A Yankee Crusoe, or, The golden treasure of the Virgin Islands

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THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

• in had discovered a treasure chest indeed.

Page 231.

A Yankee Crusoe

OR

The Golden Treasure of the
Virgin Islands.

By ALLAN ERIC , Ja**~<*-.

Author of: " Buckra"-Land, Following The Tow-
Path, Etc., Etc.

BOSTON
HENRY A. DICKERMAN & SON

1900

. I.

COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY
HENRY A. DICKERMAN & SON.

All rights reserved.

PRESS OF

Lounsbery Nichols and Worth Company
boston.

an

2--

Go fifty WHifet

Mbo, curing all m£ wanderings, in tbe tropics ano
on tbe eoge of tbe ff rigfo ^one, bas been m£ constant
companion; ano at borne, mg taitbful literary dfcentor,
tbfs votume is affectionately oeofcateo.

Gbe Butbor

«* or

C0NTEN1S.

Chapter. Page

I. Early Life; Off for a Voyage 11

II. Heavy Weather ; the Sargasso Sea 22

III. A Terrible Storm ; Leaving the Ship 28

IV. Cast Up by the Sea on a Tropical Island ... 34
V. Strange Surroundings ; Building a House ... 51

VI. The Stockade ; a Crusoe's Life 58

VII. A Cocoanut Calendar ; Food Supply .... 63

VIII. Thoughts of the Future ; Making a Bow-Gun . . 70

IX. Starts to Explore the Island , Turtles' Eggs . . 84

X. In the Folds of a Snake 90

XI. The Mountain Cave; a Beacon; Attack by Pigs 99

XII. Return to the Coast ; a Mangrove Swamp ; Fever 136

XIII. A Feathered Companion ; Making a Fish Trap . 142

XIV. Another Exploring Trip ; Tropical Fruits . . . 155
XV. A Hurricane and a Ship-Wreck 165

XVI. Pleasant Companions ; Enlarging the House . . 182

XVII. Building a Raft ; VisiU to the Wreck . . . .191

XVIII. The March Continued; Arrival on the Mountain 217

XIX. An Ancient Ruin ; Wonderful Discovery . . . 224

XX. "The Golden Treasure;" Its Removal . . . .234

XXI. Preparing for Departure; Death of the Monster . 243

XXII. Boat-Building ; A Startling Sound 250

XXIII. Rescue at Hand ; Leaving the Island 257

ILLUSTRATIONS.

11 We had discovered a treasure chest indeed.'''' Frontispiece.

Facing page

u An unwelcome visitor." 90

" Encounter with wild pigs." 132

u I waved my arms, wildly." 168

u We raised our guns and fired." 212

11 With eyes glaring down at us." 246

" jFV de Lord, Marsa." ... ... 258

A YANKEE CRUSOE

CHAPTER I.

Early Life ; Off for a Voyage.

I was born in a little town in the State of
Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My
boyhood life did not differ materially from that
of the average farmer's son in the remote
country districts of New England — except, per-
haps, that I read more and thought more. Hard
work on the rugged soil, two terms each year
in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's
fishing now and then filled the early years of
my life full to over-flowing. In the winter it
was work in the woods, cutting up the year's
supply of fire-wood; and then, before the

11

12 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

spring ploughing time, my brother and myself
found pleasant labor and recreation combined in
the maple woods, tapping the trees, gathering
the sap and tending the fire under the great
kettles where the sweet product of the maple
was transformed into syrup and sugar.

I really think that I was more thoughtful
than the average boy. I know that I read
more. I do not remember ever feeling dis-
satisfied with my life or with the prospects
that the future held out for me. Probably I
was too young for these things to trouble me
much; but I read everything in the way of
books and papers that I could borrow, or pur-
chase by saving a little money earned in various
ways. I was fond of stories of adventure; but
travel and adventure combined, interested me
most. Therefore, as I grew older, I became
imbued with a passionate desire to travel in
foreign lands. The tropics were my ideal, and

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 13

this feeling became stronger as the years went by.

When I was fifteen years of age my father
removed to a large village where there was a
graded school, and I entered the grammar school,
then the high school from which I was graduated.

The passion for travel still had a strong hold
upon me, but I saw no immediate prospect of
gratifying it, for I was obliged to look about for
some immediate means of earning a living for
myself. When everything else fails, one can
always find an opportunity to canvass for a
publishing house or a novelty concern; so, soon
after leaving the high school, I was trudging up
and down the banks of the Penobscot river,
calling from house to house. It was discourag-
ing work, but I succeeded moderately well.

Late in the fall I went up to Bangor to can-
vass that city, and it was there that I made the
acquaintance of a gentleman, which led to the
experiences that I am about to relate, and which
changed the whole course of my life.

14 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Mr. William H. Sargent was a wealthy, retired
merchant, with impaired health. His wealth
had been acquired by trading with the South
American countries, and the West Indies, and
he still retained large interest in many vessels
sailing to that part of the world.

It was his idea to make a voyage in one of
these vessels, and the friendship which had
developed between us, mostly through meet-
ing in the reading room of the Public Library,
caused him to suggest that I accompany him on
his voyage to the Southern seas.

I accepted only too gladly, and that very
evening I wrote a long letter to my mother,
explaining my good fortune, bidding her not to
worry by exaggerating, in her own mind, the
dangers to be encountered.

The next few days I spent mostly with my
benefactor, for as such I looked upon him, help-
ing him in various ways in his preparations for

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 15

the voyage. As for myself, I required little
more than a modest supply of clothing.

Mr. Sargent was thoughtful and considerate,
however, and insisted upon my procuring much
that I deemed unnecessary for my modest re-
quirements, paying for the same from his own
pocket.

Our craft was a trim bark called the Ethelyn
Hope, built at Searsport three years before.
She was two hundred and fifty tons gross
measurement and sat in the water jauntily
and buoyantly. From her load water-line to
the tips of her topmast she was as trim a craft
as one could wish to see. As she lay at the
wharf ready for sea, everything on deck had
been made snug, and not a coil of rope or spare
block was out of place. Her cargo consisted of
case oil, salt fish and flour in her hold, and she
carried a good deck-load of lumber. She was
bound for Cayenne, French Guiana, on the
north coast of South America.

16 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

The Ethelyn Hope was commanded by Cap-
tain Thomas Witham ; and the first, second and
third mates, with nine able seamen before the
mast comprised the crew.

Nothing remained to be done except to cast
off the lines, when, released from her bonds the
bark slowly moved down the river. The sails
on the lower yards and jib-boom were set, and
with a light breeze favoring her, aided by the
swift current, the city was soon lost behind High
Head.

By daylight the following morning we had
passed through the " Narrows ", and just at sun-
rise all sails were set and the bark squared away
for the mouth of the bay where she was laid
on a sou', sou' -east course as she took her final
departure.

My spirits were decidedly buoyant as the bark
glided out of the bay into the open sea, and a
delicious sense of elation took possession of me

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 17

as I realized that I was really on board a ship,
with the land fading away behind me, bound for
a foreign shore, the wonderful tropics, the land
of palms of which I had read so much. I should
see for myself the curious things of the sea,
strange countries and people ; and perhaps en-
counter fierce animals in the virgin forests, the
home of birds of rare and beautiful plumage.

With a strong northwest breeze the bark stood
away on her course, with every sail filled out
and drawing handsomely. Although the weather
had been clear and the sea fairly calm, by sun-
set a thin haze rendered the outline of 4he hori-
zon dimly visible, and the Captain began to fear
a blow. His nautical instinct made him sure
that there was to be a change in the weather,
and he gave orders for everything to be made
secure. And, sure enough, at dusk the wind
freshened and hauled around into the north-east.

It wras about this time that I suddenly became

18 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

conscious of a peculiar feeling, a sudden dizzi-
ness, like the sensation caused by a boy's first
cigar. I knew well enough that I was experi-
encing the first sensations of seasickness, and,
suddenly' losing interest in the sailing of the
ship, I went below and tumbled into my berth.
Feeling somewhat better, while I lay quiet, I
had nearly dropped off to sleep when I was
aroused by a tremendous noise, which brought
me to my senses, when I realized that the vessel
was rolling and pitching wildly. I could hear
the howling of the wind around the deck-houses,
and the snapping of the great sails. Now and
then I heard the sound of the Captain's voice on
deck as though he were giving brisk orders ; and
I rightly concluded that we were having it very
rough. I looked across the cabin and saw that
Mr. Sargent was in his berth, but as he was
apparently not asleep I spoke to him, asking if
there was any danger.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 19

"Oh, I guess not," he replied. "We are
having a pretty stiff blow."

Strangely enough, I suppose, I did not now
feel sick, though my head was a little dizzy, so
I concluded to go on deck. I cautiously ascended
the companion way, and found the Captain stand-
ing near the wheel, enveloped in oil-skins, his
head being covered by an ample sou'wester.

"Hello, boy," was his greeting, "what are you
doing up here ? The best place for you is below;
you might get blown over-board."

But I begged to be allowed to remain a little,
arguing that I felt better on deck, and the
Captain relented and found a sheltered place
under the lee of the cook's galley, telling me
not to try to move about the deck.

The bark was rolling and tossing, but appeared
to be bounding through the water like a race-
horse. Soon I heard the Captain tell the mate
that the wind had shifted around into the east,

20 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

and that they were in for a stiff blow, and rain,
too, before long.

So it proved, and it was not long before the
squall struck in earnest. The ship careened,
and a sea came over her weather rail, until the
lee-scuppers spouted green water, wetting me
a little, even in my sheltered retreat.

The rain began to fall, and the sailors had
their hands full. There was a great commotion
of loudly spoken orders, the tramping of feet,
the creaking of blocks, the rush and roar of the
sea and the howling of the blast through the
rigging. All hands were called to take in sail,
and the bark, soon close hauled, was lying over
nearly to her lee rail. The heavy sea beat
against her bows with all the force which tons
of water could exert, while the staunch little
vessel, quivering for a moment would seem to
hesitate, and then plunge forward to meet the
next onslaught like an animate thing possessed

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 21

of sensible emotions. The spray, flying back
over the bows, drenched the deck from fore to
aft. The topsail halyards had been hauled taut,
and the sails filled out and backed against the
masts with a noise like thunder.

I did not long remain in the scanty shelter
afforded by the house, but made the best of my
way to the cabin. To make matters worse, I
was again off my "sea-legs," and was getting
terribly sick.

CHAPTER II.

Heavy Weather ; the Sargasso Sea.

The gale continued until the end of the fourth
day, and we were south of the deep blue waters
of the Gulf Stream, when it abated somewhat,
and though it continued to blow heavily, the
sea was running more regularly, in long, even
swells which made the motion of the bark less
disagreeable, especially for me.

The studding sails were taken in, and the
wind was hauled, in order that the Captain
might be given an opportunity to determine
our longitude.

The Captain found that we were not far off
22

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 23

the course, as the wind had blown mostly from
north, and northeast and east. The sails were
trimmed, and, by sundown the wind veered
around into the northwest and blew steadily,
while the sea gradually subsided. We were now
about two hundred miles to the eastward of
Watling's Island, one of the Bahamas, also
known as San Salvador, the first land in the
New World discovered by Columbus. The stars
shone bright, and the bark, rolling easily, plowed
the warm waters of the sub-tropic sea. I re-
mained with Mr. Sargent long on deck that
night, watching the phosphorence of the water,
which in these latitudes, is sometimes very
brilliant.

The morning dawned upon a tropic sea, for
the bark had made good progress during the
night, and we were well abreast of the larger
islands of the Bahamas. The breeze was soft
and balmy, and the ocean a deep, crystal blue,

24 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

of a hue never seen except in these southern
latitudes. This is owing partly to the remark-
able reflection of the sky but more to the extreme
depth of the water. Myriads of flying fish rose
in flocks from the water and fluttered away on
both sides of the ship as the bark glided
through the weeds of the Sargasso Sea. The
Sargasso weed is a genus by itself, which, thrust
away to the south by the mighty ocean cur-
rents, lies in a vast central pool, a great eddy
between the Gulf Stream and the Equatorial
current; and here it revolves. It is ocean born,
and long ages have passed since it lost its habit
of growing on the rocky sea-bottom. Forever
floating it feeds among its branches whole fami-
lies of crabs, cuttle-fish and mollusks, which like
the plant itself, are found in no other seas.

The flying-fish interested me greatly, for I
had read much about them. I noticed that their
flight was as perfect as that of some kinds of

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 25

birds, and that it very closely resembled that of
the swallow, in that it was a skimming, circling
flight. I had read that the flying-fish rarely
leaves the water unless pursued by a shark or
some other fish to which it is a prey ; and that,
on leaving the Water it does not really fly, but,
instead, emerges from the water on an upward
plane, enabling it to skim along for some dis-
tance. I had read, also, that the fish is unable
to remain in the air only while its wings are
wet. This latter statement is undoubtedly cor-
rect; but I observed that its flight was perfect,
the fish making use of its greatly elongated and
highly developed pectoral fins, as wings. I saw
them flying singly and in flocks or schools, when
they were not pursued by sharks and I was
thoroughly convinced that they did actually fly.
They gyrated in the air exactly like swallows,
and moved their wings very rapidly like birds.
There seemed to be no limit to the length of

26 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

their flight, for they would rise from beneath
the bows and fly away in a continuous line until
lost to sight in the distance.

Once one dropped upon the deck in the night
and the cook broiled it, assuring us that its flesh
was very delicate, much like that of a fresh
water perch ; and indeed, so it proved to be.

The Captain had taken a course much fur-
ther to the eastward than he would ordinarily.
Usually, in going to the Guianas, the route is
through the Bahama group, by way of the
Crooked Island Channel, thence through the
Windward Passage, between Cuba and Haiti
and across the Caribbean sea by the east end of
Jamaica. But Mr. Sargent wished to go further
to the eastward so as to pass among the Lee-
ward Islands, perhaps landing there to await
the return of the bark from the coast. This
plan could be followed without detriment, as a
little delay in reaching Guiana was more than

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 27

likely to result in an improved market for the
cargo. This explains the unusual course of the
Ethelyn Hope.

CHAPTER III.

A Terrible Storm ; Leaving the Ship.

The weather continued fine for three days,
after passing the latitude of San Salvador, with
a fresh breeze blowing from the northwest,
which sped the bark on her course so that she
logged better than ten knots ; but on the fourth
day the wind swung around to the north and
gradually hauled into the northeast, and the
long, steady swells began to rise.

The Captain at once prepared for a gale and
ordered the sails trimmed to meet it. That the
apprehensions of the Captain were grave was
proven by the precautions taken ; for not only

28

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 29

was sail shortened to the last extremity, but
the hatches were securely battened down.

The barometer began to fall about noon, and
from that time the wind increased until it was
blowing a gale; but just after sunset the wind
almost died away, though the mountainous
foam-flecked seas continued.

As the sun went down the sky rapidly be-
came overcast, and a cloud of inky blackness
appeared along the horizon. As we stood
watching it a long line of whiteness appeared
between the sea and the black cloud, and
stretched away far toward the east. Gradually
the white line came nearer, until it proved to
be a wall of foam. It was advancing toward
the ship with great rapidity; and as it came
nearer the air above it was seen to be filled
with flying spray.

The wind began to freshen, and the sailors
were hurrying about in obedience to the orders

SO A YANKEE CRUSOE.

of the Captain, still shortening sail. All the
npper sails were reefed.

Nearer and nearer came the wall of foam, and
with a roar it struck the ship, and the storm
broke in a perfect tornado.

The bark was careened until the lee scuppers
were submerged; and the staunch craft shook
from end to end. For an instant she seemed
buried beneath the raging sea, and then rose
and plunged into the next wave.

Mr. Sargent and I made haste to go below,
where we remained holding ourselves in our
berths while the ship reeled, plunged and
groaned in every timber and plank.

A fearful report like the crack of a rifle told
us that some sail had been carried away; and
then followed others. At length, from a change
in the ship's motion, we judged that the Cap-
tain was trying to put her about and run before
the gale; but suddenly a fearful crash which

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 31

seemed as though the bark had split from stem
to stern was followed by a terrible rolling and
plunging.

Crack! Crack! and the bark pitched and
groaned worse than ever.

We heard the Captain making his way toward
the cabin, and then saw him enter. His face
wore a look of deep anxiety.

"The masts have gone," he said, "and the
bark is unmanageable. You must prepare for
the worst. We may have to take to the boats.' '

"At once, Captain?" asked Mr. Sargent.

" I cannot tell until the well is sounded ; but
I fear that she must founder."

At that moment the first mate entered the
cabin and stated that the bark was leaking
badly. The water was rising fast in the hold.

"We must remain on the ship to the last
moment," said the Captain, "for a boat could
not live in this sea."

32 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

The Captain returned to the deck, and how
long we clung to the berths I cannot tell, for I
was dazed by the peril which threatened us —
Were we to be lost at sea, drowned, all hands ?

The Captain again entered the cabin. " We
must take to the boats," he said, "and Heaven
help us."

We hastened on deck just as we were, half
clothed, leaving everything behind. Nothing
could be taken.

When we reached the deck we saw the Cap-
tain standing by the starboard boat. The other
had been launched, and had instantly disap-
peared in the darkness and foaming water.

The Captain, first and second mate, Mr. Sar-
gent and myself now alone remained on the
bark.

We hurried into the boat. " We should not
be far from one of the outlying islands of the
Windward group," said the captain; "and if the

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 33

boat can live in this sea until daylight we may
reach one of the Virgin Islands."

The tackle was let go, and a great sea caught
the boat. She was lifted up, and up, and up,
and then sank, it seemed, into a fathomless

I saw the first and second mate bend to the
oars. The Captain was in the stern. The boat
careened and seemed to start suddenly upward
on an inclined plane.

A rush of water enveloped her. I heard a
roaring sound in my ears, and I knew no more.

CHAPTER IV.

Cast up by the Sea on a Tropical Island,

When I regained consciousness I was lying
upon a sandy beach. I was uninjured, but
rather stiff, while my body seemed to be bruised
in places. I was, of course, wet to the skin,
and I crawled up and lay upon the sand where
my clothing was quickly dried by the hot sun,
now well up.

Meanwhile I looked about me. I had been
driven ashore between two points of land, upon
a narrow beach. The vegetation, very thick
and luxuriant, grew close to the line of sand,
and all around me, beautiful trees were waving

34

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 85

in the balmy breeze, their shining leaves glis-
tening in the sunlight.

I stood up and looked behind me, but I saw
nothing save lofty mountains heavily wooded.

I had no doubt but that I was on an island,
indeed I could be nowhere else, and I judged
that it must be one of the most northern of the
Leeward group.

Looking toward the sea, I saw only the broad
expanse of deep blue water stretching away to
the horizon. There was no other land in sight.

The sea had become calmer, but the influence
of the storm was still evidenced by the heavy
surf which broke upon the narrow beach. There
was no wreckage of any kind, no sign of any-
thing or anybody belonging to the bark.

At first the utter lonesomeness and hopeless-
ness of my situation depressed me ; but it would
not do to give way to gloomy thoughts. I was
entirely alone, and, so far as I knew, upon an

3fi A YANKEE CRUSOE.

uninhabited island. My future was a sealed
book. After a while I began to take a more
hopeful view of the situation, and the novelty
of my surroundings, and the strange things
about me, aroused my curiosity. So I deter-
mined to explore along the shore.

The vegetation was very dense, and appeared
to be interwoven with vines of monstrous size.
One kind of tree, very tall and with a heavy
long narrow leaf seemed to be the most abun-
dant; and from the descriptions which I had
read, and by the clusters of oblong fruit at the
bases of the leaf-heads, I knew them to be
cocoanut palms.

"If I am really alone upon an uninhabited
island," I thought, "at least I shall not starve
so long as I am able to obtain plenty of cocoa-
nuts."

Slowly I walked along the shore, my face
being toward the east as I knew from the direc-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 37

tion of the sun. First I decided to go to the
top of the loftiest headland to see if I could
obtain any trace of the bark, although I felt
sure that she had gone down, and that all but
myself had perished; still, the loneliness of my
situation caused me to cling to what I felt was
but a vain hope, that some one beside myself
had survived.

With thoughts confused, and laboring under
varying emotions, I walked slowly along, keep-
ing on the sand except when I was obliged to
turn aside to avoid a kind of dagger-like plant
whose leaves were armed with cruel points.

Reaching the headland I was obliged to go
through a thicket where my scanty clothing, as
well as my hands, was torn by great thorns.
However, I reached the point of land, and
climbing to the top of a high mound I looked
around. Before me, and to my right and left,
there was nothing but the blue, heaving ocean;

38 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

and behind me, I saw nothing but a dense forest,
with lofty mountains in the distance. There
was no sign of life save brilliant plumaged birds
flitting about, and bright colored butterflies
glancing in the sunshine.

Surely I was alone ; but whether on an unin-
habited island or not, the future . alone would
reveal. For the present it did not matter, and
I must certainly depend upon my own resources.

I returned to the spot where I had been cast
ashore, meanwhile revolving in my mind my
present condition. What gave me great anxiety
just then was my lack of clothing. I had on
only my trousers, and shirt, shoes and stock-
ings; and these were all I possessed in the
world, but I was overjoyed to find that my
knife was still in one of the pockets of my
trousers. It was a good one, large and having
two blades. The large blade was long and
strong, and the possession of it might mean
much to me in the future.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 3&

Reaching the place where I regained consci-
ousness after being thrown ashore by the waves,
I began to think of finding a good place to build
a temporary shelter. This seemed to be as
good a location as any, I thought, as I looked
around. It was in a sheltered cove, a clear,
grassy plat surrounded by trees.

"Why not make my camp right here," I asked
myself; and as I reflected it seemed to be the
only place where I should locate for the present,
for here I should be in a position to watch closely
in the hope that some vestige of the bark would
yet be washed ashore; for I thought that, if the
vessel had foundered, something belonging to
her would very likely come ashore, and I felt
sure that some parts of the boats, and perhaps
the bodies of some of my unfortunate com-
panions would be almost sure to drift in.

