Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-09-28


awaking the echoes with their c,amor.
Right into this beautiful ford they sailed,
past a line of Hat rocks on which sat huge
fantastic monsters that the sal Tors said
were sea lions, along the line of bcctling
cliff, till they came to a spot where the
shore, OF which grew IA rank, sodden.
looking grass. shelved gently up from the
waters edge to the frowning and prccipit
IL background. And here, to their huge
delight, they discovered I'VE huts. roughly
built OF old ships timbers, placed within o
score OF yards az each other, AMI nj n dis
tsnce of some fifty PAGES from the waters
edge.
"Well, there's a house, anyway" said
the flat-noscd Johnnie, Though IL don't
look as though it had paid rates and taxes
lately
"Let Us land, and get out of this horrible
boat" slid Mr.. Meeson, feebly; IA proposi-
ton that Augusta seconded heartily
enough. Accordingly, the sail was low.
cred, and, getting II the oars, the two
sailors rowcd the boat into a 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 to go up to the huts
and examine them. with IA result that
could scarcely he 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 discoverel-and were
now in a state Of ruin. Moses and lichens
grew plentifully upon the beams, and
even ON the hoor; 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; a very short ex-
perience of which, in that Indictment
climate, wOuld certainly have killed
them; II 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 e. task was to move
up their scanty belongings, (the boat hav-
Ing nrst been carefully beached,) and to
clean out the huts and make them as haD-
liable as possible by stretching the sails
of the boat over the damp floors and COW
tIiDS up GIlc HDlcS III INC TOOl HS DeSJ licy
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
IAWaA WU.na lA..n HhAAa a.. -
some dri~ftwood-for, fortunately, they had
a 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-
sources. OF 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 "A bag Of biscuits
weighing about a hundred pounds. Also
there was the cask of rum, which the men
had moved into their own hut. Sui 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 liking penguin"
which only required TO be knocked on the
head. There was, therefore, little fear of
their perishing of starvation, as some
times happens TO shipwrecked people. In
deed, Immediately after dinner, the two
sailors went out and returned with as
many birds eggs-mostly penguin-as
they could carry in their hats. Scarcely
had they got in, however, when the rain,
which is the prevailing characteristic Of
these ATTITUDES, set in, in the most pitiless
fashion; and soon the great mountains
with which they were surrounded, and
those before them, were wrapped in dense
wells of fleecy vapor. Hour after hour the
rain fell without ceasing. Penetrating
through their miserable roof, and falling
drop, drip, ~drop-upon the sodden fool.
Augusta sat by herself in the smaller hut,
doing what she could to amuse little Dick
Oy telling him stories. Nobody knows
how hard she found it to have to invent
stories when she was thus overwhelmed
with misfortune; but it was the only way
of keeping the poor child from crying, as
the sense of cold and misery forced itself
into his little heart. SO she told him
about Robinson Crusoe, and then she told
him that they were playing at being Rob
llSOu 1Tu5ot, W WuiCu buc Cullu very
sensibly replied that he did not at all like
the game, and wanted his mamma.
And meanwhile it grew darker and
colder and damper hour by hour, till ut
last the light went out and left her with
nothing to keep her company but the
moaning wind, the falling rain, and the
wild cries of the sea birds when something
disturbed them from their rest. The child
was asleep at last, wrapped up in a blanket
and one Of the smaller sails; and Augusta,
feeling quite worn out with solitude and
the pressure of heavy thoughts, began to
think that the best thing she could do
would be to try to follow his example,
when suddenly there came a knock at the
boards which served for a door to the
shanty.
"Who is it?'' she cried, with a start.
"Me-Mr. Meeson." answered the voice.
I come in."
To be continued.
U~~-s r~--- w.