The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-12-01
MR.. NELSON'S WILL.
By Il. RIDER HAGGARD.

ITOin Ine cOld ana penetrating spray. In
the bottom of the boat lay Mr. Meeson, to
whom Augusta, plying his condition-for
he was shivering dreadfully-had given
the other blanket, keeping nothing for her
self except the woolen shawl.
At last, however, there came a faint
glow in the east and the daylight began
70 break over the stormy sea. Augusta
turned her head and stared through the
mist
what is it?" she said, in voice trem-
bling with excitement, to the sailor Bill,
who was taking his turn ut the tiller, and
she pointed to a dark mass that loomed up
almost over them.
The man looked, and then looked again;
and then halloaed out ioyfully, Land
land ahead!'
Up struggled Mr. Meeson on to his knees
his legs were so stiff that he could not
standard began to stare wildly about
him.
''rhank Godr" he cried "Where is it;
Is it New Zealand? IL ever get there
I'll stop there. I'll never get on a ship
againr'
"Ncw Zealandr growled the sailor.
'Are you n fool? It's Kerguelcn Land,
that's what il is-where 1t rains all day,
and nobody lives-not even u nigger. It's
like enough that you'll stop there, though;
for don't reckon that anybody will come
to take you Off in a hurry"
Mr.. Mecson collapsed with groan, and
few minutes afterward tho sun rose
while the mist grew less and less, till at
last it almost disappeared, revealing o
grand panorama to the occupants of the
boat For before them was line upon line
of jagged and lofty peaks, stretching as
far AS the eye could reach, gradually melt
ing in the distance into the cold white
CLEAN of snow. Bill slightly altered the
boats course to the southwark and, sail.
ing round n point, she came into compara-
lively calm water. Then, due north OF
them, running into the land, they saw the
mouth of n great sjord, bounded on each
side by towering mountain banks, so steep
as to be almost prccipitous, around whose
lofty sides thousands Of sea fowl wheeled,
awaking the echoes with their clamor.
Right into this beautiful ford they sailed
past line of flat rocks on which sat huge
fantastic monsters that the sal lors said
were sea lions, along the line of beetling
Tliff, till they came to a spot where the
shore on which grew Il rank, sodden-
looking grass, shelved gently up from the
waters edge to the frowning and precpit-
Gus background. And here, to their huge
delight, they discovered two huts, roughly
built of old ships timbers, placed within a
score of yards of each other, and at n dis
tance of some fifty PAGES from the waters
edge.
"Well, there's house, anyway" said
the fiat-nosed Johnnie, Though it don't
look as though it had paid rates and taxes
lately"
"I.et us land, and get out Of this ho<rible
boat" said Mr.. Meeson, feebly; n PROPOSE
ton that Augusta seconded heartily
enough. Accordingly, the sail was low.
cred, and, getting out the oars, the two
sailors rowed the boat into little, natural
harbor that opened out of the main creek,
and in ten minutes her occupants were
once more stretching their legs upon dry
land; that Is, if any land in kcrguelen Is
land, that region of perpetual wet, could
be said 10 be dry.
Their first care was TO 30 up tn the huts
and examine them. with result ahat
could scarcely be called encouraging The
huts had been built some ycarS-whether
by the expedition which, in 1874, came
thither TO observe the transit of Venus, or
by former parties of shipwrecked mari
ners. they never discoyered-and were
now in state of ruin. Moses and lichens
grew plentifuly upon the beams, and
even on the floor; while great holes in the
roof let in the wet, which lay in little
Shiny puddles beneath. Still, with all
their drawbacks, they were decidedly bet
ter than the open beach; n very short ex-
perience of which, in that Indictment
climate, would certainly have killed
them; and they thankfully decided to
make the best of them. Accordingly, the
smaller OF the two huts was given up to
Augusta and the boy Dick, while Mr.. Nee
son and the sailors took possession of the
large one Their next task was to move
up their scanty belongings, (the boat hav'
ing first been carefully beached,) and TO
clean out the huts and make them rs hab-
liable MS possible by stretching the sails
of the boat over the damp floors and GOV
ering up the holes in the roof rs best they
could with stones and bits of board from
the bottom of the boat The weather was
fortrU "tcly, dry, and as they all with the
exceL .ion of Mr.. Mceson, who seemed tc
be quite pro-tratedl worked with will
not excepting Master Dick-who toddled
backward a.. / forward after Augusta il
high glee at finding himself on terra firma
and by midday everything that could be
done was done. Then they made fire OF
some driftwood-for, fortunately, they hac
few matches-and Augusta cooked thu
two fowls they had got out of the floating
hencoop as well rs circumstances would
allow-which, as u matter of fact, was not
very well-and they had dinner, of which
they all stood sadly in need.
After dinner they reckoned up their re
sclrces or water there was an ample
supply, for not far from the huts a stream
ran down into the ford. For food they
had the best part of bag of biscuit:
weighing about hundred pounds. Also
there was the cask of rum, which the men
had moved into their own hut. But thai
was not all, for there was plenty of shell
fish about il they could find means to cool
them, while the rocks around were covered
with hundreds of penguins, including
specimens of the great king penguin,
which only required TO be knocked on the
head. There was, therefore, little fear o.
their perishing of starvation, as some
lines happens to shipwrecked people. In
deed, Immediately after dinner. the TIVE