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

brain and for some time claimed my careful
attention. Many young gannets were by this
ume occupying nests by the lagoon shore and
decided to adopt several of these, bringing
tnenm up by hand, and afterward employ
tnehm to carry away letters describing my
denorable situation and praying for relief. But
my hrst efforts were unsuccessful, and all
tnree OF my adoptions we're dead birds within
few days. This set me to thinking that per-
maps the food I was providing was unsuited to
their immature digestions-that raw turtle
meat, which they ate with avidity, was dan
gerous diet
l now enlisted another family of birds, and
by stonfng up several small basins near the
reef at high water was enabled to catch
small supply of little fish, when the tides had
fallen and the water had drained away into
the sea. With supply of what appeared
suitable food, I 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 hopelessness of my situation and my
constant longing to be with my family often
quite unnerved me, and surely left me less
thankful than l should have been for benefits
received and unacknowledged. My mind, at
times thoroughly discouraged, recoiled before
such an existence. Several months had elapsed
and my situation was still unpromising.
The feeding of my pets had provided a GER
tain amount Of occupation, and as the birds
rapidly approached maturity, I noted approx
ingly their greater proficiency in flight At last
all Of them were 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 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 I 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 I thought would have been any
where construed as a touching appeal for as
sistance Tearing the leaf out of my notebook
I fastened the mfssive 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 I had been their
only parent
Within a week after the birds had deserted
the island. regretted tho perch, and thence
forth every afternoon waved my rotting gar
ment hoping that some Ineligible answer
would reach me. BUT days and weeks passed
without any sign whatever and l again grew
utterly Respondent
The turtle season had come and gone, and
the extent Of my depredations had so alarmed
the island birds that I was now forced to trap
those which I would use for provender, or
climb the trees at night and secure my victims
quietly.
One day, observing troop of newly-hatched
turtles painfully dragging themselves towards
the salt water, it occurred to me that if were
to place these in the lagoon and feed them,
plentiful brood could be raised, and turtles
would ever after be obtainable at all seasons.
Once more I decided to entice the distant
birds to a renewed perch. and they returned
upon my signals of welcome. At last found
q bird with a letter written in the Samoan
tongue and addressed to one of the teachers.
Though I could not write dramatically and
with precision in the native language. I was
able to read sufficiently well. After divesting
the missive Of its religious commonplaces,
which begin and end every native communica-
ton in these ATTITUDES, saw that the writer
living on distant island, had no knowledge or
care for me. for he addressed fellow worker
in the mission field on 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 I could muster, and then,
having neglected the animals to induce them
to set out, once more resumed work upon a
construction somewhat resembling monstrous
top, which proposed should spin continuously
In groove of soft dry wood until ignition
VFl11a foil Of $h~kf 10
was my first effort in this line, for can recol-
lect at least four other constructions which
were wholly useless BY my repeated failures