Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1901-07-26
A FIND ON
THE BEACH
O. BY ~, QUAD.
Copyright 1901. by c. B. Lewis

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ooC0ooG0
The Palawan islands, in the China
sea, are to the north Of Borneo and
form n part Of the Philippine group.
They stretch put for n distance Of 700
miles and number nearly a thousand.
In the year 1882 / was landed on one
Of the Palawans from a Singapore
trader to get up and run n copra plant.
/ had with me four Chinese, and the
trader landed provisions for a year..
After l had the shed up and the work
going I had plenty of time for fishing,
hunting and visiting the other islands.
Nothing of special interest occurred
until I had been on the island three
months. Then one morning as l went
down to the boat to put out on q fishing
trip / was amazed to find tracks OF q
woman's bare feet on the wet sands.
The tide was out, and she had wander
ed along the beach for half q mile,
probably Just before daylight. 1t need
ed only a glance to tell me that the
person who had left the tracks was a
white woman, but to make sure Of 1t
1 called to the Cinnamon. They at
OuGE uEIttu WIN nts lntiG MAb Il
trail leading out of the water at one
spot and another trail leading back at
another spot, but one to show that the
strange visitor to the island had scout
ed inland at all. We were on one Of
the outer, or seawnrd, Islands, with
nothing between us and the Cochin
China coast. There was n small and
almost barren island three miles to the
north and a similar one about the Same
distance to the south. but l had visited
both and found no people.
Whoever had visited our island In
the darkness had come up out of the
depths OF the sea. No boat or raft had
landed on the shore. The footprints
were as plain MS a plaster cast, and we
were Immediately interested and more
or less excited. After thinking the
matter over / decided that the woman
must have come from one of the Is
lands in some way and determined to
give both q close search. I set Off &c
the north and In the course of IN houl
made a landing. This island had an
area of not more han five acres. Here
and there a patch of soil covered th'
rocks, and young cocoanut trees wer'
struggling for life, but the ground wal
easy OF search. ! went over 1t care
fully and made the circuit Of the islan(
In my boat, but not a living thing did
see aside from the birds. There wer,
no wild fruits TO sustain life, nor wa
able to find any fresh water.
1t was noon when l got back TO m!
own island, and after dinner | set GU
10 search the other. AS this one ha,
more vegetation l took with me tn,
boy, who was about 10 years Of agu
and named Whang. AS the wind wa
light and a current against MS we wer
two hours In gaining the island. l wa
strong In the belief that some woma
mad been cast away and was shifting
for herself. and that she had not mad
herself known to us simply proved tina
she had lost her reasOn under tn
strain of the hardships or took us 70
natives who would modest her. 1t wa
near sunset when We put or after
vain search, and when we reached til
reef surrounding our Island and half
mile out from the beach the evenin
breeze died out to a hat calm, and W
lay like a log. Before taking to tn
oar to scull US In to the shore l 50
quiet for a minute listening to tn
whispers OF the sea. Whang leane
over the rail OF the boat and watche
the sharks darting to and fro and leaN
ing trails Of dre behind them, an
things were so still that ! could hea
the ticking OF my watch, when ther
came a strange interruption. It wa
the voice OF a woman In laughter, an
II sounded close by. We both spran
up at the sound, wJhdering II our ear
had deceived us, and as we stood III
tenIng the sounds came again. Whe
they had died away. the boy turned I
me and whispered:
"Master. for Gods sake let MS 81
ashore at oncel There Is a witch c
abe sea close by. and she will drag u
down."
I waited ten minutes, and. bearin
nothing more. I picked up the oar M
sculled In TO the landing. There
found the three ChlDamen waiting Il
mo. and they were IN a state Of grei
excitement They had beard the laugl
fer. and they believed with the bo
that a witch Of The sea was bangin
about and meant 10 Do us BARN. CD
hese life Is made % % Legends m
tpPerFtitl0ps, and Il Is useless 70 con