The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-03-30

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finest weather ever kown in those lati-
tudes by the oldest hand on board. The
mate, one Mr. Duncal- "a boozing wheez-
ing, selfconfdent old sea dog, with a
flaming face. and a vast vocabulary of
oaths-swore that he didn't like it. @The
foul weather's coming, my lads,7 said Mr.
calf Mark my words, theren be wind
enough to take the curl out of the Cap
tain's whiskers before we are many days
olderl"
During a fortnight more the ship
cruised in search of the islands to which
the owners had directed her. At the
end of that time the wind took the pre-
oicted liberties with the Captains whis-
kers, and Mr. Duncalf stood revealed to
an admiring crew in the character of a
true prophet
For three days and three nights the
Fortuna ran before the storm, at the
mercy of wind and sea- On the fourth
morning the gale blew itself out, the
sun appeared again toward noon, and
the Captain was able to take an observa-
ton. The result informed him that he
was in part of the Pacific Ocean with
which he was entirely unacquainted.
Thereupon the officers were called into
the cabin. Mr. Duncaf, as became his
rank, was consulted first. His opinion
possessed the merit of brevity. MY
lads, the ships bewitched. Take my
word for it, we shall wish ourselves back
in our attitudes before we are many days
older" Which, being interpretedmean
that Mr. Duncalf was lost, like his super
ior officer, in part of the ocean of which
be knew nothing.
I The Captain decided (the weather
being'now quite fine again) to stand on,
under an easy press Of sail, for four-and
twenty hours more, and to see if any,
thing came oft.
Soon after nightfall something did
come Oft. The lookout forward hail
ed the deck with the dreadful cry,
Breakers ahead" In less than min
ute more everybody heard the crash Of
the broken water. The Fortuna was
put about, and came round slowly in
the light wind. Thanks to the timely
alarm and the fine weather, the safety
of the vessel was easily provided for.
They kept her under short sailand they
waited for the morning.
The dawn showed them, in the dis
tance, a glorious green island, not mark
ed in the ships charts-an island girt
about by coral reef, and having in its
midst a high-peaked mountain, which
looked, through the telescope, like a
mountain of volcanic origin. Mr. Dun
calf, taking his morning draught of rum
and water, shook his groggy old head,
and said (and sworeC "My lads, 1 don't
like the look of that island" The Cap
tain was of different opinion. He had
one of the ships boats putinto the water;
he armed himself and six of his crew
who accompanied him, and away he
went in the mornings sunlight to visit
the island.
Skirting round the coral reaf, they
found natural breach, which proved to
be broad enough and deep enough not
only for the passage of the boat, but of
the ship herself ifneedful. Crossing the
broad inner belt of smooth water, they
approached the golden sands of the island
strewed with magnificent shells, and
crowded by the dusky islanders-men,
women and children, all waiting in
breathless astonishment to see the stran-
gers land.
The Captain kept the boat off, and ex-
amined the islanders carefully. The
innocent, simple people danced and
sang, and ran into the water, imploring
their wonderful white visitors by ges-
lures to come on shore. Not creature
among them carried arms of any sort; a
hospitable curiosity animated the entire
population. The men cried out, in their
smooth, musical language, Come and
eat" and the plump, black eyed women,
all laughing together, added their own
invitation, Come and be kissed" Was
1t in mOrtals to resist snch temptations
as these? The Captain led the way on
shore, the women surrounded him in an
instant, and screamed for joy at the glo-
rious spectacle of his whiskers, his COM
plexion and his gloves. So themariners
from the far north were welcomed to
the newly discovered island.
| CHAPTER III.
The morning wore on. Mr. Duncalf
in charge of the ship, cursing the island,
over his rum and water, as IA beastly
green strip ola place, not laid down IN
any Christian chart" was kept waiting
four mortal hours before the Captain re-
turned to his command, and reported
himself to his officers as follows:
He had found his knowledge of the
Pollynesian dialects sufficient to make
himselfin some degree understood by
the natives of the new island. Under
the guidance of the chief he had made a
first journey ofexploration, and had S en-
for himself that the place was marvel
of natural beauty and fertility. The one
barren spot in it was the poak of the vol
canic mountain, composed of crumbling
rock; originally, no doubt, lava and ashes
which had cooled and consolidated with
the lapse of time. So far as he had seen,
the crater at the top was now an extinct
crater. But, if he had understood it
rightly. the chief had spoken of earth
quakes and eruptions at certain bygone
periods, some of which lay within his
own earliest recollections of the place
Adverting next to considerations of p,ac-
teal utility, the Captain announced that
he had seen sandal wood enough on the
island to load dozen ships, and that the
natives we're willing to part with it for
a few toys and trinkets generally dis
tributed among them. To the mates
disgust, the Fortuna was taken inside
the reef that day, and was anchored be-
fore sunset in natural harbor. Twelve
hours of recreation, beginning with the
next morning, we're granted to the men,
under the wise restrictions in such case
established by the Captain. That inter
val over, the work of cutting the prec-
ious wood and loading the ship was to
be unintermittingly pursued.
Mr. Duncalf had the first watch after
the Fortuna had been made snug. He
took the boatswain aside ian ancient
sea dog like himself1 and he said in a