The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-06-28

was practically dead; all communication
had ceased, except very occasionally, when
some daring dealer in cotton goods risked a
schooner load to some more southern post.
In all the difficulties that encoun tered me
from the first moment Of my landing at Port
Louis, there was none that concerned me
more than securing the help of some able
bodied companion; one to whom l could
talk and who could converse with me and
the Malagasy as well. Some one who knew
something of Madagascar; of the country,
the people and how best TO avoid all these
dangers with which my ears had been filed
since first made known my design. l had
freely advertised in the little French
weekly paper published in Port Louis. My
host in the country. too, had let it be widely
known about the island. The natural con-
sequence followed. had for the first few
days a host Of applicants. And such appli-
cantsi Adventures, broken down specu-
lators, castaways from ships and the riff
raff Of floating, half-creole. half English
population. None suited me. l did not see
a single face that felt could trust in so
long and dangerous an adventure. Finally
gave it up and decided to proceed alone.
Meanwhile had arranged, by half-charter,
with a French gentleman on the island to
60 over to Madagascar and help land a car
60 of cotton goods with which little YES
sci he owned had long been loaded. The
all my goods aboard, / bid farewell to my
kind friends in Mauritius and set sail for
the coast of the Great African Island 7
was practically alone.
KNEW NO ONE
in the motley crowd that peopled the deck
of the schooner. The captain was French
creole Of villainous countenance. He spoke
little broken English, but surly, over
bearing and cruel. The crew consisted of
four men, all creoles, who spoke only bad
French. The dozen passengers were all
French people of the lowest caste, taking
their chance again in q country from which
they had been driven by the Malagasy. In
the weeks passage to the coast would sit
for hours on the roof of the little low house
on deck, buried in my own reflections;
talking for days to no one and finding no
solace in the certainty now Of the desperate
adventure had undertaken. One morning
heard Q shout from forward and saw some
Of the crew leaning over the schooner's rail
and pointed eagerly down at the sea. 1
walked forward and looked over. A large
school of dolphins were sporting in the
foam that the bluff bows of the vessel
made. Two or three Of the men got lines
and commenced to fish with hooks baited
with pieces Of rag. Presently one Of them
crawled out on the short bowsprit 20 get a
better chance. The jib had been hauled
QOWO. 8B Tue SCHOONER was Salllug wing IN
wing' before the spar. The sailor reached
it and sat down. He commenced to IN
wind his line, when suddenly he gave a
shrek, dropped his tackle in the sea and
sprang up the stay. He pointed frantically
at the jib and screamed for the captain.
MY FRIEND WITH THE vILLAINoUs FACE
first ist loose q volley of horrible profanity
at the frightened sailor, then he got over
the bows himself and climbed out on the
bowsprit. The sailor joined him, and they
both began to loose the jib. Presently
there was q shout and q curse, and from
out the folds Of the sails the two men
dragged and held between them the oldest
specimen Of living humanity had ever
seen. They pulled him over the bows and
let him drop heavily on the deck. All the
crew and passengers crowded around, my
self with the foremost. The stowaway, for
such he evidently was, rose slowly and
stiffly to his feet and looked about him.
His face was the face Of q full grown man
Of forty; his body and limbs those Of q boy
of fifteen. His hair was thick, black and
curly: his complexion very dark and
swarthy, and his eyes black As q coal. His
face was devoid of any hair. but with many
around the mouth and forehead.
He wore dirty shirt Of blue flannel that
hung in wrinkles about his diminutive
figure. He was not more than five feet in
height He glanced at US all and smiled