New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-03-20
ON A DESERT ISLAND,

- wy NI1 AlOU
to sea, the supply Of sailors would
by and by give out, but do not be-
lieve that one boy out of twenty who
has grown to be asailorcame by the
occupation legitimately. The major
ity of them ran away from home to
go on their first voyage, and would
have been glad to quit the sea forever
before they had been out a week. I
had the romantic ideas of the aver
age boy, and | ran away to sea, the
reason I became a sailor was because
circumstances afterward obliged me
to be. I sailed for the best part OF
sixteen years, shipping in allsorts of
craft and with all sorts of crews, and
it was rarely that found q sailor
who would not have gladly traded
his occupation with a wood sawyer
The TO nance is all in the books. A
sailing craft, either in port or on a
voyage, is surrounded with anything
butrOmance
| found, too, that almost every
boy [ encountered on shipboard had
aRobinson Crusoe life for his pet the
DRY. Hewas aching to be cast away
on some uninhabited island, and he
had it all planned out how hewas to
live on the fat Of the land. 1t was
my fortune to be thus cast
away once upon a time, and I
will give my experience in : order
that the boy readers of the Sun may
draw conclusions. There was also a
curious coincidence connected with
my adventure which will bear relat-
ing.
We we're on the run down from Yo-
bahama. Japan, to a port in Cochin
China, on an English tea brig called
Russell. Our course lay to the south
down the Pacific to the Island of For
mosa, and then around into the Chi
naSea. 1t was the season for squalls,
and the first few days out gave US
plenty to do, although we madeg good
progress. On the evening Of the
fourth day, just as twilight was com
ing on, a sudden squall laid us al
most on our beam ends, and while in
that position we were swept by the
sea- which carried me overheard I
don't suppose | was even missed
for the next quarter of an hour, and
[ was no sooner in the water than I
understood that the brig could do
nothing for me. No craft leaves a
man to drown if there is the slightest
show to save him, but I knew the
brig had her hands full with the
squall. | was near done for before I
got a breath ofair, and had not yet
pulled myself together when I flung
out my arm and touched solid OBJ
ject. 1t proved to be a cage con-
tanning about twenty Live fowl, which
had fetched away, and Iwasn't over S
minutes making fast it by means of
my belt By the time I could look
around night had come down and
the brig was nowhere to be SEEN
The squall lasted about twenty min
utes and then passed away, to be fol-
lowed by a steady breeze during the
entire night
[ had no idea that the brig would
return to look for me, and the best
thing [ could do was to make myself
comfortable. The water was warm,
the, night balmy and starlight, and
the sea was not heavy enough to an
noy me much. had every hope of
being picked up next day, as vessels
were numerous on thatroute, and so
taken all in all, [ was not in despair,
I was driven to the west at a steady
pace up to about midnight, and
then queer thing happened. I was
on top the coop or cage, which was
bouyant enough tofoat me a foot
above the surface. 1t had no doubt
been dashed to the deck by a rope
or two, and portions of the ropes
might have been trailing UNDER
meath, Or it may be that in going
overheard it entangled a. rope. At
any rate, at about midnight there
was q commotion under and about
=, me, and then my craft started off at
almost railroad speed. / had an
idea that a big shark came nosing
around after me and became en-
tangled, but it might have been some
other fish. Whatever it was, was
fast and acting as a tug, and the
way he towed the cage along the sur
face was a caution He tried diving,
but he could not pull it under and
IS seeming more frightened by the dis
coyery he set off with increased
speed.
For at least three hours the shark,
or whatever it was, ran to the west
at. a rate ofspeed which could not
have been less than ten miles an hour,
and the first flush Of day was in the
horizon at my back when
there was a shock and q
crash, and | went end over end
off my float. To tell the truth, Twas
asleep. had been towed so steadi-
~ and rode SO easily that went to.
sleep without knowing that my eyes
had closed. struck out and began