Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-07-24
SAVED BY A RAVEN.

Two brothers, George and Frank
Blackburn. lived with their father in
one of the largest settlements on the
Labrador coast. George was seventeen
and Prank fifteen. and both the boys
IN summer ranged the coast in a small
skif collecting birds eggs and other
specimens. George owned "A pet raven,
which he had trained TO follow him,
earrysmall pa GELS in his mouth and do
many other Intelligent things, and the
bird was exc aedingly attached to him.
Whenever George went into the woods
or among tie hills Jack. which was the
ravens nane followed him. cawing
and chattering. sometimes walking,
sometimes ~iuttering. and frequently
darling far ahead with loud, delighted
cream He liked also TO 60 with his
young master in the boat, but this he
was seldom permitted to do.
One lovely June morning the two
boys and their cousin, Ned Bradshaw,
put out from the little wild dock in an
open skif, with two tanned sails, to
make an excursion TO Cormorant ISL
ands, about three leagues down the
coast. Jack came hopping and flying
down the rocks, appealing piteously,
with loud cawing, to be taken on board.
George raised his hand and shouted:
mo, Jack; can't come. Home, Jack"
and then the skiff was pushed of,
while the poor, lonesome bird stood on
a rock close by the waters edge. Then
he raised his wings, flew out over the
water and circled over the boat, cav
ing and looking at George as If beg
ging him to relent and take him on
board. But George srose in the boat,
and in a stern, angry voice ordered
him TO go home. The disappointed
bird turned and few quietly ashore,
perching on the edge of a narrow strip
of meadow, looking disconsolately after
the fast disappearing boat.
The object of the visit to Cormorant
Island was to get some of the eggs of
the cormorant, which are rather diff
cult TO obtain. The boys had not told
their parents where they were going,
but they had decided upon nothing less
than the ascent of the island, the sides
of which rose almost perpendicularly
cut OF the sea to a height of nearly 400
feet. The island had three sides, and
on one Of these sides was a series of
rocky shelves resembling a stairway,
but some Of them were 50 narrow that
it was impossible to get a steady foot
bold upon them.
When the coast fishermen passed the
island they shuddered because 50 many
tragic events were connected with its
name. Five or six adventurous persons
had scaled itsKheivy sides and got up
among the multitude of birds. but not
q mar Of them had ever been able to
make the descent. As a cliff climber
Of considerable experience myself, a
precipiece which you may climb with
safety may. in the descent, defy the
skin Of any human being.
The boys very well knew the history
of the island and its dangers, but
George had for more than two years
been studying the problem of how TO
get up and come down in safety, had
examined every rock shelf Pm the side
through a glass, tracing the same on
d and had talked with every
fisherman on the coast who knew any
thing about the place, and obtained
his opinion as to the safest ways of de-
scending.
So he had quietly provided himself
with two short hand gafs, with stout
wooden handles, having on end a
running loop of cord to be fastened
around each wrist, and on the other
end a strong steel hook. These were
designed for getting a hold in cracks
and assures In the face of the cliff
where L would be impossible TO draw
ones self up by can Of the fingers,
for George knew that the most daring
and expert climbers had used gafs with
success.
The coast was bold and desolate and
contained no human habitation be-
tween the dock from which the skill
had set out and the island, or for sew
eral IeaznSs beyond when they
reached the base Of the island. which
stood close o. Che main land, they pulled
their skif upon a small platform Of
rock. got or their guns and began
shootiuz fle birds that cireled around
the island ald nested on the ~ter=ares
Then Geo. toldthat be was g0inEup.