Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-03-28

The second shower disturbed them less
than the first, the third less than the Sec
ond, and the fourth hardly at all. By the
time the sixth fell they were quite at home
and feasting royalty. l should say the
whole company did not number more than
score, though to judge by the chatter
there might have been several hundreds.
The banquet lasted for fully half an hour,
and am sure the host enjoyed it quite rs
much as the guests. Having finished the
feast, they slipped quietly away, judging
it good manners evidently { take their
departure with as little fuss as possible.
Next night they returned with increased
confidence aud good will, and indeed every
night so long as we remained on the brig
they came to cheer my solitude and eat
their supper. We gradually got so famil-
lar that toward the close of our strange COM
panionship they evinced no fear or bashful-
ness whatever in my presence, but ate as if
they knew they were welcome, hardly even
getting out OF my way when l moved about
the cabin. Had we continued long enough
together am confident could not only
have taught them to love me, but to gam
Dol and perform tricks. AS it was, they
knew my evening whistle and would come
with questioning eyes and looks of eNpee,
tation to have their meals.
Meanwhile the Bird of Paradise continued
miraculously to float. anydays passed ere
I could make o survey and ascertain the ac-
tual damage she had sustained or what
stress ot weather she might still be able to
stand, but after the first day it was obvious
that if the crew had not been cowardly in
leaving her they had at least been precipi-
tate. But as grew accustomed to the lone
liness-my hope keeping strong-I was not
sorry vhey had gone; indeed as time ran and
Twas still safe my fearwas that they might
SPY the brig and return. The wish that |
might never look on one of them again,
Mr.. Watson only cxcepted-and he, I knew,
must have perished-grew with my grow
ing strength, and my strength increased
hourly. For some time the fever troubled
me in the evening, but hope and a good
constitution, with few grains OF qulni Ne
per day, gradually overcame it, and within
a week was able to make my way with
comparative ease about the lower part of
the ship.
It might have been the fifth or sixth day
from tie time was deserted when man.
aged to crawl up rhe companonway, and
surely never shall | forget the strange, &C.
static feeling that came oyerme on stepping
again into the sunlight and the open air. 1t
was lonely and desolate enough, heaven
knows, TO find ones self the only soul on
board der.lict ship in the midst Of the
ocean, but even with desolation it was re-
turning life and was glad beyond express
sion. I stood for awhile ut the head of the
stair inhalinS the balm, then turned my
attention to the brig.
She was as ragged and battered as any
craft that ever encountered and survived
hurricane in the tropics. The jib boom
7Tas gone, the broken iCremast lay over the
side entancled in mass of shrouds and
rigging that it had pulled down, the I'M
furlei sails we're hanging in ribbons, show
Ing that the blast had caught lis une!;pect-
cGly and found US unprcpared, and the deck
was strewn with wrecEagc. / could not
discover, however, that the hull had suffer.
ed very seriously. There were sprung
planks and boards indeed, the bulwarks
were smashed, as well as part of the after
deck, but as these injuries were above the
water line they might not mean much. The
most serious damage was to the steering
gear, which was completely wrecked. The
brig lay heavily to one side like vessel
running close hauled, and she was going so
slowly that there was scarce ripple at her
cutwater. My examination increased my
hope. Solong as heweather held fair was
safe.
My survey finished, I sat down on the
BOBBY hatch to take the air. The ocean
was asleep. There was not sound in all
the wide solitude, nor, so far as could see,
any living thing to break the eternal 81
lcEcc. The brig was all alone, IA specii on
sky shut seas" and q very insignificant
speclz, too, VIXEN you come to think Of it.
I wonder if any man ever before sailed
those seas in plight like mine OF Was so
utterly alone since Robinson CrusGe built
himself hut on his island.
suppose it is evidence of the inherent
cupidity of human nature that very soon
began to think how should dispose of my
goods in the event of my being picked up
or Of my drifting into some port. Would
the profit be hororably mine or ought it to
30 to Mr. Mathcson? Yes, it should be his,
for he owned both ship and cargo. de
cidcd to sell the goods, return to Bombay,
hand him over his money, report the con-
duct of his men and turn to my own affairs.
Ny experience had not yet taught me the
folly of speculation. Providence had de-
creed that ship and cargo were to be dis
posed Of in manner that little expected.