It was, I judged, now near mid-day, and the
heat of the sun upon my head gave me some

40 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

concern. I must devise some covering for my
head. Looking about with this object in view,'
I saw hanging from a small palm tree what
looked like coarse canvas. On examining it
more closely, I found that it was really a sort of
natural cloth, about the color of hemp, and
composed of fibres that appeared to be very
strong, crossing one another like warp and fill-
ing, but not interwoven. Instead, the fibres
were closely stuck together so that a strong,
pliant fabric was formed.

With my knife I cut off a large piece which
I twisted about in such a manner as to form a
conical cap. The edges I fastened together
with long, sharp thorns that I cut from some
bushes near by. This, though rude, would pro-
tect my head for the time being.

Before proceeding to begin the construction
of my place of abode, I felt inclined to look
about for some means of satisfying the hunger

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 41

which I now felt keenly, for I had eaten nothing
since supper the night before on board the ill-
fated bark.

The cocoanut trees suggested the most avail-
able source of supply for the first meal in the
strange surroundings in which I found myself ;
so going to a cluster of the trees near by, mean-
while wondering how I would manage to obtain
the nuts fifty feet or more above my head, I
was greatly relieved to find plenty of them
lying upon the ground. But the nuts that I
saw were not like those common in the markets
at home. Instead, they were oblong and many
times larger. I soon discovered that to get at
the meat I must first cut away the outer husk
or covering with which it was enveloped ; so I
opened my knife and set to work. It was no
easy task, for the husk was thick and tough ;
but after much labor I succeeded in removing it
until I bared the round, hard shell of the nut,

42 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

•
when, with a large stone I was not long in

cracking it, and laying bare the white meat.
With the nut in my hands I walked about
among the trees as I ate. So interested was I
in the beautiful, brilliant-colored flowers, some
of which were of enormous size, and in num-
bers of little green lizards that hopped about
over the leaves of the smaller shrubs, that I did
not at once notice, as I came into a grassy, cir-
cular plat, that the ground beneath a compact,
shapely tree was plentifully besprinkled with
golden globes, and I was in a high state of ela-
tion when I discovered that they were oranges.
The tree itself was loaded with green and yel-
low fruit. I peeled one of the largest, and
found that it was delicious and juicy, but of a
rather different flavor from those to which I
had been accustomed. But here was at least
both refreshment and sustenance, so I was in
no danger of starving, and I made a hearty
meal.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 43

Crossing the grassy plat where the orange
tree grew, I descended a gentle slope among
the palm trees and soon came to a beautiful
little stream of clear water. Having still one
of the halves of the cocoanut shell in my hand,
I used it as a cup and took a long draught of
the water, which, though rather warm, appeared
to be pure and wholesome.

The stream at this point was quite broad and
very shallow, and though but a few rods from
the mouth it flowed quite swiftly. Along the
banks I noticed that a certain tall, reed-like
plant grew in great profusion, and, on closer
examination I discovered it to be a kind of wild
cane, with large, feathery, chocolate-colored
plumes.

I followed the bank of the stream to the
shore, and then returned to my landing place,
walking along the narrow beach.

Hunger satisfied for the time-being, I set

44 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

about making preparations for constructing my
dwelling. Although in no need of protection
from cold in this tropical climate, I remembered
having read that it was not advisable to be
without shelter at night, so I decided that my
first task should be to construct a house, or a
hut.

I first chose a clear place a little in among
the palms, perhaps a dozen rods from the beach,
and, as accurately as I could by pacing, I meas-
ured off an area ten feet square. Each corner
I marked by driving down a short stick, and
then went in search of four corner posts. After
a little searching I found some straight trees
about three inches in diameter, having smooth
bark and with but few limbs, each tree forked
about seven feet from the ground. After an
hour's hard work, I succeeded in cutting down
four of them with my knife ; and after trimming
off the branches and cutting off the tops, leav-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 45

ing ample forks, I dragged them to the site of
my dwelling. I next felled another pole which
was cut in halves, leaving the butt end about
four feet long. This I sharpened at the thickest
end, and with it made holes about eighteen
inches deep at each corner of the square to be
occupied by my house.

Into each of these holes I set one of the forked
corner posts, wedging it firmly with stones from
the beach, driven solidly down all around it,
filling in each with earth which I trod down
firmly. Four long poles were now needed to
rest one end in each of the upright forks, so as
to form a frame, and I started away again, this
time toward the brook, which I followed up
stream. I had gone but a short distance when
I came to a place where the stream widened
into a broad pool. The water here was dark
and apparently deep, and all around it, grace-
fully bending over the still depths, I found

46 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

growing tall plants having small, narrow green
leaves. The plants grew in clusters, and some
of them were very tall, I judged from twenty-
five to forty feet. I hurried forward with a
view to ascertaining whether they would suit
my purpose, when I immediately made a dis-
covery which at once solved the question of
obtaining an ample supply of material for build-
ing operations, both now and in the future; for
the tall, graceful plants proved to be bamboos.
I knew them from the descriptions I had read,
and from the regular joints, just like those I had
seen on the bamboo fishing rods at home.

I selected several of the bamboos, each being
about two inches in diameter, and although I
found them to be very hard, I managed to cut
them down, and to trim off the branches and
the tops. By making three trips I dragged the
bamboos to my building site. Laying them
along one side of the area to be occupied by the

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 47

house, I found that they were nearly twenty
feet long. Four of them I cut off to the re-
quired length. I then raised one on either side,
one end of each pole resting in one of the forks
of the uprights. A pole was then laid across
each of the other sides, resting upon the poles
supported by the forks, so that a sort of scaffold
was formed, which needed only to be covered
over to be complete.

I had worked so busily and had become so
much interested that I scarcely noticed that the
sun was already sinking behind the palm trees,
and casting long shadows across the beach; so,
as I was aware that darkness very quickly fol-
lows sunset in the tropics, I must make haste
and provide a temporary shelter for the night
before suspending work. I therefore cut the
rest of the poles in halves and laid them across
the two longer poles resting in the forks, thus
forming a gridiron-like structure. With my

48 A YANKEE CRUSOE,

knife I cut a large quantity of leafy branches
from the shrubs that grew near at hand, and
then went to the brook for an armful of wild
canes. With this material I covered a portion
of the scaffold, making quite a good shelter
between myself and the sky.

As the sun sank lower and the shadows
deepened, I felt a sense of loneliness steal over
me, for the idea of spending the night alone, I
knew not where, perhaps on an island, with the
boundless ocean on one side, and a deep, un-
known forest on the other which might conceal
fierce wild animals, was not at all pleasing. But
I must train myself to know no fear, and the
sooner I began to school myself to this end, the
better.

Although I felt sure I should not sleep with
nothing to protect me and with no means of
making a fire, I instinctively began to think of
providing some sort of couch; and again I took

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 49

my knife, and cut a quantity of bushes which I
piled in the form of a bed beneath the scaffold.
I next cut several armfuls of the tall grass which
grew all around and with it covered the couch
of bushes. I now had an acceptable bed, so
constructed that one end which was to serve as
the head, was about a foot higher than the other.

By the time I had finished it was quite dark;
but I still stood leaning against one of the cor-
ner uprights with my face turned toward the
forest, hesitating what to do next, and instinc-
tively listening for some new sound. There
was no breeze stirring, and the sea lightly
washed the sand with a low murmur which
tended to increase my feeling of loneliness.
Since sunset the air had become beautifully
cool. For a long time I stood motionless.

The sounds of the night were about me; and
once I started violently when I thought I heard
a twig crack. Then I heard, apparently only a

50 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

little distance away, a noise like a stone, thrown
by some one, striking the ground; but, after the
startled feeling had partly left me I reasoned
that the noise was made by a ripened cocoanut
falling from the tree. The indistinct notes of
many insects, new and strange, filled the air,
and one particularly noisy insect gave forth a
sharp clipping sound like that made by shears
in the hands of a barber. Sometimes a note
like that of a bird varied the myriads of sounds.
Feeling reassured, after a time, I cautiously lay
down upon my couch, but still listening. How
long I remained conscious I cannot say; but I
must have been very weary from the excite-
ment of the ship-wreck, the hardship of being
cast ashore and the busy day's work.

CHAPTER V.

Strange Surroundings ; Building a House,

My next sensation was that of the sun shin-
ing in my face when I awoke in the morning.
At first, as I looked out from beneath my shel-
ter I could scarcely comprehend where I was or
how I came there; but the events of the day
before soon returned to me. For a few min-
utes I lay still, looking around upon my beauti-
ful surroundings. What a perfect paradise it
was, and how overjoyed I should be were I here
under different circumstances.

There was a gentle breeze stirring, just enough
to move the feathery leaves of the palms and

51

52 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

to slightly bend the tall grass; and though I
could not see any of them, I heard birds giving
forth discordant notes in the forest around.

But I must stir myself, for there was much
to do. My house must be finished, I must de-
vise some articles for personal use, and the
problem of my future sustenance must be
solved, for I could not long continue to work
and subsist entirely upon cocoanuts and oranges,
although they would answer well enough for
the present.

So I sprang up and going directly to the
stream I bathed my face and hands. Having
no towel and seeing no substitute for one, I sat
down and dried myself in the sun.

Cracking another cocoanut in the same man-
ner as I did the day before and gathering some
oranges, I sat down with my back against the
palm tree and proceeded with my frugal break-
fast. As I had neglected to provide myself

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 53

with a meal ere I retired the night before, I
was very hungry and my appetite was not satis-
fied until I had eaten nearly a dozen oranges,
beside the cocoanut. Using a half shell of the
cocoanut as a cup, I took a long drink of water
from the stream and turned again toward my
embryo dwelling.

I thought it best to construct the walls first
in order to provide against the possible attacks
of wild animals, and knowing this to be the
first part of the dry season which, in the lati-
tude in which I judged myself to be, lasts from
the middle of November until May, there was
no immediate necessity for providing shelter
from rain.

The necessity of devising some plan for keep-
ing an accurate account of each day as it passed,
now occurred to me, and as I walked back to the
pool for another supply of bamboos, I revolved
the question in my mind, The record which I

54 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

proposed to keep must be indestructible, and in
some compact, portable form so that I could
easily take it with me in the event of sudden
departure from my habitation. One of the
halves of the cocoanut shells which caught my
eye as I passed the spot where I had partaken
of breakfast, gave me an idea which I at once
adopted.

Then and there I put the plan into execution.
It was this : I resolved to use only the halves of
the cocoanut shells that contained the natural
holes through which the shoots of the germi-
nating nut emerge from the shell. The meat
was removed from the half shell, leaving the
two holes through it.

At the close of each day, as near sunset as
possible, I would cut a deep notch in the edge
of the shell, and each shell should have as many
notches as there were days in the month. On
the completion of the month I would carve with

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 55

my knife the name of the month and year;
and in this way I hoped to preserve a correct
record of the time. As each month was fin-
ished I proposed to pass a cord through one of
the holes; and for the purpose I at once braided
a strong cord from the fibres of the cocoanut
cloth from which I had constructed my head
gear.

I remembered, accurately the day of the
wreck, and as I had been on shore one day, I
cut the first notch, and engraved on the shell:
"December 18th, 18—."

As I marked upon my calendar I wondered
how many shells I should have upon my string
ere I was rescued from my lonely position.
"Perhaps," I thought, "I may never see any
other place." But I resolved not to harbor
gloomy thoughts ; and tying a large hard knot
in one end of the cord, I strung the shell upon
it, inserting it from the outside. Succeeding

56 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

shells strung upon the cord would fit into one
another like a nest of bowls. Thus I would
have a complete record, and a practically im-
perishable one.

As I knew the day of the week on which I
had commenced my lone life, I resolved, for
each Sunday, to bore a hole instead of cutting
a notch, for I intended to observe the Sabbath
by abstaining from work.

Continuing my way to the pool, I set to work
cutting bamboos. I selected only those meas-
uring about two inches in diameter, and before
the sun reached the zenith I had thirty of them
cut and trimmed, ready to drag to my house.

I found it hot work, and I threw myself down
to rest. For the first time I caught sight of
the birds that had been making such a babel of
discordant sounds all the morning. Several of
them were flying about near the opposite side
of the pool, and I at once recognized them as
parrots.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 57

"What a consolation it would be," I thought,
"if I could capture one and teach it to talk.
It certainly would prove far better than no
companion."

Having landed the bamboos at the house, I
set about cutting them into lengths correspond-
ing to the height of the corner posts. These I
set into the ground at regular intervals, in line
with the posts, lashing the upper ends to the
horizontal poles resting in the forks, and to the
poles across the other two sides, using for the
purpose a long, supple vine which I found grow-
ing in plenty in the edge of the woods, twisting
around the trunks of the trees.

CHAPTER VI.

The Stockade ; A Crusoe's Life.

By the time I had finished setting the poles
into the ground, thus forming the enclosure of
the house, my appetite began to assert itself;
and I was again reminded that I must search
for food other than cocoanuts and oranges.
More substantial nourishment I must have if I
was to continue to work and retain my health
and strength. But my extreme anxiety to
carry along the construction of my house suffi-
ciently far to afford a feeling of security at
night, decided me to make a few more meals
of the oranges and nuts before suspending

58

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 59

work long enough to discover or develop new
resources.

Again I went to the pool and cut two more
bamboos, each twenty feet long. I then cut
them in halves, making four poles each ten feet
long. Carrying these to the house, I lashed
one across the upright palings midway between
the upper pole and the ground, lashing them
firmly to each of the palings. This strength-
ened the structure, and shaking it with all my
strength I was gratified to find that, though
naturally elastic, it was firm and strong.

As I now had a safe protection from any wild
animal of moderate size and strength, I felt
that I should be secure at night. I was on an
island somewhere to the northeast of the Carib-
bean sea, in fact, I reasoned that I could be
nowhere else; and from this, together with
what I had read, I concluded that there could
be no very large or ferocious wild animals in
the forests about me.

60 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

I still had some time to work before sunset,
and I therefore went to the bank of the stream
to cut a quantity of wild canes which I pro-
posed to weave in the form of basket work,
between the palings, thus forming the walls of
.my house.

Cutting the canes was easy work, and by
sunset I had a great pile of them landed by the
house.

Again satisfying the cravings of hunger with
oranges and cocoanuts, washed down with water
from the brook, I cut another notch in the
cocoanutrshell calendar, and after sitting and
listening to the varied insect sounds until it was
quite dark, I retired to my couch within the
inclosure.

Lying upon my couch, until I fell asleep, I
revolved in my mind various plans for the
future. The details for the construction of my
house were pretty well worked out in my mind;

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 61

and the desirability of surrounding my abode
with some sort of a stockade occurred to me.
I had little fear of attacks from wild animals,
but I presumed that the island was inhabited in
some part of it, by what sort of people I had
not yet considered.

Indeed, it was extremely improbable that an
island in this quarter of the world could be
totally uninhabited. Whether the islanders
proved friendly or otherwise, the idea of a
stockade as a protection against possible sur-
prise met with my immediate approval.

Another question of extreme importance to
be considered was that of a permanent food
supply. Perhaps only cocoanuts and oranges
abounded in my near vicinity; at any rate, I
resolved to carefully survey the adjacent region
for the purpose of ascertaining its resources.

Then the question of providing clothing for
myself must be considered, for, at best, my

62 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

present raiment would not long survive the
rough usage which it was now receiving, and to
which it would hereafter be subjected in the
bush. I even thought it might be well to con-
struct a suit from the cocoanui^fibre cloth, and
thus save my civilized clothes for the day of
my rescue,

Many other things passed through my mind
in rapid succession as I lay upon my couch,
among them the project of starting out upon a
tour of discovery in an endeavor to ascertain
the extent of my domain, and if it was in-
habited in any part of it.

CHAPTER Vn.

A Cocoanut Calendar ; Food Supply.

The notches in the cocoanut calendar grew
in number as the days passed, busy days of
hard, incessant labor, and four months of my
exile elapsed ere the house was finished to my
satisfaction and a substantial stockade erected
around it. The walls of my house were made
of the wild canes closely woven like baskei>
work. It had been done very carefully, and,
when completed, I had a perfect shelter, both
from the sun and the wind. The roof was made
of the long grass, alternate with layers of bam-
boos; and by using the larger bamboos in the

63

64 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

centre of the roof, when by successive layers it
reached the proper thickness, I had a roof which
sloped steeply from the centre to each edge,
which, carefully covered with an outside layer
of the long grass dressed from the top down-
ward, would perfectly shed the water during
the rainy season. The thickness of the roof
rendered it impervious to wet, and, as I soon
discovered, almost a non-conductor of heat.

I left no windows in the house, as I thought
there would be sufficient ventilation through
the interstices of the cane-walls, but I constructed
a door three feet wide and five feet high, by
lashing bamboos together in the form of a grid-
iron, and then weaving in cane as I had done in
constructing the walls. For hinges I made use
of vines twisted together.

The stockade surrounded the house at a dis-
tance of about six feet from either side, and it
cost me several weeks of steady work. I had

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 65

first to cut a great number of good-sized bam-
boos, which, with only my knife, was very
laborious work. I had frequently to sharpen
the knife on a piece of soft, porous rock which
I found near the brook.

Each bamboo was cut off to a length of ten
feet, and sharpened at the small, or upper end.
These I set into the ground at intervals of one
foot, to a depth of two feet. Then, at a dis-
tance of one foot from the top all around the
enclosure, I lashed long bamboos, using the
tough vine which I found in abundance near
the edge of the bush, winding it around each
upright bamboo, and around the horizontal
poles. Between the horizontal pole and the
ground, I wove a close basketwork of the vine.
It was harder work weaving in this vine, as it
was larger than the canes; but it was very
tough, and a wall composed of it closely woven
would prove a very effective defense.

66 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

So I kept busily at work, day after day, cut-
ting the vines, trimming off the leaves, dragging
them to the house and weaving them in around
the bamboo uprights, until I finally had a wall
about me elastic but capable of sustaining a
great strain, the sharpened ends of the upright
bamboos forming an effectual safeguard against
the walls being scaled from the outside.

After the woven-work of vines was thor-
oughly seasoned, which did not take long, I cut
round holes six inches in diameter, four on each
side, about five feet from the ground, in order
that I might command a view in all directions
without leaving the enclosure.

In the side facing the sea, I made a door,
constructed in a manner similar to that in the
house; but, for the stockade door, I devised an
arrangement for securely barring it on the in-
side, by using two large bamboos each two feet
longer than the door was wide, held in place by

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 67

rings of the supple vine which I twisted about
the two door-posts.

These rings were made by first bending sev-
eral inches of one end of the vine in the form
of a circle, and then winding the rest of the
vine around this ring. Through these the ends
of the bars passing across the door were placed,
which, if anything, made the opening, when
closed and fastened inside, stronger than any
other portion of the structure.

During all this time I had lived solely upon
cocoanuts and oranges, varied with a few shell-
fish, somewhat resembling periwinkles, only
larger, that I found along the beach. These I
ate raw, and found them rather palatable but
somewhat tough. However, as I continued in
good health and strength, I preferred to com-
plete my house and stockade before making a
systematic attempt to provide other food.

Nothing now remained to be done in connec-

68 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

tion with my dwelling, but to carry into execu-
tion an idea which I had evolved while at work,
that of transplanting some creepers from the
edge of the forest and training them along the
stockade, so that, as I calculated, in a short time,
in this tropical land of rapid growth, they would
completely cover the stockade, and render my
retreat more safe from observation, should my
solitude be invaded.

During all this time I had suspended work on
Sundays, but I had occupied the time in making
short trips inland, and along the coast in either
direction; but finding the forest very dense as I
left the shore, I could not have gone more than
four or five miles in any direction. My trips
along the shore were without results, so far as
enlightenment concerning the extent of the
island was concerned, for every bend of the
coast revealed only headlands and more coast-
line stretching away beyond.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 69

The results of my wandering in the bush had
troubled me not a little, for I had found no new
fruits and vegetables, and had discovered no
animals, or birds that I could bring myself to
think edible. There were only parrots and
smaller birds, some of brilliant plumage; and
even had I chosen to eat them I had no means
of securing the game. I was somewhat sur-
prised not to find more humming birds. I saw
only one kind, a large, black species, having two
tiny golden feathers each about six inches long
at the sides of its tail. Of snakes, I had seen
none, nor land turtles.

The sea-shore, too, seemed to be as devoid of
food supplies, for I had seen no sea turtle,
though I knew that they should be plentiful in
this latitude.

But I refrained from attempting a systematic
exploration, feeling it would be wise to first
provide as secure a retreat as possible for my
permanent headquarters.

CHAPTER VIE.
Thoughts of the Future ; Making a Bow- G-un.

My house was now finished, and I began, with
a light heart to think about starting on a long
exploring trip. Before taking my departure,
however, two questions of importance must be
solved, if possible, namely, that of devising a
weapon with which I could shoot game, if any
was found; and some means of procuring fire.

The morning following the completion of the
house and stockade, as I was walking toward
the orange tree which continued to furnish me
with an ample supply of fruit, an idea came to
me, and so astonished was I that I had not

70

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 71

thought of it before that I stopped short and
gazed straight ahead of me for several minutes.

My knife !

Here was steel; now for a flint, and fire would
be procurable at any moment. I understood
the use of flint and steel, for many times, in our
boyhood, my brother and I, on our excursions
in the woods, had made fires with old gun-flints
and our pocket-knives as steel, for cooking grey
squirrels when we were fortunate enough to
shoot any. We did this from choice, because of
the novelty.

Without further thought of breakfast I turned
toward the shore to search for a substitute for
flint, for I did not expect to find the real article
here, as I had only seen soft, calcareous rock
which appeared to be the prevailing kind.

A long search up and down the beach failed
to disclose any hard rock, not even a pebble of
sufficient size. Shells were abundant, but they

n A YANKEE CRUSOE.

would not answer the purpose. I next turned
my attention to the brook, and searched along
the shallowest places for a hard stone. I found
one at last, round and flat, about the size of a
silver dollar. It was very dark, almost black,
and appeared to be quite hard. Wiping it with
my hand I laid it down in the sun and waited
impatiently for it to dry. When perfectly free
of moisture, I opened my knife, and hold-
ing the blade firmly in my left hand, I struck
the stone sharply against the back of the blade,
with a quick downward stroke. No spark ap-
peared. Over and over again I tried but with-
out success, but I saw that the stone scratched
the steel, which gave me hope that the stone
was sufficiently hard.

