Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-08-08

flowers have little scent by day. while
the sun shines on them. AT night,
when the dew falls, perfume awakens.
IL Is truly perfumed night And the
nostrils Of man are excited by the rich
and almost oppressive blending of
odors. The Queen of Night gives off
the perfume of vanilla. Mingled with
II comes the scent OF hyacinih, or
child, mayflower. and Eeliotrope.
Sweetsmelling breezes blow, and
above is the tropical sky with its clus-
tered flashing stars and gorgeous
MILKY Way Hanging above the hori-
zon is the far-famed Southern Cross.
In the middle of the camp we made
sort Of plaza. The Seeadler's bat
teries furnished electric light for 1t,
and there we gathered every night
We still had plenty OF champagne and
cognac left from the capture OF the
champagne ship. So. In the cool OF
the evening. we sat out there on the
edge OF this equatorial Potsdammer
Platz slipping drinks out OF wine and
brandy glasses. just as we might have
at the Adon In Berlin. There was
plenty of pipe tobacco, and Doctor
Pietsch had taken care to rescue from
the wreck store of his endless ci-
CARS. The wind blew. the stars shone,
and the orchestra alternately played
German classics from the operas and
American rag-time melodies. All, yes,
this last bit OF the once glorious over
seas German empire wasn't such bad
little paradise at all. We castaways
out there In the solitude OF the South
Seas felt as though we were the only
people left In the world. like Noah and
his family on Mount Ararat-
But after about three weeks OF this
Garden-of- Eden without-an-E Eve exist
ence the monotony OF II began to get
on our nerves. OF course, there was
the wife" OF the officer Of the !.
but she was far too busy to be inter-
ested In the rest of us. We hadn't
| been sent out to colonize the South
Seas and take life easy. So we cast
about for way to 90 buccaneering
| again.
Our first need was for a ship TO
take the place of our unfortunate
| three master impaled out there on the
| coral reef. The Kanakas told us that
French sailing vessel visited the Is
/ Ia RI fol Ia
meat. The best guess that they c\pld
make was that II would be another six
months or so before she arrived Well,
after six months, we would have a
ship We could always fall back on
that. But. by Joe. six months was a
long time TO walt. The war might be
won or lost by then. And II was high
~ unlikely that any other ship would
stray into those waters for heaven
knows how long. We all grew impa-
tlent Few sailors are keen about re-
naming cast away on tropical Isle
| for long, and especially on an atoll
as small as Mopelia. We felt the Itch
to get out to sea again. was par
| ticularly anxious to set something
stirring Before long the tropical sun
and lazy life would sap my mems VI
tally. and all they would be good for
would be to ioll around. .
We still had our lifehoats, and the
hurricane season was not on. So why
not put to sen In one OF them? We
devised rigging and sails for our best
| lifeboat. mast, lib boom. main boom
| gafr, stays. and back stays. We
scraped, cauked, and painted her
! She was not In any too good condi
ton. and despite our labor she con
/ tinued to leak bit and needed con
slant baiing. Even In calm weather
we had to bail forty pals day. VIZ
loaded her with provisions for half I
dozen men over II long voyage. Sht
was eighteen feet In length and only
about fourteen inches above water
amIdshIp. Into this small space W,
stored water, bareback, machine guns
rifles, hand grenades. and pistols. Th'
only Injuries we allowed ourselve!
were q few tins OF pemmican, a sid.
Of bacon, and an accordion. The mu
sic of the squealer was to be our sol
ace during cruise the length 0
which none could foretell. The grea
question was. could our tiny craft sur
vive Storm AT any rate, she coult
sail, and that was something. VA
chrIstened her the kronprinzessiI
Cecilie-without, however, painting
her name on the stern.
or course. everybody wanted to 20
hui there could be only six OF us a
the most So | picked the men wht
seemed to be In the most vigorous
health at the time. Mate Leudemann
Lieutenant Klrcheiss. Engineer Krauss
Boatswain Parmien, and Yoeman Erd
mann. This left the colony on thu
atoll In the hands Of Lieutenant Killing
! ITO BE coNTINUEDo