Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-08-28

him crouchcd close upon their nests
and hnddled behind the rocks for shell
ter Not once through that long and
terrible night did he close his eyes in
sleep, and when the gray dawn APP
peared ia the east great throb of
hope went through his heart
The clouds had rolled away, and the
sun burned up on the edge Of the sea
like large scarlet furnace. And with
the rising OF the sun came the voices of
his parents and friends from the main
land asking how he had Jared during
che night, and telling him TO keep up
his spirits.
He could see his mother in the group.
and he saw that she was weeping; her
voice came distinctly from among all
the rest telling him that God was good,
and that he would in some way be res
cued. Then some of them tried to
throw across food made up in tins and
little parcels, but they all fell short and
dropped into the gulf below He was
now tortured with hunger and on the
advice of his mother. who stood in the
front Of the assemblage. on the main
land, he built fire out of the decayed
grasses and weeds, the dry bones Of
birds and nest materials, and roasted a
half dozen eggs, selecting the fresh ones
when cooked and eating them.
So far no one could devise any means
of reaching him. 1t was impossible to
stretch ladder across, and access from
Below was equally impossible. A num-
ber of fishermen had gathered around
the base of the island in their boats,
but they were nonplussed like those on
land His father and several of the
fishermen tried for hours to fly rope
across the chasm, but it fell short fully
forty feet from the brink of the island.
The group stood there in mute sorrow,
the mother constantly shouting across
words of encouragement.
Hour after hour passed till the sun
had passed the meridian, then the party
on the mainland heard wild cawing
close beside them, and turning, saw
that Jack, poor Georges raven, had
Joined them. Evidently the bird had
followed the party at a safe distance,
remaining all these hours in the back
ground, but had at last ventured to
show himself No sooner did George
see him than an idea flashed through
his mind, and raising his voice, he
cried:
"Catch Jack and fasten the smallest
rope you have to his leg, and will get
him to bring it across" Fortunately,
one of the party had brought along a
reef Of cod line, so the bird was cap
tured and the line fastened to his leg.
after which it was placed in a loose coil
by the brink of the mainland cliff.
"Come, Jack, come, shouted George,
and Immediately upon the bird being
released he plunged out into the air
across the gulf with exultant chatter
ing, dragging the line, and made straight
for George, perching at his feet and
looking at him with wide, curious eyes,
The party on the mainland understood
the expedient and Immediately fastened
the end of one of the heavy coils of
rope to the small line and then fastened
carefully together all the heavy coils.
Taking the small line in his hand
George drew across the heavy coil, and
when he got hold of the end of it
dragged it to perpendicular rock and
carefully fastened it around it, The
men ON the mainland then threw the
joined cable over into the gulf and it
went with n swash down into the sea-
George next unfastened the line from
Jacks leg then, saying a few CHEEKY
words to his mother, got upon the rope
and descended swiftly down over
the precipice and was received below
by boat which lay by the lower end
of the rope. a wild hurrah went up
from his delighted friends, but no one
made louder demonstration of Joy
than Jack, who went screaming down
the abyss and perched in the boat be-
side his beloved master. The main
land party returned home by the
marshes and reached the dock just as
George arrived there by the fishermen's
skiff. Edmund Collins in st. Louis
Republic.