The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-06-19

L
off all that was of use TO NE
There was much to be done # were
to secure my existence on this strange
island. The needful things / did a.
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
in the very wrong time. l spent weary
months in making earth-ware pots for
holding fresh water; and fUrty-two
days II took me to hew my first long
| plank from q tree trunk. l strove
| for weeks to fashion stone mortar
to stamp grain in, only to come at
| last to a block of hollowed-Out wood.
Five months I laborea in Telling
great cedar tree, hewing and shaping
1t 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 a means whereby to launch II
| into the sea. However, every failure
taught me something had not known
before.
For the elements, there we're great
winds and rains and earthquakes. Sut
7 became used in time to all things
planted and harvested my crops Of
barley and corn; I plucked my Nild
grapes and dried them into Gourishtng
raisins: l raised and killed ana smoked
and salted my tame goats. being thus
| for variety of good not so badly serN ed.
And so through the twelve EtarS DUR
| ing which | saw no sign u hun an
existence on the island other than my
own. until that even+ful day IN which
7 met with the print of a mans MAJ ed
foot on the sand.
I was then like one thunderstruek.
I listened. I looked, hut l could h.'ar
nothing. see nothing. / went up he
shore. down the shore; but thrZe vas
only that single footprint! Terrified
TO the last degree. I ran to ms ha d.
tation like one pursued; and for thu ee
days and nights thereafter I id BOT
stir out.
After observation I learned that 1t
was the habit of cannibals from the
mainland to come TO a part OF the
island which / seldom visited to fea It
upon the bodies Of their cap'urt"t
enemies. One morning from nv look
out I perceived thirty savages daEcing
around q fire. They had cooked ore
victim I'd had two more ready for tlie
fire. when descended upon them ~t'h
two loaded muskets and my gre''t
sword. and was in time to save ore
which they had not vet eaten. Tire
saved man / called Friday, in homer
of the day of his rescue. and his va
the first voice I heard in all my p
years on the island. He was youns.
intelligent. of a superior race of saw
ages and became my trusted cOmpab
ion for all the time remained on thu
island.
What Friday told me of the main
land. after / had taught him sOmt.
English. decided me to leave my island
We built a boat, this time not too faI
from the sea for launching. and were
almost ready to set sail when p saw
ages in three canoes landed on tn"
island with three prisoners for feast
One of the prisoners was a white man,
which enraged me. l dOuble-charged
two fowling pieces, four muskets. two
pistols. and giving Friday a hatchet
and also a great dram of rum anc
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 Spanlard,
n survivor from a ship of which hac
seen the wrecked hull on my island
some years before this. and from which
had taken some 100 pieces of gold
hut Of which ! made small account
because Of its being Of less value to
me than so much saRd of the beach.
The Spaniard and Fridays father
sent with firearms and food in ms
new heat to bring back the wrecked
crew of the Spanish ship. While wait
ing for their return an English ship
with a mutinous crew put into my
island. l helped the captain recovei
his ship and took passage with him
for England leaving on the island the
most mutinous members with two
honest ones 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 fiourishint
colony. which some years later 1t wa!
my happiness to visit.
After twenty-eight years. two months
and nineteen DAYS left my island. :,
anticipated much Joy of my arrival II
4 England. but I was like stranger
there. My mother and father were
both dead. which was unfortunate, q:
I could have heen of great service II
them: for besides the 100 pieces Of
gold from the Spanish ship, there wa'
10000 pounds sterling awaiting me
from an honest friend. a Portuguese
captain TO whom I had entrusted my
estate in the Brnztls before settins
forth on the Inflated errand which
threw me for twenty-eight years or
|. my island. So pleased was / with his
honesty that / settled 100 moidures
year on him and fifty mOidures veal
on his son, both for life.
married and begot three children
/ and except for the one voyage to the
; old island. of which I have spoken.
: roamed no more. So here am. havint
I lived a life Of infinite variety for 2!