The National tribune., 1902-07-03


Good Hope, ana is comparatively seldom
visited. To sight land is always agreeable
after Il three months cruise, and there
were many applicants for permission to
go on shore, this being the first opportun-
ity that had offered since we set sail from
Madeira. and excepting the Island of Iris
tan d Acunha, was the first land we had
seen.
Leave was extended to n number of the
officers, and they presently pulled OFF in
one OF the quarter boats, well provided
with all the requisite paraphcrnalia for
fishing. having i'll contemplation rad
upon the finny deniZenS of the ocean,
which seemed to have peculiar pcnchdnt
for congregating near these shores. There
was many Il longing glance cast after the
receding boat by the weary voyagerS, who
had been so long confined within the walls
of our floating fortress, and more than
one discontinued face might have been
seen moving up and down the deck until
the little craft, with its mere fortunate
occupants, rounded point of land which,
jutting far out into the sea. formed par
tally iandlocked bay and disappeared.
Ere long the lookout ut masthead re-
ported land to the northward, and an in
spection of the chart showed it to be the
Island Of Amsterdam, distant from st.
Dennis makes up the group, and is the
residence of the Governor, whose official
sway extends over the three.
Governor Rond0ney had been formerly
an officer in the French army, and was
gentleman Of considerable ability and per
sonal popularity. He was said to keep up
a fine establishment and to wear his hon
ors right bravery.
The climate of these islands is delight
full, and with fine soil, and all the aux
iliaries peculiar to semi-troplcai coun-
try, l was somewhat surprised to learn
that they We're but SparSely inhabited.
Their out of the-way location has no doubt
something to do with it, as that circum-
stance would naturally deter foreigners
from settling there to any great extent
They carry on desultory trade with
Madagascar, and some ports on the mann
land of the eastern coast of Africa, but
this comprises all their commerce, and
nearly all of the few vessels that touch
there have no more important business
than the regulation of their chronometers,
an important item with the vessels, to be
sure, but net a very productive source of
revenue to Governor Rondoney's domin-
ions.
A little before o'clock the boat re-
turned, literally loaded down with fish OF
excellent quality, and the excursionists
We're accordingly in the best of spirits.
They paid dearly for their amusement,
however. All of them were fearfully sun
burned by the strong reflection from the
water, and there was not 4 pair of hands
that had not been thoroughly blistered by
their long pull at the oars. They had
hoped to capture 4 seal or two, as these
animals are frequently found in the vicin-
ity. but failing in this, they turned cOvet-
GUS eyes upon penguin which they found
in the possession of three old French she'll
backs, left there some time before by
wandering ship. with whom they struck up
an acquaintance and brought his aquatic
township off in triumph.
These three French worthless had things
very much their own way on st Paul $,
they being, in fact, the only residents.
They were engaged in catching and salt
ing fish. with which to freight Il vessel
then absent on voyage to Madagascar,
where ready market was found for that
kind of provender.
Before we sailed, they came off to pay
us visit, and brought with them guam
tity of chickens, which they exchanged
with us for pocket handkerchiefs, an arti-
Gle of which they certainly stood in need,
as indeed they did of various other etcete-
ras of civilized life. but upon the whole the
old fellows seemed to be rather enjoying
themselves in this Robinson Crusoish way.
The other two islands are not quite so
badly off by way of inhabitants, and the
one which has the honor to be the resi-
dence of His Excellency the Governor
boasts of considerable village; but if the
labor of ruling bears any proportion to the
number of the ruled, incline 10 the opin-
ion that Governor Rondoney's official
duties were not arduous.
FAIR PRISONERS FEARS.
1 should have mentioned before that
when we first sighted st. Paurs, the Cap
tain of our last prize took the conceit into
tod
no less j practical joke than leaving HIM
self and his company there with the
agreeable prospect of remaining perhaps
for years, subsisting as best they could,
ere an opportunity would offer of a return
to the world.
L observed his wife anxiously scanning
the beautiful solitude as we were standing
in, and the tears with which her eyes
We're heavy furnished me with ready
clue to the apprehension under which she
was suffering.
did you suppose, madam" ] said, by
way of setting her fears at rest, that you
were TO be left in this out-of-the-way
spot?"
THAT was my husbands expectation"
she answered, land presumed, of course,
that his fears were not without foundd-
ton"
Let me assure You to the contrary,
then, and be good enough to inform me
now your husband or yourself came TO
imagine that the commander of the Shen-
andoah was capable of leaving 4 whole
ships company in such place"
She hesitated for moment, and then,
with a furtive glance at my face, said:
Why, they tell terrible stories at home
about the outrages committed upon de-
fenseless men and women by your rebel
cruisers. The papers have been full of
them, and | naturally supposed they were
founded on fact, at least"
/ could not restrain a smile at the
naivete with which our lady prisoner ad-
mitted the entertainment of a pretty we'll
defined conviction that she was in the
hands of veritable pirates, who were only
restrained from flying the black flag, with
its pleasingly suggestive skull and cross
bones, because, for the time being, it suited
their convenience 10 sail under another
little If any more reputable in her eSti-
nation: but i suppressed any stronger
. demonstrations Of merriment, and upon
my expressing q desire TO see some of the
literature to which she referred. She
brought from her state-room z file of an
illustrated New York publication wherein
was i marvellous narrative, written by a
lady with multitude of initials. | subse-
quently read it through, greatly amused
must confess, at its stupendous absurdi-
ties. In the course of the story the Con-
fedcrate cruiser Alabama was introduced
and her officers and crew represented as
pack of raScals, whom Morgan the buc-
cancer, or the leader of the Indian Sepoys
would have expelled from their several
commands. lest they should become con-
taminatcd by evil associations