The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-08

1
riety of food not so badly served.
And so through my twelve years dur
ing which l saw no sign of human
existence on the island other than my
own, until that eventful day on which
l met with the print of a mans naked
foot on the sand.
was then like one thunderstruck
l listened, l looked, but ! could hear
nothing, see nothing. l went up the
shore, down the shore; but there was
only the single footprint! Terrified
to the last degree. ran to my habita-
! ton like one pursued; and for three
| days and nights thereafter l did not
/ stir out.
/ What a commentary on the fear Of
! man for man! After twelve years of
pain and labor, twelve years of war
ring against the elements, to be
thrown into terror by the imprint of
human foot! But so it was.
After observation l learned that it
was the habit of cannibals from the
mainland to come to a part Of the
island which I seldom visited to feast
/ upon the bodies of their captured
enemies. One morning from my look
! out l preceived thirty savaees dane
| ing 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, and was in time to
save one which they had not yet
eaten. The saved man l caAed Friday
in honor Of the day of his rescue,
and his was the first voice | heard
in all my % years on the island. He
was young, intelligent. of a superior
race of savages and became my trust
ed companion for all the time / re-
manned on the island.
What Friday told me Of the main
land, after l had taught him some
English. decided me to leave the is
land. We built boat, this time not
too far from the sea for launching,
and were almost ready to sail when
q savages in three canoes landed on
the island with three prisoners for a
feast One of the prisoners was a
white man, which enraged me.
double charged my two fowling pieces
four muskets, two pistols, and giving
Friday a Ratchet and also a great
dram of rum and myself my great
sword, we descended and killed al
but four of the savages. One of the
prisoners was Fridays father, The
white man was 4 Spaniard. a survivor
} from a ship of which | had seen the
wrecked hull on my island some year:
before this, and from which | hac
taken some 1900 pieces of gold, bu
of which l made small account be
, cause of it's being OF less value tt
, me than so much sand of the beach
: The Spaniard and Fridays fathe1
!, | sent with firearms and food in m!
: new boat to bring back the wrecked
: crew of the Spanish ship. While
waiting for their return an English
= ship with a mutinous crew PIT int
my island l helped the captain re
| cover his ship and took passage will
.,hin for England, leaving on the is
: land the most mutinous members VIII
, two honest ones who also wished Il
2 remain. Later my Spaniards return
= ed and all settled together on the Is
), land, having their dissentions at first
l but settling down finally into flour
: ishing colony, which some years late
: it was my happiness to visit
l After twenty-eight years, tw
Y months and nineteen days l left N
: island | anticipated much joy o.
V my arrival in England, but | was Xix
f stranger there. My mother an
! father were both dead, which wa
e unfortunate, as I could have been @
|. great service to them; for besides tn
e 200 pieces of gold from the SPANS
o ship, there was 10000 pounds ster
o ing awaiting me from an homes
e friend, a ortuguese captain to whom
d had entrusted my estate in the Brs
il zils before setting forth on the IL
n fated errand which threw me 10
j. overweight years on my island. 5
o pleased was l with his honesty tina
II | settled 100 moidures a year on hill
and fifty moidures a year on his sol
both for life.
S married and begot three children
S and except for one voyage to tn
It island. of which I have spoken,
g roamed no more. So here | am, ha
If ing lived a life of infinite variety fc
II 80 years, blessed with more than
a deserve and resolved now to prepaI
I for the longest journey Of all. If
l. have learned anything, it is know
.; edge of the value of retirement an
W the blessing of ending ones days
peace.
e Copyright. 1919, by Post Publishin
o Co. (the Boston PosD.
- Published by special arrangem Ell
u with the Mcclure Newspaper Synd
d cate. All rights reserved.
a. "Arabian Nights" edited by Pri
,e cess Scheherazade, as condensed
o Alfred S. Clark, will be printed t