The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-07-17


best / could in turn, hut not always |
with good fortune attending my efforts. |
In my first planting Of barley and corn
seed, the half of all rny precious stock
was wasted by reason of being planted
in the very wrong time. / spent weary
months in making earth-ware pots for
holding fresh water; and forty-two
DAYS it took me to hew my first long
plank from tree trunk. | Strove
for weeks to fashion stone mortar
to stamp grain in. only to come al
last to a block of hollowed-out wood.
Five months | labOred in telling
great cedar tree. hewing and shaping
il to the hull OF a splendid boat with
which was to escape from the island
only to be forced to abandon it for
want of q means whereby to launch II
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
7 became used In time to all things !
planted and harvested my crops OF
barley and corn; 1 plucked my wild
cranes and dried them into nourishinS
raisins: I 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 l saw no sign OF human
existence on the island other than my
own. until ttat eventful day on which
7 met with the print Of mans naked
foot on the sand.
T was then like one thunderstruck.
I listened, I looked, but I could hear
nothing, see nothing. l went up the
shore, down the shore; but there was
only that single footprint! Terrified
TO the last degree. I ran to my haDi-
tation like one pursued; and Tor three
DAVIS and nights thereafter I did not
stir out.
After observation I learned that 1t
was the habit of cannibals from the
mainland to come to paet OF the
island which I seldom visited to feast
upon the bodies Of their captured
enemies. One morning from my look
ont I perceived thirty savages dancing
around a fire. They had cooked one
victim Id had two more ready for the
fire. when I descended upon them with
two loaded muskets and my great
| sword. and was in time to save one
which they had not yet eaten. Inc
saved man I called Friday. in honor
of the day of his rescue, aod his was
the first voice l heard in all my 20
wears on the island. He was young,
intelligent. of superior race of saw
ages and became my trusted compan-
ion for all the time remained on the
island.
What Friday told me Of the main
land, after I had taught him some
English. decided me to leave my island
We built q boat, this time not too 1af
from the sea for launching. and were
almost ready to set sail when Il say
ages in three canoes landed on the
island with three prisoners for feast
One Of the prisoners was white man
which enraged me. l dOuble-chargec
two fowling pieces, four muskets. two
pistols. and giving Friday hatcne,
and also a great dram OF rum ah'
myself my great sword. we descended
and killed all but four Of the savages
One Of the prisoners was Fridays
father. The white man was Spaniard
survivor from a ship of which hat
seen the wrecked hull. on my islant
!. some years before this. and from whicl
I had taken some 1000 pieces of gold
, but of which ] made small accoun
| because Of It's being Of less value t
me than so much sand Of the beach.
The Spaniard and Fridays father
sent with firearms and food in m,
new boat to bring back the wrecke'
= crew Of the Spanish ship. While walt
:, ing for their return an English shi
: with q mutinous crew put into m
island. I helped the captain recove
y his ship and took passage with mir
for England, leaving on the island tn
most mutinous members with tw
- honest ones who wished also TO r.
: main. Later, my Spaniards returne
and all settled together on the islan'
: having their dissensions at first bt
: settling down finally into flourishln
n colony, which some years later 1t wa
= my happiness to visit.
It After twenty-eight years. two month
% and nineteen days I left my island.
: anticipated much Joy Of my arrival
q England. but was like strang'
:. there My mother and father wei
. both dead, which was unfortunate,
iii could have been of great service
a them: for besides the 1900 pieces
10 gold from the Spanish ship, there WI
= 10000 pounds sterling awaiting q
% from an honest friend, a FORTUNES
" CAPTAIN to whom I had entrusted n
20 estate in the Brazils before setti1
T. forth on the Inflated errand WIFI
threw me for twenty-eight years
~ nv island. So pleased was l with h
!. honesty that 1 settled 100 moidures
\ year on him and fifty moidures q ye
be on his son, both for life.
M I married and beg0t three childre
NJ and except for the one voyage to Z
no lold island, OF which Ishave spoken
A O. 49, -