El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-14
[Continued from last Saturday.

CONTINUED from last Saturday.
Had not Antonio held me fast and
menaced me with his pistol I would
have sprang into the water, and, un-
deferred by the sharks that were for
ever gliding stealthily about the bay,
would have swan after the boat; for,
desperate though the fortune of those
who were there, I would rather have
shared it than live on the Island of
Alphonso with such a companion.
His fierce, hooking laugh grated
harshly in my ear, but I needed him
not, and continued to gaze after the
boat and the lessening forms of those
who had abandoned me, not without a
fond and desperate hope that they
would return for me. Every moment
expected to see her put about; but mol
she held steadily on till hull and sail
and crew were blended into one little
dark spot, which ere long could scarce
ly be discerned on the moonlit morn
ing sea.
Her course was trimmed northeast,
for where they supposed the isle of
Tristan da Cunha lay. She had caught
a breeze and, before four o'clock in
the morning, the last vestige of her
had disappeared.
Still did not entirely despair!
The idea of swimming to one of the
adjacent isles occurred to me; but the
straits between were full of foaming
breakers and sharks; the rocks, more
over, were inaccessible, and wherever
/ might go Antonio could easily follow.
The sun was now setting beyond the
sea, and the shadow of a great noun
tain was falling eastward over the is
land as we began to descend from the
bluff where I had fingered so long by
one Of the narrow and winding tracks
made through the gorse by the wild
goats.
As it was alike dangerous and I'M
comfortable to sleep under the dews
that descended after sunset, for two
nights after the departure of the boat
I was compelled to share the wigwam
with Antonio, but did so with dread
and loathing, and kept as far away
from him as possible.
His dreams, which were full of oaths,
CALCULATIONS and frequently cries of
eel aparicion! Ell espectro!' came on
him as of old; and as sleep to me be-
came an impossibility I resolved to
leave him to his own devices. Certain
" the island was large enough for us
both.
Moreover he had become so sparing
of his ten charges of powder that he
would not fire a single shot at either
bird or goat or wild boar. I have since
believed that he saved them with the
resolution of defending himself to the
last, if Hislop ever returned to arrest
him; and now, being lord and master
of the whole island, and of me, too,
he exhibited new phase of character.
He became too lazy to procure food,
and forced me to find it for him, I'M
der threats of shooting me. Thus for
two days after the departure OF the
boat being totally incapable Of catch
ing one OF the fleet goats alone, and
being in no way disposed to encounter
singiy one of the wild boars, had to
climb the steep rocks above the break
ers and steal the sea birds eggs.
This feat I achieved with consider
able peril, for the birds, when reused
from their eyries, whooped, screamed,
and wheeled in focks and circles about
me, Tapping their huge wings; so that
once I became so bewildered, that in
stead of clambering again to the sum-
NIT of the cliff, 1 began a descent to-
ward the foaming sea below
In reascending my hat was blown
away, and with it the wretched eggs
for which ] had risked my life and
limbs.
After this event I resolved to procure
food for myself alone, and instead of
returning to Antonio, who usually
ioitered about the hut our men had
left, L went to the opposite side of the
island, and found a banana grove.
wherein I took up my quarters.
I had been thirty-siX hours without
seeing my pleasant chum, the Cubano,
or being near him with food. 1 knew
that his rage would be great, and feel
ing myself unusually weak, after all
the mental excitement and bodily ex-
posture I had undergone, necessity COM
PEELED me now to avoid him strictly,
as I was totally incapable of contend
ing with him in any way.
When searching for berries about
sunrise, on the western side of the isle,
and while the sun, though up, was yet
below the great mountain and cast its
shadow to the extreme horizon of the
haby morning sea, encountered An
tonic at last.
Hunger, apparently, had rendered
him furious; but feeling certain in a
moment that timidity would do me no
service, 1 started back and said in
Spanish:
'Ha! hal I told you what would
happen when 1 wanted food" said he.
feeling the point of his knife.
My blood ran cold at these words,
and cast longing eye upon my lost
Ratchet; he saw the glance and
trampled uDon the weapOn with
hooking laugh.