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

swimming, confused and frightened
ny the shock, but had not made a
hundred strokes before [ beached
myself on the sand and saw that !
was ashore on anisland. IsatdoWn
to wait for daylight, and when it
came the situation was plain. Twas
on thickly wooded island, and 200.
feet from the beach, Due east of
where stood was the wreck of my
hencoop entangled in a coral reef
which now and then showed it's head
above water. Between me and the
reef the water was ten feet deep and
quiet enough to float canoe.
Off the southern coast OF Japan are
a lot of islands called the Leon
Khieon group. All Of them are inhab
tied now, but at that time only the
two or three larger ones were peo-
pied. was only a common sailor,
but it did not take me a great while
to figure out that I had been cast
ashore an one of this group. Had I
started out to become a second
Robinson Crusoe. could not have
chosen a better location to begin
business. The climate was perfect,
the island loaded with various wild
fruits, and fish were leaping up all
around me. My first move was to
take off my wet clothes and hang
them up to dry, and while they We're
drying | made breakfast from wild
fruits After getting into my clothes
again / took an inventory and found
myself possessed OF a sheath knife, a
plug of tobacco, three or four butt
tons and a few silver coins. Had
there been a wreck to draw on, as in
Crusoe's case, | should have been
more cheerful. I then set out to
survey my domain and by noon /
found that I was on an island about
two miles long and one mile across.
1t was a 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, tur-
nips, mulberries and bananas. There
were plenty Of birds, but / did not
find a reptile or wild animal Of any
sort.
The island was paradise in all
most every sense, but long enough
before night I was greatly troubled
in my mind as to how I was to get
along. A young sailor with a hearty
appetite Graves something more
solid than wild fruits. / wanted a
fire and / had no means ofprocuring
one. I wanted company, but even
the birds avoided me. [ wondered
how I could make a signal, and
what sort of craft came that way.
and how far to the west the other
islands were, and before night I was
SO homesick and broken up that I
was ready to shed tears. / crossed
the island twice during the after
noon, looking more particular to
make sure that there we're no snakes.
of which [ felt an awful dread, and as
| failed to find any made my bed
that night under a tree on some
boughs | cut off. | slept fairly well,
and my second breakfast was again
made offruits When / got my fiji [
determined to make a fire. The
novelist of to-day will have a cast
away youth rub two dry sticks to-
gether for few minutes and start
a blaze, butt got the dryest sticks
I could find and rubbed
until I was completely tired
out, and | could not even blacken
them. / got some dry moss and
struck stones together, but the
sparks would not ignite it. Three
quarters of the day was spent in eff
forts to get a fire, and then / had to
give up. A smoke would have been
the best signal to a passing craft,
but as could not get a fire and as
[ had no clothes to spare being in
my shirt-sleeves when I went over
board, I had to abandon the idea
and hope that some native craft
would touch the shore.
| had landed midway of theisland,
on the eastern shore, and the spot
was as pleasant as any other locali-
ty. Therefore, on the third day [
built me a comfortable shelter under
the trees, and settled it with myself
that was in for it for some time to
come. Twice that day I saw sailing
vessels to the east, but miles away.
| also went to the south, west and
north sides of the island, and piled
up shells on the beach above the tide
mark and placed sticks on top Of
them pointing my way. Whoever
landed would be apt to see them and
understand that some one had been
cast away.
A week passed, and no craft came
near. At the end Of five or. six days
| was thoroughly tired of my feed.
but there was no change unless /
wanted raw fish or flesh. [ could
have made a net out OF vines and
caught some fish, or could easily
have killed some of the birds with a
club, but the absence OF a fire was q
drawback. Few men get less sound
sleep than sailor. Many a time I
have nron1iSpd m vcnlf a CHM, hon IF q