The Oregon daily journal., February 29, 1908, Page 15, Image 15

TIIE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL PORTLAND, SATURDAY . EVENING FEBRUARY .29, 1903
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;fcriv. M&feg '.Gw Ola . . robinson ;
j
, VR ship had been towed About 1n mat terrible
storm for several dsys, end we ell feared thatel
aj moment the might go to the bottom. .
"Coon boys," taid I to my four tones "ft ehe.9 t
lent go 4 own eide by lide."- Just then we struck rack.
'Wearelostf Launch the boaUI"Try for your
UvetP voice cried
X ran to the deck and found thateD the boate bad
Wft, and we alone rtmained. .1 cried out for the men to
come back and take us with them, but It tub rain. X
though! our left chance wai gone. Still the ship did Dot
rink. I went to the stern,' end to my joy tew that the
wat held up y a huge rock.
"Be of food cheer, we are at bast tafe for tome
time, and we may yet reach land." I Mid te my wia and
boyi.
K
F RITZ, my oldest eon, end I then made a raft
Friti found tome firearms, and Ernest a tool
chut, and Jack came up to ui with two huge dogs, one
of which be rode like a bone.. After we had loaded all
the things wt had gathered together on the raft, and
had tet free tame ducks-and geese Which we hopedSrould
fly to shore, we all got on the raft and reached the
hor safely, the dogs swimming alongside
We made a tent with the old-ssil clofh we had
brought' with us,' and the boyr. fetched some moss and
dry grass with which to make our beds. .We set Are to
some dry twigs, and my wife made pot of soup which
we ste with relish. The boys then went down to the
water's edge to sse two targe casks which had washed
near shore., It was not long before Kheard a thrill cry
from Jack, and running with an axe in my hind. I
' found him in a poo) of water where a Urge crab held him
by bis toe. 1 struck it with the axe. and Jack ran oil
with it in high glee.
F
RITZ and I then went to a grove of palm trees
nearby.
"Do you see those nuts at the top of the trceJFYita P
Issld.
To'be sure I do;' but they are f sr too hJJk to
reach. Look!" he cried, "there are some monkeys. Lei
me hare a shot at them,"
"Do not do that," I said; "it will do no good to
kSi them.' and with that I threw some stones Up at the
tree.
The monkeys started throwing cocoanuts at us, and
to many that we had hard work to pick them aO up. We
had not gone far with them when one of the dogs dashed
by us after a troop or apes. One of them could not
climb, as she had a young one in her arms, and this one
the dog attacked.
Frits called the dog off, but the ape wis dead- The
young one, as soon as it ssv Frits, sprang on his back,
put bis paws in his hair, and would not let go
WHEN re got back to the tent my wife told me
that while we were at the wreck she had gone
In selreh of a place to build a house, and to my surprise
toll me she had found a tree twelve yards around an3
so big that we could build rooms in it and have stairs up
the trunk, and in this way we could be ssfe from aoy
wild animals. I thought thhka good idea, and we all
started to tee this wonderful tree, which proved to be
0g tree of vast sixe-
Jf we can Ax a'tent up there," 1 said, "we sfiep
have no cause to dread wild beasts."
It waa late at night when we had taken all our be
longings to this spot, and got the wood to build our bint
Next day we rose very early, as we knew we bad a
long day of toil before us .lust as we were starting to
work, Jack cried ut i
"Be juickl here is a strange oeast with quills as
tongas my arnjn
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I
AT length got the ape from Fritz, and took it up la
my.ermellike a. child;. then. I. put it on; the dog's
backhand it held tight by the.hair.of.the dog's bacL
which' Frits ted with a stnngThat night the ape "went
to bed with Jack and Fritz, and We all slept in peace-
Next day Frits and I wens back to jthe wreck t
save the live stock, and get whatever else might be of
use. We made a float for the eow. the ass, the sheep and
goats, and we also brought with us a lot of food. We
bad . gone but a short distance when I heard s loud cry
f rots Frits.
" We've lost," be eaid, pointing to'a great shark
near by. Though pale with fright, be took aim with his
gun, and shot the flib in the head.. It sank st once and
1 1mw Uut wa were safe once more.
T WAS a Urge porcupine, and when the dogs ran
near it made a loud noise and shot cjUtjts quills,
which stuck in the dogs and made them,ble$d lack
shot at the beast, and it fell dead on the tpoUrmet
and I then went in search of some thick cane! which
grew in the sand near by. These we cut down and bound
to four long poks and thus nude steps which would, we
thought, reach far up the trunk of our tree. On our
way bock one of the dogs made a dart dt a clump of
reeds, and a troop of Urge birds rose with a loud noise.
Frits let fly at them, and brought down two at a shot
"Look," said Ernest .""what fine plumes he has. Ha
has web feet, too, like -goose, and long legs like a
stork."
"Yes," said I, "he is a fine bud. and is called the
Flamingo."
rjp HAT night we had finished the hut, and we lit
our firf. around, the tree, tied the dogs to the
roots, and went up-"to sleep out of harm's way. for the
first time since'wt'felt the ship. When the steps were
dra wn up we all felt that we were now safe at Ust
"Let us call our homeThc Nest,' - my wife said.
"Here's to.Tbt'-tVcft,"' said J. "and may we live
long and bless the dayOBat brought us here."
And here we lived for ten long years, nnd our enres
were few,' and ourjifq.was full of joy and adventure.
Yet I often cast .a look at sea, in hope that some, day I
should spy a ship which would take us back to our owu
beloved land.
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B
UT the boys did not' share my hopes.
"Go hack?" Fritz would say. ,rNo,no. Why
should we go back? We have all we caO wish fori let
us leave our fate ia 'the hands of God."
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