San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-02-06


1000, but much of it was still handsome
and strong There were boots and shoes
in numbers, which were very acceptable
To both George and Maxwell, as they were
both barefoot, and these sharp stones and
clinkers were Very hard to walk upon.
But, while they were dazzled by the
sight of the gold and silver, they were de-
lighted by the pots and kettles and the
crane and fire irons which they found, and
they now felt that they could sustain life
comfortably until some ship should come
by there for water, though they knew that
it might be years before one came; and
they made their calculations accordingly.
George during the next few days occu-
pied himself in bringing up their meat
and driftwoOd, and they set about count
ing their wealth, but as that was in
doubloons and other old Spanish coin,
they did not know the real amount, though
they knew themselves rich. -
George was of necessity the principal
provider, as MaXwell's leg gave him great
pain in going up and down the rough
paths, but they lived, if not happy, in
great peace and affection for each other.
George often went to sleep with his eyes
swollen with tears, and he regretted that
he had been the cause of Maxwells suf-
fering, at any rate indirectly, but he was
not as impatient as any other person
would have been at this complete isola-
ton, for he had only wanted to keep safe
ly away from l. until he was old
enough to cope with Startling, and he
much preferred this life to being kicked
and cuffed and sworn at on board any
ship.
Maxwell, en- the other hand, had a
fatherly affection for this bright young
boy with his handsome brown eyes and
cheerful manner, and as he had no special
home ties, he was fairly content, though
as time passed on he did sometimes wish
chat he could have few sea biscuit or a
change. of diet. Fish and turtle steaks
and stews are good, but they become
little monotonous.
George had, like all boys, read Robin
son Crusoe, and the ideas that he picked
up from that famous book stood him in
good stead now, and from that he learned
to make salt and to do many things which
he would never have thought of. ..
Day after day George wandered around
the island, and barren as the place was he
seldom came back empty handed. There
were no birds, no small animals, no vegeta-
ton and no fruit, yet he found turtles
eggs sometimes and in few instances he
managed to get some mussels and oysters,
and there was one kind of sea kelp which
was not at all unpalatable when boiled
with turtle fat. There were numbers of
books in the chests in different languages,
and as Maxwell spoke little Spanish he
took to studying them, and before many
Iicnths he could read them and speak the
language, too.
They fixed the lookout, ard almost
every day they sat there watching the
ocean in the faint hope that ship might
come in sight, but none ever came. They
had found a very fine telescope, and
through this they looked toward Abe
marie island, but that seemed a more bar
rem and deSOlate place than their own,
and they would then congratulate each
other that they had been cast on this one.
One day George was looking with the
glass, and he saw barrel floating 20
ward the cove where they had first landed,
and giving the glass to Maxwell he
bounded down the path toward the shore.
1t was some time before the barrel drifted
to where he stood, and his heart beat high
for fear it would float off, because he knew
that lie could not get it by swimming nor
wading, but finally, just as he was giving
up hope it came within reach and he
drew it gently to the shall0west place and
fastened blight of rope around it, but he
could not draw it up alone.
Maxwell had started down, and was
soon there, and their united efforts
brought it up on land, where, to their great
Joy, they found that it was filed with
rice. Much of it was wet, but that mat
tered little to them and soon they had
kettle of boiled rice which tasted like the
daintiest food that was ever prepared, and
they spread the rest out to dry. Where
this rice came from they never knew,
probably from some other unhappy ship
which had left its timbers in the insatia-
BILE nav Of the rocky Rodondo, but they
enjoyed it thoroughly, and were thankful
for it.
Their life continued thus for over two
years. George was now nearly 16, and
he was developing into a hardy, strong
and active manhood, and though the sun
had burned him almost brown, he was
handsome as a man can be. His free,
active out door life gave him develop
ment that he could never have had shut
up in school, and yet his mind was not
neglected, for during the heat of the day
ard the long nights his clear intelligence
was rapidly overcoming all the learning
in the books at his command, and though
he had had no teacher but his own will TO
learn, and his own study, he could have
put many a college taught boy of his own
age to the blush.
Maxwell regarded him with mingled
awe and affection, and was not wretched
in this isolation sincs it gave him the so
ciety of this noble boy; yet he would have
5een glad to see him in his proper sphere.
They both schoOled themselves to think
that it might be years before any ship
would pass that way, and they tried to