The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1912-05-09


brain and for some time claimed my careful
attention Many young gannets were by this
time occupying nests by the lagoon shore and
decided to adopt several Of these, bringing
thehm up by hand and afterward employ
thehm TO carry away letters describing my
deplorable situation and praying for relief But
my first efforts were unsuccessful and all
three of my adoptions were dead birds within
a few days. This set me to thinking that per-
haps the food l was providing was unsuited to
their immature digestions-that raw turtle
meat, which they ate with avidity, dan
gerous diet
/ now enlisted another family of birds, and
by stoning up several small basins near the
reef at high water, | enabled to catch a
small supply of little fish, when the tides had
fallen and the water had drained away into
the sea- With a supply Of what appeared a
suitable food L was at length able to bring
up brood of promising birds, who were
taught by me to rest on the usual sort of perch
provided at the other islands. When my
proteges had grown, they were not long in
learning to provide for themselves.
The hopeessness of my situation and my
constant longing to be with my family often
quite unnerved me, and surely left me less
thankful than should have been for benefits
received and unacknowledged. My mind, at
times thoroughly discouraged, recoed before
such existence Several months had elapsed
and my situation was still unpromsing.
The feeding of my pets had provided GER
tain amount of occupation, and the birds
rapidly approached maturity. | noted approx
ingly their greater proficiency in flight. At last
all of them able to make extended excur-
sions. I easily taught them to return at the
call of the flag. My tattered pajama coat an
swered as a signal.
One day while experimenting with my own
birds, called from the skies an utter stranger,
who calmly perched himself and squawked
loudly for attention. With avidity searched
him for communications, but evidently the
animal was off on leave, for he bore no let
tiers. | fed him slowly, and between whites /
wrote what | thought would have been any
where construed as a touching appeal for as
sistance. Tearing the leaf out of my notebook
fastened the mssive so that it laid fatty
underneath the feathers of the back.
For several days the new bird continued to
resort to my perch, always returning with my
message, and it was not until | refused him
food continuously that was able to get rid of
him. Then, some days later having fastened
missives to all three of my birds, took down
the perch and refused to notice them at ala
treatment they could not understand, for from
their earliest recollections l had been their
only parent.
Within a week after the birds had deserted
the island, re-erected the perch, and thence
ment, hoping that some ineligible answer
would reach me. But days and weeks passed
without any sign whatever and 1 again grew
utterly respondent.
The turtle season had come and gone and
the extent of my depredations had so alarmed
the island birds that was now forced to trap
those which 1 would for provender,
climb the trees at night and secure my victims
quietly.
One day. observing a troop of newly-hatched
turtles painfully dragging themselves towards
the salt water it occurred to me that If l were
to place these In the lagoon and feed them, a
plentiful brood could be raised, and turtles
would ever after be obtainable at all seasons.
Once more 1 decided to entice the distant
birds to renewed perch, and they returned
upon my signals of welcome. At last found
a bird with a letter written in the Samoan
tongue and addressed to one of the teachers.
Though could not write dramatically and
with precision in the native language was
able to read sufficiently we'll. After dvesting
the missive of its religious commonplaces,
which begin and end every native communica-
ton in these ATTITUDES | saw that the writer.
living distant island had no knowledge or
care for me, for he addressed fellow worker
in the mission field ons topics of mutual in
terest.
OBTAINING the bird for some time by such
entertainment as was sure to please him and
his comrades, now prepared several messages
In such Samoan as / could muster, and then,
having neglected the animals to induce them
to set out, once more resumed work upon
construction somewhat resembling monstrous
top, which proposed should spin continuously
in groove Of soft dry wood until ignition
would follow. 1t must not be supposed that this
was my first effort in this line, for l can recol-
lect at least four, other constructions which
were wholly useless. BY my repeated failures