The herald., 1896-03-22

ton, since it was also made by that
eminent writer. whom all good men hold
in reverence, the late Charles Kingsley,
who says: "Crusoe's Island is almost
certainly meant for Tobago; Man Friday
had been stolen in Trinidad Man Fri
day, then, was Carib. Descendants
of his relatives still reside in two islands
of the Caribbees. called Dominica and
st. Vincent; but they are no longer eat
ers of human fesh being as peaceable
as was Friday himself after Crusoe had
completed his education.
| Crusoe discovered footprints in the
| SandS,-SO did |.
! But although l too found footprints
on the sands, they were more in the ma
ture of footprints on the sands of time"
heing relics of the Indians who had lived
here when columbus and Crusoe them.
selves were alive. In the sand-drift be-
hind my hut, and occasionally in the
forest-soil, l found many traces of the
departed Indians. such as stone axes,
hatchets. spear and arrow heads. On
some of the cliffs also, found their rude
inscriptions, carved long centuries ago.
These remains showed that Indians had
often visited the place, and in that par
ticular confirmed Crusoe's story.
| But Crusoe goes on to say:
when l was come down the Hill to
the Shore, l was perfectly amaz'd; nor Is
it possible for me to express the horror
of my Mind, at seeing the Shore spread
with Skulls. Hands. Feet and other
Bones of humane Bodies; and particular
ly I observ'd Place where there had
been a Fire made.an Circle dug in the
Earth. like Cock pit, where it is sup
pos'd the savage Wretches had sat down
to their inhumane Feastings upon the
Bodies of their fellow Creatures"
Now it has never been proven that the
Carbs of the West Indies We're canni-
balls. Crusoe only repeats the fable Of
the Spainards: and they never saw the
Indians actually eating human flesh.
Nevertheless, on the strength Of this as
sumption he prepares for battle; grds
on his great cutlass his hatchet, and
his ''store of ammunition" throws big
musket over each shoulder. sticks a
brace of pistols in his belt, and then
sallies forth. to conquer or die.
can't help it; but really. my sympa-
thies were entirely with the ''inhumane
Salvages," who We're comparatively de-
fenceless. having only their stone spears
and battle-aXes. while the ferocious Cru.
soc carried a whole arsenal Of firearms.
against which the poor wretches could
make no successful resistance. He sur
prised them, you know. at their prepara-
tlons for the feast, and while they were
stupefied with amazement at the desola-
ting fire from his muskets, he killed or
wounded nearly all of them. Friday, af.
ter he had recovered from his fright,
killed six of the Indians, despatching
such OF them as We're merely wounded:
and the grand total was nineteen.
There was one thing. however. that
gave me great respect for Crusoe-
even though l had my doubts as to the
wisdom of it-and that was the tremen-
dous charge of powder and ball he used
to ram into his old musket. A handful
of powder and six or seven bullets"
was an ordinary load. according to Cru.
soc: and he used to shoot it off as calm
ly as though he We're merely exploding
bunch of tire-crackers.
When 1 first read of all this was q
very small boy: but l was fired with the
desire to emulate his glorious example.
My father had an old "Queen-Anne''
muSket hidden away in the garrett, and
whenever | could raise money enough I
used to invest it in powder and try an
experiment on the old gun. With an
equally adventurous companion would
sneak out into the woods, carrying the
gun; we would pour half handful, only.
of powder into the Queen" ram down
two bullets. and then stump each other
to fire it off. Whoever did the deed was
sure TO get knocked over fiat on the
ground, and go home with u big lump
on the side of his head and his middle
finger cut and bleeding from contact
with the trigger-guard. But such was
the fascination about the firing of a gun
that both of us usually went home thus
mutilated; and even then. not till all our
powder and ball had been used up.
l am rather inclined to believe that
Robinson exaggerated those charges of
powder and ball; for 1 know that il I
had put as much into the old gun used
to fire off, this tale would never have
been written.
FRED. A. ORER