After several more trials, a tiny spark shot
downward from the blade. My joy knew no
bounds. Tinder must be procured. Like a
flash came to my mind the feathery heads of the

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 73

wild cane. If I could find one dry enough I
thought it would do. I at once ran up stream
to where the canes grew, and after a little search
I found a plume that was dead and quite dry.
Bending the cane down I gathered a handful of
the floss from the head, and going to the foot of
a cocoanut tree, I lay the cane floss down by
the foot of the tree and once more tried to pro-
duce a spark. I was soon able to obtain a spark
frequently, but they invariably failed to reach
the floss, or to ignite when they touched it.
But I saw that I had fire within reach, and it
only required perseverance to procure it. Hold-
ing the knife blade closer to the floss, I struck
again. This time a shower of tiny sparks de-
scended to the floss, and, yes, it had caught!
Quickly dropping the knife and stone I partially
covered it with my hands and very gently blew
upon it. A tiny wreath of smoke arose as the
fire spread through the wad of floss. Blowing

74 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

upon it still harder, in short quick puffs, a tiny
flame leaped up ; and quickly gathering such dry
leaves and grass as I could reach, I heaped them
upon the flame. These were followed by small
dry sticks until I had a good fire going. I now
only needed something to cook, and that I pro-
posed to search for. But fire was desirable as
company at night, and to ward off wild beasts
should any be found; also in the future I might
wish to make signals by the aid of smoke.

Not wishing to injure my faithful friend the
cocoanut tree, I allowed the fire to go out, feel-
ing full confidence in my ability to procure it
any time I wished.

I now set about preparing for my journey of
exploration, meanwhile carefully watering, sev-
eral times each day, the creepers that I had set
out along the walls of the stockade, until they
showed no further signs of wilting during the
greatest heat of the day. The water I brought,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 75

with much labor and many trips, from the brook,
in cocoanut shells.

It occurred to me to plant vines in front of
the door of the stockade, so that, should I be
absent for a great length of time, they would
grow up over the door and still further obscure
my retreat. Acting on this idea, I searched
about the bush for a vine less woody than those
planted along the stockade. At length, on the
further side of the clearing, I discovered a vine,
not unlike a morning glory vine, only it had
larger leaves, climbing up a tall, smooth tree,
and this seemed to answer my purpose. So,
getting down upon my knees I began to dig
around the root in order to move it without dis-
turbing the earth immediately surrounding it;
when but a few inches below the top of the
ground I came across a round, hard object which
I at first thought to be a large root of the tree,
but in digging still further around it I saw that

76 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

the supposed root moved, until finally I lifted it
out of the ground. As I did so I noticed that
it had one end attached to the vine that I was
after. The root was fully a foot and a half
long, and about five inches in diameter, slightly
rounded at the ends. I cut off the vine with
my knife, and ran with the root to the brook
and washed it clean. I now saw that I had
found some kind of a tuber. With my knife I
cut through the thin rough skin, disclosing a
white substance beneath. Quickly cutting it in
halves I found that the inside of the tuber was
white and starchy. I wondered what it could
be. It was not a sweet potato, for the latter is
yellow. Then I began to think of the roots
that I had read about in books of travel in the
tropics, and the first that came to my mind was
the yam. Yes, this must be the yam, though
I did not know before that its foliage was in the
form of a vine,

A YANKEE CRtSOE. 7?

Here food was in plenty, healthful and nour-
ishing, and sufficient to sustain life even if I
found no other, it being only necessary to roast
them in ashes.

I resolved to plant yam vines in front of the
gate to the stockade, for, while the vines were
growing up to conceal it, they would, in the
meantime be storing away food for me against
my return. This plan I put into immediate
execution.

My next thought was of devising a weapon for
offence and defence, also to be used in killing
game. The idea of a bow and arrows at first
suggested itself, but this was abandoned for the
bow-gun, for, as boys, we were able to do good
execution with the latter as it had a stock and
breech, admitting of securing better aim.

Looking about for material from which to
construct the bow-gun, the bamboo seemed to
be the most available for the barrel; so I cut

78 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

down one about two inches in diameter, from
which I selected the longest and straightest
section between the joints. Next I cut a deep
notch about four inches from the larger end,
and extending to the centre of the bamboo.
From the lower end of the notch I split away
the upper half of the tube, thus forming a
spout about four feet long which was to carry
the arrow. For a breech I selected a forked
stick, the butt of which I carefully rounded
and smoothed until it would fit tightly into the
round socket at the larger end of the barrel,
above the notch. This, though crude, furnished
a very fair substitute for a breech to rest against
my shoulder when taking aim, particularly as I
had thought to select a forked stick which had
the butt slightly bent so that, when fixed in the
breech-end of the barrel, the proper elevation
was given.

The next step was to make a bow and fix it

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 79

firmly across the under side of the barrel, at
right angles to it. I searched about in the
bush a long time before I found a tree of the
right size, straight and without branches ; and,
on bending it down toward the ground and cutr
ting it, I found that it was elastic and quite
hard. From the tree I cut a section about
three feet long, which I squared for a distance
of two inches in the middle, whittling what was
to be the inner side down flat from either side
of the squared part to either end, each half
tapering slightly from the middle. I did not
remove the bark from the back of the bow.

Next I cut a square slot about the width of
the squared part in the centre of the bow, in
the under side of the bamboo about a foot from
what was to be the muzzle, being careful, how-
ever, not to cut through into the groove of the
barrel. Into this I carefully fitted the squared
portion of the bow, after which notches opening

80 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

in opposite directions were cut on the lower
side of the barrel, one on each side of the bow.
With one of the supple vines I then lashed the
bow firmly, drawing the vine over the notches.
When the vine was thoroughly dry the bow
would be held firmly and rigidly in place.

The question of arrows was quickly solved,
for I could think of nothing that could serve
the purpose better than the long smooth stem
which supported the heads of the wild canes
These were of just the right size and length.
I cut several dozens of them, sharpening one
end of each, and notching the other to receive
the string. To give sufficient weight to the
execution end of the arrow, I split a piece of
the tough vine into fine strips, with which I
closely wound the arrows near the ends, until
the proper weight was secured to balance them
during their flight and thus render them accu-
rate. For the wings of the arrows I used sprays

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 81

from the plumes of the wild cane, until I could
find something more suitable, fastening them to
the string end with fibres from the ever useful
vine.

It now only remained to provide a string for
the bow, before the weapon could be tested.
Carefully separating the longest fibres of the
cococnut cloth, I braided them into a strong
cord of uniform size, which I fastened to the
bow.

And now for the test ! Drawing the string
back to the notch, I placed one of the arrows
in the groove of the gun and, raising the gun
to my shoulder, I released the string with an
upward pressure of my right thumb, at the
same time pointing the gun in the direction of
the brook.

As straight as a line could be drawn, the
arrow sped away over the brook and was lost in
the thicket beyond. I felt confident of the

82 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

success of my bow-gun, and after constructing
a quiver for the arrows from a piece of the
cocoanut cloth fastened together with thorns,
and braiding a cord with which to sling it over
my shoulder, I turned my attention to the final
preparations for departure.

These consisted of providing a store of pro-
visions in case I did not immediately find food
on the way. I roasted several of the yams,
and gathered two dozen oranges which were
stored in a bag made of the cocoanut cloth. I
did not include cocoanuts, for I was sure to find
plenty as I went along.

I took the precaution to gather a quantity of
the cane floss for tinder, which I placed in a
short piece of bamboo, which I stopped up
tightly at both ends with wooden plugs. This
was to protect it from moisture in case of rain.
I also took the cocoanut calendar.

The morning for departure arrived. Taking

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 83

a farewell plunge in the brook, I made a hearty
breakfast of yams and oranges, after which,
closing the door of the stockade and fastening
it with withes of the vine, I slung the quiver
of arrows and the bag of provisions over my
shoulder, took the bow-gun and started away
along the shore, going in a southerly direction.

CHAPTER IX.

Starts to Explore the Island; Turtles' Eggs.

I followed the narrow line of sand, sometimes
having to make a detour inland to get around a
rocky point of land which jutted out into the
water, or to avoid a dagger-like plant the spike-
like leaves of which were armed with spines as
sharp as needles. This, I concluded, must be
the Spanish bayonet.

The sun shone brightly, and the sea, deep
blue and calm, stretched away toward the west,
the long, gentle swells causing but a ripple on
the beach. As I progressed, the island along
the shore became less attractive than it was in

84

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 85

the near vicinity of my house ; and in some
places it had a parched appearance. Once I
was obliged to cross a flat area of several acres
in extent, bounded by a high bluff, where I had
to make my way cautiously among cactus plants
of various kinds; some low and spreading over
the ground and bearing beautiful, yellow, wax-
like blossoms, and others a great size, like trees
denuded of the smaller branches and twigs.

The sun had reached the zenith when I came
to a small stream and sat down beneath a wide-
spreading tree to rest, and to refresh myself
from the provisions that I carried. As I ate I
gazed up among the branches of the great tree,
whos3 broad leaves furnished such a grateful
shade, when I saw that it bore fruit, round and
green, five or six inches in diameter. This I
believed to be bread-fruit, from the pictures I
had seen, and I resolved to carry two or three
along with me, only obtaining them by climbing
the tree.

86 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Although I did not intend to travel steadily
in the heat of the day during my march, I felt
anxious to make a good beginning on the first
day out, so after getting cool and feeling well
rested, I went on.

As I crossed the brook, scores of small brown
crabs scudded away along the bank. They were
the first I had seen during my sojourn on the
island. Spiders, I had seen many of, some of
great size with hairy bodies and long legs; but
as they showed no ferocity, I had no fear of
them. Indeed on account of their great size I
did not believe them to be poisonous. As a
rule, the natural histories said, poisonous spiders
of the tropics are not of great size, and most of
them have short legs.

Having made a long detour around a swampy
place which extended to the sea, I came out of
the bush upon a wide beach shaped like a semi-
circle, or half-moon ; and as I did so my attention

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 87

was attracted to several large, glossy, blackish
objects scattered over the beach. I approached
one, and found it to be a monstrous turtle.
There must have been hundreds of them, and,
one by one, as I moved about, they started away
toward the water. Some of them were very
large, and must have weighed three or four
hundred pounds. Had I been so disposed I had
no means of dispatching one for food, but I felt
sure that the turtles had been depositing their
eggs in the sand, and I could easily roast the
eggs in the fire, which would form a very
acceptable adjunct to my larder.

Accordingly, digging into the sand where the
turtles had been lying, I found plenty of round
white eggs, a quantity of which I gathered to
add to my stores.

It was now neat the end of the afternoon, as
I observed by the sun, and I decided to select a
place to camp for the night. I selected a spot

88 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

near a thicket of thorn bushes, which would
form an effectual protection to the rear, and
then began collecting dry branches for a fire.
The sun was low in the sky, and the heat was
greatly moderated, and, by the time I had
collected a large pile of fire wood, a sea breeze
sprang up, taking the place of the land breeze of
the day, making it cool and comfortable.

I had no difficulty this time in starting a fire,
and as soon as it had burned down sufficiently I
buried a yam and some of the turtles' eggs in
the ashes, and, while they were cooking I occu-
pied the time cutting away a part of the smaller
thorn bushes, making a cleared place in which I
could sleep during the night, the thicket over
me furnishing protection from the dampness of
the air.

By the time this was accomplished, and a
cocoanut shell of water was brought from the
brook, I judged that the yam and eggs were

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 89

sufficiently cooked, which they proved to be
when I uncovered them, and I at once proceeded
to eat my evening meal. The eggs proved to
be of good flavor, but wanted salt. This re-
minded me that I must provide a supply of salt,
which I could do by evaporating some sea-water
as soon as I had the opportunity.

It was now past sunset and rapidly growing
dark; so I replenished the pile of firewood, and
piling a quantity of it upon the fire, I lay down
with a bunch of grass for a pillow, and in a short
time fell asleep.

CHAPTER X.

Under the Coils of a Snake.

When I awoke in the morning it was with a
peculiar sense of oppression. In the first drowsi-
ness I thought there was a great weight across
my chest; and my arms were aching. I tried
to move, but found that I could not lift my
arms. They seemed to be pressed closely to my
sides. Thoroughly awake now, I was terrified
to find that I was lying beneath the folds of an
enormous snake.

Frightened as I was beyond all expression, I
maintained sufficient presence of mind to keep
perfectly quiet until I could more fully realize

90

An unwelcome visitor.

Page 90.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 01

my true situation — and, above all, locate the
position of the great reptile's head.

As I gazed at the great scaly coils that en-
veloped me, I saw that the snake was of a pale
yellow color. It was perfectly motionless. By
tracing the taper of its body I saw that the head
must be somewhere near my right shoulder.

I was in a great quandary what to do. Al-
though still anxious for results, I was now quite
calm, and my mind was full of plans for escap-
ing from the terrible coils. I dared not move
for fear that the snake would strike me with its
fangs, or that it might encircle my body and
squeeze me to death. Some snakes, like the
boa-constrictor, kill their victims by this method;
and while I felt sure that this snake was not a
boa, on account of its color, I felt that it had the
strength to crush me to death.

For a long time I lay in this position, how
long I could not tell; but the sun had grown

92 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

intensely hot as it beat down upon the thicket.
I heard the cries of the birds, and looked up at
the blue sky with the fleecy clouds floating
across it, wondering whether it was to be my
fate to die here in the folds of a huge serpent.
I wondered too, if bye and bye my bones,
bleached white, would be found in the thicket
on the shore of this lonely island.

I was gasping for breath on account of the
heat, my cramped position and the weight of
the serpent's folds across my chest, when I felt
it move a little. I wondered if it was preparing
to strike me. I did not move, and in a moment
it began to move again, and the coils slipped
across my body. Slowly it continued to move,
until my arms were free and its tail swept across
my face.

I was now free, but I waited a few seconds to
see if the snake was leaving me. Distinctly
hearing it gliding from me, I arose quietly,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 93

feeling stiff and sore in my arms and chest.
The snake was not in sight, but seeing the grass
moving a little distance away, seizing a large
stone I sprang after it, but it escaped into the
bush.

I reasoned that the snake must have crawled
under the thorn bushes after I lay down, and
that it coiled upon my body for warmth, as
the nights were frequently uncomfortably cool;
and so soundly had I slept that its movements
had not awakened me.

After this unpleasant adventure I felt anxious
to be moving, and, making a fire, cooked some
eggs which, with oranges from the stores, com-
prised my breakfast; after which I gathered a
few more turtles' eggs, and resumed my march.

As I had done the day before I followed the
coast, but instead of keeping along the sand I
followed the edge of the forest, thinking it
might prove more advantageous to do so as it

94 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

would enable me to keep a look-out for game,
and perhaps discover new fruits. My progress
was necessarily much slower, but the walking
was easier as the trees shielded me from the
direct heat of the sun, which, on the beach was
terrific, the white sand producing a fearful glare
which caused no little pain in my eyes.

As I proceeded, the country became more
open, and I frequently crossed quite large tree-
less tracts of tall grass, or stretches which, had
it not been for the tropical vegetation surround-
ing might have been taken for New England
pasture land.

One morning, just after resuming my march
as I was crossing one of the latter grass tracts,
a bird different from any I had before seen
arose from the ground and flew into the thicket
on the opposite side. Its color was light drab,
and the wings and under tail feathers were
white. I approached the edge of the bush

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 95

cautiously, meantime, drawing back the string of
my bow-gun and fixing an arrow in place. Lay-
ing aside the bag of provisions I crept softly
along, until a sharp " coo-o-o " drew my atten-
tion to the branches of a tree, where I saw the
bird stepping gingerly along one of the larger
limbs. Apparently it had not seen me, so, care-
fully moving to one side until I had a low bush
between me and the game, I worked up a little
nearer in order to make sure of being within
range of the arrow. Then, rising quietly to one
knee, I took careful aim and released the string.
The sharp "twang," much to my surprise was
instantly followed by a flutter as the bird came
tumbling to the ground. I hastened forward
and picked it up. The arrow had passed en-
tirely through the neck, so that it was quite
dead in a few moments. I saw that it was a
species of wild pigeon, and therefore edible ; and
I congratulated myself on securing such an ac-
ceptable change in my fare.

96 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

I saw no more pigeons after that, but during
the succeeding days I found several orange trees
from which I replenished my supply of this
refreshing fruit.

I continued steadily on, making no important
discoveries, following the edge of the brush, but
always keeping the sea in sight. Almost every
day I went to the beach to look for turtles'
eggs, which I usually found in abundance.

The coast continued to loom up before me,
head-land after head-land, stretches of beach and
rocky bay shores. Allowing for the indentations
of the coast that I followed, I concluded that
the island was a large one ; and, the fact that I
was gradually turning toward the direction of
the sun convinced me that its shape was nearly
round.

I always camped just before sunset that I
might have sufficient time to make a fire, cook
and eat supper before dark.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 97

I had not kept a fire after supper was cooked,
as, having neither seen nor heard anything of
wild animals of any kind, I did not feel the need
of it; and, beside, I was becoming accustomed
to being alone, and to sleeping in the open air,
and the nervousness of the first few nights after
I was cast ashore had entirely left me.

At the end of the sixth day I had, in my
journey, turned around so that the direction
which I followed was a little more than right
angles to that taken where I left my house. In
other words, instead of going nearly south, my
course was now nearly southeast.

At the end of the seventh day I came to a
large stream which was too wide and deep to
ford. The next day being Sunday I resolved
to pitch camp and remain there until Monday.
Meanwhile I would decide whether to devise
some means of fording the stream, or follow up
its course.

98 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Although I had not, as yet, done any work on
Sunday, I decided that it would be no great
violation of the day to try to evaporate a little
sea water, while I was in camp, and thus pro-
cure a little salt, which I was craving.

That night before going to sleep, I revolved
several schemes in my mind, and, ere I fell
asleep, I believed I had solved the question of
making salt.

CHAPTER XT.

The Cave on the Mountain ; A Beacon ; Attacked by
Wild Pigs.

After breakfast the following morning, I cut
a large quantity of fine, long grass, which I pro-
ceeded to make into large bunches, all I could
hold in my hands, tieing them with wisps of the
grass itself. Then I cut two forked stakes and
set them into the ground about ten feet apart.
Going a few rods up the bank of the stream
where I saw some bamboos growing, I cut one,
and trimming it, carried it to the camp, and
placed it, one end in each of the forks of the
stakes.

99

100 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Taking the grass I went to the edge of the
beach and thoroughly saturated it in the salt
water after which I carried it to the camp, and
parting each bunch in the middle, I hung them
over the pole.

The idea proved highly successful, for the hot
sun evaporated the water very quickly, leaving
particles of salt clinging to the grass throughout
each bunch.

I then gathered a quantity of broad leaves
which I laid on the ground so that their edges
over-lapped, and by gently shaking the bunches
of grass the salt fell upon the leaves in a fine
white shower.

I repeated the process several times until I
must have had fully half a pound of salt.

Preparing a short piece of bamboo by plugging
one end as I had done in making the box for the
tinder, I carefully gathered up the salt and
poured it into the bamboo, enough to last a long
time.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 101

I had determined to go no further along the
coast, but to follow the course of the stream to
its source which I judged must be among the
mountains which seemed to extend across the
northeast corner of the island. This I wished
to do along the opposite bank, but, as I could
not cross the stream at this point, I decided to
follow the bank on which I now was, rather
than take the time necessary to construct a
raft. ,

If I followed the stream to its source I should
reach the mountains, and besides, have gained
a fair idea of the island in all but the extreme
south-eastern part. From the tops of some of
the mountains, I believed that I could gain a
very good view of the small portion un traversed,
or rather not encircled by my route, which
could not be very great. If the island was in-
habited anywhere in that direction, I believed
I should see some signs from the tops of the
mountains.

102 a Yankee crusoe.

I really had no faith that the island was in-
habited, for, being comparatively small, if there
were people there I must have met some signs,
ere this, to indicate it.

I had another object in wishing to reach the
mountains, which was to see if any land was in
sight to the south, east and southeast. One
thing I was perfectly sure of, that this island
was near the Virgin group, perhaps a little north
of those islands, if not even one of them; so
that, if people did not regularly inhabit it, there
must be islands not far away that were inhab-
ited, and people must, therefore, occasionally
visit my island.

I felt, moreover, anxious to reach the moun-
tains as quickly as possible, because, as I had
calculated from my limited knowledge of the
climate, the rainy season must soon set in, which
would make travel unpleasant, if not difficult or
impossible. And besides, I wished to be away

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 103

from the lowlands of the coast during heavy
rains, as I knew it could not be so healthful as
the mountains.

So, getting my effects together, I set out, fol-
lowing the course of the stream.

For the first few miles the stream flowed
across a flat country, which became rocky the
further I went, and the stream became more
rapid in its flow.

Several pretty cascades were passed and, in
places, I was obliged to do some sharp scramb-
ling over rocks that were overgrown with
creeping vines, among which convolvuli were
conspicuous.

For four days I continued to ascend the
stream, until lofty hills began to rise on either
side abruptly from the banks ; which indicated
that I was getting very near the mountains.

The1 sides of the foot-hills were heavily
wooded, but, as I left them and entered the

104 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

mountains, gradually ascending to a higher
altitude, the vegetation grew less dense and
changed in its general appearance.

The stream was now little more than a small
rushing mountain torrent, foaming over the
rocks. At the end of the fifth day, just before
sunset, I reached the source of the stream, for
coming suddenly to a wall of rock above which
the mountain rose precipitously, I beheld the
brook bubbling forth from the bowels of the
mountains. I decided to camp here for the
night, and proceeded about my usual prepara-
tions for getting supper. I had no yams, but
plenty of oranges; but presently I saw some
yam vines growing a short distance away, and
it was the work of a few minutes only to pro-
cure enough for supper and breakfast.

When I awoke in the morning the sky was
partially overcast. As I had calculated, the
rainy season was undoubtedly about to set in,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 105

and I resolved to hasten to the top of one of
the mountains as quickly as possible, as I felt
that, upon the outlook from the highest eleva-
tion depended my plans for a considerable time
in the future.

