Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-08
CHAPTER X

"' Luis tney uiu promptly. He then
q on:
Il am delegated by Captain Trigger
and the officers Of this vessel, after a
conference just co~ncluded--and Of which
you are all well aware-to put before
you as briefly and clearly as possible
the decision that a been reached. I
may as we'll confess in the beginning
.nat this decision is based on the rec
ohi~nendatlons of the party who went
70 the top OF the mountain. It 10 out
Vt .he question for the people on board
Investigations have been made. For the
present, we are ally safe here on board
me snip, We don't know what perils
en,st IN the absolutely unexplored coun-
ties are to be sent out to explore the
islana. especially the eastern section of
~ Ihere is no use mincing matters.
we are confronted by a very plain sit
t t.ion .. IL z possible; ever probable.
10 set loot on this land. II that be true,
We are now 80 far out Of the path OF
sne rev sh!ps and steamers sailing these
southSrn seas that there is small nope
matter Of fact. It isn't likely that we
VII! be discovered until the island Itself
Is discovered; II you see what I mean.
There isn't the slightest chance that
We sc INV bIbI1ulnH on Will ever
hoat again. Even II the engines could
be put In order--and that is possible. 1
am told--the vessel nj be raised. II
snyoody has been nursing. that sort OF
no. good. We are here to st az u unless
help eomes from the outside. There's
me plain English, Of II, We may have
y bye mere on this island: like poor old
m feu years I'm going to stop. just a
rev SECONDS to let that soak into your
brains; We've got TO face It. We've got
20 20 make the best Of It. 1t is not FOR
to say that we will not be taken on this
Island some ~time-maybe sooner than
we think. Whaling vessels must visit
there; We've SGT our work cut out Tor
present and lie. the future ta at"" care ar 'S ~
s eaeno, N rs here are the facts; We
woman IA t and g ehi fS of vs. worki e scn;s k %aS;
what can be cultivated on this island,
Snd ~ ost w get It to sd iind d out ssv and l., when We
II we don't, my friends, we'li starve to
death n a very short. time. And what's
me u we do not get out there and put
when winter comes along.
According to calculations, winter Is
sun hVe or six months away. We won't
get II, ! dare say. before next April or
NAY All you have to do is to take a
realize that we are a long a from the
tropics. 1t gets as cold as blazes here
N the dead OF winter; ! can tell you
snst' We've got to build homes. We've
halfway sort Of camp, but a good solid,
substantial one. my friends. There ia
what you might call a minority report in
a asEes mo 70 the ne situation s1Sat ~ Captain Trigger
who look at It as / do. Mr.. Landover,
who Is, / understand, one Of the leading
bankers in the United States Of America.
we are, on board the Doraine, where
we've got cabins and beds and shelter
from the elements. He may be right.
AL / have to say to him Is thls-I don't
Mr.. Landover. simply because I'm one Of
those unhappy individuals who always
think OF the brilliant things I might have
f I have w"s to .ss f Is th las: f Il ny ny t hsnsoS1l
and his supporters expect to sit snugiy
On his ship while the rest of us build
houses and plant crops. and then conclude
to come out and bone the rest Of us for
70 sleep, they are going to be badly
fooled: We're ali equal here. A couple
Of million dollars. more or less. doesn't
counts here Ia muscle and common sense
and n Willingness to use both.
"A little while g I asked Mr.. Ian.
dover how much money he has with him
ne informed me that while It wasn't any
Ct ny business. he has about Ave hun.
coupls OF hundred pesos besides. but that
his letter OF credit 70 still good for az.
teen thousand. Mr.. Sicklestick has about
ssssss M Snnd nsocE do1iafs IN money: and 50
press checks. ana so forth. and ifs smpposc
tn there Soa Is a M Tse sbs Sow full of 5ewelFiy !.
to talk down here. I wish to state that
the men and women from the steernge
have got more real. dough than all the
hrst and second cabins put together.
bank accounts in New York. but there
are a dozen men In the steerase who
have as much as two or three thousand
pesos sewed up inside their clothes. So
who can AFFORD to hire anybody to build
a hut for them. and pay for It In real
money, are the plutocrats from the steer.
age.
'Mr. L%andover's letter Of credit 4.
good for fifteen thousand II he ever geti
S fifteen 70 cent? nsS here sHsA' H ~ life IL 'f Is ,n %Srst
for one million dollars, I am told. j
don't know who the benefciaries are
but. whoever they are. they are COINS
to put in a claim for the million II h
shortly, He 10 going to be declared OF.
icially dead. and so are all the rest o,
us, after n reasonable time has elapsed
Now, I don't say that we are never 20,
Ing to be rescued. We may be fount
inside of a month. Some OF us dom
quite realize the fix we are In. Mr.
Codse. the purser. was saying Q
little while ago that a lady from tn,
first cabin nearly took his lei of wher
he told her II was impossible to send
cable message to her people in Boston
A number Of passengers have already
demanded. that their passage money b,
refunded,
came to be on board this steamer.
among YOU. haven't q penny In m,
doesn't belong to me. I wanted 10 re
back to the States so that I could carr,
a gun or something over In France
wanted to fight for my country. I WASH
thinking very much about my life wher
I started for home and France. bu'
I want to say that In thinking abou'
It now. I don't intend to starve OF
freeze to death II I can help II. an
going to fight for my life. not for my
country. .
"This Is no time to be sentimental. I,
10 no time to sit down and pity our
selves or each other. GOD knows I an
Just as sorry for myself AZ you are for
yourselves, but that isn't going to get
me anywhere. We've got to work
That means all of Va. It means the
women as we'll as the men. 1t a the
women with soft. white hands and the
men who never did q stroke OF manual
labor In their lives, just as much al II
,anaHa tha rannIa Whn va ANN dnna