The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1912-08-03


and smashed some of the small boats,
and there was a panic on board.
Fortunately all escaped in the
boats that remained whole, but many
were only partly dressed and some not
at all. After a terrible experience 10
heavy gale, lasting for almost whole
day, We reached the shore OF one OF
the deserted islands the following ait
ernoon and, after battle with the
heavy sea, managed to drag our oooies
up on to the land.
Naked and wounded. for what
clothes We had had been ripped on
our bodies torn and bruised fy oelne
battered around. we looked like oand
of phantoms marching on to the con-
quest of some Internal island.
Almost starved, we lighted q Dig
fire with flint and attracted some sea
birds which We captured and ate. Max
ing clothes for ourselves out OF long
grass and leaves, We started out 10 eA'
plore the island. After search that
lasted three days, some OF our parry
discovered a rude shelter, showing
that shipwrecked people had peen
there at some time before.
ION the following days we Klilea.
with rocks, a number Of albatross anu
caught a quantity Of shellhsh. on
which we subsisted. Also, we captur-
ed a small seacow, which proved to
be decent eating.
LAS a chance OF making our condi-
ton known, we caught three aloatross
alive and set them free with bark
cards tied around their necks, stating
our plight in French and English. But
day after day passed and help FAILED
to come.
I'VE resolved to make the best OF
our condition, because we feared-and
rightly so-that we might be left on
the island for months. even years. be-
fore we could in some way or otner
attract the attention of passing YES
sci. The vessels, we knew, gave the
particular island we were on very
wide berth.
so we got up little government
all OF our own and called ourselves the
hip-wrecked Kingdom we mad
sort of king. or boss. cabinet OF ac'
visors and all that sort OF thing. our
army'--or exploration party-was dis
ua,cbed into the interior OF the island
sud the army consisting OF eight
men discovered some wild sheep.
ION May Z, after we had been on
the Island Kingdom for over three
months. the New Zealand government
steamer Hinomoa rescued US. ms
vessel had on board the two daughters
of Mr.. Mills, the New Zealand Minis
ter OF Commerce, who superlntehded
most of the work of helping US back
"a our natural civilized state and. as
a token of our gratitude. we gave them
the cat that had been saved from the
wreck of the Anjou and that had gone
through all our troubles with us as
mascot of our little Kingdom"
AT the end of the captains report.
there is the simple statement that tea
large vessels before the Anjou had
heen wrecked at the same spot during
fifteen years, among them the Gen-
ora, Grant with a loss of seventy five
lives.
And there are scores of true tales
like this that have never come TO the
ewes of the great reading world. actual
romances and dramas OF the deep that
rival the attempts Of fiction.
Tho Voyage Of the kerosene-Iaden
"1hornliebank."
A ships fight against storm. made
more exciting by the fact that some
dynamite happenI to be included In
the cargo, is one of the favorite and
stock devices Of the sea-fction writer's.
What would you think Of . story
concerning a leaking clipper ship. with
sighty-six thousand cases OF kerosene