The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-18

| is almost certainly meant for Tobago;
| Man Friday had been stolen in Trini-
! dad Man Friday. then was a Carib
| Descendants of his relatives still re-
! side in two islands OF the Caribbees
called Dominica and st. Vincent; but
! they are no longer eaters of human
! flesh, being as peaceable as was Fri
| day himself after Cruso had completed
! his education.
Cruso discovered footprints in the
sands,-so did l.
Cruso made this dsquieting discov-
cry after he had been alone on the is
land for Is years and in consequence
was thrown into commissions of terror.
Full well he knew the fate awaiting
there alone, which are indeed the
worst of Salvages for they are Canni-
bales, or Man-eaters, and fail not to
murther and devour all the humane
bodies that fall into their hands"
But although | too found footprints
on the sands, they were more in the
nature of footprints on the sands of
time" being relics Of the Indians who
had lived here when Columbus and
Cruso themselves were alive. In the
sand-drift behind my hut. and occa-
sionally i'm the forest-soil. | found
many traces of the departed Indians
such as stone axes, hatchets, spears
and arrow heads. on one of the cliffs,
oiots AOhih Ahfli lnSGIlDIlOnS.
carved long centuries ago. These re-
mains showed that Indians had often
visited the place, and in that particular
confirmed Crusos story.
But Cruso goes on to say:
when l was come down the hill to
the shore, l was perfectly amaz'd; nor
Is IL possible for me to express the hor-
or of my mind, at seeing the shore
spread with skulls. hands, feet and
other bones of humane bodies; and
particularly l observ'd a place where
there had been fire made. and a cir
Gle dug in the earth. like a cockpit.
where IL is supposed the savage
wretches had sat down TO their inhu-
name Hastings upon the bodies of their
fellow creatures"
Now IL has never been proven that
the Caribs of the West Indies were |
cannibals. Cruso only repeats the IA |
bic of the Spainards; and they never |
saw the Indians actually eating human |
flesh. Nevertheless, on the strength OF |
this assumption he prepares for bat
tie; girds on his great cutlass, his |
Ratchet. and hfs store of ammuni. /
tion.' throws a big musket over each |
shoulder sticks a brace of pistols i'm /
his belt. and then allies forth. to con-
quer or die.
| can't help il; but really, my sympa-
thies were entirely with the ''inhumane
saiNages.' who were comparatively de
fenceless. having only their stone
spears ana battle axes, while the fero-
clous Crusoe carried a whole arsenal of
nre arms. against which the poor
wretches could make no successful re-
sistance. lie surprised them. you
know, at their preparations for the
FEAST and while they were stupefied |
with amazement at the desolating fire
from his muskets. he killed or wounded
nearly all of them. Friday. after ne
had recovered from his fright, killed
SIX OF the Indians, dispatching such OF
them as were merely wounded. and the
grand total was 10. 1t was a great
victory, and you may be sure the two
indians who escaped TO Trinidad
spread the news of the thunder-and-
hre-dealing guns. so that Robinson was
not troubled again by them for many
moons.
There was one thing. however. that
gave me a great respect for Crusoe-
even though | had my doubts as TO the
wisdom Of it-and that was the ire
mendous charge OF powder and ball he
used 10 ram into his old musket A
handful Of powder and six or seven |
bullets was an ordinary load. accord
ng 10 CruSOe; and he used 10 shoot IN
ln rs calmly as though ne We're merely
exploding bunch OF fire crackers.
When I first read Of all this was "A |
.cry small boy; but | was fired with
hr desire 10 emulate his glorious ex-
ample. Ny father had an old queen