The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-01-27

signaled this Kew Vancouver down K
the Lark; ana the shipp r hCi=teu al
sail and put TO sea.
AS soon as the boats crew sighteG
the schooner. they hailed and tire4
their rifles af.er her; and when the
guuboat came round from the other
side il gave chase.
For several miles the two craft
seemed TO have about equal speed IN
Sunboat doomed away with its brass
gun, and for time it was very excit-
ing. The range was TOO great, how
ever, or the Suanery too bad, to do
execution; and the Lark, gaining more
wind as 1t got TO sea, sailed clean
away from the cruiser
Finding that 1t was wasting its
coal, the gunboat turned back; and
now. thought |, they will get me and
no mistake, for | knew they must
have seen ne signaling on the peak
In fact, | wanted them to get me
didn't want C sc left there on Mon
| tuosa with nothing to eat So as soon
as the warShip came near enough,
swung my umbrella and shouted:
Ship ahoy! Here's a passenger
left behind
| They saw me- But perhaps they
took my halls for shouts OF defiance
| The hard-hearted wretches began
| firing at me with their rifles. Bullets
dropped on the rocks about me, and
| was glad 10 hunt for a hiding place.
| still supposed that they would land
and capture me, but apparently they
thought | was not worth the trouble
When | ventured to look again the
gunbOat was three or four miles away,
going back to her harbor.
The Lark was gone and the gun
boat was gone, and was there alo.e
on Montuosa with nothing to eat. l
had come ashore 1t six o'clock that
morning, and 1t was now long after
noon. | was hungry already-and
very anxious as to what would be-
come of me.
Il went down to the shore and fol-
lowed 1t round the islet. On the
north side and to seward there was
nothing except crags; but at the
eastern end was gravelly point,
where there was water-grass, and
back OF that shrubbery, like chapar-
raj. At that end, too, there was
quantity OF driftwood, wreckage and /
heaps OF seaweed.
Il suddenly heard a sound that |
made my heart leap with hope. II
was the low grunting of small pigs
They were roofing In the thickets, |
and when stole upon them. scurried
away in panic. l caught sight OF
two Of them in the brush. They were
black, lean. and little larger than pug
dogs. l followed after them, round
and about, till | counted eleven, all
black as crows.
Il could see or hear nothing of
mother hog. They appeared to be all
alone by themselves; and how they
had got there or who had brought
them was a mystery. The only hint
as to their ownership was deserted
shack of stones, rooted with kelp
which l stumbled upon later in the
day, at the foot of several high rocks
where little fresh water trickled
down. This looked like human hab:.
tation; but the hut had evidently been
long unoccupied.
What a night that was for me!
Life on the Lark was far from easy;
but there, amidst mosquitoes and red
bugs, with nothing to eat, it was the
quintessence of misery. could hear
the pigs, and there was some COM
fort in the homely sounds they made.
They appeared to be feeding on sea-
weed. l tasted some. There was nu-
triment in 1t, but the flavor was sa.
inc and nauseous.
by the next day l was furnishing,
and determined to capture one Of the
pigs for food. / had matches and a
but nothing else except
he spy-glass; and the pigs were wild
Is foxes. But after a fierce hunt l
one, and despatched it with
! club.
Il contrived to dress it after
ashton, then kindled a fire Of drift
tuff and roasted some of the meat.
had no salt that day, but during
he afternoon l evaporated some salt. :
water in the hollow OF a rock, and
bus obtained q saline substance with
WITCH to favor my pig meat. That !
ay, too, renovated the shack, and !
made bed OF dry seaweed.
THAT was the beginning OF my liv.
ng on roast pig. The first one lasted
ne four days, and would have suf-
ced much longer but by that time, In
hat warm climate. what was left had
poiled.