The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-01-21
INVOLUNTARY CRUsOEs.

Involuntary Crusoes have mostly be-
come so from pure accident, but there
are some instances to the contrary. Sea-
man Jeffrey, of H. NJ. ). Recruit, ven
turing TO help himself to the Captains
spruce beer, was punished by being set
on shore on the uninhabited island of
Sombrero. Doubtless Captain Lake re-
pented the deed, when, Cn his return
to the same latitude some two months
afteTvard, the boat sent to bring the
offender on board again returned with
the report that he was nowhere to be
found, At any rate the Captain had
good cause to repent it a little later on,
for, upon the matter coming to the
knowledge of the Admiral on the West
Indian Station, Lake was tried by court
martial and dismissed the service. At
home Sir Francis Burdett brought the
case before Parliament, and a search
was instituted for the missing man, re-
sulting in his being brought to England
in October, 1909 lie had lived on tue
rock Of Sombrero for nine days, subsist-
ing upon limpets and birds eggs, when.
luckily for all concerned, he was taken
off by an American schooner. and land
ed at Marblehead. Massachusetts,.
\ Dutch skipper once thought to get
rid of a bad bargain in the same way
Putting into st. Helena, then uninhab-
tied, to bury dead officer, he left there
a seaman who had been condemned to
death. Disinclined to accept the situa-
ton, the caiminal unearthed tn G coffin,
and, after turRing out its occupant,
launched it on the water, and, thank 10
q calm falling, succeeded in overtaking
the ship. The Captain, thinking his
pluck deserving of recognition, received
him on deck, a pardoned man.
Captain Barnard, a victim of migrate
full mistrust, found companionship in
misery more troublesome than comfort
ing. He commanded an American ship
ia 1914, and happened to be at New
Island, in the Falklands, when IN En-
glsh ship was wrecked there the crew
and passengers, Numbering thirty, get
ting safely to land, Captain Barnard
took them all on board, intending to
leave them at a Brazilian port, and. to
obtain sufficient supplies, went on shore
with four of his men on a hunting eXcur
sion. While he was SO engaged The Eng
lish sailors, fearful of being carried to
America as prisoners of war, cut the ca
bic and made eff with the ship. The
astonished skipper took the matter phil
OsOphically. lie sat his men TO work at
once to build a house of stone, strong
enough to withstand the storms of win
ter. \ small plantation of potatoes sup
piled the party with a fair substitute for
bread and by storing up albatross eggs,
aud catching a pig now and then, they
cOntriyed to live to.erably well, all things
considered.
His companion, however, soon showed
symptoms of insubordination and at
length, tired Of the life they led, depart
ed in the boat. Alone in his glory, the
Captain spent his time preparing clothes
from the skins of seals and collecting
food for the winter, never emitting to
ascend a hill once or twice a day on the
chance of deserving a ship. After dwell
ing thus III solitude for some months
Barnard was TejOined by the runaway5,
who found that they could not get on
without him. The return was not an
unmitigated blessing. One Of them
planned his murder, for which the Cap
tain had him conveyed to a small island
in Quaker UaTboT, and left there, until
three months OF his own society brought
him to express peniteuce for his purpoS-
ed crime. After this, things went on
smoothly, until an English whaler took
the party oil, and ended their two years
trial of CTusOeing on New Island.-IU
the Year H0Jgld.