Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-04-05

lively employed selling them and ding
ing them from me. They got holder,
feinting and lodging around me, but
happily without any definite plan of
campaign among them. Once I stag
gered forward, having trodden un-
aware upon spiky back rs sprung
aside. wounding my foot badly. I fell
into a group of ut least twenty, crush.
ing some Of them, but after painful
struggle among those needle-like
spines regaincd my feet with several
clinging to my body. A kind Of frenzy
seized me, and, regardless Of pain,
tlutched at them right and left, dash
ing them to fragments one against the
other, Until quite a pile of writing,
dismembered enemies lay around me,
while my hands and arms were stream
ing from numberless wounds. Very
soon became exhausted by my vio-
lent eXertions and the Intense heat,
but, to my unfathomabie thankfulness,
the heap Of broken crabs afforded ME
a lohg respite, the sound dties finding
cohgenidf occupation in devouring
them. While watched the busy can-
nibals swarming over the yet writing
heap, became violently i'll. Vertigo
seized me, reeled and fell prone, Oh
livious to all things for TIME.
:. When sense returned it was night.
The brohd moon was commencing her
triumphal march among the stars,
which glowed in the blue-black con;
cave like globules of inca1descent
steel. My body was drenched with
dew, a blessed relief, for my tongue was
le2thery and any lips were split with
5Arouth. I tore off my shirt and sucked
1t eagerly, the moisture it held, though
brackish. mitigating my tortures of
thirst. Suddenly bethought me of
my foes and looked fearfully around.
There was not one to be seen, nothing
near but the heap Of clean-picked
shells of those devoured AS the
moon rose higher saw a cluster of
white objects at distance, soon re.
cognizable as boobies. They permitted
me to snatch couple of them easily,
and wringing off their heads l got
such a draught as put new life into
me. Hope returned, even quelling the
cruel thought of daylight, bringing
again those ravening hordes of crawl
ing crustacea. Yet my position was
almost as hopeless as one could i'm
agine. Unless, as much doubted, this
was known spot for beche de mer or
pearl-shell fishers, there was but the
remotest chance of my rescue, while,
without anything floatable . my
poor little hencoop, passing Il. bar
rier of breakers was impossible. For
tunately have alwaysstried to avoid
meeting trouble half-vs y, and with n
thankful feeling Of present wants sup
piled l actually went to sleep again,
though stiff and sore from head to
heel.
AT daybreak I awoke ngain to re-
petition of the agonies of the previous
day, which, although was better for
titled to meet them, were greater than
before. The numbers of my hideous
assallants were more than doubled as
far as could judge. The whole patch
of sand seemed alive with the vora-
cious vermin. So much SO that when l
saw the approach Of those horrible
hosts my heart sank, my flesh shrank
on my bones and clutched at my
throat. But could not strange my
self, though had possessed n knife 1
should certainly have chosen swift
exit from the uhutterable horror of my
position, fiercely as chung to life.
To be devoured piecemeal, retaining
every faculty till the last-1 could not
behr the thought. There was no time
for reflection, however, the struggle
began at once and continued with a
pertinacity on the part of the crabs
that promised speedy end to it for
me. How long 1t lasted have no idea
to my tortured mind it was an eter-
nifty. At last, overborne, exhausted,
surrounded by mounds of those l had
destroyed, over which fresh legions
poured in ever-increasing numbers,
earth and sky whitfield around me and
l fell backward. AS went, with
many of the vile things clinging to me,
I heard yell-a human voice that
revived my dulling senses like gal
vanic shock. With one last flash of
vigor l sprang to my feet seeing as
I did 80 canoe with four Kanakas
in it, not fifty yards away, in the
smooth water between the beach and
the barrier. Bounding like a buck,
needless of my pain as my wounded
feet clashed among the innumerable
spiky carapaces of my enemies, I
reached the water and hurled myself
headlong toward that ark Of safety.
How l reached 1t do not know, nor
anything further until l returned to
life again on board the Warrigal, of
Sydney, rs weak as babe and feel
ing - century older.