White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-06-06

ful for the good Providence which held
| the ship 10 the shore until l had taken
Off all that a OF use TO me.
There was much to be done II | were
to secure my existence on this strange
island. The needful things / did as
best l could In turn, but not always
with good fortune attending my efforts.
In my first planting Of barley and corn
seed. the half of all my precious stock
was wasted by reason OF being planted
10 the very wrong time. l spent weary
months IN. making earth-ware pots for
holding fresh water: and forty-two
| days II. took me TO hew nay first long
plank from = tree trunk. i stroye
Tor weeks { fashion Q stone mortar
to stamp grain In, only to come at
last to q block of hollowed-out wood.
Five months | lsbored. ip Telling q
| great cedar tree, hewing and shaping
It to the hull Of a splendid boat with
which l was TO escape from the island.
only TO be forced TO abandon II for
want Of a means whereby 10 launch 1t
into the sea. However, every failure
taught me something ! had not known
before.
For the elements. there were great
winds and rains and earthquakes. But
became used In time to all things. !
planted and harvested my crops OF
barley and corn | plucked my Wild
grapes and dried them Into nourlshinG
ralsins ! raised and killed and smoked
and sailed my tame goats. being thus
for variety of good not so badly served.
And so through the twelve years dur
Ing which I saw no sign OF human
existence on the island other than my
own. until that eventful day OH which
I met with the print of a mans naked
foot on the sand.
I was then like n thunderstruck.
l listened. | looked, but | could hear
nothing. see nothing. ! went up the
shore. down the shore; but there was
only that single footprint! Terrified
10 the last degree, l ran TO my habi-
tation like one pursued and for three
days and nights thereafter ] did not
stir out,
After observation I learned that 1t
was the habit of cannibals from the
mainland TO come TO n part of the
island which | seldom visited TO feast
upon the bodies of their captured
enemies. 0ae morning from my look
out | perceived thirty savages dancing
around a fire. They had cooked n
Victim { I'd 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 n
which they had not yet eaten. The
saved man I called Friday, In honor
Of the day Of his rescue, and his was
the first voice | heard In all my %
years on the island. lie was young,
intelligent. OF n superior race of saw
ages and became my trusted compan-
lon for all the time ! remained on the
Island.
What Friday told me Of the main
land. after | had taught him some
English, decided me TO leave my island.
We built n boat. this time not too far
from the sea for launching, and were
almost ready TO set sail when Il saw
ages In three canoes landed on the
Island with three prisoners for O feast.
One OF the prisoners was a white man,
which enraged me. I doublecharged
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 all but four OF the savages.
One of the prisoners was Fridays
father. The white mar was a Spaniard.
q survivor from q ship of which had
seer the wrecked hull On my island
some years before this. and from which
! had taken some 100 pieces OF gold,
but of which ! made small account
because Of its being of less value to
me than so much sand Of the beach.
The Spaniard and Fridays father l
sent with firearms and food In my
new boat to bring back the wrecked
crew OF the Spanish ship. While walt
Ing for their return an English ship
with a nutinous crew put into my
island. I helped the captain recover
his ship and took passage with him
J for England, leaving on the island the
most mutlnous members with two
honest mes who wished also to re-
main. Later, my Spaniards returned
and all settled together on the island,
having their dissensions at first, but
settling down finally into a fiourishing
colony, which some years later II was
my happiness to visit.
After twenty-eight years, two months
and nineteen days I left my island. ]
anticipated much Joy of my arrival In
England. but I was like a stranger
there. My mother and father were
both dead. which was unfortunate, as
I could have been Of great service to
them for besides the 200 pieces Of
gold from the Spanish ship, there was
10000 pounds sterling awaiting me
from al honest friend. a Portuguese
captain TO whom I had entrusted my
" IL