The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1920-06-18

fuf for the good Providence which I'D
the ship to the sheFs until had taken
or ell that vas Of use 10 me.
There was much to be done u I were
10 secure ny existenee on this strange
island The needful things I did as
best I could Ia turn. hut net 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
Ia the very wrong time. spent weary
months 10 making earth-ware pots for
holding fresh water; and forty-twO
days 1t took ne 10 hew my fret Long
plank from . tree trunk. I strsve
for weeks to fashion q stone mortar
to stamp grain In, only to come at
last to q block OF hOllowed-out wood.
Five months I labored In telling a
great cedar tree. hewing and shaping
It to the hull Of a splendid boat with
which I was to escape from the island,
only to be forced to abandon 1t for
want OF a means whereby to launch It
into the sea. However, every failure
taught me something l 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 nOurishing
ralsins: I raised and killed and smoked
and salted my tame goats, being thus
for variety OF good not SO badly served.
And so through the twelve years dur
Ing which I saw 90 sign OF human
eKistence on the island other than my
own. until that eventful day on which
I met with the print Of mans naked
foot on the sand.
was then like one thunderstruck.
listened, | looked, but l 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. ran to my habi-
tation like enc pursued; and for three
days and nights thereafter ] did not
stir out.
After observation I learned that II
was the habit OF cannlbais from the
mainland to come to part OF the
island which I seldom visited to feast
upon the bodies OF their captured
enemies. One morning from my look
out perceived thirty savages dancing
around are. They had cooked one
victim G 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. The
saved man I called Friday, In honor
OF the day OF his rescue, and his was
the FIRST voice I heard 10 all my 20
years on the island. He was young,
/ In Altgent, of q superior race of saw
ages and became my trusted ccmpan-
lon for all the time remained on the
island.
What Friday told me OF the main
laad. after I had taught him some
English. decided me to leave my island.
We built a boat, this time not too far
from the sea for launching, and were
almost ready to set sail when n saw
ages In three canoes landed on the
island with three prisoners for feast.
One OF the prisoners was a white man.
which earaged me. double-charged
two fowiing pieces. four muskets, two
pistols, and giving Friday Q Ratchet
aud also argreat dram OF rum. and
myself my great sword. we descended
aad killed all bat four Of the savages.
One OF the prisoners was Fridays
father. The white man was Spanissd,
survivor from a ship Of which had
seen the wrecked hull on my island
some years before this. and from which
had taken some 100 pieces Of gold.
but OF which I made small account
because Of It's being Of less value to
me than 80 much sand Of the beach.
TIE spsnIard and Fridays father |
sent with firearms and foed In my
new boat to bring back the wrecked
crew Of the Spanish ship. While walt
Ing for their return an English ship
! with q mntinous crew put Into my
island. I helped the captain recover
his ship and took passage with him
for England. leaving on the island the
most mutinous members with two
honest Goes VINO wished also to re
main. Later. my Spaniards returned
and all settled together on the island
having their dissensions at nrst. bu'
settling down finally into nouhshins
colony. which some years later it wa
my happiness to visit.
| After twenty-eight years. two months
, and nineteen days LEFT my island.
anticipated much JOY Of my arrival ID
, Engiand. but I was like q stranges
there. MI mother and father wers
both dead, which was unfortunate q
III could have been Of great service Il
| them; for besides the Loo pieces Of
, gold from the Spanish ship. there wai
!. 10000 pcunds sterling awaiting me-
, i from On honest friend. PortuRest
/ captain 10 whom I had entrusted n,
4 estate IN the Braxiis before settni
: forth on the Inflated errand whicf
threw me for twenty-cight pears %
, my Island. so pleased was I with hi
II "a