Gilpin observer., 1899-07-20

should tire of roasted and broiled, Jack
Burnet, the ships cook, contrived to
boil some pieces of goat in its own
skin, stretched upon sticks, with a fire
underneath, salt for spice, and sliced
pumpkin for vegetables.
OF the hol ms, when carefully scraped
and cleaned, we made very efficient
drinking cups, in which our rum,
duly mixed with water, was doled out
to us by Hislop. the keeper of our pro-
vision store.
The eggs of the sea birds were .
constant object of search, and being
an expert climber, frequently collect
ed great numbers Of those laid in the
crevices of the rocks by the sea gull
and storm-finch.
Our life was one of perpetual expos
ure and daily activity. Though over
poweringly hot at noon, the atmos-
phere of the morning and evening was
delightful. and, as these portions Of
the day were spent in hunting for
food, the time passed rapidly, but His
lop's chief fear was that If we were
not taken off by some ship before the
rainy season set in, our discomfort and
danger from agues would become very
great.
By the time we had been fourteen
days on tho island he was recovered
SO far as to be able to join me in
making an exploration of it, or rather
in walking all around it.
The circumference of the largest isle
is only four leagues, but its shores are
SO steep and rocky in some places that
traversing them proved a most ardu-
Gus task.
On the eastern side we found a great
cascade pouring from brow Of rock
upon the beach. The latter was COW
esed almost everywhere by a BROAD
leaved seaweed, the dark and Shiny
tendrils Of which were several yards
in length and were termed by Hislop
"the gigantic fucus."
So day after day passed, and, amid
our various means of procuring food,
We never failed to keep a keen lookout
to seaward for a passing sail; but
none came near that lonely islet of the
southern sea.
One morning I found there had
drifted ashore near our hut a mass of
that mysterious substance. the origin
Of which has puzzled SO many natural
ists-amb bergris. 1t must have weigh
ed more than a hundred pounds. and
when we threw some of it into the fire
1t melted and diffused around a most
q h1a
duction, which is only to be found in
the seas or on the shores of Africa
and Brazil is alleged by some to be q
concretion formed in the stomach OF
the spermaceti whale.
On the fifteenth morning after our
landing seaman named Henry War
rem, who went to milk our goats,
which had been tethered to a large
tree near the hut. returned in haste
to announce that the ropes which had
secured them were cut. apparently by
sharp instrument-cL. clean through
and that the goats. the capture of
which had cost us so much labor were
gone.
Cut? BY whom?" asked every one.
Before we had time to consider this,
Hislop came out of the hut, and stated
that one Of our three bread bags had
also been cut open. by slash from
knife, apparently, and that several
pounds of biscuits had been abstracted.
The strange alarm, and what was
worse. the doubt of each other, which
these discoveries excited, were painful
and bewi!dering.
We examined the place where the
goats had been tethered, but could dis
cover no traces of feet, and nothing
remained but the ends of the ropes
(the long boat sheets and halliards)
tied to the stem Of tree.
Ito be continued.) a