Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-09-09

StOrleS OF SOutn sea adventure, well
authenticated, which are not whit
less wonderful than the most marvel.
Gus falsehood that any man "has yet
told and lived And the story Of
what beiell John Renton is one of
them. A file OF the Queenslander
(the leading Queensland weekly news
paper) for 1875 will corroborate his
story; for that paper gave the best
account OF his adventures in one of
their November (l875) numbers, and
the story was copied into nearly every
paper in Australasia.
Like Harry Bluff, John Renton
"when boy left his friends and his
home. DER the wild ocean waves all
his life for to roam" Renton's home
was in Stromness, in the Orkneys,
and he shipped on board a vessel
bound to Sydney, in 1867, as an
ordinary seaman. he being then lad
Of eighteen. When in Sydney he got
about among the boarding houses, in
"sailor town." and one morning woke
up on the forecastle of the Reynard
of Boston, bound on cruise for
guano among the South Pacific
Islands.
Renton had been crimped, and,
finding himself where he was, bothered
no more about it, but went cheerfully
TO work, not altogether displeased ct
the prospect Of new adventures, which
would enable him, by-and.by, to go
back to the old folks with plenty of
dollars, and stock of startling yarns
to reel off. He was steady, straight
forward lad, though somewhat
thoughtless at times, and resolved to
be steady, straightforward man. The
vessel first went to the Sandwich
Islands, and there shipped gang of
Hawaiian natives to help load the
guano. Then she sailed away to the
southwark for McKean's Island, one
OF the Phoenix Group, situated about
latitude 30 degrees 80 minutes s., and
longitude TIA degrees 20 minutes w.
On board the Reynard was an old
salt known to oil hands as "Boston
Ned" He had been q whaler in his
time, had deserted, and spent some
years beach -combing among the is ands
of the South Seas. And very soon,
through his specious tongue, he had
sll hands wishing themselves clear of
the "old hooker" and enjoying life in
the islands instead of cruising about,
hazed here and there and everywhere
by mates of the Reynard, whose main
purpose in life was to knock q man
down in order to make him "sit up. +"
Presently three or four of the hands
became infatuated with the idea of
settling on an island; and Old Ned,
nothing 10th, undertook to take charge
of the party if they would make an at
tempt to clear from tho ship. The
old man had taken q fancy to young
Renton. Aud the youngster, when
the idea was impaired to him, fell in
with it enthusiastically; for he was
exasperated with the treatment he had
received on board the guano-man the
after guard of an American guano ship
are rough lot). The ship was lying
Oh and off the land, there being no
anchorage, and before the plan had
been discussed more than few hours,
the men, five persons in all, determined
to put it into execution.
A small whaleboat was towing astern
OF the vessel, in case the wind should
fall light and the ship drift in too
close to the shore. It was fine
night, with light breeze, and there
was, they thought, a good chance of
getting to the southwark to one of the
Samoan Group, where they could set
tie; or, by shipping on board trad
ing schooner there, might later on
strike some other island to their
fancy.
By stealth they managed to stow in
the boat couple of small breakers of
water, holding, together, sixteen gall
Ions, and the forecastle bread barge,
with biscuits enough for three meals
q day per man for ten days. They
managed also to steal four hams, and
each man brought pipes, tobacco and
matches. A harpoon with some line,
and old galley frying pan, mast,
completed the equipment. For they
took no compass, though they made
several attempts to get at one
slung in the cabin, and tried
at first to take one out of the poop
pinnacle, but the officer of the watch
on deck was too wide awake for them
to risk that, and the cabin compass
was screwed to the roof close to the
shippers berth. So the old man who
was their leader, old sailor and whaler
as he was, actually gave up the idea
Of taking compass, and these people
without more ado one night slipped
over the side into the whale, cut the
painter, and by daylight the boat was
out Of sight of land and of the ship.
They were sailing upon the Pacific,
running six or seven miles before a
strong northeast breeze and expected
to sight land in less than a week, and
were already anticipating the free
dom and luxury of island life in store
for them.
Three days later it fell calm, and
they had to take to the oars. The
sun was perpendicular, the sea sheet
of glass rejecting back upon them the
ball of fire overhead. Now and then
q catspaw would ripple across the
plain Of water, but there were no
clouds, there was no sight Of land.
They kept on pulling. For three
for four days-a week-for ten days
they tugged at the oars, except
when savoring breeze came. The
water was reduced to few pints, the
food to a few half days rations.
Their limbs were cramped, so that
they could not move from their places
in the boat, their bodies were becom.
ing covered with sores, and the wind
had now died away entirely; the sea
was without ripple. and forever
shone above tho fierce. hot sun.
Graduallyit had dawned upon them
that they were lost-that perhaps they
l., u W.