So, hastily preparing and eating my morning
meal, I climbed to the top of the rock which
rose above my camping place, and saw that the
highest mountain was not more than five miles
away. I set out at once. The way was not
difficult except where it led across a deep ravine
at the foot of the mountain, where the under-
growth and creepers formed a dense tangle; but
once through this, I found the way almost clear
of low bush. I now began a steep climb. As
I ascended, the cocoanut trees became less plen-
tiful, and their places were taken by other
species of palm, great ferns as large as trees,
and giant cacti.

As nearly as I could tell, with the sun partly

106 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

obscured by clouds, it was near mid-day when I
came upon a broad table-land of grass, dotted
here and there with groves of trees. Beyond,
rose the last peak. Fearing rain, I pushed for-
ward, resolving to reach the top before dark,
and camp, so as to be ready to take observations
early the next morning.

It was quite dark when I came to the summit.
I could see nothing, of course, until daylight,
and I searched about for a place to camp.
There was a strong breeze blowing and the air
was quite cool, so I found shelter behind a great
boulder and prepared to spend the night. I
still had a few yams with me, and three turtles'
eggs, and these I cooked and ate. I then pro-
ceeded to make myself as comfortable as possible
by lying close to the rock, and, having nothing
else to do, I went to sleep, the long climb hav-
ing wearied me.

Once or twice during the night I awoke feel-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 107

ing very chilly, and I was not sorry when the
first faint gleam of dawn appeared.

The sun rose clear, but, to the south-east,
fleecy clouds were scudding along toward the
land. In all directions, however, the line of the
horizon was distinctly visible, and the peak
commanded . a view of the sea at all points of
the compass, and of the whole island.

I scanned the line of sea and sky all around,
but saw nothing that looked like land. A little
to the south-east there was a faint, serrated line
against the sky, but I concluded that it was only
a cloud.

As I stood scanning the great rim of the
ocean, there came to me a strong feeling that I
would like to establish a beacon on the summit,
one, if possible, which could be seen from a ship
several miles at sea; and the more I thought of
this project the more strongly was I convinced
that it would be a wise thing to do ; for, in the

108 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

event of a ship's passing on this side of the
island, a prominent structure on the mountain
might attract attention and lead to my rescue.
I thought it all over as I retraced my steps to
the boulder, and resolved to look about for a
suitable place to make a substantial shelter
while engaged in the work. I deemed it ad-
visable to go further down the mountain where
the vegetation was more plentiful, and where I
might find fruits, and possibly game — though
game did not seem to be plentiful, but brilliant
plumaged birds were numerous.

In the edge of the bush between the table
land and the mountain peak, I discovered a
small grove of about a dozen orange trees, and
here I at first thought that I would make my
camp; but a little further to the south I saw a
great rock, which appeared to over-hang several
feet; and the idea at once struck me that it
might be wise to encamp beneath its shelter.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 109

So, turning in that direction I was not long in
reaching the rock. It was at the base of a spur
of the mountain; and the top not only over-
hung the base considerably, but, there was a
sort of natural excavation which formed quite a
large cave, open on three sides, it was true; but
here I saw great possibilities in establishing my
camp while erecting the beacon. Besides, I
fully expected the rainy season to set in almost
any day, and should I have to stay here for sev-
eral months, the rock would afford me the best
of shelter.

So, having decided to make this the base of
operations for the present, I took my bow-gun
and set out to forage for supplies, of which I
stood in immediate need.

I went down among the trees in the intervale
between the two mountains. The vegetation
was very luxuriant, but not so dense as in por-
tions of the lowlands across which I had marched.

110 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

I had noted that the cocoanut palms were less
plentiful here, and that there were several other
kinds of palms that I had not seen before. One
of these had a trunk covered with great sharp
spines, and from the grapelike cluster of fruit at
the top I knew it must be an oil palm; but I
saw only a few of these. Another had a bottle-
shaped head of vivid green just below the leaves,
which I at once recognized as the "mountain
cabbage," or cabbage palm. These were very
plentiful.

Skirting the edge of the bush, a short distance
to the north, I turned to penetrate further to-
ward the valley, when suddenly, as I took a step
forward, I felt myself sinking downward. I threw
down my gun and tried to save myself by
clutehing the creepers; but I continued to sink
into a mass of vines. I was considerably frightr
ened, and wondered, for a brief moment, if I
had fallen into the opening to a cavern; but

A YANKEE CRUSOE. Ill

suddenly my feet touched solid earth, and I
found myself standing beside what appeared to
be an old wall — about the height of my shoul-
der. Pushing aside the creepers I saw that it
was really a wall, built of large stones and some
kind of mortar. I was so astonished at the dis-
covery that I could scarcely collect my thoughts.
Looking around, I was still more perplexed, for
only a few feet away there was a rectangular
enclosure which looked like the ruined founda-
tions of a house. I found that the wall extended
for perhaps fifty feet in each direction, the
opposite side being flush with the rising ground
above. An examination of the rectangular en-
closure showed unmistakably that it was a
portion of the foundation of a house.

What could this mean? It could mean but
one thing; that people had lived here. But
when, I could form no opinion; but from the
appearance of the masonry it must have been

112 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

many years before. The ruins, as well as the
wall, were thickly overgrown with creepers and
other vegetation.

Still further signs of the former presence of
man now attracted my attention. A great
plant, like an immense lily, with broad leaves
six or seven feet long was growing near by at
the edge of the small clear area surrounding the
ruins; and, on going nearer to examine it I
quickly recognized it from the great bunch of
elongated fruit which hung from the crown of
leaves.

Banana trees!

And there were many of them scattered
around. Here was a never-ending supply of
food, of the most nourishing kind. I walked
around to the south side of the clearing, where
I found other trees, much resembling, in general
appearance, the banana trees; but the fruit was
much larger, and curved like a scimitar.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 113

My reading of books of tropical travel stood
me in good stead as it aided me in recognizing
trees and fruits that proved of great use to me.
This latter, I knew to be the plantain. A still
further search revealed yams, and several clusters
of canes, much larger than the largest corn-
stalks that I had ever seen.

Here was another valuable discovery — sugar
cane! Taking out my knife I cut one of the
canes, and was delighted to see that it was full
of limpid juice. I tasted it and found it very
sweet and very refreshing. I sucked several
joints of the sugar cane dry, and then turned to
gather some of the bananas. The bunches were
rather small, but several appeared to be quite
ripe. I also dug some of the yams, and with a
sugar cane under one arm, my bow-gun under
the other, the yams and bananas in my hands, I
started back to the camp. I could not climb
the wall, loaded as I was, so I set about to go

114 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

around the end nearest to my cave-dwelling;
when I saw a pigeon, like one I had shot near
the coast, fly up and alight on the wall. As
quickly as I could I laid down my load, and,
adjusting an arrow in the bow-gun, took careful
aim and released the string. Again my aim
was true, for the arrow pierced the neck close
to the body. It must have been killed almost
instantly, for it quickly ceased fluttering.

With this addition to my forage, I proceeded
slowly to the camp. With food for two days at
least, I now began to form plans for making
the "cave," as I chose to call it, habitable. I
proposed to close the two ends and a portion of
the front, by setting bamboo, which I had seen
growing plentifully in the valley below, into the
ground, and weaving in vines. I only intended
to make a temporary shelter against the wind,
and had no idea of spending the time and labor
that I had on my house on the coast.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 115

It was slow work cutting the bamboos and
dragging them up to the cave, and this occupied
me several days. These had to be cut into the
proper lengths, and set into the ground, so that
the upper ends would come firmly up against
the overhanging rock. As I worked, my plans
for the future matured, so that I foresaw an
extended sojourn here. The ultimate outcome
was, that the inclosing walls of the cave were,
when finished, fully as substantial as those of
my house at "Sargent" Bay, as I had re-
solved to call the place where I had drifted
ashore, in honor of my late benefactor. The
paling of bamboos was closely interwoven with
vines, and I constructed a door for the front.
I now had not only a comfortable but a sub-
stantial dwelling, which would afford protection
from the wind and rain, no matter from which
direction they came.

About every other day I went to the old ruins

116 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

to procure bananas and yams; and, on these
trips, I shot several pigeons which proved to be
very delicate and tender. I often roasted yams,
and found them to be very hearty food; and
became very fond of them.

Frequently, of late, there had been showers
of rain, which proved to me that the rainy sea-
son had set in. I made frequent trips to the
top of the mountain, and, each time, I saw that
the peculiar serrated line against the sky, which
I at first thought must be a cloud, had remained
stationary. This convinced me that it was land,
and as it was evidently the top of a mountain
range, it must be a great distance away.

I speculated as to what land it would be. If
my suppositions were correct as to the position
of the island on which I was exiled, from the
direction it might be one of the Virgin Islands.
If so, the Leeward Islands lay beyond, further
to the east and south-east.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 117

My mind was now filled with the project of
erecting a substantial beacon, one which would
be seen from some distance at sea. Gradually
I evolved plans for the structure. The first step
was to cut the tallest and largest bamboo which
I felt capable of dragging to the peak. I found
one that suited me. It was a long tedious task
to cut it down with my knife, but it was finally
accomplished, and I dragged it to the front of
the cave.

It was my intention to devise a headpiece to
fasten securely to the top of the bamboo in order
to render it as conspicuous as possible. This
would have to be done before the bamboo was
raised and set into the ground.

The daily showers became more frequent and
more severe, and some days the rain would
sweep across the mountain in perfect torrents.
Nevertheless, I succeeded in cutting several
more bamboos, of smaller size, and I also brought

118 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

several bunches of bananas and plantains, and a
quantity of yams up to the cave.

I now set to work to complete the beacon.
Cutting the bamboos to the required lengths, I
lashed them together in such a manner as to
form a sort of gridiron, eight feet long and six
feet wide. This I filled in with a basket-work
of vines, woven very loosely that the wind might
easily pass through it, to prevent its being blown
down when raised to the top of the pole.

At length the beacon was finished, the grid-
iron being firmly lashed to the upper end of the
bamboo; and I had been on the mountain seven
weeks. The rainy season was well under way;
but I worked during the intervals when it
ceased to rain, and, by means of a sharpened
stick, aided by my knife, I dug a hole fully four
feet deep, on the highest part of the mountain.
I found it difficult work to raise the bamboo
with the gridiron at the top, and plant its base

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 119

in the hole, but, after many trials, I succeeded,
after which I wedged it firmly with stones and
earth solidly packed.

It would be useless to attempt to leave camp
while the rain continued, and I had fully recon-
ciled myself to remain until the close of the
rainy season; and I hoped that I could find
enough to do to occupy the time. I was
obliged to go frequently in quest of food, and I
set about preparing a brief account of the cir-
cumstances of my exile in the island, the date of
the wreck and the date of the raising of the
beacon; also, explicit directions for finding
"Sargent" Bay, where my house stood. This
was carved in deep letters around the smooth
surface of a large section of bamboo, like a
Chinese prayer cylinder. This was fastened to
the bamboo signal pole, a few feet from the
ground, to guide anyone who might chance to
notice the beacon and investigate its meaning,
to my rescue.

120 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

I made a coat and kilt reaching to the knees,
from cocoanut cloth. The coat was without
sleeves, but it would save my only shirt, and the
kilt would prove a great protection to my
trousers, which were already showing signs of
hard usage. These garments were sewn together
with fibres of vines, a long, sharp thorn being
used as a needle. I also made a new hat, of
more skillful workmanship than the first, which
I had worn until the present time.

Twice, each day, I went up to the beacon to
scan the horizon. I saw no vessels, but the dis-
tant, faint outline of mountains remained in
sight. This position commanded a view of the
entire island, and I studied it with interest. It
was nearly circular in shape, and I calculated
that it was not over forty miles in diameter. I
had thought seriously of descending to the eastr
ern slope of the mountains, and exploring the
small portion which had not come, thus far,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 121

within my projected route. This belt of coun-
try, between the foot of the mountains and the
sea, seemed, from my elevated position, to be
very flat, and more sparsely wooded than the
other side of the mountain ; but the question of
its being inhabited was settled by the torrents of
rain, for, for miles to the east and south-east the
country was under water.

The rain had apparently been the heaviest on
the east side of the island, for none of the west
side was inundated, as far as I could discern; but
the stream, along whose banks I had marched
from the coast, was swollen to the size of a great
river.

After I had made the clothing, I searched the
edge of the bush until I found some wild canes,
growing by a swampy place, from which I made
a supply of arrows. Frequently I shot a pigeon,
the birds apparently being driven into the open
by the rain. One day when I went to procure

122 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

a fresh supply of bananas, as I extended one
hand to cut off a bunch, I sprang back and
quickly retired several rods. The cause of my
precipitate flight was nothing more nor less than
a great yellow snake, exactly like my unwelcome
companion on the coast. It was coiled among
the leaf stems of the banana tree. I did not
disturb it, not feeling particularly curious as to
its disposition under the present circumstances;
and the next time I came it was gone. I named
it the "banana snake," in commemoration of
the latter incident, and because of its color,
which was nearly that of a ripe banana.

The nights, at this elevation, and during the
rain, were cold, but the cave was quite comfort-
able, and I built a small fire just inside the door
each night, to drive out the dampness ; having,
from time to time before the rain became too
constant, filled all the available space in the
cave with dry wood, only reserving enough
room to lie down to sleep.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 123

The weeks passed, rather tediously after I
could think of but little to do, but the rain was
not so steady and, almost every day, there were
several hours when it entirely ceased to fall.
There being only short grass around the top of
the mountain, I utilized these intervals of the
cessation of rain by exploring the mountain to
the line of the bush, all around. There was
nothing but rocks, with occasionally a few small
shrubs. But one day I made an interesting
discovery. Nearly down to the line of the
bush on the opposite side from my camp, I came
across a similar over-hanging rock; but on go-
ing under it, I perceived a large crevice, which,
on close examination, I found extended into the
mountain for some distance. I had my tinder
and flint with me and, gathering a few dry
leaves and sticks that lay around near the open-
ing, I made a fire at the entrance. By its light
I could see that I had found the entrance to a

124 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

cavern, but I could see only a few feet from the
mouth. The walls were dark and the top of
the cavern was not more than four feet from
the floor. I determined to still further explore
it with a torch.

For a week I did not again go near the
cavern, but made daily trips to the beacon for
the purpose of taking observations, but all the
time I was trying to invent a torch. Nothing
suitable for the purpose, which would burn for
any length of time, suggested itself to me,
until, one morning, while at the ruins for yams
and fruit, I saw some ripe cocoanuts on the
ground.

"Why not use the oily kernel of the nut?"
I at once proceeded to act upon this sugges-
tion. Taking a couple of nuts to the camp, I
split them in halves, fastening one into a split
stick, making a sort of ladle. Hastening to the
cavern on the other side of the mountain, I

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 125

made a little fire at the end of the stick, and
had the satisfaction of soon seeing the oily
meat of the nut blaze up in a steady, yellowish
flame. Watching it for a moment, I saw that
the meat charred very slowly, while the oil was
tried out by the heat to feed the flame.

Taking the torch and the spare nuts with
which to replenish the torch, I entered the
mouth of the cavern. I was both surprised
and disappointed, for it was neither beautiful
nor grand. The roof was low, and the walls
were dirty and grimy. The cavern was not
more than six feet wide and four feet high, and
I was obliged to stoop as I moved along. The
cave took me straight into the mountain for a
few rods, when I came to what appeared at first
to be the end; but I soon discovered a small
opening a little to my right, through which,
after hesitating a little, I crawled on my hands
and knees. I went but a few feet before I

126 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

emerged into a chamber of considerable size,
where I could stand erect; and here I was
greeted by a cloud of bats that flitted about as
though bewildered by the light, their wings
making a curious, uncanny fluttering sound. I
could see the roof plainly, and clinging to it, with
their heads downward, were thousands of bats.
There were, depending from the ceiling, a few
small stalactites, but they were dark and grimy.
I examined the floor of the cavern, which re-
vealed to me its true nature. I was in a guano
cave, the floor of which was thickly covered
with the guano of the bats, the accumulation of
centuries, probably.

"What a fortune there is here," I thought,
"if all this guano could be cheaply conveyed to
the coast and loaded into vessels."

Although the air in the cave seemed to be
pure, it was not a pleasant place, and most un-
attractive; so, after discovering a small passage,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 127

like the one I had just crawled through, leading
further into the mountain, I retreated toward
the entrance and was soon in daylight, feeling
no desire to further explore a cavern devoid of
all the beauties usually attributed to such nat-
ural phenomena.

The days dragged now, as I waited for the
weather to clear, with nothing to break the
monotony but occasional trips to the ruins for.
yams, oranges, plantains, bananas and sugar
cane; and sometimes I would stalk pigeons,
when my bow-gun proved very effective, espe-
cially as I every day became more skillful in
using it, while the birds suffered in consequence.

Several times each day I went to the beacon
to scan the horizon; but I saw no sign of a
vessel. I reasoned that my island must be out
of the regular track of vessels going to the
Windward or Leeward Islands, as I knew it to
be, of ships bound to the South American coast,

128 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Central America or any of the large West India
Islands. Bnt the far distant mountains still
showed plainly against the horizon.

While gazing away toward the east one day,
the idea came to me to try to construct a boat,
on my return to my house on the coast, in
which to attempt to reach the distant land. I
was not skilled in sailing a boat, but I reasoned
that, with a fairly staunch and steady craft, pro-
vided with some sort of a sail, I might, when a
long period of fair weather was promised, escape
to the land which I dimly saw to the eastward.
This plan occupied my mind continually for
days, and, so seriously did I begin to consider
it, that I became extremely impatient to start
away for the coast.

Three weeks more of weary waiting, and the
rain ceased to fall steadily, and then the sun
began to break through the clouds at intervals,
but the showers were still frequent. From the

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 129

beacon I could see that the floods in the low-
lands to the east were subsiding, and that the
river along which I had traveled from the coast,
was assuming its normal proportions.

Gradually the clouds dispersed, and whole
days of bright sunshine followed. The rainy
season was drawing to a close. A few days of
clear weather would dry the ground and the
bush so I would be able to set out for the
coast.

I felt a pang of regret at the thought of leav-
ing my home under the cliff; but then, perhaps
I might come back. I could not tell. Perhaps
I should have to give up the idea of building
the boat, and then it might be years before I
was rescued. I might, indeed, spend my entire
life here alone; but this thought I put away
from me.

My preparations for leaving the mountain
were easily made. I left the house under the

130 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

cliff exactly as it was, save the closing, securely,
of the door; and one morning as the sun came
up out of the sea, and the lovely island verdure
lit up with a gorgeous blending of green, purple
and gold, I took a farewell look all around the
horizon from the peak, and, with my gun,
arrows and bag of provisions, dressed in the
rudely made cocoanutrdoth garments, I started
down the mountain, taking, as nearly as I could,
a northeast course toward the coast.

The ground was yet sufficiently damp to
render it pleasantly springy and cool to my
feet, and the freshness of the verdure of the
forest and bush which I traversed imparted to
the air a pleasant coolness, even though the
sun shone fierce and hot. Birds were flitting
like irridescent gems through the trees, and
uttering curious discordant cries. Not since
the beginning of my exile had I been conscious
of such cheerfulness and light-heartedness as on

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 131

this morning — and, with all, I had the feeling
of going home, as, indeed, I was.

Crossing the valley at the foot of the first
mountain peak, I ascended the lower spur and
descended its side toward the level country
which lay between it and the coast. In general
appearance, the bush here did not materially
differ from that to the southwest, traversed
during my march from the coast months before.

Shortly after entering the belt of virgin forest
which skirted the base of the mountain range,
I emerged into an opening, perhaps two acres
in extent. It was covered with thick grass,
green and luxuriant after the rains. The grass
was not tall, perhaps two feet high, apparently
a new growth, and I started to cross it. A tall
cactus, a veritable tree, stood alone near the
centre of the grassland, and toward this I took
my way, thinking that I would like to examine
it closely, as it was the largest one I had seen
on the island.

132 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

After examining this giant of the tropics, I
continued my way across the intervening space
toward the bush on the other side. I was nearly
out of the grass, when a strange sound caused
me to stand still and look about me.

The sound came in a series of short, angry
grunts, like "woof! woof!" and, a short distance
to the left I saw the grass violently agitated,
while the noise came nearer to me.

I at once decided that some animal was com-
ing toward me, whether to attack me or not, I
could not tell. But I quickly decided that the
most sensible thing for me to do would be to
seek safety. Naturally I thought of the bush,
and ran toward it. The moment I started to
run the "woof, woof!" followed me, and I in-
creased my speed as fast as I could, hampered
as I was by the thick grass. The terrible,
gutteral sound gained upon me as I plunged
on, but at last I reached the bush, and, seeing a

Encounter with wild pigs.

Page 132.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 133

large tree with branches near the ground, just
ahead of me, I dropped my gun and bag of pro-
visions, and grasped the lower limb. Quickly
I climbed up to what I considered to be a safe
distance, and then looked down to see what sort
of a beast my pursuer would prove to be.

I had but a second or two to wait, for soon,
not one but three shot out of the grass and
rushed to the foot of the tree. I could not
mistake them. They were pigs, wild pigs.

They looked up at me with little, cruel looking
eyes, and one, the largest, which had probably
led the chase, snapped his jaws, showing long,
white tusks, ran around the tree and continued
the "woof, woof!" throwing up his head and, as
he apparently grew more angry because I was
above his reach, flecks of foam were flung from
the ugly jaws. This one was, without a doubt,
the boar. The other two were smaller, and
seemed to be taking matters more coolly.

134 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

They were villainous-looking beasts, gaunt,
with long legs and sharp, pointed heads; and
their color was a sort of rusty-red. Feeling
perfectly safe, the question which naturally first
occurred to me was, ahow long shall I be be-
sieged in this position?" There seemed to be
but one course to follow, at present, and that
to await developments. The pigs had not ap-
peared to notice my paraphernalia.

After a while the boar grew calmer, and
finally all three lay down near the foot of the
tree. I made myself as comfortable as possible,
and looked down at them.

