Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-04-21

NeylnE Une ICY waters OF Long lSltuu SOuuu
over the side of sound steamer, 'is the
only thing for mans nerves-the only
thing | once thought that had seen too
much of it, but I've recovered from that
feeling. Did | ever tell you the storys
Struggling Samson, but it is Il queer onel
I'm 1888 was interested in what prom
Used to be very biz thing on the Pacific
coast. 1t involwA1 purchase of fast
steamers, and it |, - Il to the carrying of
certain cargoes to be bought in China.
Voyage home-latitude, AZ degrees so
minutes; longitude, IA degrees 20 minutes
west we sighted land. Now, sir, if you
will tell me what island group is located up
there in the lonely north Pacific in the
track of man who might be steering quiet
ly for Vancouver I'll name you as one of
the trustees of my will or one of the law
yers to defend it, whichever you choose.
Why you might have bought my sailing
master, Roger Appleby, and he was grit
ty man, for 3 a'pence. He thought he was
out of his reck oning, and that we had struck
the Farallones.
There was no choice for us but to land
and find out If every blamed instrument on
the ship was cross warped. Says Appleby
Blow me, if know the place from a bloom
ing whales back'-an Englshman was APP
pleby Never village could be seen, huts
or fishing bo~es, nor Il signal station of any
| kind tropical vegetation, too, and balnly
air and a sort of soft luxuriance to the col
ors of the trees and flowers that made you
banker to get on shore and stretch in n
hammock. For heavens sake, said | to
Appleby, is it possible we've headed south
and fetched at Samoan
1--WE put out boat and made a landing in
q cove where the water was so clear and still
the place looked like a natural water cool
er Did you ever know what it was to feel
| like Alexander Selkirk or Robinson Cru
soc? tell you, sir, that u man who lives
in this nineteenth century and in civilized
! attitudes finds himself met on beach by
troop of all kinds of wild birds and beasts
of pumage and skin as gorgeous as the ris-
I ing sun at daybreak, hustling over each
other to make acquaintance, goes right
back into the centuries of romance and
wouldn't swear to anything, not even Wall
street. Why, there was some sort of par
rakeet perched on my shoulder and sang to
me, smuggling down his beak into my face
like 3-year-old baby! Said to Appleby
Lord deliver usv
I'VE struck inland through groves ard
meadows of a beauty simply supernatural
| can give you no idea of them. But not a
living soul did we meet, nor did we see a
humal habitation in all this wilderness of
superb, magnificent, idylic vegetation un-
til we stIuc, Il little hill, from whose rise
we began to see the great tranquil ocean,
all milky blue in the sun, and there all of "a
sudden we came face to face with an old
monk in long brown robe and with Il
beard that swept tine ground, who smiled
at us and lifted his hand to give us his bless
ing. -,
Padre Junipero, and they've put him here
to live il thousand years This will make
the biggest story that San Francisco has
ever heard
do you know what this place is?' said
Appleby, kind of choking. It's St Bran
dams isle
You have heard of St. Brandan's isle,
suppose? | never had, and only know now
what of its history Appleby could tell me
in his way; but I've seen it, and know it
exists, and never argue with IA sailor now
when he tells one of the strange things that
the ocean keeps IA secret from landsmen.
1--WE must get away says Appleby. The
man was moved to his core, tell you.
And Why asked him.
For one thing said he, we are not
good enough to set foot on such Il land, and
for another thing, the men,
"'And what will they doy' said l.
"'If they find out what place this is, said
Appleby, do you suppose they will ever
leave it?'
POOH said |. I'll tell them myself,
and you shall see whether they listen to
what have to say. Why, man alive, is it
possible that you don't understand what
this means to us? Didn't you say this was
floating island?'
i Sni ha nm no IL hnG ont
ed out of our knowledge, for it was sup
posed to lie off the Canaries, and it's been
looked for in the south Atlantic all these
, years
Here we find it then said |, and We'll
! tow it to the California coast and anchor il
oil the Goldea Gate. A fortuney Why
good heavens, this is hundred fortunes
; for you and ne, and all of us!
ut was an idea that don't take any spe
t ciGl credit for, for it would have occurred
to any man of common sense at once Mer
! ciful powers, think of it, clear title, 10y
{, discovery, to st. Brandan's isle! The Who'll,
island, just of size to tow to land, mooreC
, of the coast of the greatest nation in thu
, world, and all this miracle exhibited for thu
a benefit of its 100000 of people. Why, TIN
imagination is utterly powerless to conceiv,
. of better way to benefit humanity! | saw
i tnuJ place, SIT, lndue III Tue urn Oh d MANI
+ into the most wonderful resort that tn
y world would ever know-parks laid out b,
/ the simple process of running fences; TIN
necessary roads and paths judiciously cut
y electric lights introduced; portion, no
too large, of the seabeach reserved for build
ing lots cathedral built for st. Brandal
:. and his monks, and as for natural SAM
tarium, a panacea for all diseases, an at
mosphere and a soil that would prolOng lif
beyond the psalmist's span. Here wer
Y actually, veritably incontestibly, all thes
e things. | grow dizzy now when think c
r what might have been.
r II suppose need hardly say that whe
a. | explained all this to Appleby he rounde
Ie on me. Besides being "a sailor and supel
ot stitious, he was an Englishman and pc
~ verse, and at first he vowed and swore tina
At nothing under heaven should persuade hiI
D: to lend a hand to such scheme. Eve
10 when pointed out to him that by his ow
showing the trees grew food fit for Utopii
il, and that there were mines of precious me
ais and stores of precious stones sufficieI