Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-09-04
DAILY SHORT STORY
Successor to the Title
-Copyrignt. 1907. by c. 3. Ley.ls.I

The Earl of Burleigh was dead, and
the earl's only son and successor was
q wanderer on the face of the earth
and had not been heard of for five
years.
One day a sloop arrived with one
man on her of the name of Burch, who
said that he and his partner had taken
a man of the name of Henderson to
one of the New Guinea islands, where
they left him to live a Crusoe life. Re
turning, all on the sloop had died ex-
cept Burch. 49,
When Burch's story was made
known. it was believed that young
Henderson must be the Lord of Bur
leigh, but by the time a'Melbourne So
licitor had been empowered to send out
a searching expedition full year had
elapsed. There was a wait to find the
right sort of craft and another for the
bad weather season to pass. and when
the search was finally entered upon
Henderson had been playing Robinson
Crusoe for over two years. AS L was
mate of the craft l am speaking by the
card in giving you all these particulars.
You will figure that it was a very
easy thing to steer for the Coral sea
and have Burch point out the island
on which Henderson had taken up his
abode but we found difficulties from
the very outset. Henderson had
chart of the Coral sea, but he had not
allowed Burch to inspect it. The latter
therefore could not say what islands
had first been sighted. He could not
be certain of the course steered after
ward. Our only way was TO visit and
search every one unless we happened
to fall in with natives or Il trader who
could give us definite information.
When we had finished with the Lou
isiade archipelago, we steered to the
northeast and picked up island after
| island without scoring point. At the
WoOdlark group. however, we came
across Il trading schooner which gave
us bit of information. Her captain
reported that he had attempted to land
on Il small island about sixty miles to
the east to replenish his water casks,
but had been fired upon by some one
concealed in the bushes and driven off.
That was eighteen months previously.
His description of the island tailed
pretty well with Burch's, and we at
once set out to search. One day in
almost sure was the one Henderson
had been left ON l ran across an old
camp which had previously been occu-
pied by several men for some days or
weeks. They had built rude shelters,
cut down many small trees for fire.
wood, and there were many relics of
their stay. L found some things which
| at once added a very serious face to
our further search. l picked up three
books which had doubtless been of the
number carried out by Henderson and
also found some seeds, three or four
pieces of crockery and j hand mirror.
As soon as Burch had landed he was
sure he had never set foot in that place
before. We explored the island from
side to side and from end to end, and
it was found to be anything but the
one the sailor had lived on for q week
or ten days
! We now feared the worst. On all the
| inhabited islands of the Coral sea is
class OF men called beach combers."
They are sailors, traders, wreckers,
thieves and worse. If these men had
discovered Henderson on his island
| home, they would not hesitate at muir
der in order to secure his possessions.
| The relics found in the old camp
seemed to prove robbery at least. Hen
derson had no boat and could not leave
his island. If any one had visited him,
he would not have presented them with
his books, as the uncut leaves proved
he had not yet perused them himself.
1t was almost without hope that we
continued the search.
On the fourth day after we struck
the right island at last. The schooner
was obliged to cast anchor about half
mile off the beach, and l then went
ashore with the men. y heavy growth
of trees and bushes came right down to
high water mark. We set out to cross
to the south side, and we had made our
way for about half Il mile when we
caught sight of goat and also heard
rooster crow. 4 few minutes later a
dog barked, and then we knew for GER
tain the hiding place of the missing
heir. The dog presently appeared to
view, but he looked wild and half
starved, and with all our coaxing we
could not bring him nearer.
We first moved down to the house. 1t
contained only one room, and the floor
was Uttered with books. bottles, seeds
and various other things. Boxes had
been broken open and their contents
emptied, but amid all the confusion it
could be seen that nothing of real val
ne was left. In and about the door was
score of bullet holes.
eve shall find it down here said
the captain as he pointed to the rocks,
and we followed him. The dog made a
great fuss as we drew near, and we
knew why. He was guarding the body
of his master. No; it was not a dead
body, but rather skeleton.
| Twenty rods to the south, in the edge
of thicket, we found two more skele-
tons. These men belonged to the party
making the attack. How long he had