The day dragged along monotonously, while
I was able to change my position so frequently
that I was not cramped; but I began to get very
hungry, having eaten nothing since early in the
morning. The pigs continued to remain on
guard, the boar now and then getting up and
regarding me contemplatively, until the sun

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 135

sank behind the forest. Then the pigs moved
away into the grass. It was soon dark, and the
moon, which was near its full, came up over the
mountains; but I was not long able to distin-
guish the movements of the pigs in the uncer-
tain moonlight.

Patiently I waited, until the moon was di-
rectly over the clearing. There was no sound
of the pigs, and, after a little, I slid to the
ground and, cautiously gathering up my gun
and provision bag, moved noiselessly away into
the bush. The moonlight favored me, and I
hurried on for several miles, when I was brought
to a halt by a small stream. Feeling safe from
the pigs, I decided to camp here until daylight.
I did not dare make a fire, so, after satisfying
hunger with a portion of a pigeon which I had
roasted before setting out, and an orange, I sat
down by a large tree and, leaning against the
trunk, was soon asleep.

CHAPTER Xn.

Return to the Coast; A Mangrove Swamp ; Fever.

When I awoke it was morning, and the sun
was fully an hour up. Taking a hasty bath in
the cool water of the stream, and after a hurried
meal, crossing the stream on the stones that
were not submerged, I set off along the east
bank. The stream flowed in a northerly direc-
tion. By keeping close to the edge of the
forest I made rapid progress. Nothing occurred
to distract my attention, except the sight of a
small flock of pigeons, one of which I killed. I
encamped for the night in the edge of a thicket,
and made a fire to roast the bird which I plucked
while waiting for a bed of coals.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 137

At daylight in the morning I continued my
course down the stream which was now much
wider and deeper. Its edge was thickly fringed
with bamboo, and the idea came to me that I
might construct a raft from them, and float
down stream to the coast; but then, the stream
was apt to become suddenly shallow in places,
and it contained many large stones, and after
delaying for several days while constructing the
raft, it might prove to be time and labor lost.

At the close of the fourth day, as the sun was
declining behind the palm trees, I was astonished,
on emerging from a thicket, to see the ocean,
blue and calm, stretching out before me. I had
failed to note the fact that I had followed a
more direct course from the coast than when I
marched toward the interior, and that the moun-
tains were much nearer the north coast than the
west. For the last two days I had noticed that
the cocoanut palms were more plentiful, as were

138 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

also the bamboos along the stream, both of
which should have reminded me of my approach
to salt water. I had reached the coast sooner
than I expected.

Knowing that I would probably not be able
to cross the stream at its mouth, I found a place
where a few stones rose above the water, and
managed to cross to the other bank. The
mouth of this stream differed from that of either
of the other two streams that I had seen. It
was broad and muddy, covering a wide expanse,
and what seemed the strangest to me was that
trees were growing from the water, covering the
entire area of the mouth of the stream. Each
tree rested upon the apex formed by a cluster
of roots, which rose from the water, looking like
gigantic spiders or devil-fish. I could see
under the whole aquatic forest, a tangle of slimy
roots above the dark water. The air was per-
meated by an indescribable stench; and around

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 130

the edge of the dark recess, black, hairy crabs
crawled about, or lay by the festering pools. I
concluded that this was one of the famous man-
grove swamps, and I decided to retire from such
an undesirable locality.

Accordingly I proceeded along the beach un-
til I was free from the smell of the swamp,
where I made camp for the night beneath some
spreading trees near the water's edge, making a
fire and roasting yams, and broiling a pigeon
which I had killed just after crossing the stream.

When I awoke in the morning I felt that a
change had come over me. I felt dazed, the
back of my head was aching, and I had a burn-
ing fever. After a few moments I remembered
the swamp. The air which I had been breath-
ing must be laden with fever. I staggered to
my feet and, without stopping to get breakfast,
I started along the beach, my course now being
toward the west.

140 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

I felt very weak and walked with great diffi-
culty. I was obliged to stop frequently to rest,
and toward mid-day I managed to eat the re-
mainder of the pigeon that I had broiled the
night before. Once I saw some orange trees,
but the fruit was both sour and bitter. I sucked
some of the juice, however. The bitter and
the acid seemed to allay my fever a little, and I
soon felt less weak. I camped at sundown, and
went to sleep with confidence that my condition
would be improved in the morning, as I was at
a safe distance from the swamp.

For two days more I marched along the
shore, finding sweet orange-trees freqently, and
plenty of pigeons whenever I chose to make a
short detour into the forest.

At last a high mound appeared ahead where
the shore seemed to take a sharp sweep toward
the south, and, hurrying forward, I was soon
standing at the top of it and, to my great joy,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 141

looking down upon the bay where I had been
cast ashore.

Crossing the familiar little stream, I hastened
toward my house. It was with a feeling of re-
lief that I saw that everything was apparently
as I had left it.

CHAPTER XIII.

A Feathered Companion ; Making a Fish-Trap.

Everything about my house was as I had left
it. Nothing had been disturbed, the overflow-
ing stream not having reached it. The vines
around the stockade now completely covered it,
and the yams that I had planted in front of the
stockade-gate were thick and luxuriant, the
great, bean-like leaves completely concealing
the entrance.

The effects of the fever were fast leaving
me, and I grew strong rapidly. There was
much to do, now that I was settled down at
home. I dug up the yams in front of the

142

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 143

stockade-gate and stored them in the house for
future use. Then I carried out the couch and
made a new one of fresh branches and grass,
more comfortable than the first had been.

I also made two fire-places, mere enclosures
for keeping the coals in place. These consisted
of circular enclosures of stones brought from
the stream, each about three feet in diameter
and one foot high, one being in a corner of the
house for use during rainy weather, and the
other in the enclosure of the stockade, near the
gate.

My next thought was to plant yams by the
trunks of all the trees near the house. This
would furnish me an inexhaustible supply, and
of a superior quality, as the vines would have
plenty of chance to climb, up and around the
tree trunks.

One day while walking through the bush in
search of pigeons, having succeeded in killing

144 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

two, I came across several cocoanut palms of
much smaller size than any I had yet seen.
They were not more than fifteen feet high to
the base of the leaf heads, and their tops were
very spreading, much more so in proportion to
the length of the trunks than in the case of the
larger trees. But these all bore great bunches
of nuts, and I began to wonder how the unripe
nuts would taste, and whether they contained
more water than the ripe ones.

With but little difficulty I climbed one of
them, and with my knife clipped the stems of
several of the nuts, which went tumbling to the
ground.

Descending, I cut off the husk of the end
opposite the stem, until I could make a hole
through the shell. The latter was very thin
and soft, and the knife went through it easily.
My knife was always in excellent condition,
kept so by frequent sharpening on the stone
which I used for striking fire to the tinder.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 145

Raising the nut as though it were a canteen,
I drank the water. It was somewhat different
from that of a ripe nut, much sweeter, more
limpid and very cool and refreshing. After the
water was drained from the nut I cut it open, when
I found the whole inside lined with a whitish,
translucent pulp, of the consistency of solid
jelly. This I found to be delicious, but, after
having eaten a little, rather sickish. However,
I carried several of the unripe nuts to the
house, and soon became very fond of them. I
made frequent trips to the young palms and the
water became my principal beverage, while my
only dessert was the jelly, for which I carved a
rude spoon from a piece of hard wood.

I noticed that the parrots were not so noisy
as they had been before I left for the interior,
and for several weeks I was at a loss to account
for it. But one evening, while returning from
the water-cocoanut palms, I espied two diminu-

146 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

tive parrots fluttering through the bush. They
were young ones and not quite able to fly,
though nearly fledged. They would launch out
from a limb, sometimes falling short of their
next perch, and sometimes striking against a
limb, when they would flutter to the ground,
making small, parro1>like cries. They were a
beautiful green, with red wing feathers and red
breasts and necks. The parent birds all the
while remained near-by, as though encouraging
the little ones in their attempts to fly.

I tried to catch one of them, but they were
sufficiently active to evade me successfully. I
felt a great desire to capture one and teach him
to talk, for I sometimes longed for a companion
to speak to. Finally I evolved a plan for catch-
ing one. I set to work to construct a net, for a
snare would injure them. I prepared a great
quantity of fibres from the cocoanut cloth, and
with it wove a purse-shaped net, perhaps two

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 147

feet in length. This was to be suspended to a
limb of a tree, and baited with a piece of roast
yam suspended over the mouth of the bag in
such a manner that, when the young parrot
reached for it, he would be almost sure to lose
his balance and fall in. Its weight, together
with the fluttering of the bird, would draw the
mouth of the bag together and prevent its
escape.

This net cost me several weeks of work, but
it was at last finished and ready to set. This I
did very carefully, selecting a low limb in what
seemed a favorite place for the parent birds to
give flying lessons to the little ones.

For several days the net remained undisturbed,
and every morning I supplied it with a fresh,
white piece of yam.

One morning, just at daylight, I was awak-
ened by a great outcry of parrots, and, feeling
sure that one of the young birds had fallen into

148 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

the net, I hastened toward it. Sure enough,
the net had done its work, for it was bobbing
about and swaying from the limb, while muffled
little shrieks came from the nearly-closed
mouth; and from the trees around there arose
a perfect babel of discordant cries of parrots,
old and young. The two parent birds were
perched on the limb over the net, when I
arrived, but on my approach they flew away a
short distance, hurling cries of defiance at me.
Carefully I cut the net clear of the limb and
carried it to the house, the belligerent little
parrot all the time fluttering and shrieking,
and striking at my hand whenever it was near
the opening. I reproached myself for not
thinking to make a cage for it when captured,
and I was obliged to secure the opening and
deposit the net in the house, while I made a
cage for my future companion. This was not a
difficult task. Going to the brook where the

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 149

wild canes grew, I cut a quantity of them and,
cutting them to the required length, I stuck
them into the ground, leaving spaces about two
inches wide. The canes formed a small yard
about two feet square. The top was covered
with a piece of cocoanut cloth, the edges being
tied all around to the upright canes.

How to get the fighting little bird out of the
net and into the cage was the next question. I
did not exactly relish the idea of putting my
hand into the net, so finally I decided to lift one
corner of the cocoanut cloth on the top of the
cage, and, loosening the mouth of the net, insert
it under the cloth, at the same time reversing
the net. The scheme worked perfectly and the
little parrot tumbled into the cage, his feathers
all ruffled. He was a curious little thing and I
laughed aloud as, without uttering a sound, he
proceeded to smooth his feathers, and then to
circumnavigate the cage. He then retired a

150 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

little from the bars and regarded me with the
utmost seriousness, canting his head, looking at
me first with one eye and then the other. Then
he began to dress his feathers, evidently re-
solved to make the best of it all, and to feel
perfectly at home from the first.

I made my pet a little run-way outside the
wall of the house, constructing it in the same
manner as I had the cage, covering it half with
cloth and the remainder with canes so he could
have both sun and shade. This enclosure I
connected with the cage by cutting a square
hole through the wall of the house.

As the weeks passed, the parrot grew, his
wing and tail feathers developed, and he became
very beautiful. He enjoyed his new home, ap-
parently, spending a part of his time outside,
and part inside. He enjoyed the sunshine, but
would never remain long in it. He preferred
the shade of the cloth covered portion. Nights,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 151

he always passed inside, and I made a perch for
him to sleep on. It was simply a cane passing
through the cage and securely fastened to a bar
on each side. Hours and hours he would spend,
swinging on this bar over and over, holding on
with his claws, and then with his stubby beak.
I fed him on yams, bananas and oranges, but
the banana was his favorite food.

Every day I talked to him, telling him all
about the ship-wreck, discussing with him the
various tasks that occupied me, and the proba-
bility of my rescue. I named him Puff Ball on
account of his shape when captured, and then I
called him simply "Puff." Puff listened pa-
tiently to all I had to say, frequently interject-
ing a sharp comment. Sometimes he would
interrupt me by setting up a loud screeching,
and I always had to cease talking when Puff
had the floor.

For weeks he did not appear to attempt to

152 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

imitate my words, and I began to despair of
teaching him to talk, when one morning, as I
lay awake for a few minutes before arising, I
heard him softly chattering to himself. I lis-
tened and heard him say "Puff," "Puff," very
distinctly. I was delighted and, going to the
cage, I complimented him on his first attempt.

Once while bathing in the stream, I noticed,
for the first time, several fish gliding through a
quiet pool. From the momentary glance I had
of them they appeared to resemble the white
perch of the lakes at home.

This opportunity to add to my larder could
not be neglected, and I set to work to devise
a plan for capturing them. I thought, at first,
of making a hook from thorns; but this idea
was abandoned as not apt to be practical, and I
hit upon a plan for making a net. The first
inspiration gradually developed into a trap, and
took definite shape as I revolved the matter in

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 153

my mind. It was a simple device, but I spent
much time and patience in perfecting it.

First selecting one of the supple vines, about
half an inch in thickness, I bent it into the form
of a hoop, two feet in diameter, uniting the
two ends by lashing them with smaller vines.
Then, with the aid of a sharp thorn and thread
from the fibre of the cocoanut, I sewed together
pieces of the cocoanut cloth so as to make a bag
three feet long, with an opening of the same
diameter as the hoop. Then I sewed the edge
of the opening of the bag firmly to the hoop,
which kept the bag rigidly open.

Next, from more vines, I wove a funnel-
shaped basket, the larger end fitting inside the
hoop, while the smaller end, which was inserted
into the bag, had an opening about six inches
in diameter. The larger end of this basket,
which was like an inverted cone, was lashed to
the hoop, all around.

154 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

This was my fish-trap, and as soon as it was
ready I took it to the brook. The water was
normally low and, finding the narrowest place
in the current, I built across it a wall of stones,
having an opening in the centre of the wall, in
width just a little less than the diameter of the
hoop. The trap was then set into this opening,
with the mouth pointing up-stream, the gentle
current keeping the bag distended, while the
hoop projecting across the edges of the opening
in the wall held the bag in position.

I expected that the fish, swimming down-
stream, finding no other passage, would enter
the opening of the bag and pass through the
small opening in the lower end of the cone,
thereby becoming imprisoned. From similar
devices that my brother and myself had made
and used in the brooks at home, I knew that,
once inside, the fish would huddle in the lower
end of the bag and make no effort to repass
through the opening in the end of the cone.

CHAPTER XIV.

Another Exploring Trip ; Tropical Fruits.

The morning following the setting of the
trap I removed it and, allowing the water to
drain out through the meshes in the bag, I
found three beautiful silvery fish, not unlike
the white perch of the northern waters. Clean-
ing them, I broiled them over the coals, and
found them to be delicious, delicate and fine
flavored. After that I had no lack of fresh fish.

Puff, meantime, had made rapid progress in
the art of talking and could carry on quite a
conversation — and many were the hours I spent
assisting him in adding to his vocabulary. He

155

156 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

insisted upon following me everywhere I went,
always walking and never making any attempt
to fly, his instructions in the use of his wings
having been neglected since his capture. When
walking through the bush in search of pigeons
and other provisions, I always carried Puff
perched upon my shoulder, and he never made
any attempt to escape. He seemed as perfectly
satisfied with my society as I was with his, and
we kept up a continuous conversation.

My supply of salt becoming nearly exhausted,
[ procured a large supply, enough to last me
many months, by the same process as had been
employed on the first experiment while march-
ing along the coast. This I sealed securely in
joints of bamboo.

Having no particular task on hand, one after-
noon I proceeded to prepare a supply of pro-
visions, roast pigeon, fish, yam, a few oranges
and half a dozen green cocoanuts, preparatory

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 157

to setting off, the following morning, to explore
along the bank of the stream, which flowed
almost by my door, toward its source. I knew
that this was a separate stream, independent of
the other two that I had met with. I remem-
bered that I had not crossed a third stream on
my march from the mountains, and I was curious
as to its source. Certainly it must be much
shorter than the other two.

Seeking my couch early in order that I might
set off by daylight, before going to sleep I re-
membered that I needed a new supply of arrows.
This would necessitate delaying another day,
and in the morning I set to work, and before
sunset I had several dozen of much better made
arrows than the first ones.

With my quiver and provision bag slung
across my back and with Puff on one shoulder
and the bow-gun on the other, I set out just as
the sun was rising above the palm trees. I

158 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

kept to the left bank of the stream, and soon
passed "Bamboo Pool" where I had first dis-
covered these useful plants.

I walked along rapidly, stopping only to
refresh myself and Puff. The way was easy,
for there were very few shrubs or thorn bushes
along the bank. But I had to occasionally turn
aside to avoid inhospitable cactus plants, and
the sharp, dagger-like plant which grew plenti-
fully almost everywhere.

Just as I was thinking about seeking a good
place to camp in order that I might make my-
self and Puff comfortable before dark, I was
brought to an abrupt stop, where I stood trans-
fixed with surprise ; for I had reached the source
of the stream, less than a day's journey from
my house.

Before me there was a little pool, only a few
feet across, and its centre was bubbling and
boiling. The water which supplied the stream

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 159

flowed from the bowels of the earth. While
the pool was violently agitated, no sound was
made by the up-rushing water. My brook was
simply the outlet of a subterranean river.

I at once made camp for the night, determin-
ing to spend a day around the pool before
returning. I kindled a fire for the sake of its
cheering effect, and made my supper from the
provision bag. Puff was satisfied with a banana.

After a frugal breakfast in the morning — for
I had only some plantain and a part of one of
the fish left — I set out to explore the forest in
the near vicinity of the pool. Almost imme-
diately I came across some banana trees, and
near by a few plantains were also growing.
Further around I found a couple of orange
trees. This seemed quite a natural garden, and
it was not so far away but that I could make
frequent trips from home for bananas and
plantains.

160 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Penetrating a little further into the forest, I
came to a little clear spot, in the centre of
which grew two large, handsome trees, each
with straight, rather smooth trunks, with sym-
metrical tops.

At first I thought both the trees were of the
same kind, but I soon noticed that the leaves of
one were larger than those of the other, and
more pinnate. I discovered that both trees
bore curious-looking fruit. The fruit, too, looked
something alike. It was large, round, and green
in color, with a pebbly rind. Several were lying
under each tree; but that under one of the
trees was decayed, and when I tried to move it
with my foot it yielded to the pressure, and as
the mass parted it looked like uncooked bread.
The fruit under the other tree was firm and
hard. I was at a loss to solve the mystery.
Cutting one of the latter, I found that it had a
very hard shell. Procuring a long pole from

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 161

the bush, I succeeded in knocking off some
fresh fruit from the other tree. On cutting
this I found that the skin was thin, and that the
inside had something the appearance of a yam.

I carried one of each to camp, when it occurred
to me to roast the latter, and see if it proved
good to eat. While it was roasting in the coals,
I cut the other green globe in halves, and found
that the hard shell was very readily separated
from the meat, leaving two nice bowls, suitable
for drinking vessels, and perhaps for cooking.
When I thought the other was thoroughly
roasted, I took it from the ashes. The trans-
formation was marvelous. The fruit was now
like light, white bread. Very cautiously I
tasted it, and found that, while it possessed no
decided flavor, it was very delicate. I tried
some with a little salt, and mentally pronounced
it delicious.

Before going into camp for the night, I pro-

162 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

cured half a dozen of each fruit, and, early in
the morning, after adding a supply of bananas
and plantains to my burden, started to return
to the house, which was reached early in the
evening.

I became very fond of the new fruit, which
answered for bread; and I made dishes from the
shell of the other which served for drinking
vessels, and I even boiled some fish in one of
them.

My time was now occupied by various tasks.
Frequent trips were made to the pool. I
planted more yams, and made frequent excur-
sions hunting pigeons. I also made a complete
suit of clothes from the cocoanut cloth, includ-
ing a hat and a pair of very substantial mocca-
sins, for my shoes were all but useless. These
things were varied by giving Puff lessons in
conversation, in which he proved to be an apt
scholar.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 163

I had seen no turtles on this part of the coast,
and I contemplated a journey to the cove where
I had seen them months before, as soon as, from
my calendar, I judged it to be their breeding
season. I had long craved more of their deli-
cious eggs.

As the days and weeks passed, frequent
showers came up ; and after a time, the showers
of warm, tepid rain became more frequent.
Some were very violent, with high wind, and
occasionally thunder and lightning. They rose
quickly and as quickly passed over, when the
sun would burst out, making the drops falling
from the trees glisten like silver. But there
came a day of almost steady rain, and, after
consulting my calendar, I found that it was
about time for the rainy season to set in.

I had hardly thought of the rainy season since
my return from the mountains. Indeed, I had
intended to set to work and attempt to construct

164 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

a craft with which to try to reach the distant
land to the east. But now I must wait for
another rainy season to pass before attempting
it, for the sea would be too rough to risk a voy-
age in a rude and frail craft.

I allowed gloomy thoughts to take possession
of me, which I did not even confide to Puff, who
was my only comforter.

CHAPTER XV.

A Hurricane and a Shipwreck.

I strove to occupy my mind by digging a
large store of yams, and gathering hundreds of
cocoanuts, and storing them inside the house
for use when the rain should prevent my going
far from the shore. I also gathered an immense
quantity of dead branches for firewood, which I
piled in the rear of the house, covering it thickly
with grass and then broad leaves and bark
stripped from the trees, to shed the water.

The rain became almost constant, and after a
day of hard work making some repairs that I
thought necessary on my house, I lay on my

165

106 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

couch, secure from the rain and wind, thinking
of the past, present and future. The wind had
risen rapidly until it had become a gale. I
listened to the rustle and flapping of the leaves
of the palm trees, and to the roar of the waves
on the shore. At length, through the crevices
around the door I could see that the night was
frequently lighted up by vivid flashes of light-
ning. Heavy thunder began to rumble away
back over the forest. The wind increased, and
then came a roar which seemed to shake the
earth, and shrieks sounded above the dashing of
the surf as the wind came with terrible force.

I could hear the stockade creak, and see the
walls of the house tremble. The rain came in
torrents, and swept against the enclosure. An-
other blinding flash and roar, and, above the
rattle of the palm leaves I could hear the crack
and crash of breaking and falling branches and
tree trunks. A hurricane had broken over the

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 167

island. I lay appalled, and listened to the ter-
rible havoc of the tempest. I could not close
my eyes.

