The times., 1897-03-21

had a narrow escape from being swept
overheard. and for two or three minutes
had lost sight or Capt. Graham. The last
sea we shipped had no doubt carried him
away, and by the time we had come TO
this conclusion it was too late to make
any move.
The sea had been disturbed by an earth
quake. Just where we Were when the agi-
tation began, the chart showed the depth
to be full mile Three months later, when
soundings were taken by a French vessel,
it was found that a mountain two miles in
circumference at the base had been heaved
up untilitS crest was only forty feet below
the surface. The set OF wind and wave
before and after the agitation was to the
west ward. and ten minutes after the ship
had come back ton level keel the wind
chafsed to the east and blew half gale
FOR tte next seven hours AS a matter of
record, the ship pursued her voyage and
made the port Of Bombay without further
adventure, and tie remainder Of the story
relates To the captain. He was swept over
board by the last wave, Just as we con-
Guided. and presently found himself far 10
Ieeward among a lot of spars and casks,
which the same wave had taken from the
main deck While the man seized spar
and passed a lashing around his body, he
had no hope OF rescue.
Almost before he realized his position
the ship was a mile away, and he felt
sure that no boat would be lowered to
make search for him The spar TO which
he was lashed drifbed away to the west,
and evening came on. Betw cen 3 O'Clock
and sunset four ships passed the drifting
man. but all too far away to see or hear
and when night came down he felt tt,at
there was no longer the slightest chance
for him He dIifted to the westward. as
j have told you, but how far has never
been known Night passed and another
day came, and toward the close Of that
day Capt. G raham lost consciousness He
may have drifted a day after that-per-
haps two days. When he came to his
senses again he was lying on a sandy
beach, with his feet in the water He
had been cast ashore on an island 1T was
surely an island to the north and west
Of MAZDA sascar, but for reasons which win
be explained later on it cannot be more
definitely located For an hour after
opening his eyes the man could not un-
lash himself from the spar. When he had
finally accomplished that object he had
TO crawl on hands and knees to reach the
shade of the bushes. 1t was high noon and
The weather hot. and the captain was so
exhausted that il he had not found fresh
water and wild fruit at hand he must
iave peTished- He ate and drank his fill
and then slept, and the sun " as J1st ris-
inG next morning when he awaoke.
The island, when the castaway came to
survey it, was about two miles and a half
long by one mile in breadth, and its aver
age height above the sea was not over fif-
teen feet. 1t was Of volcanic origin, and
was entirely covered with verdure, and
there were six or seven different sorts of
wild fruits. Along the beach were oysters
and shellfish in abundance, and the cap
tain soon assured himself that starvation
would not be one of the perils of his stu
alton What struck him curiously was
The entire absence Of life on the island
There was neither animal not bird, reptile
nor insect There should have been dozen
varieties of birds and an abundance of in
sect life on so fair a SPOT, with its tropical
climate; but il was simply tenantleSs. And
yet there was life there, and where the
caStaway least expected. He had been on
the island a week or SO, and had twice
walked clear around it, when one day as he
was gathering fruit in an open spot he was
suddenly and fiercely attacked by a naked
man. The surprise was great, and the
captain had not yet recovered his strength
but, shaking the man off, he seized a club
and laid about him so vigorously that his
Rssailant ran away.
1t was a white man, and from the marks
on his hands lac must have been a sailor.
How long he had lived there and how he
reached the island. in the first place. are
matters for conjecture, but the fact OF his
being nude went to show that he had been
there long enough to wear out his clothes.
In breaking away from the captain he
ran for the beach. The latter followed
at his heels, shouting for HIM TO stop.
but the unknown ran to the water, plunged |
In and SWAN straight out to sea, looking
back now and then and seeming to be in !
terrible fright. he held TO his course until
he could no longer be seen, and there was |
no doubt he went to his death, as he did |
not return. In a dense thicket the cap |
tain found rude shelter. which the man |
had used, and among the dried grass |
forming his bed were a few fragments |
or cloth, which had once been q pea |
Jacket There was also sailors pipe 4
and an empty tobacco box. Living there /
alone for years and years. with neither the /
note or a bird or the chirp OF q cricket to |
cheer him, the man had lost his mind, !