The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-21
THE COCOANUT KING.
Marshall wilder in Once a week.

was bound from Crab Island to Porto
Rico on the little sloop Quana-tweIve
tons.
HUE. tropic sea.
7 had twenty-seven fellow passengers,
oil Spanish.
7 spoke only English.
The boom broke and the sail was car
-iad away. We could not fetch Porto
Rico. but drifted hopelessly into the Ca
ribbean.
A few Of us spent twenty-seven days in
the Caribbean; others remained there
probably longer.
Our rations gave out. We had only a
yost and a puppy left exclusive of seven
5ersons, who were deceased. Over these
last there was some dispute going on be-
low as surmised from the voices l
went below and sang Home, Sweet
Home, which seemed to appease all APP
petites for awhile.
The sharks, poor creatures, had been
following US for days. 1 thought of that
eloquent passage 9ln Edwin Arnold's
"Tight of Asia" when a man fed him
self to a lioness to save her cubs. Might
we not do the samel 1 made the propo-
sition: it was voted down. l ordered
all hands on deck. 1 pointed out the pilot
fish of the sharks, how pleaaingly they
seemed to follow-only, however, as it
concerned the deceased. They were lifted
over tenderly, which left us only the two
live animals above mentioned.
Night had been regularly coming on
ever since we had left Grab Island
Meanwhile in addition to the seven, one
woman, two little girls, two boys and one
old man had died. l called up the pilot
fish. turned over the bodies and they were
steered back-I don't know where.
We had consumed all there was on
board.
All my companions lay helpless on their
backs at the bottom of the boat. Istayed
on deck as much as possible. The waves
had been increasing all the time. I
thought of Park row-the Rialto-Daly's
-Thirty-third street-my father-George
Fawcett-the Lambs-my landlady-
AFTER the Ball" and all kinds of things,
when. suddenly, the little sloop was
caught high and dry on the top of huge
rock.
This was on the twenty-sixth day.
went below and tried to brace up the
survivors. There was no response.
Twas night. We were going to pieces,
I hallooed. No answer. I determined
that as long as big, solid rocks were fur
nished free would furnish sand.
/ stood there alone until morning broke
then the boat broke,
saw land; il was an island. We were
on the semicircular coral reef that swept
partly around it.
We had been discovered. The canoes
of the natives were nearing US. ] went
below and told the survivors to get ready
TO go ashore. They wouldn't move.
This was how happened to be on St.
Andrews Island (having lived mostly on
fying-fish during the Journey on Christ
mas morning, IS.
was not compelled to go into these de-
tails, nor am l impelled to say anything
further about the others. 1 did my duty
toward them as l saw it by my own
lights. That is enough to say
commenced to take the census of the
island at once, and divided it off into
wards and ran for mayor.
l was elected.
was the only white person among the
1000 other persons. The rest were ne
groes, and to my delight they had turned
out to be English-speaking Jamaica ne
groes.
when does the next boat go2' I asked.
The boats come here twice a year"
my colored sergeant said.
"Only2"
"Only"
What do they come for7"
"COcoanuts."
"How many cocoanuts have YOU here?"
The island is seven miles by four, and
they grow all over"
just at this point of the conversation 7
had conception. Said 1 to myself l will
give an entertainment to these people to-
night.
set 100 able-bodied men to work build
ing stockade, patched in the chinks with
I'D T1la nd re-
made within.
There was no use in having the chinks
closed; everybody came.
put myself at the entrance to take ad-
mission.
Fifty cents" said I; ''25 cents for chill
dren"
The native whom Iaddressed-for there
was great press behind him-elbowed
ms way through the crowd and soon re-
turned with twenty-five cocoanuts.
we have no money; only cocoanuts,n
he said.
l chuckled inaudibly to myself at my
failure to have thought of this.
How do you know these are worth so
centsl"
That is what the vessels allow; but
tney never pay US any money-only cans
ana kettles and shirts and some other
tnlngs, with some canned goods"
. DNAOI bilC duul6lltc was SGdbeu ndu
taken IN $1,000 cocoanuts. | had them
placed in the orchestra, as there was no
Dand, IN order to keep my eye on them,
and gave my entertainment.
lsprang some of oldest gags" but got
no applause-only cocoanuts.
asked the reason for all this apathy.
Ihey said the things / said was too
new; but they might get used to them in
Ilme so as to do as | would like
20 rehearsed with them every day,
telling them when to applaud; and, after
d months time, had quite a successful
performance, having given the same pro-
gramme every night during that time.
AS an acceAtuation of their. applause
Lhey tired cocoanuts at me, but being
base ball enthusiastic was on to their
curves, and thus made my exchequer
more phethoric.
During these thirty nights-counting the |
renearsals also, for which, too, l charged |
dumlsslon-l had aInassed about 100000
cocoanuts.
had me a cocoanut warehouse built, in
winch they were stored as fast as they
We're taken in at the box office
began to take an interest in the peo- |
PIE, and went about civilizing them. |
TAUGHT them to collect the old cans which
Hau been left in thousands by the ships
u mat mad been coming for years. Then, |
W means Of fshpots set out near shore, |
reu snappers, king fish, hog fish and par
~ uSh were caught in abundance. These
uad canned in the cannery, which was