The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-25


hour in Europe is NJ. de Rougemont
the modern Robinson Crusoe," who
returned to France a short time ago.
more than 80 years after the time when
he disappeared, and was supposed to
have been lost. It appears that during
this time NJ. de Rougemont ran the
gamut of savage experiences, from that
of the lonely castaway on a tiny is
land to the chief of a cannibal tribe in
the interior of Australia. His story,
the most remarkable of modern times,
has deeply interested such men as DrS.
Kettle and Mill the eminent Seograph-
ers, who have investigated it, and are
satisfied of it's perfect accuracy. NJ. de
'Rougemont attracts a great deal of at
<tention wherever he appears, and has
received any number of invitations to
address geographical and scientific So
cieties. Last week he appeared before
the Bristol congress of the British As
sociation for the Advancement OF Sci
ence. His account of his experiences
is being published serially in George
NeWnes' Wide World ma gazine, begin
ming with last month. Altogether, M
de Rougemont may be called the man
of the hour. The title of the modern
Robinson Crusoe, which has been gen.
orally placed upon him, is in no way a
misnomer, for the weird and remark
able experiences which he has been
through have never been equaled since
Defoe wrote the story of his famous
hero. The following statement is the
first account that NJ. de Rougenlont has
given of his experiences, and covers
briefly the whole ground that will be
gone over by the numerous INSTALL
nents of his magazine story. 1t is the
same story that he related to the Brit
ish scientists. the truth of which has
been so carefully VERIFIED:
In the year 1863 I left home a mere
youth and engaged in a pearl fishing
venture on board the Dutch schooner
Velelland. Our pearling grounds lay
between the Australian coast and
Dutch New Guinea. After about ten
months the vessel was wrecked on 81
small coral island, situated about 10
degrees south and 125 degrees east, off
the northwest coast of Australia. L
was absolutely alone, save that l had
the captains dog with me. On this is
land, or, rather, sand pit, / lived for
two years and underwent much suf-
fering. AT. the end of that time a
party OF blacks, who had been blown
out to sea from the Australian main,
We're cast upon the island on a native
raft, such as is used in fishing expe-
ditionS. After a further period of six
months waiting for favorable winds
the wreck of the schooner, and landed
with my companions on the coast of
Australia in the year 1S66-the exact
locality was Cambridge gulf, on the
northwest coast. OF course, l made
many excursions in various directions,
always with the hope of reaching civil
ization. either overland or by sea- Evil
IDENTIFY, however, I drifted into the
center of the continent, and only
reached civilization in 1895, after an ex-
lie of upwards of so years. When l first |
landed on the Australian main it may |
be necessary to bear in mind that L |
was absolutely deStitute-without |
tools or instruments of any kind, ex- |
cept a harpoon, a Stiletto and a steel |
tomahawk. 1 had no book except a
New Testament in the French and
English language; all maps and charts
had been swept away by the heavy
seas that preceded the wreck. had no /
writing materials whatever; 1t was,
therefore impossible for me, even if
at that time I had had the wish, to
make any scientific observations, or to
record my wanderings. For a time, |
however, l did make notes on the
blank leaves and margins of the TeS-
lament, using blood fer ink and quill
from a wild boar as a pen. This book
was, unfortunately. lost after my re-
turn to civilization in the wreck of the
steamer Matura, which was lost in
the Strait of Magellan in the present
year of 1898.
When I landed on the continent I be-
lieVe vast tracts of it We're UNEMPLOYED,
and certainly my own knowledge of
Australian geography was very small
and vague If 1 had known even the
exact outline of Australia it would
have saved me many terrible Journeys
and years Of suffering.
TAKES a NATIVE WIFE.
As 1 have already said, I landed on
the east side of Cambridge gulf, as
nearly as / can now remember, that
IS to say, Queens channel, which was
the home Of my native companions,
who found their way back with me
from the little iSlet by steering by the
stars. For some little time l remained
in the camp of their tribe, where was
received in n most friendly way in con-
sequence of the introduction and rep
reservations Of my native wife This
woman was one of the family OF blacks
that had been cast upon my islet.
When We landed, nearly all the mem
bers Of the tribe and many individuals
from other tribes were gathered TO see
the first white man they had ever be-
held. Thy were not so much sur
prised, however, at my personal ap-
pearance as at the form of my foot
prints which differed very greatly
from theirs, and the few articles pos
sessed filed them with amusement, es-
pecialIy my boat. This boat which ] | {
built on the island from the wreck and
in Nhich|I reached the mainland with
TIE party of natives was, unfortunate |
", lost in an encounter with a whale, /
arc with ii disappeared my hopes of :
reaching Somerset at Cape York, a
settlement of which I had often heard 1
the rearlers speak. Thus 1 was obliged
10 make the attempt by land, ana l I
stared with my wife about October, c
1861 intending to travel due east to 8
the Queensland coast. After six or 1
seven months travelling, at first over a [
fat cG.stland diversified by isolated t
hills. and then through an elevated and a
very broken country, I reached desc I
late and waterlesS region covered with q
spin:feX where we both suffered ter S
rsbly from thirst, and but for the skill t
Of my native wife in finding water and /
food, I should probably never q
have come through it. t
TO REACH CIVILIZA- !.
TION. r
We soon found that we had come
further south than we in |
tended. and so we struck due north, ;
and eventually reached a flooded river y
lowing eastward, which presently led l
IS to the sea. This river was probably II
he Ropa, entering the Gulf of Car (
sentaria, but as l did not know of the $
existence of such a gulf, 1 believed we II
1ad reached the Queensland coast and A
at once inquired Of the tribes we met d
!