Evening star., 1898-10-29

rose and the current became more swift
until finally ne was swept along at a tre-
mendous rate by the rushing current, which
carried him cut to sea.
Some distance from the mouth of the
river DE Rougemout and his wife landed On
a large island inhabited by a number of
natives, who gave him a dugout canoe to
take the place of his raft. Thence he pro-
ceeded along the coast in the direction in
which he believed Cape York to lie
AT length they fell in with a small vessel
carrying Malay beche de mer expedition
The fishermen received them Hospitality
and offered to carry them back to kopang
In the Dutch Islands. At this point how
ever De Rougemont's black wife refused 20
accompany the party through fear of the
Maiays, and rather than desert her De
Rougemont gave up this opportunity of
rescue. This was about the year 1865.
Back Where He Started.
Captain Davis, the commander OF the
Malay vessel. informed De Rougemont that
he would be likely to find white men at
Port Darwin, between 800 ami 400 miles
away. De Rougemont accordingly set out
in his canoe to reach Port Darwin. After
travelling forward for two weeks, and when
he believed that he must be close to Port
Darwin. terrific storm arose which
swept the canoe out of sight of land and
nearly cost the lives of its occupants. In
the course of the storm they were evidently
swept past Port Darwin, for. after sailing
sight of familiar land and found them
selves once more on the shores OF Cam
bridge gulf, the identical point from which
they had started.
The natives welcomed them back with
every sign of delight and De Rougemont
was careful not to explain to them that his
return was Involuntary. For a long time
after this bitter disappointment he re-
mained among his Cambridge gulf friends.
always keeping a sharp lookout for visit
ing ships and making several short eXplor-
ing expeditions along the coast but not
attempting another trip across the conti-
nent.
On one occasion. while the whole tribe
were in camp some distance from their reg
uiar home, ship was sighted some three
or four miles off shore. De Rougemont
and his followers made frantic signals to
her, and when these received no answer
they set out in their canoes and RATS TO
reach her. When within hailing distance
volley fired from the ships side wounded
De Rougemont and overturned his canoe,
the crew of the vessel evidently believing
that they We're being attacked by hostile
natives. Before the canoe was righted the
ship made all sail to get away.
Striking for Civilization.
Some months aftcrward, when he had re-
covered from his wound, De Rougemont
determined to make another strike for
civilization and set off due SOUTH not
knowing that this direction would take
him directly into the unexplored heart of
the continent. On this trip many wonders
were encountered, including rain storm
winch brought down live fish, a countless
horde of rats which devastated all the
country it passed over. and a cave full of
immense snakes There were also many
narrow escapes from death at the hands
of hostile, natives
On one occasion, believing that a native
chief medtated treachery. De Rougemont
ana MS wife left the camp which they had
| constructed and slept in the bush. In the
morning they found a number of spears
sticking through the bark sides of the
camp in the place whore they would have
slept ordinarily.
Month after month the journey was con-
tinued in a Southerly direction 1t was
impossible to travel due south but they
followed a zigzag course from water hole
to water hole, after the manner of the
natives.
Fired Upon by Whites.
When he was some seven months out and
while travelling in company with a small
party of blacks, De Rougemont came sud-
denly upon four white men. At this time
he was naked, like the savages, and so
tanned and Drowned by exposure to the
weather that in appearance he was much
ike them. Forgetting this in his excite
ment, however he rushed toward the white
men, who promptly fired upon his party
and then retreated. For this affair De
Rougemont assumes the entire blame say
ing that he would doubtless have done the
same thing under like circumstances.
Two or three weeks after this encounter
De Rougemont and his wife came across
another white man, who had lost his rea-
son and was wandering aimessly about in
the desert. This man lived with them for
some two years, recovering his mind
finally just before his death, sufficiently
to inform De Rougemont That his name
was Gibson and that he had been a MEM
Der of the Giles expedition
King of the Blacks.
After the death of Gibson, finding that
there was apparently no hope of reaching
civilization by following an overland route
De Rougemont determined to settle down
among the friendly blacks, and, if necessa-
ry, end his days there. To this decision, he
says, he was moved largely by the plead
lnSS OF his native wife, for whom he had
come to entertain A most sincere affection
He therefore settled down in the mountai
Gus region near the center of the continent
and ultimately became king or ruler over a
number of large tribes. In this manner he
lived out the next twenty Years of his lfe
and would probably have ended his DAYS
there had not an epidemic OF influenza
swept over the continent and carried away
his wife and children.
Being thus left alone, De Rougemont de-
clded to make one more attempt to reach
clVllZaton, and, leaving his mountain
nome, set out toward the southwest In
thiS, as IN previous journeys, he was un-
able to follow direct line but had to go
hither and thither with the tribes that he
met in his journey. After a time he came
across tree marked Forrest" evifentIy
the name of an explorer who had passed
that way. Turning south from this point
ne at length, several days journey north
of Mount Marga, learned that a party of
Whlte prospectors Were near by. Taught
by his previous experience he decided 10
get some of the natives to procure clothes
FOR him before he presented himself TO the
white men.
New Robinson Crusoe.
When he Joined the prospecting party and
informed them that he had been journeying
from the interior for nine or ten months,
they looked upon him as a person of weak
intellect, and when he asked the question.
What year is this?" they were convinced
that he was crazy. However, they permit
ted him to accompany them back to Mount
MafGa, which was the nearest camp
1hence, by slow stages, he worked his way
TO Melbourne, reaching there early in 1895
FOR over two years he supported himself
by various more or less mental occupation
gradually becoming accustomed to ciyiliza-
uon and learning of the events that had
taken place during the time when he was
lost to the world. Early in the present
year, he worked his passage to London on
a trading vessel, and soon afterward an the
world heard of him under the title of "fbs
Iplf.