The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-11-04
Extraordinary Of Story Of 4 MeasTl
Adventure.
MAN CAST AWAY THIRTY YEARS
a Pear SEEKING Expedition
Amonss, the Blacks 81 Aus
usns- story OF Rescue.

In the Wide World Magazine FOR sep
TENDER there begins a narrative which
IL described as the story OF the most
amazing experiences a man ever lived
TO tell NJ. Louis de Rougemont. the
hero OF this extraordinary story. Is a
Frenchman, born at Paris In 1874.
When he was nineteen years Of age he
went to the far East TO make his for
tune. and In 1868 invested his little
money with a pearl-hshery adyenturer
who sailed from Batavia. Louis de
Rougemont and hiSpartner, Peter Jen-
sen, sailed In 1868 In forty-ton
schooner named the veielland. to 20
ON a pear-tshing expedition with a
crew OF Malays on the south OF New
Guinea.
Despite the occasional attacks Of
devii-fish as terrible as that described
by Victor Hugo and the constant pres
ence OF sharks, which used to be hunt
ed and captured by the pearl-hshers,
the trip was extremely successful. Al
the end OF the season In 1864 the take
OF pearls was valued by Captain jon
sen at 10000. They had a very fair
share Of adventures while pursuing
their calling In the New Guinea wat
ers, and on one occasion had to use
the argument OF grapeshot in order to
allay the animoslty OF the natives,
after which fishing on New Guinea be-
came impossible. on they went. there
fore TO some hitherto unexplored fish,
ing grounds, the precise locality OF
which NJ de Rougemont does not
know. There they obtained three mag
niicent black pearls. treasure which
led Jensen TO continue fishing two
months after he ought to have stopped
and gone home. The season ends US
ually in May. He went on fishing till
July.
One morning Jensen and eleven o.
the crew left the ship in the little
boats for the pearl fishery, leaving De
Rougemont and dog alone on board
the ship. a great storm arose, which
swept the ship away, carrying De
Rougemont and the dog with IT, OF
Captain Jensen and the Malays moth
Ing was seen or heard again. For sew
eral days the vessel drove before the
wind, and when the storm abated De
Rougemont tried to steer her westward
with the aid OF long steering oars, fol-
the rudder had been smashed In the
storm. After thirteen days he ap.
preached the Australian coast and ran
into a narrow strait between Melville
and Bathurst Island. There he was at.
tackled by natives, but hoisting the
mainsail he stood for the open sea
where for four days he sailed alone
without incident. But on the fourth
day the vessel struck a coral reef ant
remained fixed.
He made a raft and succeeded II
reaching small sand-bank which ros,
a few feet out OF the waters of III,
lagoon. 1t was 100 yards long, 10 yards
wide, and only feet above the sea a
high water. Upon this sand-spit ID
Rougemont lived for the next two ant
a half years. He rescued sufficient sal
wage from the wreck to provide him
self with a sleeping place and will
food. Early in his sojourn on thi'
desolate sand-spt he discovered ;
singular hole in the sand about tw,
feet deep. On scratching the sand b.
came upon human remains, and in al
hour unearthed sixteen complete skel
etons. Plenty OF sea-birds visited tn,
Island, whose eggs supplied him will
food. In his youth he had taken |
keen interest In archery, and he hal
with him bow and arrows, will
which he was able to secure birds TO
his table. A fire he made by striking
a steel tomahawk against a stone one
and having once obtained fire, he neve
allowed II to go out during the who,
time he remained on the island.
IL oh L.
landed from the ship the greater par
OF the cargo, including its valuabl
pearl shells, of which they had owe
thirty tons on board, the value O
which he computed at several thou
sands. The pearls OF course he re
moved and buried in the sand, wher
they remain to this day. BY way @
amusement he built himself house @
the pearl-shells, the walls of whic
were z feet high, feet thick, and !
feet long. Finding a stock OF seeds /
the captains cabin, he planted them
soil prepared by mixing the san
with the blood OF the turtles which h
killed, and very soon had crops &
corn, from which he was able to oil
tain straw to thatch his house. ii
caught plenty Of fish, and further sur
plemented his store by robbing tn
pelicans OF the fish which they brough
to land for their young ones. He mad
hammock out Of sharks hide an
generally behaved himself after tn
fashion OF Robinson Crusoe. He ma
an English Testament which he rea
aloud until he nearly went mad b
. worrying himself over theological dill
fculties. He then set to work to bull
boat out Of the remains OF the shiI
He succeeded after seven months !
building a heavy sailing boat ~ fee
long by feet wide. He launched
and then discovered that ne had bui
II on the wrong side OF his island. an
that the boat was floating in lagoo
from which there was no access to tn
open sea. During all this time his do
was his only companion, and by cor
tinually talking to him ne found hil
not bad substitute for a human b,
ing.
II was seven months after he ha
been cast away that he first saw a ga
ON the horizon. Although in Ii
course OF two and half years Nv