The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-31
CAST AWAY ON run pAc,r,c.
Mark Twain Rctells the story -, nm
Amazing Adventures

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Amazing Adventures
The title OF Mark Twaip's stnry IN ,h,
Century, My Debut as a Literary Per-
son, gives no idea OF the terrible tragedy
OF winch 1t tells. In May, 1866. mer-
chairman was destroyed by nre M sen
ana the crew and Two passengers nut off
III three boats, with rations for ten days
Two of the boats were lost but the cap
taln's, with fifteen frlghtfuIy emsciatsd
men aboard, reached the Hawaiian islards
iorty-three days later, after VOYAGE
OF ipuO miles or more one OF tho Two
passengers sim survives and has long
heen professor in Trinity college, Hart
Iord' Mark Twain got the story from
lhe survivors, whom he accompanied from
Honolulu TO San Francisco,
IL is an amazing adventure There il
nothing OF Its sort IN history that sur
passes 1t In Representatives, made posi-
pie In one extraordinary do,ajl-thu
survival OF every person in the boat-it
probably stands alone In he history Of
adventures of lts kind. Usually merely
q part OF boats company surviye-ofh-
GERS, mainly and other educated and
ienderly reared mon, unused TO. hardship
and heavy labor; the unframed, roughly
reared. hard workers succumb But In
Nhis 'hSt tNtu Iut TuNNHl ana lnNEnngt
stood the priyations and misories OF the
voyage almost as well as dld the colleae
bred young brothers and the captain |
mean. physically. The minds OF most of
the sailors broke down in the fourth
week and went TO temporary ruin, but
physically the endurance exhibited was
astonishing, Those men did not survive
by any merit OF their own, of course. but
by merit of the character and intelligence
nj hn Rr. tsah tt..,.w H.. .
of his spirit, Without him they would
have been children without a nurse They
would have exhausted their provisions In
q week, and their pluck would not have
lasted even as long as the provisions
The boat came near TO being wrecked
at the last AZ II approached the shore
The sail was let so and came down with
a run; then the captain saw that he was
drifting swiftly toward an ugly reef and
an effort was made TO hoist the sail again
but 1t could not be done; the mems
trength WAS wholly exhausted; they could
act even pull an oar, They were helpless
md death imminent. II was then that
hey were discovered by the two Kan
takas. who achieved the rescue They
wan out and manned the boat and
,iloted her through a narrow and hardly
noticeable break in the reef-the only
freak In 1t in a stretch Of thity-hve miles,
vas the only one in that stretch where
ooling could have been found on The
lore. everywhere else preclpic.s came
heer down into forty fathoms OF wster.
llso In all mat stretch this was the
My spot where anybody lived.
Within ten days after the landing all
he men but one were up and ereeping
bout. Properly they ought TO have killed (
themselves with the food of the last
a nf al fa- y
men who had freightod their stomaehs
yith strips OF leather from old boots aud
nth chips from the butter cask;
reishtagc which they did not get rid OF
v digestion. but by other means The
aptain and the two passengers did not !
at strips and chips, as the sailors did, (
ut scraped the boot leather and the
God, ana made a pulp of the serapings .
y moistening them win water. The I
arid mate told me that the boots were +
Id and full Of holes; then added thought
lily. hut the holes digested the best
peaking Of digestion, hero is remarka-
lie thing. and worth noting: During this
range voyage, and for awhile afterward .
q shore. the bowels OF some OF the men
ceased from their functions, In 4
,me cases there was no action for twenty
nd thirty days, and In one case for forty =
ur! Sleeping alao came 10 be rare. Yet
le men did very well without IT, During
any days the captain did not sleep at
Twenty one, l think, on one stretch.
When the landing was made, all the men
ere successfully protected from over
Iting except the "Pogtyghee;" be escaped
e watch and ate an incredible number
bananas; a hundred and fifty-two. the
ird mate said. but this was undoubtedly
! exaggeration; think 1t was hundred
I'd Hfty-o He was already nearly full
leather; 1t was hanging out OF his
RS. Il do not state this on the third
ate's authority for we have seen what {
1T OF person he was / state II on my /
sn.) The "Portygbec" ought to have
ed, OF course, and even now 1t seems a !,
~ that he didn't; but he got well, and |
early as any of them; and all fun OF
ather, too. the way he was. and butter
nber and handkerchiefs and bananas.
me OF the men did eat handkerchiefs
these last days. also socks; and he was
o OF them,