The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-30
o1ne ashore on an island about three miles
I1in ri

come ashore on an island about three miles
in length and breadth-it being nearly
square. 1t was covered with the verdure
of the tropics, and while the trees seemed
to be full of birds saw neither serpents
DOR wild animals.
The schooner lay exposed to the westerly
gales and seas, and it would only be a ques-
.ion of a week or two when she would
break up or be buried in the sands. 1t
therefore stood me in hand to get all out
of her that / could before this disaster took
place. | began right after dinne-, and it
would surprise you to know how much l
accomplished in the next four days. BY
use of the cspstan, winch, and block and
pulley in the main rigging, got out TWEEN
ty-one barrels of flour, eight Of pork and
beef, three of sugar and of meal, and be-
sides these | got ashore all the sails, cabin
furniture, cooking utensils, etc. There
were axes, shovels, picks, hoes, rakes, gard
en- seeds, carpenters tools, and host of
other things which could be handled, and
| got out enough boards to make me a
cabin and floor it. On the evening of the
fifth day strong wind came up from the
west, accompanied by very high tide, and
instead of the schooner breaking up she
fioated and current pulled her off, and
she drifted down the coast about mile.
She then struck on sUnken ledge turned
over, and the seas broke her up.
There was no prominent point on the
island where l could set u signal. there
fore contented myself with keeping look
out to the west. Twice during the first
two weeks saw ships afar off by the aid
of the glass. Then six weeks passed with
10Th Maan Ia
had erected my house back about forty feet
from the shore, got all the goods under
cover. and was more satisfied with my lot
than some men would have been. l had
no way of knowing whether fathers brig
went down in the collision or not, but was
satisfied that if he escaped with his life he
would make search for me.
| had been on the island for three months
when l one day made wonderful dis
covery. was on the south shore, where
the forest was more open and the soil COM
posed of sand and shell, and | stopped for
a moment under the shade of a tree. As
did so u small animal only about half as
large as hare ran past my feet and into
its burrow. only a yard away. As l fol-
lowed ii with my eye saw something gilt
ter in the fresh dirt thrown out, and l
picked it up to find that it was an English
sovereign. Raking over the dirt with my
fingers, soon found four others, together
with some small pieces OF moldy canvas. /
at once jumped 10 the conclusion that
there must be a store of treasure below,
and | ran Tor a shovel. II was easy digging
there, and had not gone down over two
feet before was throwing out more money
than dirt.
The treasure had been contained entirely
In canvas bags. These had been stout
enough at the outset, but the dampness of
the earth had finally rotted them. could
could not lift single one of the bags out
by itself on this account, but brought
down piece of sailcloth and spread il on
the ground. and then piled the treasure
on it as freed 1t from the dirt. There had
been twelve bags of money, every piece OF
gold. / knew the value only IN English
aurrAnnN- Thara were nieces l knaW -