The Press., 1901-06-13
keen soul and body together and was

keep soul and body together and was cursed at and struck whenever the
 captain could reach him. The first
 mate joined his superior in this, while
 I stood as neutral as ! could. Had l
 openly sympathized with the lad l
 should have had a row with the cap
 tain, but could and did show him de- cent treatment and encourage the men
 to do likewise.
 We had run as far south as the Lack adivh islands and owing to stroNA gale had been set in much nearer than our course lay when one day, aswthe
 brig was becalmed under the leeD D8 one of the smaller islands, l was ordered
 to take a crew and row the boy ashore and leave him. l was at first for Fefus- ing point blank, as it was monstrous
 thing to do, but saw that the captain was in liquor and would have the af- fair carried out at any cost. Any re- fusal to obey orders would result in my
 being disrated and clapped in irons. l
 realized also that l could help the wan
 derer more by going than by refusing. While the boat was being made ready
 I slipped down to my stateroom after matches. a knife, some fishhoOks and other things and upon returning to the
 deck found that the captain had pro-
 vided the lad with about ten pounds of
 hard bread, the same of pork and an old kettle. He refused him matches,
 however, and it was lucky thing that
 I had brought three or four dozen | along. The lad made no fuss about go- ing, although he knew that he was to
 be set ashore on a lonely island. I know he was in deadly fear of the cap
 tain and mate and to escape them in any manner was relief. On the way to shore advised him as best could, and the men at the oars were not back
 ward in expressing their sympathy,
 and when we left Joey on the beach
 be was feeling quite stout hearted.
 What happened to that lad after we sailed away reads like romance. He had been marooned on. one of the most easternmost of the group, and perhaps the island had never been explored by white men. It was three miles long by two broad, with a ridgearunning its length. Indeed, there were two ridges, and between them was creek run ming to the north. At its mouth this creek widened into a little harbor. The boy hnd been on the island for a week before he climbed the ridges and found them full of living springs which fed the creek. He followed the creek down to it's mouth and there made the strangest of finds. Three years previously, while on a voyage Ao kh0 Inys Sunshine had been dismasted at sea and deserted by her crew for a wreck. She was laden with wool, hides, dye woods and minerals, and her cargo was appraised at nearly a million dol lars. Her crew had been picked up at sea, the vessel listed as lost and the in- surance paid, and yet as Joey reached the little harbor there was the hull of the Sunshine with her nose on the beach. Wind, wave and current had drifted her all of TOO miles and finally whirled her into that spot. Her hull was sound and her matches on, and her cargo had not been damaged to the amount of hundred dollars.
 Three weeks later the boys signal smoke on the beach brought vessel to his rescue, and he said not word of his find till he reached Bombay and found men in whom he could trust. Then an expedition was fitted out, the hull and cargo were got to Bombay in safety, and the courts allowed the boy salvage enough to make him rich to the end of his days. In marooning poor stowaway lad whose only crime
 was wanting to return to his native land Captain Joyce had as good as thrown $3OO,OO0 at him and raised him up thousand friends.