The Osceola times., 1880-06-05

7
refreshed. At first he was inclined to
be suspicious Of this release OF PAIN aud
new vigor, thinking it to be but the glow
of the spark before extinction; but when
he found himself enabled TO walk miles
without fatigue. and was troubled with no
more inconvenience from his long fast.
he became convinced that his hunger
had been appeased. In searching for
the cause he naturally could but think
of the gelstinous matter which he had
tasted. To imagine, however, that the
infinitesimal quantity Of this .emarka-
ble substance, il indeed he had swal-
lowed any at all, could have produced
such astonishing results, seemed highly
absurd. The next day, after having
wandered up and down the bleak coun-
try and along the desolate shore without
any symptoms OF weariness, he again
visited the gulch where he had found
the glutlnous deposit.
The supposed pebble which had been
broken in his tall lay there as he had
left it, but the contents had altered IN
condition and we're now but dry, viscid
film. Jorgensen was shrewd enough to
put this change down as due to the ac-
ton of the air, and saw that if he wished
to experiment he would have to do so
with freshly-broken pebble. Selecting
one of the chalk-lcoking stones, he care
fully broke the crust and found it to con-
tain small quantity of the rose-tinted
jelly which he was in search Of With
characteristic caution, he again but
touched his tongue to the matter and
then gathered the remaining pebbles
together and placed them unde' a pro-
jecting ledge for safe keeping. The re-
suits of the second taste were equally as
tonishing as those which attended the
the first. Again came deep sleep,
from out of which he was awakened by
an intense tingling in every nerve of his
body. This exquisite pain having passed,
Jorgensen lay where he had slept, as
though in half dream, thinking idly OF
his adventure. He felt no hunger; but
rather state of mental and bodily ease.
The only explanation that he could ar
rive at concerning the mysterious food
of which he had partaken was that it
must have been something prepared by
the native Indians for sustenance-dur-
ing long journeys, and that he had acci-
dentally discovered either cache of such
material or store of it which had been
overlooked.
"a hC" rui PiirS was llil, ioi
when he rose to shake the sleep from
his limbs what was his astonishment to
| find his clothes so tight upon him that
he moved with difficulty in them. His
great sea boots seemed few sizes too
small, and the sleeves of his knitted car
digan jacket were almost up to his
elbowss. Ruefully contemplating this
shrinkage of what he had hitherto con-
sidered good material, he stopped down
to pick up his rifle, when he was thun-
derstruck to finu that it too had shrunk
AT any rate his good Henry which, be-
fore he had gone to sleep, reached Just
up to his armpit, was now scarcely chest
high. Moreover. it seemed as light in
his hands as feather. Jogensen was
bewildered, and for moment imagined
himself crazy. Then the old Morse
superstition took hold of him and he
imagined himself bewitched. Taking
his jack-knfe out to cut few holes in
his too snugly fitting shoes he found it
to lie IN his hand like lady's penknife.
Then he knew that the metal and fabric
had not dwarfed, but that he himself
had stretched and grown under the intlu-
ence of the wonderful food His physi-
cal strength kept pace with his increased
bulk, and he amused himself, as he con-
fessed. by breaking off large fragments
of rock and hurling them into the sea.
1t was whilst engaged in this Cyclopean
pastime that he saw the White Wave
bearing down the coast and signaling
with the little brass piece she carried
Jorgensen replied with his rifle and then
hastily ran to where the peculiar pebbles
lay, loaded his pockets with them and
was back on the beach in time to direct
the boats course to where he stood.
We pass over the astonishment OF. his
shipmates at his extraordinary appear
ance and at the story of Jorgensen, but
quote few of the Captains words, be-
cause they are brief and to the point
"When Jorgensen went on Shore" said
Capt. Williams, in conversation with the
writer, "he was short, spare man, of
about five feet seven, with a bald head,
thin, straw-colored mustache, and
looked all of his age, which he said was
AZ. When ne came on beard he was
bloated or swollen or something so
much that he looked to be about six feet
high; was growed so stout that he had
burst all his clothes; had new crop Of
fluffy hair over his face and head, and
had aged about ten years. Why, sir, his
own mother wouldn't ha' knowed him.
and ] weren't surprised that his mates
thought they had struck the wrong man
when they see that object on the beach.
Jorgensen told his story which Capt.
Williams at first utterly discredited, but
which he afterwards wrote out in full
attesting its genuineness by the line
| that
THE above was as near as we could
reckilect the statement made by the
said Hans Jorgensen before US Us wit
nesses thereto.
"RIcHARp WILLIAMS,
"(Master Of schooner White Wave),
SETH MITCHELL"
1t is from this statement that the above
narrative has been taken; indeed, except
in the matter of some necessary correc-
tions of smelling and alterations Of ex-
preston, there is no material difference
between the two. Ii was, in fact at
Capt. Williams request that his story
has been, as he styles it, fixed up"
1t is with his permission, however,
that the following extract fiom the log
of the White Wave is literally tran
scribed'
October 3, ls70.-Latitude SO Az
north. longitude li40 l0> west. Jorgen-
sen is dead and | don't know what to
make of it. Ever since he came aboard
from the island his helth have been
good, but the remarkable swellin have
gone on until yesterday We was obliged
to bring him up on deck, as he had
growed so that | was feared we should
NOT ha abla IN rat him tbrouub tho com.