The ds Rougemont Yarns.

Manawatu Herald, 12 November 1898, Page 2

The ds Rougemont Yarns.

ON THE ISLAND.

Returning to the vessel in calm weather, he made a raft, placed blankets aud food upon it, and floated it ashore. On the island while digging he came upon 16 human skeletons, a sight which filled him with dismay. The gunpowder on board the wreck was all spoiled, but he had a bow and arrows and a tomahawk. He made a : fire by striking sparks from a stoat Papuan tomahawk which he brought from the wreck, using the steel tomahawk for the purpose, and once having lighted the fire he kept it alight byusing a peculiar New Guinea wood, which was on the wreck, and which had the property of keeping fire smouldering for an indefinite period. He erected a flagstaff, and floated an ensign upside down in order to attract the attention of any passing vessels. I Beans, rice, and maize, with preserved milk and vegetables, were brought from the wreck, and then de Rougemont began to grow corn. He describes the process in these terms : — " In a large chest that came ashore from the captain's cabin I found a stock of all kinds of seeds, and I resol- . ved to see whether I could grow a little corn. I knew, however that salt water will not nourish plants, and and I was equally certain 1 : could not spare fresh water from my own stock for this purpose. " At any rate, I set my wits to work, and at length decided upon an interesting experiment, I filled a large turtle shell with sand at a little clay, and thoroughly wetted the mixture with turtle's biood, then stirring the mass into a puddle and planting corn seeds in it. " They quickly sprouted, and flourished so rapidly that within a very short time I was able to transplant them — always, however, nourishing them with the blood of turtles. This most satisfactory result induced me to extend operations, and I soon had quaint little crops of bloodsprinkled maize and wheat growing in huge turtle shells. " For a long time I was content with the simple awning I have described as a place of shelter, but when I began to recover the pearl sheila from the ship, it occurred to me that I might use them to built some kind of a hut with. There were about thirty tons of pearl shells on board, and at first I took to diving for them merely as a sort of pastime. " I spent many weeks getting enough shells ashore to built a couple of parallel walls, each about 7ft. higH^P* 3ft. thick, and 10ft. in length. The breeze blew gratefully through them. I fiiLd the iuterstics of these walls with a puddle of clayey sand and water, covered ju with canvas, and made quite a comfortable living place out of it. The walls certainly had a high commercial value !" He obtained fresh fish by robbing the pelicans who brought back supplies for their young ones, and warded off melancholia by constructing a sundial, by practising gymnastics, and by reading the New Testament, until a threatened attack of religious mania forced him to abandon that solace. One day he was stung by a sting-rae in the left ankle— an unpleasant experience, which he compares with a shock irom a powerful electric battery. The building of a boat occupied nine months, but when it was finished he discovered that he had built it in a lagoon which was closed in by a wall of coral rocks. TURTLE-RIDING. Turtles could often be caught, and sometimes he would ride on the backs of the creatures. He describes this amusement as follows : — " I also played the part of Neptune in a very extraordinary way. I used to wade out to where the turtles were and on catching a big six-hundred pounder, I would calmly sit astride on his back. " Away would swim the startled creature, mostly a foot or so below the surface. When he dived deeper I simply sat far back on the shell, and then he was forced to come up. -4^. steered my queer steeds in a curious way. When I wanted my turtle to turn to the left, I simply thrust my foot into his right eye, and vice-versa for the contrary direction. My two big toes placed simultaneously over both his optics caused a halt so abrupt as almost to unseat me.