Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-04-17
A CASTAWAY.
But He Didn't Enjoy Himself ae
Robinson Crusoe Did.

But He Didn't Enjoy Himself as
Robinson Crusoe Did.
II boys did not get the idea OF going
to sea the supply OF sailors would by
and by give out, but ] do not believe
that ono boy out OF twenty who has
grown to be a sailor came by the occu-
patton legitimately. The majority 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. ] had the ro-
mantle ideas OF the average boy, and l
ran away to sea, and the reason l be-
came sailor was because circumstances
afterward obliged me to be. | sailed
for the best part OF sixteen years, ship
ping in all sorts OF craft and with all
sorts OF crews. and it was rarely that l
found n sailor who would not have
gladly traded his occupation with a
wood sawyer. The romance is all in
the books. A sailing craft, either in
port or on voyage, is surrounded with
any thing but romance.
found, too, that almost every boy |
encountered on shipboard had "a Robin
son Crusoe life for his pet theory. He
was aching TO be cast away on some UNI
inhabited island, and he had it all
planned out how he was to live on the
fat OF the land. IL was my fortune TO
be thus cast away once upon time,
and 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 relating.
We wero on the run down from Yoka-
hama, ia an. TO port in Cochin
China, on an English tea brig called
the Russell Our course lay TO the
south down the Pacific to tho island OF
Formosa. and then around in tho China
Sea- 1t was the season for squalls, and
tho first four days out gave us plenty TO
do, although'we made good progress.
On the evening OF the fourth day, just
as twilight was coming on, a sudden
squall laid us almost on our beam ends,
and whilo in that position we were
swept by sea which carried mo over
board. | don't suppose j was even
missed for the next quarter OF an hour,
and was no sooner in the water than
understood that the brig could do
nothing for me. No craft leaves a man
to drown il there is the slightest show
20 hut 1 h., h,i II nd
her hands full with the squall. ] was
near done for before ] got breath OF
air, and had not yet pulled myself to-
gether when | flung out my arm and
touched solid object II proved to DO
cage containing about twenty live
fowls, which had fetched away. and
wasn't over five minutes making fast to
ii by means Of my belt. BY the time
could look around. the night had come
down and the brig was nowhere to be
seen, The squall lasted about twenty
minutes, and then passed away, to be
followed by steady breeze during the
entire night.
had no idea that the brig would re-
turn to look for me, and the best thing
could do was TO make myself COM
Portable. The water was warm, the
night baimy and starlight, and the sea
was not heavy enough to annoy me
much. had every hope OF being
picked up next day, rs vessels were nu-
merous on that route, and so, taken all
in all, was not in despair. | was
driven to the west at steady pace up
to about midnight, and then queer
thing happened. ] was on top of the
coop or cage, which was buoyant
enough TO float me foot above the
surface. II had no doubt been dashed
TO the deck by II rope or two, and por-
tions OF these ropes might have been
trailing underneath, or IL may be that
in going overheard IL ontangled rope
AT any rate, at about midnight there
was sudden commotion under and
about me, and then my craft started off
at almost railroad speed. ! have an
idea that big shark came nosing
around after me and became entangled.
but IL might have been some other large
fish. Whatever il was, was fast and
acting as tug. and the way he towcd
that cage along the surface was eau
ton. He tried diving, but he could not
pull IL under, and seeming to be more
frightened by this discovery, no set of
with increased speed.
Eor at least three hours the shark, or
whatever IL was, ran to the west at IA
ratio OF speed which could not have been
less than ten miles IN hour, and the
first flush OF day was In the horizon a:
my back when thore was shock and a
crash. and I went end over end OF my
float. To tell the truth. was asleep.
/ had been towed so steadily and rode
so easily that ] went TO sleep without
knowing that my eyes had closed.
struck out and began swimming, con-
fused and frightened by the shock, but
/ had not made hundred strokes be-
fore beached myself on the sand and
saw that was ashore on an island. !
sat down to wait for daylight, and when
IL came the situation was plain. was
on thickly wooded island, and two
hundred 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 its head above
water. Between me and the reef the
water was 6n feet deep and quite
enough to float a canoe.
on the southern coast OF Japan are
lot OF islands called the Lieon-khleon
orouu. All of them are inhabited now.