A BOY CRUSOE (continued 3)

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 dinner, 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 mountain.

Presently I saw familiar land-marks, and I was able to lead the way to the top. The beacon was standing exactly as I had left it. We proceeded to my cave-dwelling, where everything 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 evening meal, we talked over future plans. I promised 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, and we regaled ourselves as I showed my companions 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."

We spent much time about the beacon, improving 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 promised 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. Harborough 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 structure.

One day as we were returning with fruit, Mr. 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 unmixed 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 subterranean 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.

We next moved a large stone from the wall, which we placed about three feet from the aperture 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 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 procure 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 knapsack 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 sailcloth tightly around them.

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, increasing the height of the fulcrum so that we were able to lift the stone still further; and by pushing the lever around toward one side we quickly swung the stone from the opening until it rested at one side.

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 dampness, incident to an underground chamber rendered the steps somewhat slippery, so we had to descend carefully. There were ten steps. Reaching the bottom, Mr. Harborough and myself 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 composed of stone, laid very closely, without mortar. The roof was made of great flat stones, supported 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, and into the rear wall of each niche, there was fixed a massive iron staple, to which was fastened an iron chain of crude workmanship. At the end of each chain there was a rough iron collar which was evidently designed to be fastened 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 unquestionably designed as places of torture. Well must they have served their purpose; for the wretched victim who, on account of the short chain fastened to his neck, could not lie down, was compelled 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 conjecture; but, judging from the style of architecture and the cunningly devised method of torture, 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 chamber we found a square stone, measuring something 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 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 chamber. 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 astonishment; 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 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 ranging 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 understanding 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.

"True," I replied, "but as we have no intention 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 accomplished.

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

CHAPTER XX.

"The Golden 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 indications 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 occurred to me that this may have been caused by prying the stone out--in other words, I mistrusted that the stone might conceal the entrance to another chamber.

We examined it closely and came to the conclusion 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 compel it to drop from its place. We soon discovered, 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 consisted 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 entrance to an underground passage leading to the open air.

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

Taking the two lamps I preceded Mr. Harborough 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 accumulations 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. Proceeding a few rods we came to a second chamber, 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 connected this cavern with the one which I had 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 astonished 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, 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 mountain, 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, 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 each carry comfortably, we packed enough provisions 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. Nothing 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 immediately 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 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 several weeks. Meanwhile we had made an additional discovery, almost as important as the first. As we gradually removed the gold contained in the chest we saw that there was another chest beyond 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 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 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, 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 catching sight of the horrible thing above us, he 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 outstretched at our feet. It was the wild man--lifeless; its limbs outstretched 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 doorway, 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 approached 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 transformation had taken place! The body was entirely covered with short brownish hair which grew 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 pondered 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 mystery. Either the wretched person had been marooned, or, like ourselves had been cast away on the island, and, driven mad by solitude, exposure and the contemplation of his position had probably for several years roamed the forest 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 chamber, 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 everything 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.

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.

Out first work of magnitude was the construction of a great shed in which to build the boat, sheltered from the weather. This occupied us many days; for it was of considerable size, twenty-five feet long and about two thirds as wide. The method of construction was exactly 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 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 together.

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 transported 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 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 dispelled 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 the same effect as air bags, or water-tight compartments. 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. Harborough. "And while we are about it," I continued, "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 boat-house.

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.

A large supply of wood was gathered and stored in the farther end of the boat-shed; in short we made every preparation for a comfortable 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. 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 boat-house, 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.

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

Surely it could not come from any wild animal 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 XXIII.

Rescue at Hand; Leaving the Island.

Marjorie 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 understand.

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 emergency 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?"

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, 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 continued 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 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 belonging 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 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 adventures 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 embarked 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.