It seemed as thongh the night would never
pass ; but after long, weary hours, a faint gray
light stole into the house, denoting the approach
of day and the end of that awful night.

The storm abated a little, but the crashing
sounds continued to come from the forest. As
soon as it was light enough to see plainly I
ventured to go outside the stockade. The struc-
ture had withstood the force of the wind; but
what a pitiful sight greeted me as I looked
about. Many of the tall cocoanut palms that
had been my friends and companions from the
first lay prostrate, twisted and broken. The
ground was covered with nuts, leaves and
broken branches. The little stream was full to
the very top of the banks.

The waves roared and thundered on the nar-

168 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

row beach. I turned toward the sea and thought
about the night of the wreck.

But had I gone mad? Had the horrors of
the night so affected my mind? I covered my
eyes, and in a moment looked again.

Yes, out toward the bluff, only a few rods
from the shore, was a vessel. It lay as though
at anchor. I saw that it was a barkentine.
The vessel had not anchored; she was stranded.
Then I ran to the shore and waved my arms
wildly. I could not go to the bluff on account
of the swollen stream. I saw several men
walking around the windlass. Then they ran
excitedly along the deck; and then I saw but
two men on the deck. I gazed out at the rock-
ing vessel and saw a boat slowly swing around
the bow. It was filled with men rowing. I
saw the boat pointed toward the shore. I
watched it eagerly. The boat seemed to make
no headway. But, yes, it was slowly making

<( j * * waXied my arms, wildly.''

Page 168.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 169

headway. Then again my heart sank, as through
the flying spume I saw a mountain of water, a
great billow many times higher than the stranded
ship, come rolling into the bay. I stood trans-
fixed with horror, spellbound, as I watched the
water, coming with the speed of the wind, with
a roar which every instant became more terrific.

Powerless to aid the poor souls in the boat,
struggling against a forlorn hope, in this moment
of peril — of instant death, I stood, sick and
faint, in contemplation of their fate.

The great wave now overhung the vessel.
Its foam-fringed crest curled over and, with a
fearful snarl of anger, like some dread monster
with jaws agape, it rushed over the vessel and
obscured it from sight.

I sank to the ground and covered my face, as
I wept in anguish. I was overcome at the
awful thought of the catastrophe and by the
instant, but full realization of my great disap-

170 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

pointment, — almost at the moment when rescue
from my long, lonely exile seemed near, every
hope vanished; and in a few moments I should
see the bodies of those whom I hoped would
succor me tossed ashore, bruised and mangled.
These thoughts flashed rapidly through my
mind as I sank to the earth.

Yet there was a faint hope, and the flitting
thought caused my courage to revive for an
instant.

If the boat, perchance, escaped being
swamped and should be borne far enough to-
ward the beach to ground firmly and thus escape
being carried back by the receding water, her
passengers might be saved; but if not, her fate
was certain, for she would be hurled back upon
upon the reef and not a soul would escape.

I started to my feet and strained my eyes in
the direction of the vessel as the huge wave
thundered upon the beach, the water rolling far
up toward my house.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 171

Oh, the awful anguish of that moment ! At
first I could see no sign of the vessel, but as
the succeeding wave subsided I caught a glimpse
of the vessel and saw that her masts, spars and
rigging were hanging about her in a tangled
mass of wreck. The hull seemed to remain in
about the same position, it only having careened
shoreward. The boat was nowhere to be seen,
though I carefully scanned every inch of the
swirling water. Perhaps it had been dashed
ashore unseen by me, obscured in the cloud of
foam.

I dashed to the beach and ran eagerly along
the shore, hoping to find the boat and to rescue
her passengers who, if discovered, would be in
a state of insensibility. But my search was
fruitless, and I stood again a hopeless castaway,
no nearer rescue than when, on that bright
morning after the storm which sent the Ethelyn
Hope to the bottom, I regained consciousness
to find myself alone at this very spot.

172 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

I returned to my house and tried to reconcile
myself to my disappointment, and to adjust my
mind to the rapid succession of events in which
were mingled joy and sorrow, hope and despair,
all within little more than a half-hour.

Fortunately my house, thanks to the thor-
oughness with which the builder, assisted by
nature, had done his work, had withstood the
fury of the hurricane and had proved to be im-
pervious to the rain, so I had no difficulty in
making a fire, by which I prepared breakfast,
drying my costume in the meantime.

The wind had by this time nearly all died
away, though the incessant roar of the surf
continued on the beach. Hoping still that some
one from the ill-fated vessel might escape to
keep me company, I went again to the beach,
walking along toward the creek. Seeing neither
a body nor a sign of the boat, I started to fol-
low along the bank of the creek with the in-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 173

tention of crossing it and searching along the
shore in front of the bluff; but I had taken
a few steps only when I stopped in astonish-
ment, for almost at my feet, her shoulders upon
a tangle of reeds, lay the body of a young
woman. I thought she must be dead, for she
was very white and her eyes, while open, were
fixed, turned upward toward the palm leaves.
As gently as I could I lifted her and with some
difficulty bore her to a mound at the foot of a
palm tree, where I laid her carefully down, rest-
ing her drooping head in a natural position.

Poor girl — for she was but a girl — cast up
by the sea, dead; and that was all I could ever
know about her. How tenderly I would lay
her beneath the tropical flowers on the bluff, in
a grave lined with soft grass! — alas, all I could
do.

Sadly I gazed at the still form, and was about
to turn away again toward the beach when, to

174 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

my great surprise, I thought I noticed a faint
tremor on her face and a movement of her
hands. I must be mistaken; but no, again
there was a movement — no mistaking it this
time — then her eyes closed. I knelt beside
her and held her wrist. It was cold, but I
thought I could detect a tiny nicker of the
pulse. Certain now that life remained, I lifted
her as tenderly as possible. She was very slight
and I could easily bear her weight; but her
body was so limp that I found it difficult to
carry her, supporting her head at the same time.
However, I reached the house, bore her within
and laid her upon the couch. Then I took a
piece of the cocoanut cloth, hastily twisting it
to make it as soft as possible, and went to work
vigorously chafing her wrists and hands, and I
was presently rewarded by seeing her open her
eyes. Her head was turned slightly away, but
with a faint sigh she moved it toward me. With

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 175

a wondering gaze she looked full into my face
for a moment, and then her eyes closed again.
She had lost consciousness, and I again chafed
her hands and loosened her wet garments about
her throat. In what must have been a few
moments only, but what seemed to me to be
hours, she again opened her eyes and I saw her
lips move. I bent close to her and made out to
catch her words, faintly- whispered.

"Where am I? Is papa here?"

That was all, for then she swooned away
again.

Her father. How strange it all was, and now
for the first time, I remembered that I had not
noticed a woman on the deck of the ship before
the boat was launched. Satisfied now that her
life was safe, I left her, hurried to the beach and
renewed my search, when, directly in front of
my door, with the water washing partly over it,
I saw the body of a man resting upon the sand.

176 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

From his appearance I judged him to be a
sailor. I dragged the body out of the water.
The limbs were rigid and there was a deep gash
on the left temple.

Feeling certain that life was extinct, I turned
and continued my search. I soon picked up an
oar, and as I came to the mouth of the creek I
saw something which caused me to start back,
involuntarily. It was a hand protruding from
a pile of broken reeds. Hastily I tore away the
reeds, revealing the body of a man, which, I
noticed, was not dressed like a sailor. While I
was moving the body away from the edge of the
creek I observed that the man was rather past
middle life, well built and rather stout, of medium
complexion, with thick hair and moustache, both
being sprinkled with gray. His limbs were not
rigid, which caused me to hope that a spark of
life remained. I therefore began to treat him
as I knew drowning persons should be dealt

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 177

with, and shortly, to my great joy, he began to
revive and was, ere long, able to sit np and look
about him. He gazed at me in seeming wonder
as though thinking me to be a being of a differ-
ent species from himself, which was not to be
wondered at in view of my picturesque costume.

"Oh Marjorie, my poor girl:" were his first
words.

"If you mean your daughter, sir," I said,
"she is safe and sound in my house yonder."
He extended his hand to me, which I took and
held while he recovered his vitality sufficiently
to go to the house.

"I fear we shall intrude greatly upon the
hospitality of your household;" he said, with a
little effort.

"No fear of that, sir," I made reply; "for the
company of yourself and daughter is certainly a
great pleasure to me and I am the sole member
of my household."

178 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

"Are you alone, then?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, alone on this island," I answered.

He was going to say more but I begged him
to desist until he was stronger, and until he was
able to proceed to the house.

He expressed himself as being fully able to
do so, and as he seemed anxious about his
daughter I assisted him to rise; and, placing an
arm about him I supported him as he walked
slowly to the house.

The meeting of father and daughter was a
joyous one. The girl was able to sit up and the
color was returning to her cheeks. I could not
help noticing at a glance that she was very
pretty, tall with a slender well moulded figure,
with brown hair and blue eyes and a clear com-
plexion. She was, I judged, anywhere from
seventeen to nineteen years old. With usual
feminine thoughtfulness of her appearance she
had already coiled her hair neatly and re-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 179

arranged her damp garments as well as she was
able. While I stirred up the fire so that my
visitors might dry their clothes, the father re-
lated, briefly, the story of their experiences.

His name was Richard Harborough, of Hali-
fax, Nova Scotia, from which port the wrecked
barkentine, Three Sisters, of which he was the
owner, hailed. His family consisted of his wife,
and three daughters for whom his vessel was
named. He had determined to make a voyage
in his vessel for health and recreation and his
daughter Marjorie, a student at Dalhousie
College, whose health had been impaired by
overstudy, had accompanied him, the family
physician strongly recommending a voyage in
the southern seas as a restorative.

The Three Sisters had taken out a cargo of
general merchandise to Demerara, British Guiana,
and after discharging she had proceeded to
Greytown, British Honduras, where she had

180 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

taken in a partial cargo of mahogany for Boston,
proceeding from the Central American coast to
San Domingo where she took on board sufficient
logwood to complete her cargo. During heavy
weather the seas that came aboard had polluted
her fresh-water casks and seeing the island just
at dusk they had put in toward it intending to
anchor until morning and then to come ashore
and refill her casks. But the storm broke upon
her, the rain obscured the island, and she would
have gone ashore had she not struck one of the
hidden coral reefs. What prevented her masts
from going overboard the men could not ex-
plain; but it must have been a miracle, they
said. As soon as the barkentine struck, the
anchor was let go, by which it was hoped she
would be prevented from drifting, until day-
light. When first I saw the men on the deck
they were hauling up the anchor, finding that
the barkentine had not drifted, with the inten-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 181

tion of taking it to windward and trying to work
her off the reef by heaving at the windlass.
But realizing that the vessel was hopelessly
aground, and fearing that she might break up,
it was decided to try to reach the shore, the
result of which attempt I had witnessed.

CHAPTER XVI.

Pleasant Companions; Enlarging the House.

I told them, as briefly as possible, the story
of my exile on the island, to which they listened,
seemingly with the greatest interest, refraining,
on account of delicacy, I supposed, from asking
about my strange garb.

"And now," I said at the conclusion of my
narrative, "you must make yourselves at home
and as comfortable as possible, while I see about
dinner" — for it was just mid-day — "and then
we will attend to the poor fellow who lies out>-
side on the beach."

So saying I took my bow-gun, my guests

182

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 183

watching me in wonder, and started for the
thicket behind the house.

I hoped to secure a pigeon, for my companions
must be in need of nourishing food. I had the
good fortune to spy a pigeon almost immediately
and to secure it with a single arrow. My com-
panions were greatly surprised to see me return
so quickly, and after placing some yams and
bread fruit to roast in the ashes, I set about
plucking the pigeon. It was a plump bird, of
the ring-tail variety. Half of it I fixed over the
coals to roast, and with the remainder I pro-
ceeded to make some broth, which I succeeded
very well in doing, thickening it with crumbs
of cold roasted bread fruit, and seasoning it
with salt of my own manufacture, as I ex-
plained to my guests, while I prepared it.

After the repast, which greatly revived Mr.
Harborough and his daughter, we all went to
the beach, I leading the way, to where the dead
sailor lay.

184 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

"Poor fellow," said Mr. Harborough, "it is
the third mate. The barkentine carried seven
men beside the captain and three mates. We
must see if any more have come ashore." But
although we searched carefully all along the
shore up the bay, we found no other bodies.
So the dead sailor was carried tenderly to the
palm grove, where he was laid in a grave, dug
after much hard labor, and lined with grass; I
promising to carve a head-piece for it, in the
near future.

Then I took Mr. Harborough and his daugh-
ter around the neighborhood of my hut, show-
ing them where I had been cast ashore, where I
had gathered the reeds and cut the bamboos for
my house, where I had discovered the yam
vines; indeed, I gave them a careful history of
my doings thereabout, which used up all the
afternoon. The sea, meantime, had subsided
and the sun had dried the bush and the grass;

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 185

and after a frugal meal from the remnants of
the noonday repast, we sat long in front of the
house beneath the tropical sky, watching the
moon rising above the feathery palm tops, while
we speculated regarding the future.

The situation presented few complications,
for we must simply make the best of every-
thing until rescued, be it days, months, or years.
Mr. Harborough had most important informa-
tion to communicate, namely, that the Three
Sisters had a bountiful store of food supplies
and cooking utensils, as well as a rifle, shot-gun
and ammunition for each. The rifle had be-
longed to the captain and the shotrgun to the
mate, who, when opportunity offered, were
accustomed to go ashore for a little sport,
shooting. To get these treasures ashore would
greatly add to our comfort, and, although we
had no boat, we resolved, very early in the
morning, to set about discussing means for

186 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

saving as much as possible from the vessel.
Mr. Harborough, I was glad to see, took a
cheerful view of the situation, and was resolved
not to despair; and Miss Harborough, also,
showed her bravery by taking the greatest
interest in our plans. With some large pieces
of cocoanut cloth I screened off a corner of the
room, including my couch, which was to serve
as Miss Harborough's sleeping apartment, while
Mr. Harborough and I stretched ourselves on
the floor near the door. Before we slept I
communicated to him my intention to build an
addition to the house before attempting to do
much in getting things from the vessel, in order
to afford Miss Harborough privacy, by having
a room to herself. He thanked me for all my
kindness, and we knew no more until awakened
by Puff, who, while everything was damp, had
not been heard from. Indeed, I had, I re-
gretted to admit, forgotten him. But now, his

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 187

feathers dry, and the morning bright and fair,
he made himself heard, indicating by all the
words in his vocabulary, interspersed with shrill
screeches, that he was hungry, and would brook
no delay in having his wants supplied.

The morning repast finished, we adjourned
to the beach to lay out a plan of work for the
immediate future. We had two matters to dis-
cuss : one, the most important, of devising ways
and means of transporting the supplies from the
stranded barkentine to the shore, and the other,
the construction of an addition to the house for
the accommodation of Miss Harborough.

"It seems to me," observed Mr. Harborough,
"that we should solve the problem of getting out
to the vessel as quickly as possible ; for, if there
arises another great storm, she might break up."

"That is very true," I replied, and your sug-
gestion is a wise one ; so, as the building of the
addition to the house will not be a long task if

i88 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

we work together, let us set to work upon it
at once. We will construct it in the same man-
ner as I built this house."

It was decided that Mr. Harborough should
cut the bamboos and the canes, while I would
build the house, having acquired some skill
from my previous work.

"I fear you will find it laborious work, for I
have only this knife," I observed, taking out
my much-used knife.

"Ah," he replied, "I have a good knife, larger
and stronger than yours;" so saying he produced
a large pocketrknife, having a broad, strong
blade.

"Capital," said I; "now we shall get on
famously."

I conducted him to the thicket of bamboos a
a little way up the stream, leaving him, while I
went a little further down, to cut reeds.

"Oh," but I want to do something to help,"

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 189

exclaimed Miss Harborough. "What can I do?"
"You can be of the greatest assistance by
carrying reeds to the house. They are very
light, and, besides, you can take small armfulls."
She was overjoyed at the idea, and she at
once set to work with much enthusiasm. I cut
a quantity of reeds and then went back to bring
some bamboos, after which I set to work cutting
a door-way through the side of the house to
connect it with the extension. I pursued the
same methods as in making the main house,
Mr. Harborough cutting bamboos and reeds, his
daughter bringing all the filling material from
the stream, while I set up the frame and wove
the reeds into the walls. This finished, grass
was cut for thatching the roof. We worked
steadily, only stopping for a bit to eat at noon,
so that, by sunset, the addition was completed.
It was six by eight feet in dimensions, and it
was very thoroughly made. After consulting

190 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Miss Harborough, it was decided not to have a
door between the two apartments, but to hang
up a curtain instead. I suggested that the cur-
tain be made of cocoanut cloth, and I promised
Miss Harborough to gather the cloth in the
morning, and show her how to sew it together
with fine roots.

We all sat for a time in front of the house,
enjoying the breeze which blew toward the
land after the sun-down, retiring early in anti-
cipation of the work of the morrow. Before I
slept I had formed a plan to reach the barken-
tine on the reef, which I believed would prove
successful. The morning dawned bright and
cloudless, and the household was awakened by
Puff, screaming for his breakfast.

CHAPTER XVII.

Building a Raft ; Visits to the Wreck.

We first visited the young cocoanut palms
from which I cut a supply of cloth for the cur-
tain, to be hung between the two apartments in
the house; and while I dug some small roots
for thread, to use in sewing the pieces together,
Mr. Harborough, under my direction, with his
knife shaped from a piece of hard wood, a bod-
kin, to be used in lieu of a needle in sewing.

Leaving Miss Harborough comfortably en-
sconced in front of the house, with the mate-
rials around her, Mr. Harborough and myself
set about the task of reaching the vessel,

191

192 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

"There is but one way to reach her, sir," I
said, "and that is by means of a raft. It is the
only sort of a craft that we can construct with
no tools, and, besides, I believe we can make a
raft which will carry the cargo."

"Your experience fits you to take the initia-
tive," he replied. "I am under your direction.
You shall lead, and I will follow and obey your
instructions."

"I am sure our combined ideas only will pro-
duce the best results," I made answer. "But
first let us proceed to the bamboo thicket."

As we started to go up stream, Mr. Harbo-
rough turned and cast on anxious look toward
his daughter.

Noticing this, I hastened to reassure him con-
cerning her safety.

"And are there no wild animals on the island?"
he asked.

"I have seen none hereabout," I assured him.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 193

I remembered the wild pigs that I had met on
my march around the coast, but I thought best
not to unduly alarm him by alluding to them.

" And do you believe the island entirely unin-
habited?" he asked.

"At the present time I believe it is absolutely
uninhabited," I replied. As we walked along I
told him about the old wall on the mountain,
adding that it was evidently constructed by
civilized people, long ago. An idea occurred
to me at that moment concerning the ruined
wall, but I resolved not to communicate it at
present.

As for the wild pigs, I did not believe they
would put in an appearance in this part of the
island. Reaching the bamboo thicket, we set
to work cutting a great quantity of them, select-
ing those from two to four inches in diameter,
I, meanwhile, explaining to Mr. Harborough
how I proposed to construct the raft. We

194 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

labored incessantly the entire day, only stop-
ping, when the sun stood directly overhead, to
allay the cravings of our appetites; and reach-
ing the house, we were delighted to find that
Miss Harborough had dinner all ready for us,
she having roasted some yams and the only
remaining bread fruit. I resolved to make a
trip to the pool and procure another supply at
once.

Miss Harborough had finished the curtain, and
before we returned to our bamboo cutting we
hung it in place, fastening it with wooden skew-
ers.

While we continued to cut bamboos Miss
Harborough wandered about admiring and won-
dering at the many tropical sights and sounds.
I continued to keep the records of the days on
my cocoanut-shell calendar. In two days we
had cut what I believed was a sufficient number
of bamboos. The following day was Sunday;

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 195

and while we resolved to abstain from working
on the raft, we agreed that the time was too
precious to remain entirely idle; so we resolved
to devote the day to replenishing our larder.

We were early astir and prepared for a trip
to the pool. Before setting out I got out the
fish net, which I set in the stream, explaining
that we would remove it on our return, and
hoping that it would yield a good number of
fish. I took my bow-gun, intending to keep a
sharp lookout for pigeons, and Miss Harborough
carried Puff, I having taken care to secure him
to her arm by a thong so he could not impede
our progress by flying away into the thicket.

We followed the bank of the stream and in
due time reached the pool where we set about,
in the best of spirits, gathering water-cocoanuts,
bread fruit, oranges, bananas and plantains.
Refreshing ourselves upon some ripe bananas
that we found scattered through the bunches,

196 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

while we sat beneath the shade of the broad
leaves, we gathered up our spoils and set out to
return.

I decided to keep along the edge of the forest
going back, hoping to bag a pigeon or two ; and
I was so fortunate as to secure four, to the great
wonder of my companions who marvelled at my
markmanship and the accuracy of the rude bow-
gun.

Arriving home the net was removed from the
stream, being nearly half filled with fish. The
question of food was settled for several days,
and we could work on the raft uninterrupted.

Miss Harborough allotted to herself the duty
of preparing the food, and well did she perform
her task. She not only had our meals ready
with unfailing regularity, but her womanly in-
stinct enabled her to devise dinners, dainty and
appetising innovations in the simple cookery,
that were most acceptable.

A YANKEE CRUSOE 197

The foundation of the raft was laid by placing
bamboos on the beach just out of reach of the
surf, there being no discernable tide, about one
foot apart. The poles, forming a layer, were
about eighteen feet long, and there were four-
teen of them. This fixed the dimensions of the
raft, eighteen by fourteen feet. These were
firmly lashed together with lianas from the
thicket near by, which were passed over and
under each alternate pole, across to the opposite
side and back again, six times across, with
double weaving at the ends. Next we cut a
great quantity of reeds and laid them evenly
over the frame-work, to the thickness of about
two feet. Another frame was then made the
same size as the first, which was placed over
the reeds and bound firmly to the bottom frame,
to which it was firmly fastened with lianas
around the edges, forming a sort of mattress.
This process was repeated until the raft was

198 . A YANKEE CRUSOE.

fully six feet thick. This work, as is to be sup-
posed, occupied several days; but when it was
completed we had reason to feel proud of the
result. Indeed, it was the outcome of no little
skill.

