Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-08-21
CHAPTER |


what your signature may mean. A for
what | shall do with it afterward do
ponds on many things"
'Do what you like with It," replied
the Englishman, slowly aud huskily
"Send it to the police In London. II you
like. don't care what becomes OF IT,
or of myself either. For l am tired OF
It: give in No one knows what 1t IL
like until you actually come to fight
with it,"
He did not explain what at" was; bur
The other seemed to understand what he
meant. and nodded his head gravely.
though codly.
The two men were most curious
couple to look upon, set among most re-
markable surroundings. The scene was.
IL possible. more interesting than the
couple in the foreground. For in front
there stretched the seashore. the little
waves tapping softly and creeping slow
ly over the level white coral sand: be-
yond the smooth water lay the coral reef
with its breakers; at the back Of the
sandy shores was gentle rise of land.
covered with groves of cocoa palms and
bananas; among them were clearlngs
planted with fields of sweet potatoes and
two or three huts were visible benen tn
the trees. Again. beyond the level belt
rose great green mountain, five or six
thousand feet high. The time was about
an hour before sunset: the air was warm
and soft; the sloping sunshine lay on
grove and clearing. seashore and noun
tain side, forest and green field. making
everything glow with a splendid richness
and prodigaity Of color
AS one saw the place this evening one
might see 1t every evening. for In New
Ireland there Is neither summer nor win
ter, but always all the year round the
promise Of spring. the heat of summer
and the fruitlon of autumn with no
winter at all. except the winter Of death.
when the branches cease to put forth
leaves and stretch out white arms. spec
trail and threatening, among their living
companions in the forest
One of the men--the German-wns of
colossal proportions. certainly six feet
In height He was still quite young
well under thirty. His hair was light
brown. short and curly; an immense
brown beard covered his face and fell
over his chest His eyes were blue and
prominent. and he wore spectacles His
habitants of these islands. His only robe
was a great piece of Fccje tnpu cloth,
white decorated with black lozenges and
brown edging; it was rolled once round
his waist, descending to his knees, and
was then thrown over his left shoulder.
leaving the right arm bare. The sun had
painted this limb a rich warm brown.
He wore a cap something like that in
tod o,,.l tn1 fNp tbA Of .n1t
taires by Robinson Crusoe; it was conf
cal in shape, and made Of feathers
brightly colored. He had sandals of
chin bark tied to his feet by leather
thongs, and he wore kind Of leather
scarf, from which depended q revolver
case, a field glass, case Of instruments
and large waterproof bag. These con-
stitnted his whole possessions, except
thick cotton umbrella. This he con
stantly carried open.
The other was an Englishmap. The
rough flannel shirt. which had lost all it's
buttons and one of its sleeves; the coarse
canvas trousers: the old boots broken
down at heel-all spoke of the soil. His
gait and carriage sung aloud of plowed
fields; his broad and rudy cheeks his
reddish brown hair and beard. spoke of
the south or west Of England. His age
might he about six or eight-a ndtwenty
His hair hung in masses over his shcul
ders. and his beard was thicker than his
companions. though not so long. His
face. which had been once a square full
face, was drawn and haggard: his eyes.
which were meant to be frank. were trou-
bled; and his carriage which should
have been upright and brave. was heavy
and detected. He seemed, IA he stood
before the other man. at once ashamed
and remorseful.
"Listen: | will read it carefully and
slowly" said the German. sit down
while | read it. If there is a single word
that is not true you can alter that word
before you sign"
The man sat down obediently-there
was curious slowness about his move
ments as well as his speech-while the
German read the document, which was
written very closely on two pages of a
notebook.
Listen" he said again. "and correct
me when | am wrong"
This was the paper which he read on
the shore Of the Pacific ocean and on the
island Of New Ireland one evening in the
year 1884:
81. David Leighan, farmer. Of Challa-
combe. Devonshire. being now on an
island In the Pacific ocean. where | ex.
pect to be shortly killed and eaten by
the cannibals. declare that the following
Is the whole truth concerning the deaf ii
of my uncle. Daniel Leighan.
'He jockeyed me out of my property:
he kept on lending me money in large
sums and small sums, and making me
sign papers In return. and never st me
know how much | owed him. he made
me mortgage my land to him: he encour.
aged me to drink. and to neglect my
farm At last. when l was head over
ears in debt. he suddenly brought down
the law upon me. foreclosed and took my
land. | stayed about the place till my
money was nearly all gone. Then
must either starve. or | must become a
laborer where l had been a master or
must 90 away and find work somewhere
else. / had but thirty pounds left in
the world. and l made up my mind to
go away. 1t was day in October Of
the year 1880. l went to see my uncle
and begged him to lend ME thirty pounds
more to start me in Canada. Said my
uncle-I shall not forget his words
Nephew David he said. grinning,
you've been fool and lost your money.
I've been a wise man and kept mine.
Do you think I am going to give you