Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-02-24
Capturing
a Bride
Failure Meant Her
Death.
By ESTHER VANDEVEER :
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On the western coast of Central
America is a tribe of Indians who are
very proud of their ancestry. tracing
it to the Aztecs. who were semi-civ-
ilized people. They trade with other
races, but marry only among them
selves. Nature in tropical climates
supplies food in such superabundance
that the natives may exchange what
they don't need for what will provide
other necessaries than food.
The principal food produced among
this tribe of Central America is cocoa
nuts. The Indians do not need to
climb the trees to gather them. for
when they are ripe they fall to the
ground. All day at the harvest season
there is a constant dropping. and at
night one who is unaccustomed to the
sound will be kept awake by it.
There seems to be natural law that
those who don't have to work for
living consider themselves better than
those who do. Whether it was this i'm
munity from labor or the fact of the
blue Aztec blood in their veins, these
Indians would admit of no union
among their people with any other.
Their cocoanuts brought ships to their
shores, and the sailors necessarily came
ashore to load them. This was always
done by daylight. but when night came
every man on the island must leave.
The Aztecs described by the Spanish
conquerors were a delicately made
q + hi. s.o f1NiIs
dusky way were beautiful. So it was
with these Indians of Central Amer
lea. They would go to the shore in
groups while the sailors were loading
their boats with cocOanuts. and doubt
less there were glances between them
and the Jack tars. But the girls knew
that there must be no further counting,
for should there be the life of one Or
both would be forfeited.
One day a ship was loading cocoa
nuts on the shore of these proud
people. Several girls stood on the
bank watching the yawls come to the
beach. take on load Of cOcOanuts and
start back for the ship This getting
a boat over the breakers is always an
entertaining sight. Several men walk
ing in the shallow water would pull
the boat out to where the oars might
take hold: then the OarSmen, watching
an opportunity between waves, would
pull Justify in order to pass the next
wave before it broke. Unless the boat
was skillfulIy handled it was liable to
be capsized.
The morning when the girls were
watching the sailors the breakers were
quite high. The rudder of a boat com
ing from the ship was unshipped by
striking a bar a short distance from
the shore. and, the coXsWain not being
able to keep her straight for the shore
her side was turned to the incoming
waves, and she was capsized. Some
of the men in her got ashore, and
some were drowned. One was washed
ashore some distance below where the
boat was to have landed. There he
lay, rolled hither and thither by each
succeeding line of foam that slid high
up on the beach.
The men who succeeded in getting
ashore alive were helped by the girls.
who waded into the water for the pur-
pose. One girl. seeing the body that
from the others, ran to him.
Lying unconscious ON the sands, his
light curly hair stirred by the ever
moving water, he was picture of
manly beauty. He was Ned Phillips.
considered by his mates the daredevil
of their number. He never went
ashore that he did not get into scrape
and on several occasions had been
saved by some of them from getting
killed.
The girl kneeled by him and lifted
his head in her arms. Whether it was
their warmth or the change of posi-
ton or that he had been revived by
the air. he opened his eyes and looked
into dusky face with sympathetic
eyes, all of which seemed very beau
tiful to him. He had become exhaust.
ed shortly before being thrown up OIL
the beach and was therefore not very
far gone. He returned the look OF
sympathy with one of gratitude. admi
ration. love. Then, staggering to his
feet, he pulled himself together, ant
the two rejOined the others.
But Ned was not in condition fO
anything but rest. He lay down OF
the sand. and the girl who had raised
him from the water sat by him anC
famed him with a tropical leaf. Fo
time the other girls stood about then
looking down at Ned's pale face AM
limp figure. But young people sool
detest the mating of those about them
and one by one the girls stole ava.
and left them together. Presently on
of the other girls came and whisperet
something in the ear of Ned's mate
and with frightened look she rejoin
ed the others. Some native men wer
coming.
In due time. the sea having gon
aown. the process of loading was re