The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-06
THE MORNING NEWS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER G, 1895

a very active disposition. and as pastime
l took to gymnastics, even as l had at
MontreuX. l became a most proficient
tumbler and acrobat and could turn two
or three sOmersaults on dashing down
from the sloping roof OF my hut; besides,
l became a splendid high jumper, with
and without the pole. Another thing in
teTested myself IN was the construction
of sundial. l spent many hours devils
ing some means whereby I could fashion
a reliable COCK" and at last l worked
out the principle of the sundial on the
sand. 1 fixed a long stick perfectly up
right in the ground, and then marked OF
certain spaces round it by means of pegs
and pearl shells. I calculated the hours
according 10 The length of the shadows
cast by the sun. 1 always retired at sun
Set and rose at sunrise.
But, in spite of all that I could do to
interest and amuse myself, I was fire.
quently overwhelmed with fits of depres-
sion and despair, and more than once
feared l should lose my mental balance
and become maniac. A religious craze
took possession of me, and, strive as l
would, l could not keep my mind from
dwelling upon certain apparent discrepan-
cies in the various apostles versions of
the Gospel
Il found myself constantly brooding
over statements made in one form by ST
Matthew and in another by St. Luke; and
l conJured up endless theological argu-
ments and theories until l was driven
nearly frantic. Much as 1 regretted it l
was compelled at last to give up reading
my New Testament Qaken from the bOaO,
and by the exercise of a strong viii I
forced myself to think about something
totally different.
1t took me long time to overcome this
religious melancholia, but mastered il in
the long run, and was greatly delighted
when found l could once more read with
out being hypercritical and doubtful of
everything. Had l been cast on a luXuri-
ant island, growing fruits and flowers,
and inhabited at least by animals-how
different would it have been! But here
was nothing to save the mind from mad
ness-merely tiny strip of sand, invisible
a few hundred yards out at sea-
De Rougemont then tells of building In
a lagoon, a boat twelve feet long by four
feet wide, only to find when it was COM
pleted, that it was too heavy for him TO
drag over the rocks into the open water
and that the tide did not lift it high
enough. In the lagoon he says, Il
played the part of Neptune in very ex-
traordinary way 1 used to wade out to
where the turtles were, and on catching
a big 600-pounder, 1 would calmly sit
astride on his back. Away would swim
the startled creature, mostly a foot or so
below the surface. When he dived deeper
L simply sat far back on the shell, and
then he was forced to come up. l steered
my queer Steeds in a curious way. When
l wanted my turtle to turn to the left l
simply thrust my foot into his right eye,
and vice versa for the contrary direction
My two big toes placed simultaneously
over both has optics caused a halt so
abrupt as almost to unseat me.
Il was always devising means of maxi
ing life more tolerable, and among other
things l made a sort of swing which /
found extremely useful in beguiling time
1 would also practice jumping with long
poles. One day l captured a young peli-
can, and trained him to accompany me in
my walks and help me in my fishing oper-
atiOns. He also acted as a decoy. Ere
quently would hide myself in some grass,
While my pet bird walked a few yards
away to attract his fellows. Presently he
would be joined by a whole flock, many
of which 1 shot with my bow and arrows
or lassoed.
But for my dog-my almost human
Bruno--I think 1 must have died 1 used
to talk to him just as though he were a
human being. We were absolutely insep-
arabic. l preached long sermons to him
from gospel texts. l told him in a loud
voice all about my early life and school,
days at MontreuX; recounted to him my
adventures from the fatal meeting with
poor Peter Jensen in Singapore; 1 sang lit
tie chansonS to him, and among these lie
had his favorites as well as those he dis
liked cordially. If he did not care for
a song he would set up a pitiful howl.
feel convinced that this constant COM
muning aloud with my dog saved my rea-
son. Bruno seemed to be an such good
spirits that I never dreamed of anything
happening to him, and his quiet, sympa-
thetic companionship was one of the great
est blessings l knew throughout many
AZ toll To
him he would sit at my feet, looking so
intelligently at me that / fancied he I'M
derstood every word of what l was say
ing. When the religious mania was upon
me I talked over all sorts of theological
subjects with my Bruno, and it seemed to
relieve me, even although l never received
any enlightenment from him upon the
knotty point that was puzzling me at that
particular time. What delighted him most
of all was for me to tell him that 1 loved
him very dearly, and that he was even
more valuable to me than the famous
dogs of st. Bernard were to benighted
travellers in the snow.
RI knew very little about musical instr1l-
ments, but as 1 had often longed for some
thing to make a noise with, to drown the
maddening crash of the eternal surf, I
fashioned a drum out of a small barrel
with sharks skin stretched tightly over
the open ends. This l beat with a couple
ing, and as the dog occasionally Joined In
with a howl of disapproval or a yell Of
joy, the effect must have been picturesque
IL not musical.
"Seven weary months had passed away,
when one morning on scanning the hori-
zon 1 leaped into the air and screamed: My
God, A sail! A sail" l nearly became de-
lirious with excitement but, alas the ship
was too far out at sea to notice my frantic
signals My island lay very low, and all
that 1 could make out of the vessel in the
distance was her sai1s. She must have been
fully five miles away, yet IN my excite
ment / ran up and down the beach, shout
ing in a frenzy and waving my arms in
The hope OF attracting the attention of
some one on board; but it was all in vain.
The ship, which l concluded was a pearl
er, kept steadily on her way, and event
ually disappeared below the horizon. New
er can hope to describe the gnawing pain
at my heart as. hoarse and half mad, 1
sank exhausted on the sand, watching the
last vestige of the ship disappearing. Alto
gether 1 saw five ships pass in this way