Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1890-01-11

hat he had been driven to what Is
the middle Islands," a group OF
eighteen islands lying midway between
Madagascar and the Sunda islands, and
only one hundred miles south OF The
equator. He held to this idea there
after, although he was as mrch mis-
taken as in the first instance.
The weeks and months went by, and
when Captain Harsen had been SIX
months on his island home he began to
feel that if he ever left it he must do so
nv his own efforts. Now and then there
was a storm, but for the most part the
was perfect. No other land
was in sight from his island, and the
patient investigation could not
furnish proof that any one a ever
landed there. He was not much OF q
scholar. hut in his rambles he found SUI.
icient evidence to show that the island
had been thrown up out OF the sea by
yalcapic action. That event must have
occurred many years before, for some OF
the trees were as large as his body HOW
the birds got there was a matter he old
not try to solve. After six or eight
months of lazy life, and after waiting
until he felt sure that the island would DO
visited only by accident, the captain set
about building some sort OF craft. lhere
was a heap of drift-wood on the eastern
side of the island, and in overhauling 1t
he found a number of planks and boards
which must have come from a craft
pounded to pieces by a gale, but he had
no tool of any description except a
largo pocket-knife. While this damp
ened his ardor to a great extent, he put
in an hour or two occasionally at the
work of building, and laid the founda-
ton of the raft we found him on.
When Captain Harscn had been on the
island ten months he ate some iruiC
which poisoned him, and made him al
most helpless for the neXtthree mohVhs.
When he finally recovered he found 1t
almost impossible to rouse up any am
| hilton. He fell into a state of apathy,
| lost all track of time, and did nothing
| but eat and sleep. He must have lived
a sort of wild beast life tor two or three
years, and perhaps have been out OF his
richt mind much of the time. what
finally aroused him was the sight OF a
ship sailing past his island home one
day. She was too far away to be sig
nailed. but the sight OF her inspired
hone and ambition. He had had a fire
off and on, producing it by flint and tin
der. but after this he made a signal pile
and kept a fire constantly burning, to
be ready for any passing ship. 1t was
like awakening from a long sleep. HIS
hair and beard had grown to great
length, his clothing was about worn out,
and he found that he had gained enor-
mouslv in flesh. He prepared a set OF
rules to govern his future actions. TIC
Got up at a certain hour, went to bed al
a certain hour, and put in so many
hours a day at work on his raft. Such
craft as he finally completed could have
been knocked together in a day by
sailor with the proper tools, but as NJ
had only his bare hands his progress
was slow. The foundation consisted o
four logs or beams, about twice as lon'
as broad. These were a foot or NOR
thick. and he burned holes througI
I. them and fastened them by means q
pins. Then he built up with planks an
boards until he had a platform abou
thirty inches above the sea.
i It was only after the raft had bee
n completed that Captain Harsen began
h dread a voyage on it. He realized VIII;
a great waste OF waters the lndla
Ocean was and the perils he must Ell
counter in leaving his island on such
~ float. and he tarried month after month
Il hope some ship would come to the rescu
"a When forced to provide himself WI
"a clothing he taught himself to wea'
I mats from the long grass so pientli
Ia around him. and the skirt or Kilt he nj
ON when we found him he had worn |
" n wear or more. After he had stepped
n mast and made a sail he set out on she
yoyares with his raft, and he would n
ii have trusted himself to it entirely h
he known his exact location. When
,l finally did set out it was with the {
nc pnctation of sson landing on some OIL
If 81 md to the south.
IL The captains provisions for the voya
IT. consisted of roasted birds and trui
he The only thing he had to hold wa
, a was shells, and by filing four or five
ial them he calculated on a weeks supp
nd One dav. when a fair wind blew IT
he the north and the weather gave prom
His of holding good for several days, he c
his loose from the island and began his |
He ilous VOYAGE lie had been four d
md out when we sighted him, and there
rcd no land, except his island, within.
nd. thousand miles. His supply OF water
up gone. his provisions within a day oil
and and cvcn the light seas encountered
almost racked his raft to pieces.
the figured that he had made one hume
miles in the four days, and when
nod came to look at the chart we came to
conclusion that he was out OF his m
+ No such island was put down-lnd
D." no land of any sort-for a thousand n
in any direction. He insisted on
zap truth of his story, however. There
his raft, and that was in his favor
was against common sense to bel
am that he had come from Madagascar
you Australia on such a float as that.
The whole story was gone over II
y to times before we reached Melbourne
8 IN was there given to the papers and t.
ures Government officials. 1t was so str
way that no one believed it, and@we
car, seeking toget aroma II by denying
nnan was Captain Harsen, whe1
t Tor the man who had been his first
'hich and sailed the ship home arrived IL
ey to as mate of a Scotch ship and iden
f1oat his old commander at once. There
a the a Government survey ship in pc
ours the time, and after some delay 81
naliy off with Captain Harsen on board
even cate and chart this solitary island
was could give her the location wit
s, but hundred miles, and after saili
G the and fro for a week she made disc
NY be While she could not find the islam
y hg- did find a shoal or bank in mid
e was to mark its site. Further than
n trees and other drift stuff we
anded countered in that locality to PROV
mile some queer thing had taken plac
same a spot about a mile square sou
same showed a depth Of from thirty to
Il mere = hill. Ill a~na1nh IL III