were before
him. The strange events that hap
pened there, and indeed the whole
OF this thrilling story, will be found
only in the New York Ledger, which
Is now ready and for sale at all the
bookstores and news-depots. Ask
for the number dated July Is. and in