Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-21

wanderings in the story Of selkirk and Juan
Fernandez. In the first place, the terrors
which assaulted selkirk when he found him
self all alone on this wild spot were the
same as those of Crusoe. He wished for
time that he had chosen to be hanged rather
than have come ashore. l don't know about
the finding of the footprints In the sand,
but shortly after Sslkrk came an Indian
was lost in the woods, having landed with
party which Selkirk did not see. This
Indian he adopted and his story concerning
him was the foundation Of Robinson Crusoe's
man Friday. You remember the nursery
rhyme ns to how Robinson Crusoe was
dressed
"Poor old Robinson Crusoe! Poor old Rob-
inson Crusoe!
He made him a coat of an old Nanny goat.
/ wonder how he could do So.
Well, when Selkirk was found, according
to the narrative Of Captain Rodgers, who
took him to England. "he was clad in goat
skins and was running about as though
crazy. He had built fire upon what Is
now known on the island as Robinson Cru
soe's Lookout and had In this way attracted
the ships attention. The Lookout is an
immense hill, which rises almost straight
UP from the shore and the top OF which can
be seen for miles around.
How De Foe Wrote Robinson Crusoe
When Selkirk arrived in London his story
became the talk Of the town. 1t was told
in all the clubs and coffee houses and Sir
Richard Steele described Selkirk' 6
adventures In one Of his papers. He
tells how selkirk at first landing in Eng
land seemed to have lost the character OF
the average man by his solitude, but how
later on this strangeness wore off. Selkirk
published a little pamphlet Of twelve pages
describing his wanderings. The bulk OF
the story OF Robinson Crusoe, however, was
from the brain of Daniel De Foe and it was
his genius that made 1t the greatest story
OF adventure the world has ever known
1t was written in London and was first
| published 179 years ago. A copy of the
| unabridged and original edition is to be
seen in a glass case in the British Museum
library. Later editions have been consider
! ably changed, and 1t Is said there are few
/ books which have been so mutilated by
the printer. Robinson Crusoe is now to be
found in almost every known language. II
has been printed in Spanish, German
Italian, Russian, Greek and Arabic. and
when I was in China a few years ago
was told that a Chinese edition of thS
story was exciting the youthful mind.
among the celestials.
How the Island Looks in 1908.
Had Robinson Crusoe been really cas-
upon Juan Fernandez he would probably
have suffered more than he does in tn,
story. The island Is bleaker and colder thar
De Foes picture of II. 1t Is only twelve
miles long by about seven miles wide, bu
parts OF 1t are the picture OF desolation. /
is great mass Of rocks, which rises up
wards from the waters for more than
thousand feet. 1t is made up Of hills ant
mountains, of little ravines and valleys
The northern half OF the island is covered
with dense vegetation, as Mr.. Spencer
photographs show. but the southern half II
as bleak and bare as the western slopes O
the Andes in the rear OF the Peruvian
desert. The most of the shores are inac
cessible. The best landing place is at Cum
berland bay, at which point there is nov
a fishing settlement which includes abou
all the people OF the island. There are,
Is said. only fifteen people now living there
Back OF the settlement on the bay ther
are cottages, or straw huts, which one
formed the homes OF quite a number @
settlers who lived here. These huts ar
made Of cane wattled with straw. Their
are gardens about some OF them, and q
one time there was an agricultural colon
here. One man attempted to start
stock raising plantation, and ne had, 1t
said, as many as 10000 head Of cattle an
en- equal number Of sheep grazing IN tn