The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-06-02

Sc by luC CO6C OAHtAS
possessed I fashioned for my own use
a kind Of spear, about six feet long
hewn out OF a piece of fine teak WOOD
which / found upon the beach.
This weapon l made and pointed
with great care, and armed with 1t
frequently lay in watch for the sea-
lions, but without success.
On the shore, at this season, when
the sunshine was reflected from the
sloping faces of the volcanic rocks and
from the surface of the sea, the heat
was beyond all observation-disclosures,
b~reathless and su~ffocating, so that the
lungs would collapse painfully in the
difficulty Of respiration.
To breathe was like attempting it
at the mouth of a newly-opened fur
mace, and SO l usually retired inland
and sought the cool solitude of the
deep thickets, or wandered through
groves Of solemn, impressive and ma
jestic old trees; for some were there
so old that they must have cast the
shadows OF their foliage on Alphonso
de albuquerque or Tristan la Cunha
and their bearded followers.
"a 11OW 1udAy OCSdA SIOIlu udu oWOPI
their leaves into the waste of waters
since then!
We had now been five days on the
island without q sail being seen,
though more than half our time was
spent In watching the horizon; and S o
Tom Lambournes' old shirt still waved
In vain from the boon-end on the
mountain-top.
On the fifth day, however, to our
surprise, the signal was no longer Wis
ible, so we supposed that a gust OF
wind had overthrow it in the night.
Lambourne, Carlton and Probar
started for the m%ountain-top to re-
store 1t, while Hislop and / rambled
into the woods, where we had a view
OF the shining sea to the westward.
The ave came in long rollers, as
there was a fresh breeze blowing from
the west, and the foam rose white and
high on the tremendous bluffs of the
Inaccessible Isles, as we named them.
All the water between them was a
sheet Of sparkling and snowy froth,
amid which, had we been nearer, we
should doubtless have seen the black
heads Of the sealions, as they sported
In the spray and sunshine.
On asking Hislop how far he thought
we were from the continents of Africa
and South America, he replied, without
hesitation:
we are about fifteen hundred miles
from the mouth Of the Rio de la Plata
on the westward, and twelve hundred
odd from the Cape Of Good Hope on
the east; but there is land nearer to
us"
Land nearer!" I reiterated.
There are the three isles of Tristan
dA Cunha, and about five hundred miles
southwest Of us q desolate rock called
the Isle Of Diego Alvarez; and fortu-
nate 1t is indeed for us that we were
not cast away there, as it yields only
messy grass and o and then a few
ssals or s~ea-elephants may be seen up
on the reefs about 1t. Dut. Dick Rod
ney. does 1t not make one long to be
atoat again, with a good ship under
foot. both lacks and the breeze, too,
Aft?-a cloud Of canvas. carrying the
three masts into one when seen astern
the lower s~tudding-sail Blooms rig
ged out and dipping in the flying
spray as she rolls from side to side
does It not, / say, bring all this to
mind. when from here we can watch
the waves that rose, perhaps, between
I the shores Of Mexico, rolling in foam
hetween these rocky isles? Do you
remember Homer's description OF the
curling swave?" And without waiting
my reply he began to recitc from the
dliad with wonderful facility:
4 on the .hoarse, resounding shore.
when blows the stormy west,
The billowy tide comes surging wide,
from oceans dark blue breast:
First In mid-sea tbs born, then swells
and RACES more and more,
And rolling on with snowy back,
comes laundering near the shore:
Then rears It crest, firm and sublime.
and with tumultuous bray
6mites the grim front Of the rugged
rock, and splits the briny spray
How far Hislop, in his classical en-
thusiRsm might have pursued his free
tEAnSlation. till we had all the deeds
o9 AgaInenanon and others on that tre-
msndous day before the walls Of Troy.
4 cannot say. had not a crashing sound
n the adjacent thicket reused and
alarmed us.
We started up and had Just time to
conceal ourselves behihd the trunk of
tree when asherd Of seven wild boars
came plunging out Of the thicket to
drink at . runnel which flowed toward
tn ReA