The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-05-24

matcnes DeIOro uGnteQ my damp tODaccO.
1t was we'll on in the afternoon when the
pangs Of hungar drove me forth to seek
prosender of some sort. Though the force
of the gale was quite strong enough to i'm
pede me greatly, I managed to struggle through
the torn shrubbery and tangled vines until I
once more gained the open beach, and stood
appalled, before the oceans sublime fury.
Great seas hurled themselves at the trifing
island. and actually threatened to engulf It,
According to my calculation I had now been
above forty hours without food. Worn out by
the wretched weather, and quite famished, I
grasped stick to aid my injured leg, and set
out to discover food and shelter.
After a painful effort I came to the second
patch of cocoanuts, and was not disappointed,
for most of the fruit lay scattered on the
ground, shaken down by the storm. After a
bit of hard work in removing the outer husk,
I RECALLED myself upon ripe cocoanut and it's
f1rmer and more matured flesh, and this had
to serve me, for I saw nothing else that was
eatable at this time.
Night came on while still painfully wan
dered in search of shelter and l would have
been glad to occupy the pit again had the diff
fculty of returning there been less formidable
The night proved a wild one, and l lay
stretched out to leeward of giant tree, whose
battle-ground roots and buttresses gave me
just little protection from the chilling blast
Here in this miserable situation I passed the
tedious hours till day appeared.
My injured leg had grown worse and swell
ed to a considerable size, throbbing and
alarming me thoroughly. Hunger and thirst
once more assailed me, and painfully l drag
ged myself forward in the hope of finding
some sort Of sustenance. If the brigantine had
been lost In the hurricane there was very lit.
tie chance of another vessels coming to Nuula-
klta for months and months. Possibly It.
might be years before the place was visited.
Such despairing thoughts as these produced
sort of sinking Of the soul, an apathetic sad
ness Why struggle farther? But still 1
wriggled forward over the soft sands, which
seemed barren enough. soldier crab cross
ed my path and I devoured him raw without
a qualm.
Even at this early stage of my Imprisonment
I must have been bit delirious, for began to
Imagine I heard voices calling me, and at
length I fancled I saw people quickly fitting
about as If to avoid my vision.
The pain In my wounded leg was very
great, but I sometimes forgot this because Of
mental tortures far more acute. Another hor-
rid night. and another boisterous day without
the smallest comfort, left still more help
less. Reason, I believe, was on the verge of
collapse, when my remaining physical strength
suddenly gave way. Sleep, delirum, or prob
ably prolonged Inconsistencies, at length re-
lieved me.
l awakened at last to behold the splendors
OF tropic sunrise, the great orb soon shining
directly in my face. My leg was much better
for the enforced rest it had had, and, strang-
est of all. was not so hungry as I had BEEN
Melancholy forebodings that perhaps was
fated to die there like dog and lie unburied.
feast for crabs and noxious vermin, spurred
me to further effort Pride and every primal
instinct urged me forward. and at length, ex-
hausted with fatigue and in great pain, I
reached the region Of the fallen cocoanuts
and, after resting sufficiently, food and drink
were again my portion, and later in the day I
was enabled to stagger along the deserted
beach upon rude crutch which I had i'm
provised
Onward, painfully onward, I went, craving
satisfying food and rest. Eventually passed
sandy place marked all about by turtles
fippers-a depression where eggs had surely
been deposited. More than hundred eggs
were in the nest, all closely packed together
and covered from marauders. Gathering
some dry wood and bark, built a little pile
and drew forth my treasured matches.
What an appalling disappointment was to
suffer! The box in which they were contained
was crushed quite fiat, and the matches them
selves were loose in my pocket Some, being
wet had lost their black heads. I must dry
should be risked. did not dare to take any
chances Of failure. and always afterward
would have to keep smoldering fire or lose
this great necessity. fiat coral stone ex.
posed to the sun was selected, and my treas
ure was spread out in the genial warmth. The
ignition papers from the dlapidated box were
turned and turned until quite crisp, while each
individual match was given careful attention.
When all was ready tried to strike light
fr{o 0V1 ~{a l~1>
was done. and this with never a gimmer OF
success!
Raw turtle eggs are not to be commended as
a steady diet, but they will serve a turn. In
due course I was able to get to the rookery.
but most OF the birds were gone, dispersed no
doubt by the violence Of the gale None of
their eggs that could find were catable.
now tried Intellectually to produce fire by
rubbing two sticks together as I had often
seen the Samoan natives do No, could not
do the trick.
began to think Of preparing myself some
sort Of shelter-at least lodgment where l
might sleep in comparative comfort. My ear
Hest effort produced a kind of windbreak only.
Raw turtle eggs when steadily adhered to
become absolutely disgusting a diet, and
on the recovery Of my leg sought many ex-
pedients that might serve my turn. Raw un-
sailed meat I could not abide, even when
knew that it was sweet and wholesome So
now when I caught bird or turtle cut the
flesh into thin strips and hung them in the
sun, or placed them on heated rocks until they
received sort Of natural cooking.
Dressed in a WORKOUT suit of thin pajamas,
my only other possessions were a pocket
knife, notebook and pencil, and a useless
pipe for the small fragment of tobacco I had
been possessed of had been nibbled away as a
makeshift stimulant