El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-07-11


had traded with the slave coasts Of
Africa. they beguiled me into a voyage
: 10 those parts with the intent TO Sc
! cure slave labor for our Plantations
/ Only evil does ever come OF evil
counsel our ship was wrecked on an
unknown island off the northeast
I coast of South America, and Of all
! the ships company l alone, by the
blessing OF God. was allowed TO es-
! cape through the high surf TO the
/ shore All possessed at the time was
a knife. a pipe and little tobacco in
a box Walking along the shore. when
/ ! had recovered sufficiently IN
4 strength 50 TO walk. I found fresn
1 water, a great joy. Having drunk
: and put 4 little tobacco against the
/ hunger in my mouth. I took up my
! lodging in a tree and did there sleep
to my great refrsshment throughout
Al He BAD Left.
I Next morning the weather was clear
: ard the sea mild. but what pleased
/ me most was the sight Of the ship
! which. as the tide ebbed lay SO close
ITO the shore that ] found no trouble
I in swimming out to it. No Giving
7 thing except a dog and two cats were
j left on the ship. but there was store
T Of necessities, aud such took. oul-o-
/ ing q raft for the purpose OF trans
( porting them 10 an inlet in the island
: where was fresh water and nat
/ high place for my habitation. Bread.
< rice. barley and corn. cheese and dried
/ goats flesh, some sugar. flour, planks-
+ spars. rope-all these win nlusket =;
two pistols. fowling pieces, store or
] lead and powder. two saws. an axe
hammer, aud-Which was the least use
Of all-36 rounds sterling Al these
8 1 plotted from day to day between
! tides from shin 10 shore on the night
OF the 18th day my work OF transpor-
tation being done. lay down IN my
usual fear OF wild beasts. but also OF
thaukfulness in the knowledge that
3 was prepared for some time 70 come
+ AGAINST the barrenness Of this island
There were wild fruit trees on the
( island but it was many days before I
] discovered them There were also
/ goats running Wild. but without the
I brought from the ship OF what avail
! we're they TO me2 So had reason 10
; be thankful for the good Providence
] which held the ship 20 the shore until
/ / had taken off AL that was OF use 10
Making the Best of II.
: There was much to be done II were
/ 10 secure nv existence on this strange
I Island The needful things 1 did as
r hest I could in turn. but not always
wsfh good fortune attending my ef-
( forts. In my first nlanting OF barley
and corn seed, the half OF all my
precious stock was wasted by reason
( Of being planted in the very wrong
I LITlE- 4 spent NraA- AlonN-A1 --A
! ing earthware pots for holding fresh
water. and ~ days It took me 70 he-w
I NY first long plank from tree trunk
{ I strove for weeks to fashion a stone
mortar 10 stamp grain IN. Only 70
come 1T last to a block Of followed
out wood Five months lahored IN
Telling great cedar tree. hewing and
shaping Il 10 the hull of a splendid
boat with which 1 was TO escape from
the island, only to be- forced 70
whereby 10 launch 1t into the sea
However. every failure taught me
something I had not known before
For the elements. there were great
winds and rains and earthqna kss- SUI
I became used in time 10 all things
planted and harvested my. crops OF
barley and corn: I plucted my Wild
grapes and dried them into nourisn-
! ing raisins: I raised and killed and
smoked and sailed my tame goats, be-
ing thus for variety OF food not so
badly served. And so through the Y
years during which ] saw no sign OF
human existence on the island other
than my own until that eventful day
on which ] met with the print OF a
mans naked foot on the sind
CannibaIs Visit Island.
was then like one thunderstrucS.
I listened. 1 looked. but I could hear
nothing. see nothing went up the
shore down the shore, but there vas
only that single footprint Terrified
10 the last degree I ran to my habita-
tion like one pursued and for three
days and nights thereafter I did not
stir out.
man for mani After u years Of pain
and labor, 2 years OF warning against
the elements. to he thrown into terror
BY the imprint OF a human FOOT But
so Il was.
After observation I learned that It
was the habit Of cannibals from the
main land 10 come-to part OF the IS
land which I seldom visited to feast
upon the bodies of their captured enc
mics. One morning from ny lookout
I perceived Is savages dancing around
a fire They had cooked one victim
and had two more ready for the fire.
when descended upon them with two
loaded muskets and my great sword
ard was in time TO save one which
they had not vet eaten The saved
man I called Friday. in honor Of the
day of his rescue. and his was the
first voice I heard in all my rs years
ligent. of a superior race Of ssyases |
and became my trusted companion /
for all the time remained on the
Going to the Mainland.
What Friday told me OF the main
land after J had taught him some I
English, decided ne to leave my is
land We built a boat this time not
too Tar from the sea Ior launcnlnE.
and were almost ready TO set SAL l
when q savages IN three canoes
landed on the island with three
prisoners for feast. One OF the 4
prisoners was a white man. which en- \
ragged me. ] double charged two fowl
ing pieces. four muskefs two pistols !
ana giving Friday a Ratchet and also I
a great dram Of rum and myself my 1
great sword. We descended and killed I
all but four Of the savages.
One OF the prisoners was Fridays 4
father. The white man was a Span /
lard. & survivor from a ship OF which I
had seen the wrecked hull on NY /
Island some years before this. and I
from which had taken some 1903 /
pieces Of gold, but Of which made I
small account because OF its being Of (
less value to me than so much sand OF
the beach.
I sent with firearms and food in my /
new boat 10 bring back the wrecked
crew Of the Spanish ship While !
waiting for their return an English /
ship with a mutinous crew put into I
my island. I helped the captain re-
cover his shin and took passage with /