Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-07
GRAHAM'S ISLAND.
BY CHARLES b. LEWIS.

We had called at Mauritius on our
way from Liverpool to Bombay in the
ship Farewell and We're five days out
from the island when the adventure oc.
Cured by which we lost the captain and
laid the foundation for this story. 1t
was 8 O'Clock in the afternoon of q
bright day, and the ship was not max.
ing above four knots an hour. What
sea there was Oh would not have both
cred Il quarter boat, and the ship lifted
to a wave only at long intervals. The
second mate and L We're experimenting
some work forward, while the captain
vas alone On the quarter deck. All of a
sudden and without the slightest warn
ing the sea began to boil and heave III
der and around us in the most violent
manner, and for five minutes every man
had to hold on for his life. In her pitch.
ing the craft shipped three Or four green
seas, which swept the decks of every
thing movable. We were congratulating
ourselves that all had escaped when the
captain was found to be missing. The
last wave we shipped had no doubt car
ried him away, and by the time we had
come to this conclusion it was too late
to make any nov
The sea had been disturbed by an
earthquake. Just where we We're when
the agitation began the chart showed
the depth to be a full mile. Three
months later, when soundings were
taken by a French vessel, it was found
that a mountain two miles in circum-
ference at the base had been heaved up
until its crest was only 40 feet below
the surface. The set Of wind and wave
before and after the agitation was to
the westward, and ten minutes after
the ship had come back to a level keel
the wind changed to the east and blew
half a gale for the next seven hours.
As a matter of record, the ship pursued
her voyage and made the port Of Bonn
bay without further adventure, and the
remainder of the story relates to the
| captain. He was swept overheard by
the last wave, just as we concluded, and
presently found himself far to leeward
among a lot of spars and casks which
| the same wave had taken from the main
| deck. While the man seized "a spar and
! passed a flashing around his body he had
N 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 a search for him. The spar to
which he was dashed drifted away to
| the west, aud evening came on. Between
s 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 that there was no longer
| the slightest chance for him. He drift
| ed to the westward, as / have told you,
but how far has never been known.
| Night passed and another day came,
and toward the close Of that day Cap
tain Graham lost consciousness. He
may have drifted a>day after that-per-
haps two days. When he came to his
senses again, he was lying OH a sandy
beach, with his feet in the water. He
had been cast ashore N al island. II
was surely All island to the north and
west Of Madagascar, but for reasons
which will be explained later on it can
not be more definitely located. For al
hour after opening his eyes the mar
could not unlash himself from the spar
When he had finally accomplished tina,
object, he had to crawl on hands ani
knees to reach the shade Of the bushes,
It was high noon and the weather hot,
and the captain was SO exhausted thai
if he had not found fresh water and
wild fruit at hand he must have perish
ed. He ate and drank his fill and the1
slept, and the sui was just rising next
morning when he awoke.
The island, when the castaway cam
to survey it, was about two miles and
a half long by one mile in breadth, and
its average height above the sea wa
not over 10 feet. 1t was Of volcanic orr
gin and was entirely covered with YER
dure, and there were six or seven differ
emit sorts Of wild fruits. Along the
beach were oysters and shellfsh il
abundance, and the captain soon assured
himself that starvation would not b.
one Of the perils Of his situation. Wha1
struck him curiously was the entire alb
senoe Of life on the island. There wa
neither animal nor bird, reptile nor in
scot. There should have been . doze1
varieties Of birds and an abundance O,
insect life OH SO fair q spot with 1T
tropical climate, but it was simply ten
antless. And yet there was life there
and where the castaway least expected
He had been on the islani a week or &C
and had twice walked clear around II
/ when one day as he was gathering frui,
in an open spot he was suddenly ani
flercely attacked by a naked man. The
surprise was great, and the captain hai
not yet recovered his strength, but,
shaking the man off, he seized a clut
and laid about him SO vigorously thai
his assailant ran away.
II was a white man, and from the
marks on his hands he must have beer
= sailor. How long he had lived there
and how he reached the island in thu
first place are matters for conjecture,
but the fact of his being nude went tt
show that he had been there long enough
to wear out his clothes. In breaking
J away from the captain ne ran for ths