The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-04
Su,pass Nny1Axng 0hat
Gver RefoU Robinson
G}u7oe or my of the
Eamou7 He1,oes Of
Fiction.

son were exhausted, I busted myself :
with the condensing of sea water in
my kettle, adding to my store literally q
drop by drop.
Two interminable years had passed
away, when one day the weather sud-
denly changed and a terrible gale COM
menced to blow, which threatened az
most to wreck my little hut. One
morning a few days later, when the
storm had abated somewhat, I heard
Bruno barking wildly on the beach. A.
few seconds afterward he came rush
ing into the hut, and would not rest
until 1 prepared to follow him outside:
Before doing so, however, 1 picked up
an Oar-I knew not why. / then fol-
lowed my dog down to the beach, Won
dering what could possibly have caused
him to make such a fuss. The sea
was somewhat agitated, and as it was
not yet very light, I could not clearly
distinguish things in the distance.
"On peering seaward for the third or
fourth time, however, fancied could
make out long, black object, which 7
concluded must be some kind of
boat. tossing up and down on the bill
lows. Then must confess 1 began to
share Bruno's excitement, particular
ly when few minutes later / dis
cerned a well-made catamaran with
several human figures lying PROSTATE
upon it,
With Rougemont and Brunos as
sistance the men were landed. There
were five of them, all negroes, who
could not speak q word of Rougemont's
language.
They were almost starved He
gave them food and they were
ready to worship him. They readily
fell under the leadership of the white
man. With their assistance Louis de
Rougemont was enabled to haul his
boat over the intervening coral reef
In this boat they made their escape
from the little island, leaving the price
less treasure of pearls there, and they
safely made their.way to the Australian
coast.
From this time commenced series
of adventures more weird, more nor
rible, more appalling and more as
founding than any ever conceived IN
the widest flights of the novelists
Imagination. For nearly thirty years
NJ de Rougemont was cannibal chief,
ruling his people with the wisdom or
the serpent and maintaining his au-
thority over them in ways that are an
astounding revelation OF human lnge-.
nuity.
Rougemont had only the slightest
idea of what part of the world he was
in. He did not know whether he was
really in Australia or on an island 1t
has since been shown that he was on
the northwest coast Of Australia and
the people with whom he had been
thrown in contact the widest and most
Warlike of all the Polynesian races.
The savages had never seen white
man. and thought he was a god. They
made him their chief. He had to per-
form marriage ceremonies. He had to
affiliate at cannibal feasts and do MANY
other things to refuse which would
have meant death to him.
Bv shrewdness he made several at
tempts to escape without gaining the
enmity of the savages. He told them
he would come back.
His first attempt was overland, but
he nearly persisted Of thirst in the aw-
full sands of the Australian desert and
had to return. This raised him still
higher in the estimation Of the people.
and he could do as he pleased.
He tried to escape by sea, but spent
Is months in a frail canoe and suffered
the tortures of the inferno only to re-
turn to his starting place. History does
not record such another trip made IN
q small open boat. 1t covered over 150O
miles.
The devices to which Rougemont re-
sorted to rule his people seem beyond
belief. But he succeeded, all the while
making futile attempts to escape. On
one of his Journeys into the interior he
discovered two English girls living con-
tentedly as the wives OF a cannfbal
chief. He also met the lost explorer
Gibson, but could give him no advice
as to how he should go to get out OF the
horrible country. Many other adven-'
lures did Rougemont have, all remark
able. weird and thrilling. covering the
appalling period of twenty-eight years
in the interior of Australia, and all be-
cause he found three fatal black pearls.