Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-01-03
CHAPTER Ky

| A wall Of stone four feet thick, sur
rounding n small well barred door,
completely closed the entrance to the
cave and made it prison that seemed
unbreakablc. Ono solitary sentinel was
amply sufficient to guard 1t, and In
deed so confident were we of its
| strength that, although we had on the
| shore level storehouses and so on, sur
| rounded by n stockade and earthwork
which might serve as fort in case of
| attack, we built our own dwellings on
the plateau above. A Zigzag path from
the shore led one TO the upper level In
less than five minutes, and once there
all danger from the fevers which the
clammy night mists OF the harbor
might give birth to was averted. The
houses, built Of bamboo and matched
with broad leaves, lay in and among
grove of graceful feathery palms
whose waving fingers famed the hot
air into coolncss, and the natural gar
den around them remained as much as
possible undlsturbed.
Lovely flowers grew everywhere,
framed in slender fern fronds. Orchids
iAhhb iloiii illt ilftS III wv llluSHtS
OF rainbow tinted color. The leaves
Of the shrubs were hidden In n cloak
Of rich blossom. A myriad scents
commlngled, and the breeze was fra
grant with the essence OF paradise Nor
was the luscious picture confined to
still life only. Strange insects like
animated jewels hummed through the
air. Painted butterflies whose color
Ing no human brush could reproduce
noated scnsuously from bloom to
bloom. Lizards. like flashes OF pale
green Gre, shot across from the shadow
OF one great plant to the shadow OF
another. And overhead the gayly
plumaged birds 1uttcred about or
perched on the branches and sang TO
the sun throughout the whole OF his
daily course.
Had II not been for the droves OF
steel jawed mosquitoes which haunted |
our fairy grove | think few OF us |
would have asked better than 20 spend |
his days on such n favored spot. But |
the insatiatc blood thirst OF these In |
sect enemies ~prcventcd us from de |
into mere lotus eaters, and |
the first spark Of dawn was our call 20
work
We worked hard-thc English urged
by habit and hope. the Spanlards by cx-
ample aud rod second boat was
'ound lying in n rock pool stove In but
'cpnrablc and with this and the other
me which we already possessed the
stores ana cargo and the jet
am frokn the galley were safely housed
shorc. Then began the heavier toll OF
lnplccing the vessels. stripping off the |
plnnks and frames, the
lnbrOlcn knees aud elbows and trans
'orting them TO the site whcrcOn we
Intended 10 lay stocks for our new keel.
II was slow work, ms any one who
ns broken up n ship win know, for
olt ana clamp and trccnail had each TO
- drawn with curious care lest tim.
crs for ahcnthing should be split and
o rendered unit for further use. But
mc ana perseverance were the chief |
actors toward success. and by lavish
~ both freely we Mt length finished
he dismauillng Of the two wrecks ana
lrricd or towcd their contents TO the
each In front OF the cave.
II was then Tint the great discussion
,oll place as 10 the form In which our
rw bark should bc built.
Ever since we uHd settled IN our up
md village among the palms Alec had
cen employing bis spare time In cary
~ and rigging succession Of toy
hips. Nobody had taken much notice
+ him, FOR 1t was not his habit TO court
ublic applause and ~ yet he had not
skcd for public criticism. lie would
ork by the hlckcring freight far into
ic night and appeared 80 wrapped up
his lnbOrB that sometimes we would !
zeal; three or four times 10 him and =
jt get an answer. More than once !
lnclcd that hc was under a spell aud !
Ondcrcd whether Don Miguel had the I