The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1913-12-10
By CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY


I still had my sword. I drew 1t and
led on. keeping well under the shelter
Of the cliffs. We walked up the end
toward the giant stairs. There were
men, islanders. at the top Of the wall.
but my frst glance told me that we
had nothing to fear from them, for the
Stain were gone. They were but a
scattered heap Of stones. The earth
quake had crumbled the work Of the
builders Of bygone years. and ~ the
stairs had fallen away they had left
the cliff sheer and bare for a hundred
fest. They couldn't come at u.
cit b an act Of God" said I. ''that
has broken down the stairs"
But there may be another way Of
Descent" she said after a moment.
sOh, let ~ leave this dreadful islandw
had no hope that the dinghy had
BEEN spared. but its place was not far
away, and we walked to II In silence.
Il was gone. A tidal wave had follow
"a tie earthquake. The canoes in
which the islanders had come had been
dashed 30 pieces and their keepers kill
"a. The survivors were prisoners on
the island unless their friends came to
their help and even then until they
could devise some way Of getting down
the cliff. And We. too. were prisoners.
Some Of our gear. the compass. some
lsovisis1e Xhich I had stored In tAs
eRannies Of the rock were still there.
but thay were useless to rs. Some
thing else had happened. The earth
quake had broken the vast barrier
rect. Before US was a practicable pas
sage to the sea!
II We only had a boat! I turned 10
the canoes hopeful of finding one SEA-
worthy. and as did 20 my little mis-
txoss caught me BY the arm.
"Lookr' she cried. pointing far up
tie horizon
turned. and there. bottom upward
aoated the dinghy. The sight Of her
was like DRAFT Of wine. turned and
ran up ths sand, followed by my lady.
When opposite the boat i kicked OF
ny shoes-I had on little else but shirt
and trousers-jumped into the lagoon.
SWIM to the dinghy and lowed her
ashore. Assisted by Mistress Lucy. I
turned her over. then hunted up the
few things we had saved, with a little
store Of cocoanuts which we had &C.
eumulated in one Of the caves. shipped
the oan. which. being tied to the row.
locks. had not been washed away, and
shoved Oh.
The mast was still dashed to the
thwarts, and a boat cloak had been
caught under the forward thwart- The
painter was still fastened to q ring
bolt In the bow. and as soon n I had
rowed through the narrow entrance
stepped the mast and improvised q sail
with the boat cloak and the painter
The breeze blew softly. We passed
the island and then set our course by
the compass to the eastward. headed
for the great South American coast 90
many miles away.
We had gone through many perils
but had sustained them all. Fortune
- II ashamed Of her allotted trouble
made It up to NJ in the end, for in q
few days we fell In with q Spanish
ship Of war in the service Of the vice
roy Of Peru, which had been exploring
The south seas and had been driver
far out Of her ceurse By tho same
storm which had wrecked the Rose Of
Devon. Commander Don Antonio Re
ealde was an officer and Q gentleman
There was no war between our Eng
ush king and the Spanish monarch
then, and he treated % courteously
gave ~ food and raiment. assigned
snare cabin to my mistress AM
berthed me aft with the omcers. HI
was beand for Valparaiso. which Ii
due course, without mishap. We reach
3D. There we took ship for the Portu
gusss possessions on the other shor'
q ~ continent and thence We got
~Aa~ frnm Rao Aa Jannafu 10 Lisbon