Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-22
MR.. NELSON'S WILL.
BY Fl. RIDER HAGGARD.


from the cold and penetrating spray. Ii
the bottom of the boat lay Mr.. Meeson, tt
whom Augusta, plying his condition-fol
ne was shiyering dreadfully-had giver
the other blanket, keeping nothing for her
self except the wooden shawl.
At last, however, there came a fain-
glow in the east and the daylight began
to break over the stormy sea. Augusta
turned her head and stared through the
mist
"What is it?'' she said, in a voice trem-
bling with excitement, to the sailor Bill
who was taxing his turn at the tiller, and
she pointed to a dark mass that doomed uI
almost over them.
The man looked, and then looked again;
and then halloaed out joyfully, Land
land aheadr'
Up struggled Mr. Meeson on to his knees
his legs were so stiff that he could not
Standard began to stare wildly about
him.
''Thank Godp' he cried. "Where is it:
Is it New Zealand? IF ever get there
I'll stop there. I'll never get on a ship
againr'
'sNew Zealandr' growled the sailor.
care you a fool? It's Kerguelen Land,
that's what it is-where it rains all day,
and nobody hves-not even q niger. It's
like enough that you'll stop there, though:
for l don't reckon that anybody will come
to take You off in hurry"
Mr.. Meeson collapsed with a groan, and
few minutes afterward the sun rose,
while the mist grew less and less, till al
last it almost disappeared, revealing g
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 q point she came into compare
lively calm water. Then, due north OF
them, running into the land, they saw the
mouth of o great ford, bounded on each
side by towering mountain banks, so steer
as to be almost precipitous, 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
cliff, till they came to q spot where the
shore, on which grew Il rank, sodden-
looking grass, shelyed gently up from the
waters edge to the frowning and precipit-
Gus background And here, to their huge
delight they discovered two huts, roughly
built Of old ships timbers, placed within a
score O. yards of each other, and at a dis
tance of some fifty PAGES from the waters
edge.
''Well, there's a house, anyway" said
the flat-nosed Johnnie, though it don't
look as though it had paid rates and taxes
lately"
''LeG us land, and get out of this hoxrible
boat" said Mr.. Meeson, feebly; a 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 Kerguelen Is
land that region of perpetual wet, could
be said to be dry.
Their first care was 10 go up to the huts
and examine them, with Il result that
could scarcely be called encouraging The
huts had been built some years-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 discoTered-and were
now in state of ruin. Moses and lichens
grew plentifully 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; very short eX-
perience of which, in that inclement
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 as hab-
liable as possible by stretching the sails
of the boat over the damp floors and COW
ering up the holes in the roof as best they
could with stones and bits of board from
the bottom of the boat. The weather was,
fortunately, dry, and as they all with the
exception of Mr.. Meeson, who seemed to
be quite prostrated) worked with a WILL
not excepting Master Dick-who toddled
backward and forward after Augusta in
high glee at finding himself on terra firma
and by midday everything that could be
done was done. Then they made a fire of
some driftwood-for, fortunately, they had
few matches-and Augusta cooked the
two fowls they had got out of the floating
hencoop as well as circumstances would
allow-which, as a 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. OF water there was an ample
supply, for not far from the huts stream
ran down into the ford. For food they
had the best part of a bag of biscuits
weighing about hundred pounds. Also
there was the caSk of rum, which the men
had moved into their own hut. But that
was not all, for there was plenty of shell
fish about if they could find means to cook
Them, while the rocks around were covered
with hundreds of penguins, including
specimens of the great king penguin, y
which only required to be knocked on the
head. There was, therefore, little fear OF
their perishing of starvation, as some
lines happens to shipwrecked people. In
deed, Immediately after dinner, the two
sailors went out and returned with a.
many birds eggs-mostly penguin-a.
they could carry in their hats. Scarcely
had they got in, however, when the rain
which is the prevailing characteristic o.
these ATTITUDES, set in, in the most pitiles!
fashion; and soon the great mountain.
with which they were surrounded, and
those before them, were wrapped in dens,
wells Of fleecy vapor. Hour after hour tn,
rain fell without ceasing. Penetrating
through their miserable roof, and falling
drop, drip, drop-upon the sodden floor
Augusta sat by herself in the smaller hut