Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-04-12
"A CASTAWAY'S STORY.

'on English tea brig called the Russell
Our course lay to the south down tho
racine to the island of Formosa. and
then around into the China Sea. |. was
inc season for squalls, and the first four
days out gave us plenty to do, although
we made good progress. Ono the even
ing OF the fourth day, just as twilight
WIS coming one, sudden squall laid us
Utmost on our beam ends, and while in
.lat position we were swept by sea
winch carried me overheard. / don,t
suppose was even missed for the ncxt
quarter OF an hour, and was no sooner
IN the water than understood the br;o
could do nothing for me. No craft
leaves man to drown if there is tho
siiShtest show TO save him, but I knew
inc Drlg had her hands full with the
squat. l was near done for before ! got
a breath OF mir, and had not vet pulled
myself together when l flung out nv
arm and tou he'd solid object. Il
proved to be cnge containing about
twenty live fowls, which had fetched
away, ana wasn't over five minute, max
ing fast to 1t by means of my belt. Bv
inc time could look around the night
hau come down and the brig was no
where to be seen. The squat lasted
unout twenty minutes, and then passed
away, to be followed by steady breeze
during he entire night.
mad no idea that the brig would re
turn to look for me, and the best thing
Gouiu 90 was to make myself comfort.
able. The water was warm. tho niuht
palny ana starlight, and the sea was not
iheavy enou h to annoy me much. Ihad
every hope of being picked up next dav
as vessels were numerous on that route
ana SO, taken all in all. I was not in de.
SPAR was driven to the west at n
steady pace up to about midnight. and
then a queer thing happened. I was ON
aop inc coop or cage, which was buoy
ant enough to oat me IL foot above the
surface 1t had no doubt been lashcd to
inc deck by rope or two, and portions
'oi these ropes might have been trailinu
underneath, or it may be that in noin1
overheard it cntangled rope. At any
rate, at about midnight there wa, n sud.
den oommotion under and about me
and then my craft started off at almost
railroad speed. l have an idea that n
% G shark came nosing around after me
ana became entanglcd, but it might
nave been some other large fish. What.
ever IL was was fast and acting rs ting.
ana the way he towcd that cage along
the surface was caution. lie tried
diving, but he could not pull it under.
ana seeming to be more frightened by
tn's discovery he set off with increased
speed.
For at least three hours the shark or
Whatever 1t was. ran to the west at n rate
of speed which could not have been less
than ten miles an hour, and the first
Iush OF day was in the horizon at nv
back when there was n shock and n crash
ma l went end over end oil my float
10 tell the truth. was asleep. l had
ncen lowed so steadily and rode so easily
tnat went to sleep without knowing
that my eyes had closed / struck out
end began swimming, confused and
frightened by the shock, but l had not
maze a hundred stroh cs before bcachcd
Smyself on the sand aud saw TINT | was
ashore on an island. sat down to wait
Tor daylight, and when it came the
situation was plain. was on thickly
wooded island, and 200 feet ON the
beach due cast of whe. stood was the
wreck of my hencoop cntang ed in a
coral reef which now and then showed
its head above water. Between me and
the reef the water was ten feet deep and
quiet enough to oat canoe.
OF the southern coast OF Japan there are
"a lot OF islands called the Leon. X hieon
group All of them are inhabited now
put at that time only the two or three
Larger ones were reopled. I was only a
= common sailor, but it did not take me
a great while to figure out that | had
been cast ashore on one of Ibis oroup
Had | started out to become a second
Robinson Crusoe, could not have
chosen better location to begin bust
ne s. The climate was perfect, the
island loaded with various wild fruits
and fish were loaping up all around me-
hly frst move was to take off my wet
clothes and hang them up to dry, and
whiie they We're drying made break
fast from wild fruits. After getting into
my clothes again took nm inventory
and found myself possessed of a sheath
knife, plug of tobacco, three or four
buttons, and few silver coins. Had
s. there been wreck to draw on, as in
Crusoe's case, should have been moro
cheerful. l then set out to survey NV
domain, and by noon found that / was
on an island about two miles long and
one mile across. 1t was regular grove,
with high and dry ground, and an
abundance Of fruits and berries. In
that walk | found the wild tea plant,
potatoes, maize, onions, cabbages rice,
turnips, mulberrics, and bananas. There
were plenty of birds, but did not find
a reptile or wild animal of any sort
The island was paradise in almost
every sense, but long enough before
night was greatly troubled in my mind
as to how was to get along a young
sailor with hearty appetite Graves some.
thing more solid than wild fruits. I
wanted fire, and 1 had no means of
procuring one. / wanted company, but
even the birds avoided me. wondered
how could make signal, and what
sort of craft came that way, and how
far to the west the other islands were.
aud before night was so homes ok and
broken up that l wa, ready to shed tears.
4 crossed the island twice during the