We expected that the buoyancy of the mate-
rials of which it was constructed, together with
its great thickness, would enable the raft to float
with its top high out of the water, which would
allow it it to support a considerable load. And,
besides, it was so light that our combined efforts
sufficed to move it quite readily. On the morn-
ing of the day following its completion, we
launched the raft, and to our great satisfaction
saw that it floated like a cork. We decided
that a long bamboo to be used as a scull-oar
would be the best means of propelling it. One
half of the thickness of the larger end of this
bamboo was split away the length of the first
joint, which gave a flat surface to offer resist-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 199

ance to the water in sculling. Another bamboo
was provided to be used in poling. We were
now ready to set out for the wreck. Miss Har-
borough expressed a desire to accompany us,
but I demurred, until we had proved the sea-
worthiness and stability of the raft, in which
her father joined. So she seated herself near
the beach and watched us as we pushed off.

Beneath our combined weight the raft did
not appear to sink perceptibly, and it promised
to float a good amount of cargo. This was
most pleasing to, us for it would enable us to
remove what we wanted from the vessel rapidly.
We joined in poling the raft until the water
became too deep, after which I used the scull
from the end, being somewhat of an expert by
reason of my boyish practice with a punt on the
pond near the home of my childhood. The sea
was placid, and it required only a few minutes
to reach the wreck. I propelled the raft under

200 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

the bow-sprit and held it steady by grasping
the martingale, while Mr. Harborough climbed
aboard, from whence he threw a line with which
I quickly made the raft fast, and joined him on
the deck.

The scene around us was one of confusion.
The deck was strewn with a tangled mass of
rigging, rendering it not a little difficult to
move about.

"I think," said Mr. Harborough, " that we
should proceed systematically through the ves-
sel, and I suggest that we first proceed to the
cabin."

So we descended the companionway which
led to the roomy cabin. It was comfortably,
though not luxuriously fitted up, after the usual
style of vessels going on long voyages. Mr.
Harborough proceeded to collect all his cloth-
ing, while I, at his suggestion, gathered into a
bundle all of the wearing apparel that had be-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 201

longed to the captain, to be appropriated to my
own use; and, indeed, I was sadly in need of it.
We did not disturb Miss Harborough's cabin,
having decided to let her accompany us on the
next trip, when she could gather up her own
belongings.

"There seems to be nothing else that can be
of use to us," said Mr. Harborough, glancing
around the cabin.

"Oh, but why not take the chairs? They are
fastened to the floor of the cabin, but there
must be tools on board in the carpenter's kit,
with which we can easily remove them. And,
then, the charts, the chronometer and the com-
pass. Who knows but that they may be of
great use to us? I am sure the compass would,
at least."

"That is true," he replied; "I fear that I am
not very used to being a castaway."

"A few months will accustom you to such an
existence," I replied.

202 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

So we went forward and found the carpenter's
chest, from which we took all the tools neces-
sary to remove the cabin chairs, and the com-
pass. These, with the chronometer and the
clothing, we deposited together in the cabin.
Next we set about collecting all the small sized
rope and all the cooking utensils in the galley,
which we placed with the cabin crockery. We
debated whether it would be advisable to at-
tempt to remove the galley stove to the shore;
but, because of its weight and the consequent
great difficulty in removing it, we abandoned
the idea. As we moved about the deck we
could see Miss Harborough by the beach, and
we frequently signalled to her, fearing that she
might be lonesome alone, amid such strange
surroundings.

As I stood gazing at the beautiful island,
densely covered with tropical vegetation, radi-
ant with golden light, I made out the mountain

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 203

on which I had erected the beacon, which I
could dimly see. I called Mr. Harborough's
attention to it, and expressed my disappoint-
ment that it was so dimly visible; but when I
reflected that the mountain was much nearer
the east coast, I took a brighter view of it, for I
believed that the island must be one of the Vir-
gin Islands; and, if so, it must be one of the
most easterly. Still I could not make up my
mind what the land I had sighted far to the
eastward from the mountain top might be. If
it was one of the northern Leeward Islands,
then we could not be far out of the track of
vessels. In this case the beacon must, sooner
or later, be seen from some passing ship.

Overhauling the stores we found quantities
of provisions, canned and dried fruits, salt, half
a barrel of salted beef, nearly two barrels of
flour, a great quantity of sweet potatoes and
several gross of matches. Indeed, nothing
seemed to be lacking.

204 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

We now set about loading the raft, lowering
the different articles over the side by means of
a rope, distributing the weight over the raft.
We loaded it until it settled to within a foot of
the top, and a great quantity of freight it took.
At this rate it would require but few trips to
complete the work. Taking the clothing aboard
we started ashore, which we reached without
accident, though it required considerably more
time to scull the heavily loaded raft. Being so
deeply laden, it grounded several feet from the
beach, so that in unloading it, we had to wade
back and forth through the water.

Everything was stored snugly in the house
before sundown.

On the morning following we made another
early start for the wreck, Miss Harborough with
us this time. As before, the raft was made fast
to the bow-sprit, and Miss Harborough was
hoisted aboard in a bo'sn's chair. We pro-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 205

ceeded to load the raft, intending to make two
trips during the day. This was soon accom-
plished, and taking the compass and the chro-
nometer, as well as Miss Harborough's trunk,
we were about to cast off, when, with an excla-
mation, Mr. Harborough grasped the chains and
disappeared on deck, presently returning with
face aglow, carrying in each hand a gun. Such
good fortune was almost overpowering, for with
guns we could not only defend ourselves effec-
tively, if necessary, but easily secure plenty of
game. He explained that there was a quantity
of cartridges for the rifle as well as considerable
ammunition for the shotrgun, in the cabin.
Each day we continued to make one or two
trips to the vessel, the weather fortunately con-
tinuing calm, with the result that we stripped
her of everything that we could move, and that
could possible be of use to us. We soon discov-
ered that we could store in the house only such

206 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

articles as there would constantly be use for, so
we proceeded to build another addition from
the other side, opposite Miss Harbor ough's
apartment, to serve exclusively as a store-room.
Thus our abode extended to quite a pretentious
establishment. The raft, no longer in use, we
hauled up among the cocoanut palms. We had
been so busy since the barkentine came ashore
that we had not been able to extend the stock-
ade around the two additions to the house.
This we proceeded to do, following the same
plan of construction as I had previously done,
joining it to the main structure at the four cor-
ners, thus making an enclosure of quite twice
the area of the original compound. We planted
yam vines all around the new stockade, varying
our labors by making trips to the pool for pro-
visions, going on excursions into the forest, but
never far away, securing pigeons with the aid
of the shot-gun, but seeing no animals, and fish-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 207

ing in the stream. We lived sumptuously, with
the fruit and the plentiful supplies from the
vessel. At my suggestion, we planted a quan-
tity of sweet potatoes, selecting a sunny spot
near the stream, breaking up the ground with
poles sharpened with the aid of a good axe,
which we found in the carpenter's kit. Indeed,
we found several tools, such as a bit, auger, two
saws; and a hammer that were of great use to
us; and fortunately a few nails. I had some
doubt as to the success of our sweet potato
experiment, believing that the tropical climate
would prove too warm for them, remembering
that they flourish to the greatest perfection in
the eastern-central part of our own country.
However, the experiment was worth trying in
the interest of future food supplies. We had,
from the first, kept a close watch along the
shore all along the bay, in case bodies of other
members of the barkentine's crew came ashore.

208 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

But none did, and, with the axe, we hewed a
rude head-board from a hard-wood plank which
we had brought from the vessel, for the grave
of the man whom we had buried, carving
thereon the name "William Clayton," together
with the day and year of his death.

We discussed the advisability of setting fire
to the wreck, but after mature consideration we
decided that so long as it remained intact, it
might serve to attract attention should a vessel
be passing, and thus lead to our rescue.

We had much leisure, and I took occasion to
make known a project which I had in mind
from the first, that of making a trip to the
mountain. For one thing I wished to see if
the beacon had withstood the hurricane; and,
more than all, an idea had taken possession of
me, growing stronger every day, that a careful
investigation around the ruined wall might lead
to interesting, and, perhaps, important revela-

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 209

tions. My companions were delighted with the
prospect, and we at once set about making
preparations for the journey; and here a new
idea suggested itself. We must carry with us
as large a quantity of provisions as possible, and
how could this be accomplished? We would
make knapsacks from sail-cloth. Why had we
not thought to bring the sails of the barkentine
ashore ? The raft was again launched, and we
removed the smaller sails from the vessel ; and,
by searching among the seamen's dunnage in
the forecastle, we found several sailors' needles
and twine. All working together, we soon
fashioned two square bags, with straps of sev-
eral thicknesses of cloth, with which to sling
them upon our backs. The next most impor-
tant thing was the selection of the articles to be
carried with us. Provisions must form the bulk
of the packs, and we made the selection with
the greatest care. We also proposed to take

210 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

along the axe, a coil of rope, the ship's compass,
which was removed from the gimbals, and, of
course, the two guns, Mr. Harborough carrying
the rifle, while I took the shot-gun. We made
belts from the sail-cloth for carrying ammuni-
tion. The axe formed part of my equipment.
A light bundle of clothing was made up for Miss
Harborough who also took charge of Puff, who
was made fast to her arm by a piece of twine.
Everything was made snug in the house, and
the remaining sail-cloth was carefully spread
over the stores to be left behind. The door
was securely closed, and one bright morning we
were ready to start, first taking, by means of
the compass, the bearings of the mountain. It
was my intention to proceed by a different
route from those I had followed in going to and
returning from the mountain, for two reasons.
One was that I wished to further explore the
island, which a new route would enable me to

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 211

do, and the other was that a direct route
through the forest would be much shorter,
requiring us to encamp but one night. My
companions fully agreed with this idea. The
stream was followed as far as the pool, where
we entered the forest. It consisted of many
varieties of trees, one kind being of large size,
with a smooth, straight trunk, towering to a
great height, without branches. This, Mr. Har-
borough said, was the mahogany tree.

Great lianas entwined the trees and many
creepers, some bearing exquisite blossoms that
called forth exclamations of delight from Miss
Harborough, depended from the branches; and
in some places the vegetation was so dense that
we were compelled to cut a way with the axe.
At Mr. Harborough' s suggestion and at her
request I ceased to address his daughter as Miss
Harborough, and thereafter called her Marjorie,
as did her father; for, as they both said, we

212 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

were exiles together, and formality was super-
fluous. We were in excellent spirits and made
rapid progress. When the sun was in the
zenith, as we could see by an occasional glimpse
through an opening in the dense canopy above
us, we paused by a tiny stream of clear water
for refreshments and a short rest. Our repast
finished, while Mr. Harborough and I conversed
concerning the present and the future, Marjorie
wandered away a short distance, searching for
new and beautiful flowers. Just as we rose to
resume the march, and were about to call her,
we heard an agonizing scream coming from the
forest at no great distance away. It was clear
that something had befallen Marjorie. Grasp-
ing the guns, we dashed in the direction indi-
cated by her cries, and presently we saw her
dress through the undergrowth. As we hast-
ened forward a sight met our eyes which caused
us to come to a sudden halt and to gaze in

We * * raised our guns, and fired,"1'

A YANKEE CttUSOE. 218

horror at the spectacle before us; for there was
Marjorie, crying out no longer, her limp body
in the grasp of what looked like a dark, shriv-
elled-up old man.

It seemed to be four or five feet tall, with a
face almost black, its body covered with short
hair. The limbs were long, small, and the legs
were bent. We both shouted, at which the
monster released Marjorie, allowing her to fall
to the ground, while it stood motionless, look-
at us, but making no sound. Almost at the
same instant it stooped and grasped a huge club
which lay at its feet. We waited no longer,
and both raised our guns and fired. Evidently
our excitement disconcerted our aim, for the
monster, without giving forth a sound, sprang
to the great tree near which it stood and began
to climb it rapidly, keeping to the side opposite
to us. We hastened around, and Mr. Harbo-
rough fired another shot from his rifle, but with-

214 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

out apparent effect, for the creature quickly
reached the branches and disappeared.

We hastened to Marjorie who had recovered
from her swoon, and was able to give us an
account of her adventure. There was little for
her to tell. She was walking leisurely along,
stopping to admire a flower or a brilliant but-
terfly, when, without warning, she felt herself
in the grasp of the horrible creature. She
screamed and then fainted. We were unable
to conjecture what sort of a creature it might
be, for we were not aware that the tropical
regions of the Western Hemisphere contained
large apes.

While we were discussing the matter, I re-
membered a story which I had read years before
about a creature found in the depths of the
South American forest, which was called a
"Burghree." As I recollected the story, the
description of the "Burghree" corresponded

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 215

very nearly to the monster we had just encoun-
tered. Marjorie, having now recovered, al-
though she was still somewhat weak, we again
went to the tree and peered sharply among the
branches.

"It seems to me/' said Mr. Harborough at
length, "that I see something which looks like
a great nest, far up in the tree-top.

I looked more closely and also saw it.

Clearly this was the home of the strange
creature, and then I recollected that the story
of the "Burghree" corresponded almost exactly
to the present realization, for it retired to a
great platform of branches and grass, far up in
the tree-top, whence it hurled defiance and clubs
at the men below, while this one uttered no
sound. Another shot from the rifle was with-
out result, and we decided that it would be not
only useless but folly to waste more ammuni-
tion. Resuming our march, few words passed

216 A YANKEE CRUSOE

between us for a long time. As for myself, I
was absorbed with my own thoughts, and Mr.
Harborough seemed to be occupied in like man-
ner.

Suddenly I stopped and rested my gun upon
the ground.

"Mr. Harborough," said I, "did you notice
that the face of the creature looked more like a
human face than that of an ape, and that the
feet and hands seemed to be unlike an ape's
feet and hands?"

"I noticed the face," he answered.

CHAPTER XVIII.

The March Continued ; Arrival on the Mountain.

As we went on our cheerfulness returned.

We saw occasional pigeons and many beauti-
ful plumaged birds, among which were parrots
and paroquets that kept up a noisy clatter.
We also encountered a species of brown and
yellow ground-snake about two feet long, which
did not appear to be harmful, as it always
seemed anxious to get away. Frogs, small
lizards and crabs were plentiful, and I presume
some of the latter were edible. Coming to a
thicket of thorn-bush just as the dusk began to
settle across our path, we prepared to camp for

217

218 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

the night. A square space was cleared in the
thicket, some leafy branches were laid across
the top to serve as a roof, wood was gathered,
and a fire was built in front; and we proceeded
to roast a few yams and two fat pigeons that I
had shot late in the afternoon; and opening a
can of peaches, we made a bountiful repast.
We soon sought repose, and, as no sound save
the murmuring of the breeze through the trees
came from the forest, sleep came quickly to all
of us. We were aroused the next morning at
daybreak by Puff who was screaming at the top
of his voice at a flock of wild parrots in the trees
above, and in an incredibly short time we were
again on the march. We had proceeded only a
short distance when we came to a small open
place covered with grass, and we were about to
skirt its edge when close in front of us came an
angry "woof."
. "Wild pigs," I cried, greatly alarmed, for,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 219

from my previous encounter, I understood their
savage nature.

At the moment an ugly looking boar showed
his head directly in front of us. Mr. Harbo-
rough was about to fire, but I restrained him,
knowing that the least disturbance might bring
a drove of these savage beasts upon us.

"Let us quietly withdraw as quickly as possi-
ble," I said, "and make a detour of the forest."

This plan was carried out, and, to my great
relief, successfully, for the boar disappeared in
the grass, and we saw no more of it.

Having the compass, we were able to keep
the right direction, pushing forward rapidly,
only stopping a short time at mid-day for din-
ner, and the sun was yet high in the heavens
when we came to the first rising ground, and I
knew that we had reached the foot of the moun-
tain.

Presently I saw familiar land-marks, and I

220 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

was able to lead the way to the top. The bea-
con was standing exactly as I had left it. We
proceeded to my cave-dwelling, where every-
thing was found pretty much as I had left it,
except that the barricade before the door
showed some decay. * There was still some time
before nightfall, during which, after depositing
our sacks within, we cut a quantity of grass for
beds and gathered a quantity of fire-wood. We
also partitioned off one corner of the room for
Marjorie, fixing a bamboo across, to which hung
cocoanut cloth which we found in abundance a
short distance away, fastening it together with
pegs, and thus we were comfortably settled soon
after our arrival; and, as we enjoyed the even-
ing meal, we talked over future plans. I prom-
ised to show my companions the ruined wall in
the morning, as we retired to rest.

The orange trees and banana plants near the
ruin were still thrifty and bore abundant fruit,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 221

and we regaled ourselves as I showed my com-
panions the old wall. Mr. Harborough took the
greatest interest in it, and we speculated as to
its origin. Other matters, however, engaged
our attention from day to day. The compass
was taken to the foot of the beacon, and the
bearings of the land which I had discovered in
the distance accurately determined.

It lay exactly southeast, half east, from where
we stood.

"In my opinion," said Mr. Harborough, "this
small island where we now are is one of the
most northeasterly of the Virgin Islands, and
that land in the distance is one of the same
group."

"But," I said, "if that is the case should we
not be able to see some of the other islands to
the westward?" I was aware that there were
several islands in the Virgin Group.

"Not necessarily," he answered, "for they lie
very low on the ocean."

222 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

We spent much time about the beacon, im-
proving our habitation, in gathering fruit and
shooting pigeons for our larder; and we took
twelve days in making a trip to the low south-
east coast, marching along the shore and
returning from the northeast. We found animal
life even scarcer than on the west side. Birds
were not so plentiful, though we found some
pigeons, and saw plenty of little green lizards
and crabs. We made no discoveries that prom-
ised to be of use to us. On our return I took
my companions to the mouth of the guano cave,
but Marjorie declined to enter and Mr. Har-
borough did not appear anxious to do so. We
made frequent trips to the ruined wall, and
searched the enclosure carefully. The more we
studied it the more we were convinced that the
wall had served as a foundation for some struc-
ture.

One day as we were returning with fruit, Mr.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 223

Harborough had fallen behind to examine a spot
which had escaped attention, when we were
arrested by a sudden exclamation from him.
He had dropped upon his knees and was eagerly
clearing away the plants and grass with his
hands.

We hastened to him, inquiring what he had
discovered. He pointed to a square, flat stone.
It was about four feet square and seemed to
open like a hatchway. He had stepped upon it
and felt it rock, very slightly, beneath his weight,
but enough to attract his attention. Did the
stone conceal an opening, the entrance to an
ancient dungeon, or a treasure vault? We
were nearly overcome with excitement, not un-
mixed with awe, and I confess to a feeling of
dread as I contemplated what might be below if
the stone really covered an opening to a subter-
ranean chamber.

CHAPTER XIX.

An Ancient Ruin; A Wonderful Discovery.

The edges of the opening, around the stone,
were crumbled and cracked, and after scraping
away the accumulation of moss and mold we
found that we were able to remove a large piece
of rock which left a space of sufficient depth to
receive a lever. We hastened to the edge of the
forest, where we selected a small tree of hard
wood, which we felled ; and from it we made a
lever about fifteen feet in length. The larger
end was flattened a little with the axe, in order
that it should fit closely against the stone in
prying it up.

224

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 225

We next moved a large stone from the wall,
which we placed about three feet from the aper-
ture which was to receive the lever, to act as a
fulcrum. Then we lifted the great lever, placed
the flattened end into the aperture, let it rest
against the stone fulcrum, and reaching up as
near the elevated end of the lever as possible,
brought our combined weight to bear upon it.

The flat stone moved slowly upward, and
Marjorie, who stood near, in her eagerness, bent
over the opening. Almost at the same moment
she started violently back, gasping for breath.
The foul air, which rushed from the opening,
had nearly suffocated her.

Working together nearer the upper end of the
lever, the stone was lifted a little higher and
Mr. Harborough was able to hold it while I
placed a rock under the stone, which prevented
it from falling back when the lever was released.

We now gathered around the opening which

£26 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

was not yet wide enough to enable us to see far
below; but to our great astonishment we saw
that a flight of stone steps led downward.
Below all was dark. Foul air still came from
the opening.

"We must wait for the air to purify before
entering," I said; "and, meanwhile, we will pro-
cure lights."

"Why in the world did we not remove the
cabin lamps from the vessel?" exclaimed Mr.
Harborough, "If we only had them now."

"Come to the house," I said, "and I will show
you how we will procure a light."

Hastening to the house I opened my knap-
sack and held up the two binnacle lamps for the
inspection of my companions, much to their
amazement.

Both were filled with oil, very little of which
had escaped, as I had wrapped strips of sail-
cloth tightly around them.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 227

In answer to their inquiring looks, I reminded
them that I had, for a long time, believed that
some such discovery as the present one might
be made, and that I had, unknown to them,
packed the binnacle lamps which had proved to
be a fortunate act on my part.

Taking them, with plenty of matches, we
returned to the ruin. Lighting a wisp of dry
grass, I threw it into the opening. It fell to the
bottom, where it continued to burn brightly,
showing that the air was now pure. In the
momentary glare of the burning grass, we saw
that the opening was about eight feet deep.

We now procured another stone from the
wall, which we placed under the lever, increas-
ing the height of the fulcrum so that we were
able to lift the stone still further; and by push-
ing the lever around toward one side we quickly
swung the stone from the opening until it rested
at one side.

