The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-01-02
Tie Island Of Rats

uduNeS reported WLl4te woman
among them. We induced them to
bring her to Us. While dressed as a
native. her face was scarcely more
than sunburued. and she was what
any enc would call handsome. she
was only about thirty years old and
In the best Of health. Her story was
queer one. She was a resident OF
Saigon. capital of French Cochin China.
Four years previous she had married a
Frenchman named Du cIifT and al.
most at once had set out with him in
sailing vessel for Singapore Two
days after smiling they had encounters
ed a typhoon. She was not very clear
as to what followed. being very III at
the time. She thought the ship strug-
gled with the storm for two days. She
then sprung leak and foundered
The woman had been brought on deck
aud dashed to the bulYarss along with
her. husband while the crew were try-
ing to construct some sort Of craft
A great wave suddenly overwhelmed
them. and the next that Mrs. Du Cllff
remembered was waking up on the
shore of an island. She was still
dashed to the wreckage, but she was
alone. When she was able to move
about she found fresh water and plen-
" OF wild fruits. and In the forest she
constructed a hut out OF limbs and
bushes. Every day for long months
she expected rescue. She could see
ships sailing up and down. but none
came within miles of her. on to the
east she could family make out other
islands or the main shore, but NO help
came from that direction. II she had
had the means to build a ERE and
raise smoke signal, some one would
have come. but she was helpless in
that direction. II was three months
before she thoroughly explored her Is
land. Then she found 1t to be about
two miles in circumference. 1t was
well wooded. and in the center was
high hill Of almost solid rock. There
were birds in plenty, but not a wild
uuilLut VI ENplltG VA Any bpiN
One day, after six months had gone
by and while inspecting the hill to see
IL she could not set up signal there.
the woman made great discovery.
She found cave which had certainly
once been a depository for the plumber
Of the Sulee pirates. What she told us |
believe to be the truth, because she YER
flied 1t in many ways. She visited the
cave twenty different times-in fact.
lived in 1t for the last month of her
stay--and so she had plenty of time to
overhaul the plumber. She found in
that cave gold, silver and paper money
to the amount OF 100000 There was
gold dust which she estimated at So.
900 more. There was 1ewelry worth
thousands of dollars. She said there
were diamonds, rubies and other pre-.
rious stones, There were innumerable
bales and boxes that she had not med
died with and did not know their con-
tents. So far as she could judge, no
one had visited the cave for years.
When we pinned her down to particu.
lars she remembered that ships chro-
nometer she had found among the stuff
bore the name OF "Antasia." and she
give US the markings Of several bales.
1t was story to stir the magma.
ton and would have found ready be.
lievers anywhere in the world We
were convinced within an hour that the
woman had seen what she declared she
had and that the island was the one
known now as Outer island" 1t
stands today the westernmost Of all
the group and is still without inhabit.
ants. After fun year on the island
Mrs Du Gin became desperate. She
gave up all hope Of being taken of and
determined to rescue herself. She built
u raft and one day trusted herself to
the treacherous sen. A west wind was
blowing, anu she hoped to be carried
across to other land before It changed
For five days she drove up and down
the China sra and was then cast ashore
on the lslan,l where we found her. That
the natives had been kind and respect.
full to her was owing to the fact that
they thought she was out of her mind.
Half day after the story had been
told we were on our way to the is
land. We reached 1t without incident.
but to meet with a surprise and bit
ter disappointment. We had no sooner
approached the shore in the yawl than
we discovered that the whole place
swarmed with rats. The creatures
were there by the hundreds Of thou.
sands, They were water rats Of the
largest size, and their demeanor was
so ferocious that we dared not land.
We pulled all around the island doz.
en- times over, but met the rodents
everywhere. They were gnawlng down
the trees and eating the grass out by
the roots. Where they came from
cannot say. There was not one on the
island when the woman left. We tried
powder and shot and fire to brighten
them. but 1t was not to be done After
week we bore away for Saigon.
Here the woman's story was fully cor.
roborated as to her residence, mar
rlage and the loss Of the ship. but the
story Of the cave and the treasure had
also to be told. The French governor
at once sent ship to the island and
brought everything away after having
spent a fortnight throwing poisoned
food to the rats. We OF the trading
schooner were promised a fair share.
N.vTN ~. . -