The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-01-18
CHAPTER XVII.
BY YEA AND NAY.

Dreadnaught had but few moments to
live. The dying mans eyes were riveted
upon Mrs. Allaire with strange steadi-
ness.
''Shelton," asked Molly, eff John is
alive where did you leave him? Where
is he?''
ellis power of speech is gone," said
the physician. "It will be necessary to
converse with him by means of signs"
Directing Mrs. Allaire to take hold of
the mates hand, Zach leaned over him
and spoke as follows in clear and dis
tinct tone:
"Listen to me, Shelton. I'll put the
questions to you and according as you
open or shut your eyes we shall know
whether we have guessed the truth or
not
IN this way the sadstory of the wreck
Of the clipper ship and the fate of cap
tain and crew was elected from the
dying man. In leaving Java sea, Capt.
John had passed into Timor sea, through
Sunda strait, but not of his own free
will. A violent tornado had struck the
vessel, dismantling her and driving her
out of her course, and ending by throw
ing her upon the reefs and rocks of
Browse island At the mention of this
name there was look of surprise on
Shelton's face. For the first he now
learned the name of the island on which
the Dreadnaught had gone to pieces.
Two of the crew had persisted in trying
to reach the shore. The others had
lived on the ships provisions and upon
the fish they caught. No vessel had
ever sighted their signal of distress.
They had remained six years on Browse
island, at the end of which time Capt.
John, Shelton and five men had left the
island in a boat which had drifted
ashore, and had reached the Australian
coast at York sound, where they fell
into the hands of the natives, four of
their number having been massacred
by them. The remaining three, Capt.
John, the mate Shelton, and one seaman
had been carried prisoners into the in
terror. The seaman had died long ago,
SO that at that moment there were but
two survivors and one of them Law at
deaths door.
For nine years the captain and mate
had been held close prisoners by the
natives in hopes that scouts would be
sent for the lost men with offers Of
large ransoms. At last an opportunity
of escape had presented itself, but for
some reason Capt. John had not taken
advantage of it. Shelton alone eluded
his keepers and after wandering about
hopelessly in the bush for six months
he had been picked up in a dying con-
dition on the banks of the Paroo.
French succeeded in locating with
tolerable accuracy the hunting grounds
of the tribe in question.
eve shall go in search Of him there"
cried Molly, ''and we shall find him."
And at these words the eyes of the
dying man frightened. Capt. John
would be saved, and saved, too, by her
whom he loved so well!
The mate breathed his last toward
nine o'clock in the evening. At the
sound of Molly's voice calling him by
name, he had opened his eyes and MUIR
INJURED: "John! JOhn!" and with a deep
and long-drawn sigh his spirit had fed.
That evening, as Mrs. Allaire was
leaving the hospital, she was accosted
by boy who seemed to be waiting for
her on the steps. He belonged on board
the Brisbane, one of the steamers which
coast along between Sidney and AIDE
laide.
''Mrs. Allaire?" he asked timidly.
"What do you want, my boy?"
GCTe II o,.,-x7 C1o o14O77 Iao5OD