A Boy Crusoe; or, The Golden Treasure of the Virgin Islands Read online

  Produced by Al Haines.

  A BOY CRUSOE

  OR

  The Golden Treasure of the Virgin Islands

  BY ALLAN ERIC

  M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY CHICAGO -- NEW YORK

  [Transcriber's note: This book was also published as "A Yankee Crusoe".]

  MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  *CONTENTS.*

  Chapter.

  I. Early Life; Off for a Voyage II. Heavy Weather; the Sargasso Sea III. A Terrible Storm; Leaving the Ship IV. Cast Up by the Sea on a Tropical Island V. Strange Surroundings; Building a House VI. The Stockade; a Crusoe's Life VII. A Cocoanut Calendar; Food Supply VIII. Thoughts of the Future; Making a Bow-Gun IX. Starts to Explore the Island; Turtles' Eggs X. In the Folds of a Snake XI. The Mountain Cave; a Beacon; Attack by Pigs XII. Return to the Coast; a Mangrove Swamp; Fever XIII. A Feathered Companion; Making a Fish Trap XIV. Another Exploring Trip; Tropical Fruits XV. A Hurricane and a Ship-Wreck XVI. Pleasant Companions; Enlarging the House XVII. Building a Raft; Visits to the Wreck XVIII. The March Continued; Arrival on the Mountain XIX. An Ancient Ruin; Wonderful Discovery XX. "The Golden Treasure;" Its Removal XXI. Preparing for Departure; Death of the Monster XXII. Boat-Building; A Startling Sound XXIII. Rescue at Hand; Leaving the Island

  *A BOY 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 theCivil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of theaverage farmer's son in the remote country districts of NewEngland--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard workon the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow countryschoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of mylife 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 springploughing time, my brother and myself found pleasant labor andrecreation combined in the maple woods, tapping the trees, gathering thesap and tending the fire under the great kettles where the sweet productof the maple was transformed into syrup and sugar.

  I really think that I was more thoughtful than the average boy. I knowthat I read more. I do not remember ever feeling dissatisfied with mylife or with the prospects that the future held out for me. Probably Iwas too young for these things to trouble me much; but I read everythingin the way of books and papers that I could borrow, or purchase bysaving a little money earned in various ways. I was fond of stories ofadventure; but travel and adventure combined, interested me most.Therefore, as I grew older, I became imbued with a passionate desire totravel in foreign lands. The tropics were my ideal, and this feelingbecame stronger as the years went by.

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

  The passion for travel still had a strong hold upon me, but I saw noimmediate prospect of gratifying it, for I was obliged to look about forsome immediate means of earning a living for myself. When everythingelse fails, one can always find an opportunity to canvass for apublishing house or a novelty concern; so, soon after leaving the highschool, I was trudging up and down the banks of the Penobscot river,calling from house to house. It was discouraging work, but I succeededmoderately well.

  Late in the fall I went up to Bangor to canvass that city, and it wasthere that I made the acquaintance of a gentleman, which led to theexperiences that I am about to relate, and which changed the wholecourse of my life.

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

  It was his idea to make a voyage in one of these vessels, and thefriendship which had developed between us, mostly through meeting in thereading room of the Public Library, caused him to suggest that Iaccompany him on his voyage to the Southern seas.

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

  The next few days I spent mostly with my benefactor, for as such Ilooked upon him, helping him in various ways in his preparations for thevoyage. As for myself, I required little more than a modest supply ofclothing.

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

  Our craft was a trim bark called the _Ethelyn Hope_, built at Searsportthree years before. She was two hundred and fifty tons gross measurementand sat in the water jauntily and buoyantly. From her load water-lineto the tips of her topmast she was as trim a craft as one could wish tosee. As she lay at the wharf ready for sea, everything on deck had beenmade snug, and not a coil of rope or spare block was out of place. Hercargo consisted of case oil, salt fish and flour in her hold, and shecarried a good deck-load of lumber. She was bound for Cayenne, FrenchGuiana, on the north coast of South America.

  The _Ethelyn Hope_ was commanded by Captain Thomas Witham; and thefirst, second and third mates, with nine able seamen before the mastcomprised the crew.

  Nothing remained to be done except to cast off the lines, when, releasedfrom her bonds the bark slowly moved down the river. The sails on thelower 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 sunrise all sails were set and the bark squared away for themouth of the bay where she was laid on a sou', sou'-east course as shetook her final departure.

  My spirits were decidedly buoyant as the bark glided out of the bay intothe open sea, and a delicious sense of elation took possession of me asI realized that I was really on board a ship, with the land fading awaybehind me, bound for a foreign shore, the wonderful tropics, the land ofpalms of which I had read so much. I should see for myself the curiousthings of the sea, strange countries and people; and perhaps encounterfierce animals in the virgin forests, the home of birds of rare andbeautiful plumage.

  With a strong northwest breeze the bark stood away on her course, withevery sail filled out and drawing handsomely. Although the weather hadbeen clear and the sea fairly calm, by sunset a thin haze rendered theoutline of the horizon dimly visible, and the Captain began to fear ablow. His nautical instinct made him sure that there was to be a changein the weather, and he gave orders for everything to be made secure.And, sure enough, at dusk the wind freshened and hauled around into thenorth-east.

  It was about this time that I suddenly became conscious of a peculiarfeeling, a sudden dizziness, like the sensation caused by a boy's firstcigar. I knew well enough that I was experiencing the first sensationsof seasickness, and, suddenly losing interest in the sailing of theship, I went below and tumbled into my berth.

  Feeling somewhat better, while I lay quiet, I had nearly dropped off tosleep when I was aroused by a tremendous n
oise, which brought me to mysenses, when I realized that the vessel was rolling and pitching wildly.I could hear the howling of the wind around the deck-houses, and thesnapping of the great sails. Now and then I heard the sound of theCaptain's voice on deck as though he were giving brisk orders; and Irightly concluded that we were having it very rough. I looked acrossthe cabin and saw that Mr. Sargent was in his berth, but as he wasapparently not asleep I spoke to him, asking if there was any danger.

  "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 wasa little dizzy, so I concluded to go on deck. I cautiously ascended thecompanion way, and found the Captain standing near the wheel, envelopedin oil-skins, his head being covered by an ample sou'wester.

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

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

  The bark was rolling and tossing, but appeared to be bounding throughthe water like a race-horse. Soon I heard the Captain tell the mate thatthe wind had shifted around into the east, and that they were in for astiff 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 thelee-scuppers spouted green water, wetting me a little, even in mysheltered retreat.

  The rain began to fall, and the sailors had their hands full. There wasa great commotion of loudly spoken orders, the tramping of feet, thecreaking of blocks, the rush and roar of the sea and the howling of theblast through the rigging. All hands were called to take in sail, andthe bark, soon close hauled, was lying over nearly to her lee rail. Theheavy sea beat against her bows with all the force which tons of watercould exert, while the staunch little vessel, quivering for a momentwould seem to hesitate, and then plunge forward to meet the nextonslaught like an animate thing possessed of sensible emotions. Thespray, flying back over the bows, drenched the deck from fore to aft.The topsail halyards had been hauled taut, and the sails filled out andbacked against the masts with a noise like thunder.

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