228 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Lighting the lamps, we cautiously descended
the stone stairs. They were covered with what
seemed to be finely pulverized mould which
had worked down from above ; but the damp-
ness, incident to an underground chamber ren-
dered the steps somewhat slippery, so we had
to descend carefully. There were ten steps.
Reaching the bottom, Mr. Harborough and my-
self leading and Marjorie bringing up the rear,
we found ourselves standing upon a solid floor,
deeply covered with fine mould, but quite dry.
The floor of the chamber was evidently com-
posed of stone, laid very closely, without mortar.
The roof was made of great flat stones, sup-
ported by two rows of pillars made of square
blocks of stone, extending the length of the
chamber. The walls, roof, pillars and floor were
all thickly covered with dust. Searching along
the walls, we discovered, at the further end,
four niches sunk into the wall about five feet,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 229

and into the rear wall of each niche, there was
fixed a massive iron staple, to which was fast-
ened an iron chain of crnde workmanship. At
the end of each chain there was a rough iron
collar which was evidently designed to be fastr
ened with a rivet. Stepping into one of the
niches, we discovered that the floor of it was
thickly studded with sharp iron spikes which
we found, on clearing away the dust, to be
about two inches in height. The purpose of
the niches was apparent; they were unquestion-
ably designed as places of torture. Well must
they have served their purpose ; for the wretched
victim who, on account of the short chain fastr
ened to his neck, could not lie down, was com-
pelled to stand constantly- upon the sharp
pointed spikes which would pierce and cruelly
lacerate the feet.

To what period of the New World's history
this dungeon belonged we could not even con-

230 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

jecture; but, judging from the style of architec-
ture and the cunningly devised method of tor-
ture, Mr. Harborough, who had seen the ruined
forts along the Spanish Main, had no doubt that
this chamber was connected, in some way, with
the old Castilian days in this part of the world.

The west wall seemed to be perfectly smooth
and unbroken; but on the east side of the cham-
ber we found a square stone, measuring some-
thing like two feet each way, being almost a
perfect cube, protruding half way from the wall.
This was easily removed, and thrusting in one
of the lamps, we saw what appeared to be a
square chest. Brushing away the dust which
covered the end of the chest next to us, we saw
that it was of wood, bound with bands of iron,
the whole being thickly studded with nails.

"A treasure chest," exclaimed Marjorie; oh,
it seems like the stories of the buccaneers."

An iron ring was fastened to the chest, but

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 231

when we took hold of it and tried to draw the
chest toward us, we found it to be so heavy
that we were unable to stir it. So I went to
procure a lever which I cut from a small tree
near the wall, and returned with it to the cham-
ber One end of the lever was inserted, upward
through the ring of the chest and we lifted with
our combined strength.

The chest was raised slightly, and then the
iron bands, eaten by years of rust, broke, and
the chest, rotten with age, fell apart.

Marjorie was holding one of the lamps so as
to illuminate the chest, and, as it broke open,
she almost dropped it, while Mr. Harborough
and I dropped the lever and gazed at the broken
chest and at each other in speechless astonish-
ment; for the aperture seemed to be full of gold
coins.

We had discovered a treasure chest, indeed.
The coins were of several sizes, and all were

232 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

covered with a brownish dust. But gold they
were, and there were thousands and thousands
of them.

We examined many of the coins, on which
the legends were plainly legible. Each one
bore a male head on one side, with dates rang-
ing from 1517 to 1540; and on the reverse,
this superscription: — "Carlos I., Espana: Rex"
— Charles I., King of Spain. We concluded
that we had discovered a favorite trysting place
of sea-rovers who sailed these waters carrying
death and desolation afloat and ashore under the
protection of royal authority, with the under-
standing that the Spanish treasury should be
enriched thereby.

Here, before us, with no one else to claim it,
was wealth beyond our power to estimate.

"It is utterly useless to us here," said Mr.
Harborough, as we discussed the importance of
our discovery.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 233

"True/' I replied, "but as we have no inten-
tion of always remaining on this island, it may
prove to be of great service to us. To this end
we must consider what immediate disposal we
will make of all this wealth."

"And," I continued, as we replaced the stone in
the aperture and withdrew from the chamber, "it
seems to me that the first step toward ensuring
to ourselves the future enjoyment of all this
wealth, should be to transport it to the cove
and store it in our house."

This proposition of mine was the beginning
of much discussion and consideration for several
days thereafter, during which it was definitely
decided that the gold must be transported to
our house at the cove; and we began to consider
how this task, not a trifling one, could be accom-
plished.

Clearly there was but one sure and safe way,
and that, to carry it there ourselves.

CHAPTER XX.

" The G-olden Treasure ; " Its Removal.

It was finally settled that we would transport
the golden treasure to Sargent, at the cove, in
the knapsacks on our backs. To do this would
require several journeys through the forest; but
as time was no object to us, what more could
we ask than to be able, during our exile, to so
easily acquire wealth which would render us
independent for life; for rescued we must
surely be, sooner or later.

We decided that no part of the walls should
remain uninspected. Every square foot of it
was carefully examined, but we found no indi-

234

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 235

cations of other openings. One day, however,
while looking at the east wall, I noticed one of
the stones which seemed to be more loosely set
into the wall than any of the others; and on
examining it more closely, the upper edge
appeared to be chipped as though some pointed
instrument had been inserted. It at once oc-
curred to me that this may have been caused by
prying the stone out — in other words, I mis-
trusted that the stone might conceal the entrance
to another chamber.

We examined it closely and came to the con-
clusion that it would be worth while to remove
the stone. We worked at it for several days
without making any perceptible impression.

It was too heavy and we could devise no
appliance to assist us materially. Finally it
occurred to me that we might remove a flag-
stone of the floor, dig under the stone and com-
pel it to drop from its place. We soon discov-

236 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

ered, however, that it rested upon the flag-stone
next to it. Not to abandon the project, we at
last succeeded in removing the second flag-stone
from the wall, which enabled us to excavate the
earth from beneath the flag-stone next to the
wall. This we accomplished after a great deal
of hard work, for our only excavating tools con-
sisted of sharpened and flattened pieces of wood.
At last, however, the flag-stone settled into the
the excavation and the stone in this way fell
outward. To our great astonishment this was
followed by a rush of air from the aperture. We
did not, at first, know what to make of this, but
we shortly agreed that we had found the en-
trance to an underground passage leading to the
open air.

Indeed this idea seemed quite reasonable, for
we had often read of such passages in connec-
tion with the strongholds of the early days;
either as a means of offence or defence, or of
escape.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 237

Taking the two lamps I preceded Mr. Harbo-
rough into the passage, Marjorie bringing up
the rear. From the first it was evident that the
passage was not artificial, but a natural cavern.
Indeed as we proceeded it proved to be a simple
guano cave, the stalactites being grimy and the
stalagmites buried beneath long years accumu-
lations of guano. In its general character it
did not differ materially from the cave which I
had discovered on the east side of the mountain
during my former sojourn. The ceiling of this
one, however, was higher so that we were able
to walk upright; and it had no windings. Pro-
ceeding a few rods we came to a second cham-
ber, leading off at right angles; but the opening
was so small that we would have had to crawl
through it and we did not consider it worth
while to enter it, at present, at least. The
thought occurred to me that the passage con-
nected this cavern with the one which I had

238 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

previously discovered; for, as I thought the
matter over, I believed that the two must run
nearly parallel. Myriads of bats flitted about,
almost flying against our faces, and several
times nearly extinguishing our lamps. In a
few minutes we came to a fair-sized chamber,
nearly circular and perhaps a dozen feet in
diameter; and as we entered it we were aston-
ished to find that it was partially illumined by
daylight. Stranger still, mounted on two huge
wooden blocks were two brass cannon, pointing
away from us.

"An ingenious fortification," remarked Mr.
Harborough.

"A masked battery" said Marjorie.

We now examined the guns closely. They
were covered with a greenish corrosion, and
were, as I have said, brass. They were of
exactly the same size, about four-inch, and on
the breech of each was stamped the following,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 289

together with the arms of Spain: "Espana:
1512." We saw that we had reached the mouth
of the cave, which was thickly filled with a mass
of bushes and creepers. We resolved to clear
away the obstruction at once, and I returned to
the chamber for the axe. With it and our
knives we soon cleared away the vegetable
growths, and behold, we stood on the side of
the mountain a few yards from the mouth of
cave, overlooking the ocean to the eastward.
The purpose of the guns was quite apparent.
They commanded the approach to the moun-
tain, and to an advancing enemy were utterly
invisible, as a shelf of rock hid the entrance
from below. This latter discovery did not
promise to be of any special importance to us,
but it was most interesting. Our whole effort,
now, was put forth toward transporting the gold
to the cove on the west coast; and placing as
many of the coins in each knapsack as we could

240 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

each carry comfortably, we packed enough pro-
visions to last at least two days, and set out. As
we had done on the journey to the mountains,
we followed the edge of the forest making a
short detour, when about half way, to avoid a
possible encounter with the wild pigs. Mr.
Harborough and myself would have liked very
much to risk an encounter with them, but the
safety of Marjorie was our first consideration,
and these animals were very fierce. So as we
had grave doubts as to their desirability for food
we decided to give them a wide berth. Noth-
ing occurred to give excitement to the march
and toward the end of the second day we
reached the house in the cove, where we found
everything entirely undisturbed. We immedi-
ately set to work to make several strong bags
of sail-cloth, each being about two feet long and
half as wide, in which to store the gold. This
occupied us one full day, and after storing the

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 241

gold we had brought, in a corner of the hut,
burying it beneath the kitchen utensils, we took
sufficient provisions to last us during the return
march and set out. Numerous trips were made
to and from the mountain which consumed sev-
eral weeks. Meanwhile we had made an addi-
tional discovery, almost as important as the first.
As we gradually removed the gold contained in
the chest we saw that there was another chest be-
yond it. Like the first it fell to pieces on being
moved. Beyond it was a solid wall of stone.
But the second chest was not so heavy as the
first, and it proved to be only about half filled
with gold. The rest was occupied with rolls of
manuscript, all of which fell to powder when
exposed to the air, leaving not one scrap on
which the faded writing was legible.

At last only what gold we could carry away
on one more trip remained. During our march
to and fro from the coast we had kept a sharp

242 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

watch for the "wild man/' as we called him, and
Marjorie always kept very close to us while
passing through that part of the forest.
But we saw no signs of him.

CHAPTER XXI.

Preparing for Departure ; Death of the Monster.

On the morning of the day on which we
were to set out with the last packs of gold, the
sky was partly overcast, and far down in the
eastern horizon the sky line was blended into a
leaden haze, which gradually disappeared as the
sun ascended toward the zenith. This I knew,
was a premonition of the approaching rainy
season, which I knew was always preceded for
several weeks by a thin veil of clouds and the
murky atmosphere of the horizon in the morning.

This decided us to make this our last journey,
and to remain at the cove after our next arrival

243

244 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

there; for there we were sheltered, to a great
degree, from the rain and our house was much
more comfortable than the abode beneath the
rock on the mountain, which was dreary during
the long rain, as I knew from experience. At
the cove we had a substantial house, and, with
the stores and utensils from the wreck we should
be very comfortably situated. And, beside, we
had gradually, as we marched back and forth,
evolved a scheme to remove some of the deck
planks of the vessel and such lumber as we
found available, and to try, during the rainy
season, to construct a substantial boat in which
we might venture to leave the island. We
planned to construct a great shed, closed in on
three sides and left open at the end facing the
beach. Beneath this we would lay the keel of
our craft and test our skill as ship-builders.

So, with our guns, clothing, such other articles
as we wished to take back with us, and of course,

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 245

Puff, after closing the cliff-house we proceeded
to the chamber beneath the ruin to pack the
remaining gold. Our knapsacks were speedily
filled, and we prepared to leave the chamber.

Marjorie preceded us to the stairs, but scarcely
had she reached the first step when she darted
back to us shrieking and trembling, her face
ashy pale.

She crouched between us, unable to speak,
her eyes staring wildly toward the stone steps.
I sprang forward and looked up toward the
opening. There I saw, standing between us and
the sky, silent as a statue, with eyes glaring
down at us — the wild man of the forest.

There was no mistaking it; but this time it
looked less like an ape and more like a human
being.

Without looking around I beckoned to Mr.
Harborough. He stepped to my side, and catch-
ing sight of the horrible thing above us, he

246 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

raised his rifle and fired. The report roared
around the chamber and the stairway was filled
with smoke. Simultaneously a heavy body
rolled down the slippery stairs and lay out-
stretched at our feet. It was the wild man —
lifeless; its limbs out-stretched and its wide-open
eyes staring up at us.

Never again do I wish to look upon such a
horrible object. We shrank back in the door-
way, feeling weak and faint; Marjorie clung to
her father, her eyes gleaming with terror, a look
of horror upon her face.

After we had recovered our courage and the
first shock had partly passed away, we ap-
proached closely and examined the strange
being. It was human in every detail, the hair,
arms, legs, feet, eyes and face. It had once
been a man, but what a marvelous transforma-
tion had taken place ! The body was entirely
covered with short brownish hair which grew

liWith eyes glaring down at ws."

Page 245.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 247

several inches long on the breast. The hair of
the head was dark brown in color, long, tangled
and matted. The nose and mouth were regular,
and the teeth were in fair condition. The eyes
were either blue or gray, we could not tell
exactly which. The finger-nails were long,
which made the hands look like claws.

The skin was tanned by exposure to sun and
rain until it was a dark bronze hue. We pon-
dered long concerning the history of this strange
being; for a human being it surely was; once
like ourselves.

In death it was less repugnant than in life.
Now that we had become accustomed to look at
it, it impressed us only as a poor dead outcast,
of whom we knew nothing.

There could be but one solution to the mys-
tery. Either the wretched person had been
marooned, or, like ourselves had been cast away
on the island, and, driven mad by solitude, ex-

248 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

posure and the contemplation of his position
had probably for several years roamed the for-
est as a wild man — a wild beast in every sense,
except his origin. We moved the body to a
corner of the chamber, composed the limbs and
went out into the sunlight.

The long lever remained under the stone
which had covered the opening, and we worked
it back into place — closing the treasure cham-
ber, now a tomb. We covered the stone thickly
with earth and turned toward the forest.

Without further incident we reached the
house at the cove and proceeded to put every-
thing in order in anticipation of the coming
rainy season which, we promised ourselves^
should be a busy one with us, between boat-
building and general occupations; and we viewed
the future not without pleasant anticipations.
We were comfortable, with every want supplied,
a happy family sharing a common lot.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 249

Never was there a complaint made by any of
us. We indulged in conversation about home,
our individual lives, and discussed matters of
present and future moment

CHAPTER XXII.

Boat Building ; a Startling Sound.

Our first work of magnitude was the con-
struction of a great shed in which to build the
boat, sheltered from the weather. This occu-
pied us many days; for it was of considerable
size, twenty-five feet long and about two thirds
as wide. The method of construction was ex-
actly the same as in the other structures and
need not be described again. It was closed all
around except the end next to the beach.
This was left open to afford both air and light.

House-building was varied by several trips to
the stranded vessel which remained on the reef

250

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 251

precisely as we had left it. Our raft, too, was
in a perfect state of repair.

Many of the deck planks we removed, as well
as all the boarding of the deck-house and the
sheathing in the cabin. We were careful to
save every nail, and we found a further supply
in the fore-castle. These, though common
"cut" nails, could readily be transformed into
"clinch" nails by heating, in which form they
would be available for fastening the boat to-
gether.

The heavy deck planking we proposed to use
for the keel and frame of the craft, as well as
for oars and thole-pins. All the lumber and
such small rope as we believed would be of use
to us, also quantities of sail-cloth, were trans-
ported to the shore and piled inside the shed.

These duties were varied by occasional trips
to the forest to hunt wild pigeons, fishing in the
stream or jaunts to the pool for fruit. These

252 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

were holidays to us, during which work was
forgotten and we all entered into the spirit of
the occasion.

Day by day the clouds of the morning lingered
longer and longer and were less quickly dis-
pelled by the sun's rays. They became more
sombre as the days went by, and sunset was
preceded by fitful gusts of wind, indicating that
the rainy season was coming on apace. So we
abandoned further work on the boat and began
to lay in a supply of cocoanuts and yams.

While returning from the pool one day, as we
passed the bamboo thicket an idea occurred to
me which I lost no time in communicating to
Mr. Harborough.

It was this; to fasten bamboos, of good size,
around our boat, outside, immediately below the
gunwales, reaching from stem to stern. This
would render it more buoyant, for the bamboo,
consisting as it does of hollow joints, would have

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 253

the same effect as air bags, or water-tight com-
partments. Such a device would, I believed,
make it impossible to capsize the boat, thus
making it doubly seaworthy and rendering our
escape from exile more certain.

"It is a capital idea" exclaimed Mr. Har-
borough. "And while we are about it," I con-
tinued, "we may as well select a bamboo for a
mast."

My companions fully approved of my ideas
and we at once set to work to cut the bamboos
and carry them to the boatrhouse.

This work occupied us a good many days, for
it was slow and laborious, even with the aid of
the axe; for the outer part of the bamboo is
extremely hard.

We now proceeded to strengthen the outer
part of the wall of the house, and to renew the
thatch of the roofs, all of which required several
days of labor, cutting the grass and fastening
it into place.

254 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

A large supply of wood was gathered and
stored in the farther end of the boatrshed ; in
short we made every preparation for a comfort-
able rainy season, protected from the wind and
the rain. Hurricanes could not be guarded
against, so we only hoped that they would give
us a wide berth.

The first showers had set in ere we resumed
work on the boat. From one of the best planks
we fashioned the keel, which was laid with some
ceremony, Marjorie constituting the audience;
after which we set about getting out the stern-
post and the frame-pieces. While we were thus
occupied Marjorie performed the house-hold
duties, and, at odd times, busied herself heating
the nails white-hot, and dropping them into
water, which process transformed them into
"clinch" nails.

She also made several bags from sail-cloth
strongly sewed, for the reception of the gold.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 255

The bags were filled with the coins, securely
sewed up and stored away in Marjorie's trunk,
nearly filling it. We decided that this would
be the safest way to dispose of it for the present.

Work on the boat went on apace, each day
being much like its predecessor. The daily
showers became more frequent and copious and
we saw the sun less often.

At times we felt depressed and our isolation
grew irksome.

One morning, having had breakfast, we started
for the boairhouse, when we were brought to a
sudden stand-still.

A long-drawn sound like a trumpet blown at
a distance echoed and reverberated through the
trees. It continued several seconds, during
which we remained in a listening attitude.

Neither of us spoke. flinmfl IlRfMr

It was repeated again; what could it mean?
what could it be?

256 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Surely it could not come from any wild ani-
mal for we had seen none larger than a pig.

Had we been believers in the existence of
demons, we must have at once decided that a
demon lurked in the forest behind us.

CHAPTER XXm.

Rescue at Hand ; Leaving the Island,

Mabjorie had heard the sound, also, and came
toward us.

Suddenly she pointed out toward the sea,
uttering the exclamation, "look."

We both turned and looked in the direction
indicated.

A boat was rounding the point; a real boat.

There were men in it, four men. The boat
shot around the point and began skirting the
shore toward us.

We saw that they were black men, dressed in
rough but civilized garments.

They were conversing among themselves,
speaking in a tongue which we did not under-
stand.

257

258 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

Were they friends or foes? Stepping quickly
into the house we took our guns and waited
behind the stockade, standing so we could watch
the boat. It had the appearance of a canoe,
made of wood. Evidently the black men had
seen our house as the canoe was turned toward
the shore.

She grounded in a few seconds, and the men
sprang ashore. They cautiously approached
the boat-shed peered into it, and then came
slowly toward the house. Beckoning Marjorie
to remain out of sight we grasped our guns and
stepped boldly out, resolved to meet the emer-
gency unhesitatingly, whatever it might be.

To our surprise the black men stopped with a
shout of joy

One a tall, fine looking negro, stepped toward
us and extended his hand to us.

"Fo' de Lard, Marsa; Who is yo', how long
yo' ben heah?"

Fo' de Lord, Marsa!"

Page 259.

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 259

I told him that I had been here many months,
and that my two companions, pointing to Mr.
Harborough and to Marjorie, who now came
forward, had been here half as long.

Then he told us a strange story, one which
gave us great joy.

He said that they were coming from their
island to this one to hunt turtles, at the great
breeding place which I had discovered on my
first march to the mountain, and that, while
nearing the east coast of our island a steamer
came along, slowed down and then stopped.

Men on the steamer seemed to be looking at
the island with glasses, and then the whistle of
the steamer was blown. This was in the late
evening before. Presently the steamer started
and when it came up with the canoe the "cap'n"
asked them if there were any people living on
the island.

The black men answered in the negative,

260 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

adding that none of the turtle hunters dared go
far from shore, for a terrible savage monster
half man and half demon, lurked in the forest.
The "cap'n" told them he had seen a beacon on
the top of the mountain, and that he believed
some one was signalling for assistance. So he
bargained with them to follow close along the
shore, searching carefully in every cove, while
the steamer followed slowly.

The steamer anchored during the night and
the black men were taken on board.

At. daylight that morning the black men con-
tinued along the shore in the canoe, the steamer
following. As the canoe came in sight of the
cove they saw the wreck and signalled back to
the steamer, which had answered by a blast on
her whistle.

It was the sound of the steamer's whistle
which we heard just before the boat appeared.
In a few minutes a large steamer came in sight

A YANKEE CRUSOE. 261

from behind the point and anchored off the
cove. A boat was immediately lowered and
rowed swiftly ashore. A man in uniform sprang
ashore and came hurriedly to us, extending both
his hands which we eagerly grasped.

He was the second officer of the Royal Mail
steamship Dunmore Castle, from England for
West Indian and Colombian ports. When off
the east side of the island somewhat out of her
course by reason of a heavy squall into which
she had run a few hours before sighting the
island, the first officer had seen my beacon and
called the Captain's attention to it. The rest
had been related by the black men.

My story is nearly told. We were transported
on board the steamer, with such of our belong-
ing as we wished to take with us. The great
weight of Marjorie's trunk called forth some
remarks from the men who handled it, but we
made some casual allusion to rare sea-shells and

262 A YANKEE CRUSOE.

other curios and felt relieved when the trunk
was on board.

The Dunmore Castle proceeded to make her
ports of call, during which we had to give a
detailed account of our life and strange adven-
tures on the island, to the wondering passengers.

We were landed at Kingston, Jamaica, from
whence we proceeded by stage over-land to Port
Antonio on the north-east coast, where we em-
barked on the steamship Sama, for Boston, with
fruit.

I have nothing more of interest to relate,
unless the reader may like to know that I see
Marjorie every day still, and that her father
visits us at least once each year, when we talk
over and over again, the incidents that I have,
in my humble way, tried to relate.

FINIS.