Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-12-12
Fiji cen Weeks on an Island.

cember Is, 1857. Sne was commanucu
by Captain Rives and had a company
Of twenty souls, including her first and
second officers and the crew of sixteen
men. She carried an assorted cargo
and was bound for Nsgasaki, Japan.
On the first of May she struck on the
shoaliDg shores of one of the Sunda Is
| lands and became q total wreck. The
weather was stormy and the waves.
which were running very high, rendered
futile all possible efforts to save any
thing. A ship cannot with any safety
go nearer than two or three miles to
the shores of those islands because OF
the shaliowness and rocky nature OF
the bottom, on which, If she should
strike, she would be almost certainly
lost. The captain, knowing that the
island upon WHICH he was wrecked was
uninhabited and only visited by Japan
ese fishermen at q certain season, ds-
termined TO endcavor to reach another
island, and so did not go on shore on
the nearest land at all. The steward,
named Felix A. Wahl, Of German
nationality, determined to land. as he
saw that the boats were leaKy and hal
to be bailed out with vigo-, and he,
moreover, doubted their seaworshiness
in other respects, as they had lain
aboard of the ship unused for a long
time. The captain consented to let HIM
take very small boat and land. as he
wished, and two boys, one French and
tie other Portuguese, agreed to accom-
pany him.
This they cid, but on touching tine
shore and seeing its desoiate and unin-
viting appearance they changed their
minds, and hurried 10 overtake the
larger boats, which they could still
Sc on their course for the more
dist mt island-some twenty five miles
away-which the captain wished to
reach on account CT its being adapted
| to furnish his people with the means OF
living until they might chance to be-
rescued. From his place on the shore
the steward watched the little boat as it
chased after the larger boats as long as
they remained visible, and 1t had not
yet oyertaken them when they all passed
out OF sight behind the mighty waves
which the angry sea rolled necessarily
toward the shores. OF the fate of those
boats Wahl il yet ignorant, although he
has heard that the captain had arrived
at Anglers and had been reported in
Europe, but as to the fate of the two
boys, or indeed OF any of his ship COM
panions, he has no knowledge. 1t Is.
however. probable that some OF them,
at least, escaped. Finding himself
alone upon this island, he wss COM
PEELED to exert his wits to contrive ways
for sustaining life He had saved nothing
except the cloihing upon his person.
and had not even brought dry matches
ashore with him, owing TO the splashing
and ducking he received In getting from
the boat to dry land. With hints ana
old dry rags, which he found, he sue
seeded in striking some sparks and get
ting fire kindled, which, when it mad
once got to burning, he was careful
never again to let go entirely out SO
long as he remained upon the island.
There was wood to be picked up along
the shore, and some small trees and
bushes grew upon the island, 50 that he
had no great trouble in getting asupply
of fuel.
As to shelter he found this already
provi ed for him. as there were some
sheds used by the fishermen who make
| periodical visits to the place for the
purpose of catching and curing fish.
| These fish were a species of macBerel,
which they cure by splitting them. as is
customary with Yankee fishers, and then
lay them upon the dry ground TO cure.
In addition to the mackerel Is kind Of
shark, which is very fat, and Is taken
and melted down for the oil, the bones
| being saved and made All article OF
traffic and used In manufactures. The
large iron kettles ust in this business
were sitting in their positions jus as
lett at the end of-the previous fishing
season, and by putting some sea-water
in one of them and drying 1t out again
by means of fire, Mr.. Wahl secured a
supply of salt. He found pleuty OF
good oysters at low tie, aud IN basins
among the rocks many fish were left in
a condition 10 be easily taken. There
! was thus no danger Of absolute starva-
ton. Being thus thrust into this utter
solitude, species of iethargy or iorpor
seemed to seize upon the steward, which
almost bereft him of the use OF Lis fac
ulties for some eight or ten days, but 1t
gradually wore away and he found him
self possessed OF mis- normal mental ac-
tiyity and physical vigor. He soon
found that Tor hlm the supreme virtue
was patience, since to attempt to escape
| by any effort of his own making Was
quite out of the question.
He saw that if he lived his rescue was
mere matt r OF time. as the people
who were in the habit OF visiting the L.
land would certainly return. At LEA t,
be had the best of reasons for expect
ing them to do SO, since they had left
properly there and the place afforded
them protit He soon Decame tire OF
his fish diet and looked about for some
means of varying 1t. The island Is
some twenty mile, in extent In one d.
rectiou anu is destitute OF any gam.
There weae, however, some small land
birds sometimes to be seen, but without
| a gun ne could not secure them. Atsr
enduring this sort OF life tor some til
teen weeks the japanese boats arrived
and the steward rushed to meet them.
Although unable to speak an inteiiigible
/ NOIU W tuooc pSoP-c hS SA1SPco oaO ~
the hand aud foand 1t more welcome
even taan that OF ''brotner IL j for
eisn land In short, these people were
kInd TO the stranger, and did ali that
they could 10 make HIM comfortable,
ana III lew days tue first boat startea
for Teobs and be weut with it, aud
thence TO Yokohama. Reaching tnat
city he was protected by the Amerlcan
Consul and sent by that Official to tnIs
city, where he arrived a lew days ago.
Wanl is a very well informed man aad
repeats the story of his adventures In
very entertaIng manner, despite his for
elm accent aud imperfect command o.
the English language. He has two
motheriess chIuren living near San
Francisco, and he has Set a out the
business of gaining a support Tor them
py commencing again as seward on
board or one OF the Northern coast COZ
iiers, with the captain OF waom he hss
long been acquainted. Tne story a'
told by its hero does not equal the
famous picture OF Robinson CrnsOe as