The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1892-07-01

u'e""'. ~ WIS useless to Sn0u', a.
| was miles away and had taken
care to tell no one where | had
gone. Morning came, and | then
saw my condition fully. ! was
held by my legs aad right arm
my left arm was free, but | could
not reach my feet TO dig the sand
away | was bound as fast as they
say our kinsmen in the north coun.
try bound their victims for Sacri.
flee. AT the end of the day | was
very weak and ate The leaves. p
'The next day ate the mud aud
water and some worms winch |
found. The stream was growing
lower, The water evaporating in the
not sun, and the insects bade lair
to destroy me. At night the ia.
gnar's cry fell upon my ear, and
every rustic of the Ieayes, The sigh.
ing OF lie wind, aroused me. Did
you ever hear the leaves talk, Sc.
nor! They do, though it is only
at certain Times that we can inter
pret them; our nerves mus, be
tuned to higher tension, as Fa.
ther Moreno says; then we can re.
spond to them. | seemed TO hear
sounds | never heard before. The
leaves made music, The wind sigh.
Ell among the lanes, and soft notes
arose everywhere, and imagined
they were talking to me.
"Five days had passed, The wa.
Ter was gone and was so weak
that l waited for death. As The sun
rose, and WAS thinking how hard
II was to give up life, | felt some
thing touch my hand. AT first |
thought it was Imagination. then
by an effort | turned my head
Santa Maria Ito see a miracle.
On my ouls,relched hand Was a
fish we call the hassar. Ii had
crawled into it, and lay painting.
opening and shutting its gills ard
looking at me with its dark eyes.
thought | must be dreaming, but
l cllnched he fish, which slipped
away, but | caught it again and
ate II. II came to me a sacrifice,
gave itself to save me, and when |
looked around again to listen 10 a
new rns,ling sound, and saw that
the ground was covered with fishes
all moving slowly down the dry
bed of the stream, standing erect
upon their fins in search of water.
They came by hundreds, climbed
over me, falling upon my face, and
l caught them, ate Them and piled
them up about me.
Hope was raised again, yet |
could not move, and my only
chance was that some one would
find me. Days passed, and | lin
gered on. had dug "a hole with
my free hand, and enough water
oozed through to sustain me. while
the fishes that still crawled by me
provided me with food. How long
II was | know not; but one day I
saw above The trees a smoke, and |
knew that my people were near.
| was too weak TO cry aloud, so !
lay and watched. The fishes sllll
went on and | passed the hours by
them and watching their
curious ways. They used The two
lins like arms or legs, sometimes
topping over upon their sides;
now entering the little pools to re.
fresh themselves, but leaving the
water to crawl along again.
"Whlle | watched them it came
to me that they We're gong 10 the
mouth OF the river TO avoid the
drought, and could | not send a
to my people 1t was an
easy matter to tear my shirt, and
with my teeth | shaped bits of
white cloth until had a hundred
'r more. Then | began to catch
The fish. Every one that passed
me lett with bill OF white cloth
pushed upon the spine of its upper
in. The next day did the same,
and for three days l sent these
messengers 10 my people. The
fish were black, senior, and The
white cloth could be seen quite
Instance.
'The days went by, how many
know not, when one night | dream,
I'd that | saw my friends. | awoke
o see a great light, and in the Gen.
er the one l loved best /; then |
must have died OF JOY. But lly-
ID, senOr," and here the tall Indian
hrew his arm about young girl
whose dark eyes cleaned with
error at the memories aroused. |
She, my wife, found me and the
Message was carried to her by the
,assars. So, senior. the fish saved
ny life, brought my wife to me.
What would you have ne dog
Forget them? think not. J
Such was he romance and al !
most tragedy Of Saleadea. He had
,een crushed by the tree for near
y two weeks. His people had
'earched far and near without sue. |
Tess, and when the canoe was
ound 1t was supposed he had fal.
en- overheard and was lost. But
here was one who did not give up. |
She wandered farther down The |
tream than the others, and one
lay pushed her canoe up a little
tream, rapidly growing dry, 10
,atch a turtle. Here she was at. |
by the hassars that were |
coming down overland and escap.
ng into the main water. While |
ho wotnLcd thn,n ehn not;aoJ