Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1890-01-16

mad no other idea than that he would De
taken OF within two OF three weeks
He wisely decided 70 improve the inter
val BY resting up, and for TAO weeks he
slept a good share 81 each day and all
night lie brilt himself a shelter. sat
isfted bis hunger with fruits oysters.
shrinps and fish. and took solid comfort
for awhile He did not begin TO grow
uneasy for a month Then. as he had
sighted no sail and no visitors had ar
rived be began 10 get uneasy. but il
was tW0 months before he was willing
70 admit that he had made a mistake in
MS calculations He then concluded
that he had been driven 20 what is
called the -.Nildle Islands a group Of
eighteen Islands lying midway between
Madagascar and the Sunda islands. and
only one hundred miles south % the
equator. lie held to this idea there-
after although he vas a. mich mis-
taken a. in the first instance
The weeks AMI months went bv. and
when Captain Harseu bad been six
months on his island home he began 20
feel that II be ever left il be must do so
By his own efforts Now and then there
was storm, but for the most part the
weather was perfect. No other land
was in sight from his island. and the
most patient investigation could not
fvruish proof that auv one had ever
landed there He was not much OF a
scholar. but in his rambles he found Suf-
ficisnt evidence 10 show that the island
had been thrown mp out Of the sea By
volcanic action That event must have
occurred many years before. for some OF
the trees were a. large a. his body How
the birds got there was matter he did
not tEy 20 solve After six or eight
months Of lazy life. and after waiting
until he felt sure that the island would BE-
visited only By accident. the captain set
about building some sort Of craft There
vas heap OF drift-wood on the eastern
side OF the island and in Overhaulinz it
he found a number OF planks and boards
which must have come from a craft
pounded to pieces b. gale. bat he had
no tool OF any description except 4
large pocket-knife- While this damp
eued his ar'iOr 70 a great extent he put
IN an hour or two OCCASIONALLY at the
work of building. and laid the founda-
ton Of the raft Ne found him on
When Captain Harseu had been on the
island ten months he ate some fruit
which poisoned him. and made him al
I most helpless for the next three months
/ When be finally recovered he found il
T slu1c>t impossible 10 rouse up any am
hitiOn- He fell into a state % apathy.
[ lost all track % tire and did nothing
( but eat and sieep. lie must have lived
a sort OF Mild beast life for two or thrre
/ years and perhaps have been ont of his
right mind msch % the time What
. inally aroused him Nzs the sight %
E snip sailing past his island home ore
I day She Eas soo FAR away 90 10 si--
T nailed bat the sight OF her inspired
I hops AMI ambition ffe hal had a ( ~
I Of and on Producing ir By flint and tin
E der. but after this be made signal pile
and kept . ire constantly burning. 10
I b ready for any passing ship IL wss
{ ike awakening from long sleep HIS
hair and beard had gruwn 10 --pac
T length. his clothing Was ah.ife woru ossr-
AMI ne found that he hat gained eno--
uaoEsly n fesh- He PREPARED - Of
rrllss % -ovean his FUTURE 1rsionS- H~
got up az \ certain boar. weus 70 bed a.
a certain haur, ant pat N - nauv
hours daF a. Work on ais rzE-- Sua-h
craft ~ be finally coGl rietsd cCuIf have
been Snosked together n a dzv by \
sailor With The prUper taols. bat A. h.
bad only his bare hzuds his prurrvs,
( u8s slow The foundation consisted of
/ four logs Or beams. about tSiee A. long
( a. broad These were a foot or mere
Thick and he burned holes through
/ them and fastened them BY means Of
pins Then he built up With pIanss and
boards until he had a platform ahout
thirty inches above the sea
II Nas only after she raj. had been
completed that Captain Harseu bear 10
dread voyage on IL lie realized what
\ great waste Of waters the Indian
o-ean was and the psrils he n-uS- en-
eo.rter IN leaving his island on such a
float and ne tarried month after alon.a in
hope some ship xould come to the rescue
When tOrred 10 provide himself With
clothing he Taught himself TO weave
mats FROM the long grass % plentiful
around him and the skirt or kilt he had
On when We found him he had worn Tor
rear or more After ne had stepped a
mast and made 4 sail he set out on sho-s
; voyages with his raft and n. would not
have trusted himself 70 IL snrfrsiv lad
he known his exact Location Whea he
anally did set cat 10 vas Eith the ex-
pectatioz Of soon landing Oa some other
I island 70 the south
The captains provisions FOR the voTayp
consisted Of roasted birds and fruits.
The Only thing he bad 20 hold water
was shells and b. SLING four o. 6ve Of
them he calculated on weeks supply
One day. when 4 fair wiad hIex from
the north and the weather gave p-Cuais@
Of holdiHg good Tor several DAYS. ~ ez.sr
loose from the island zu3 beg7a his pr
iloaS voyage He had besa four davs
out when ne sighted him and thers. 49,
/ no Land except his i>Iaad- within enc
I thousand niles His supply OF water vs.
/ gone his provisions within 4 d1v % T.
and even the Light seas encountered lad
almost racEsd his raft 70 nierss- He
7 figured that he had made ose hundred
miles IN the four DAYS. and Nhea Ne
came to look az the chart We cane 70 the
conclusion that he VS. cat % hiS mind
Q \r1 Srarsh T.Fa-4