The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1892-12-24

an enormous lltlSS ci t5GstlilJc AT lilS
angle formed by the plateau and the
beach. Capt Willis and Zach made
haste to join the man who was halloo- !
ing to them. 1t might be that within |
this cave would be solved the secret of !;
the wreck, that in this dark chamber
would be revealed the name of the YES
sell The only entrance to the cave was
through q narrow, Grched passageway
near which opening lay the ashes of an
exterior fireplace, the smoke of which
had blackened the walls. The cave
proved to be about twenty by fifteen
| feet in size with q tcn-foot ceiling
quite large enough to accommodate
dozen people. The place was quite bare
excepting the presence of a rude bed of
dried grass covered with bits and shreds
of an old sail, a bench made of pieces of
a plank, two stools fashioned in the
same style, a riciiety table from the
wreck, possibly from the ships cabin.
In the way of utensils, there were q
few plates, few iron dishes, three
forks, two spoons, knife and three
metal drinking cups all eaten by rust
"Poor wretches!'' murmured Zach
French, what destitution they must
: have suffered during their stay on this
island"
"They don't seem to have saved scarce
ly anything of the ships material" re-
piled Capt. Willis, land that proves the
violence with which she must have run
on these rocks and reefs As every
thing went to pieces, how were these
unfortunate beings able to procure food?
No doubt they had u little grain which
| they sowed, some salt meat, some
canned provisions which they gradually
! exhausted. But what an existence!
And how they must have suffered"
4 Yes, with this slender store eked out
with such fish as they might be able to
catch, such were the only means they
Ind to keep body and soul together.
There no longer seemed to be any possi-
bility that they could still be upon the
island. And yet if they had been forced
to lay their bones here it was very prob
able that the remains of the one who
had died last would be found some
where But in spite of all the patient
searching done inside and out of this
cave, no trace of their bodies could be
found.
This leads me to think" observed
Zach French, that these castaways
|
But howe" asked Capt. Willis.
Gould they have possibly with the
debris of the wreck built II raft large
enough to put to sea?"
mo, captain, they didn't have enough
to build canoe with. ! incline to the
opinion that their signal must hnVa
been seen by passing vessel" |"
nut r1ucrr' I-rrffi- pring myself TO
think it."
why not, captain?"
because, if q passing ship had seen
them and taken them off, the whole
world would have heard it, unless that
ship itself had gone down with every
soul on board, which is hardly supposa-
BILE. therefore can't accept the theory
that the castaways of Browse island
were rescued in any such way"
"You may be right, captain" said
Zach, sadly, but If it was impossible
for them to build n raft still there's no
proof that all the ships boats perfshed
in the wreck"
Even So" replied Willis, ''but since
there has been no report in the past few
years of shiplsAerew being rescued IN
fogsds4ss %y Dpipisa - s.
shosv <!f bling this theory; but
still H<{ willing to leave undono
arlvt a{H* x<ici might aid them in
| l<at s: IS WHAT had become of the cast
~ S ilo added: But captain, you
1 # <lfend to visit the other parts of
E7s# to keep my conscience quiet"
Et4d Willis; but first let's go and
s1emove that signal SO that vessels
not be Influenced to leave their
z,Arse to save people who don't exist"
The captain and Zach and the others
\ now made last examination of the |
beach, then, having gained the plateau
\ by passing through the gorge, they
turned their steps toward the promon-
| tory.
They found it necessary to pass
around deep excavation, u sort of |
stony pond fed by the rains and cloud
bursts, in order TO keep on their way.
Suddenly Willis came to II halt q. IS
pointed at four mounds parallel s. +
each other. Possibly they wQpls{ I,}11>{
escaped his attention had q { st -, 8 F
marked by small wooden ~ $tz,y7 |
partially decayed. Tl,eH I,z 2fs&es.
1t was the cemetsx5 M 4ez<aNhys.
"At last, crif.<z s<ere in a |
position to p
The tN5* s. 4 9I % work making
a<S : Z II loosen the dirt,
mast have elapsed since
}s@t3z, for theSgraves contained
4i6t thffag Oct bones Willis ordered
them to be closed again and the crosses
to be replaced. The truth concerning
the wreck on Browse island had again /
escaped Willis and his companions. If
four human beings had been buried on
!. .this spat,.;what had become of him who
<tz2 sz45{ZaEed them this last service?
Z. q 81 zis ff,1os when death struck him
<:ESS 81 N.;2fn had he fallen? Would
!. = Ut <t1}d his bones OH some otheEJ
+ + + ~ .;'issd2 Capt. Willis co.,.
But why shoals 8 81 4 81 + s : s ! &
TIE fact is that tf5ef s ]I|) +: 4:
low that it was the Ef6 81 |I q y
.aa gone to pieces on the Il. = t<4
+ <e island, and the OUTLOOK V4iln
=his second cruise of the Mo1lyss
l}1 <fas sfated to end as fruitlessly us
lis stood with his gaze riv-
et<;& the spot where these poor
castHS were now sleeping that last
sleep ~ - alone had been able to put
an ella a their misery. Were they
Ameri1s fese they his country
men? 4<<s 6tltfI lof hose whom the
I'll
sSsssForW1x re- signalI'' he cried out
Zach and Pc 5tfs Followed him rs
he made hfs the rocky slope by
which ,'ad,: t the ,ei p,sa s. g joined to the
When Willis aisA :.i sssen, had reached
the signal they fpuad staff to be Sc
curely set in desp & the rock, "a
fact which expIained ~ having re-
mained standing SO hong As they had
already discovered by neans of glass,
the staff was the brol,en md of bow
spirit and had come from the wreck be-
low. As TO the rag nailed to it, it was
nothing but shred of. sail, pnrayeled ,