CHAPTER XXIII.
Discovery of a human habitation. The skeleton and manuscript.
It will be remembered that I had never been able in my own mind toaccount for many things that I had found upon the island; amongstothers, the goats, sweet potatoes, and tobacco. I could not disabusemy mind of the impression that some one else had been before me onthis lonely spot of earth; that man at some age of its existence hadplaced his foot upon the soil. I little knew when I started on mytrip to Mirror Bay how soon some of these mysteries, that had so manyyears confused me, would in a moment be made plain. I looked forwardto no startling adventure, and yet I was, without knowing it, sailingstraight towards the solution of many problems, guided, unknown tomyself, by a mightier hand than mine.
I arrived safely in Mirror Bay, and proceeded up towards the river, themachinery of my yacht working beautifully. When I arrived at the mouthI found that I could still ascend, but thought it best to anchor nearthe western bank, just inside the mouth, and not a stone's throw fromthe bank. I had come by the way of the Eastern Cape, and having startedearly in the morning, at daybreak, about four o'clock, I found myselfat anchor at about seven o'clock by the sun, having made the run inthree hours, or at least six knots an hour, the distance being, as nearas I can judge, eighteen miles.
When my yacht was nicely anchored, and the fire put out and the engineplaced in order, I took my little flat-boat and went on shore with mygoat, intending to walk inland in a northwesterly direction, towardsMirror Lake; but I had scarcely taken ten steps into the open woodsbefore I recoiled with a sensation of fear, such as I have neverbefore experienced, and made for my boat, but before I reached it myhorror had become curiosity. Turning about, I faced the direction fromwhence I had come; and, taking my shot-gun from my shoulder, I lookedcarefully to the flint to see that it was all right, eased a knife thatI carried at my belt in its sheath, and thus, with my mind collected,but with my brain almost confused with excitement, I advanced slowlytowards the place from which I had just retreated in so startled amanner. Yes; there could be no mistake; looking through the boughs ofan intervening tree of small growth, I saw a HUMAN HABITATION, andthe habitation evidently of a civilized, or at least semi-civilized,being. Before me--in ruins, to be sure, but still unmistakably the workof human hands, and skilled ones, too--stood a stone hut at least tenfeet square, and with dilapidated stone walls at least eight feet high,without roof, and with evident remains of a door and two apertures forwindows facing towards the sea in the direction I stood. I leanedagainst the tree that I stood near, faint and overcome with emotion. Athousand thoughts rushed through my mind, but I soon convinced myselfthat this habitation had been deserted by man for long ages of time.Should I ever know how long? Everything about the hut denoted extremeage and decay; trees were even growing from the interior, and showedabove the walls where the roof ought to be; rank weeds and grass grewin the open doorway, and vines crept around the dismantled walls; yetthere it stood, a monument unmistakable of a human presence at someprevious time, and a civilized one, too. No savage hands ever erectedthose walls or pierced those apertures for door and windows. I satdown, still gazing at the hut, and tried to gather my wits together andto overcome my agitation. Fifteen minutes in this position brought tome a certain amount of composure, for nothing presented itself that Icould fear, and it seemed as if little information could be gained by acloser inspection.
Those who had built this hut had long since departed whence they came,or were stilled by the hand of death; there was nothing left forme,--no companionship, no information, nothing but the knowledge gainedthat the island had been inhabited either by chance or by colonization,and those who had visited it had built this hut, and, no doubt, broughtthe goats, tobacco, and sweet potatoes that had so long puzzled mybrains to account for. Was this hut all, or was it one of a series? Wasit the preparatory discovery to many others, or lone and solitary?Alas! I knew not.
Having completely recovered my composure and stilled my beatingpulses, I advanced to examine more minutely the cause of my amazementand fright. Passing within what had formerly been the door, I foundmyself in a space of at least nine feet square, enclosed within rough,strong, but ruined walls. The remains of shelves were plainly visibleupon the walls, and evidences of a prolonged occupation at some formerday by civilized persons met my view. The hut had evidently never hadany flooring, and in its place a long and luxuriant grass flourished.Passing further into the interior, I moved towards the southerlywall--the door opening towards the eastward--and proceeded to examinethat portion. My eye caught, half way up the wall, a sort of projectingshelf, with something evidently made by human hands still clingingto its battered and weather-worn surface. I rushed eagerly towardsit, but, before my hand could grasp it, I was almost thrown down bycatching my feet in an obstacle hidden in the long grass, between meand my object. Regaining myself with difficulty, I glanced down to seewhat had obstructed my progress, and found my feet _mixed up in thebones of a human skeleton_. I was not frightened, but shocked, and,clearing my feet with care, I stepped back and examined these mutewitnesses of former life. Here then, thought I, are the remains of oneat least who has lived and died upon my island long ages ago. How didhe come here? How long did he live here? Why did he die? Would thiseventually be my fate, and should I some day have to lie down and die,too, with no one to inter my bones? This human being was either aloneor else the last to succumb, or otherwise his bones would have beeninterred and not left to whiten the surface of the earth. Would thisbe my fate? To be sure, I had not as yet been sick one day so as tobe confined to my bed, and had only suffered from minor ills, such ascolds and slight summer attacks, but how long was it to be before Ishould be laid up in my own house, with fever or delirium, with noneto care for me? To be sure, I had carefully arranged affairs about mybed in case of such a contingency, having arranged a shelf, upon whichI had placed simple remedies, such as I had been able to collect,near to my hand, such as sulphur and saltpetre, with a few steepedherbs enclosed in jars ready for use to my hand, with spare matches,and lamps, and some preserved suet, etc. I had done everything that Icould do to preserve myself should I be taken suddenly and dangerouslyill; but what was to prevent me from at last coming to this very statebefore me, to die in my bed, and remain a grinning skeleton for somefuture generation to discover. Nothing but Divine Providence couldkeep me from this pitiable end. For if I did not escape it was only amatter of time when I should appear before others as this poor mortalappeared before me. I could not and would not believe that I wasreserved for so cruel a fate. I was unwilling to believe that God, whohad endowed me with enough intellect to construct and invent the manyuseful articles I had gathered around me, would allow me to perish,alone, uncared for, and unwept. My courage arose as I gazed upon theskeleton before me, and I moralized thus: You must have lived in anage when God had not granted to mortals the permission to discoverand utilize many of the arts and sciences of my day; you did not livewhen steam was the motive power, when the lightnings of the heavenswere made obedient to man to convey his demands and requests, when thepaddle-wheels of floating steamers beat the waters of all the oceans ofthe earth. All of these things, and many others, were unknown to you.My case is not as bad as yours was, if you were shipwrecked. I, of thiscentury, on this same island, have gathered about me, from nothing,strength and power. You, seemingly, have had only this rude hut overyour head. I have chances of escape; I doubt if you ever had any fromthe first day of your arrival, for I cannot conceive of your havingwillingly remained upon this desert isle. And now, poor mortal, passedaway so long ago, let us see if you can do anything for me, your livingprototype.
FINDING THE SKELETON.--PAGE 268.]
And, thus ending my musings, I kneeled down and commenced cuttingaway with my knife the long grass that surrounded and that was eveninterwoven with the bones. The clothes, if there had ever been any atthe time of death, had long since been destroyed and blown away bythe winds of heaven. From the narrow bone of the middle finger o
f theleft hand, which was nearest me, I drew off a handsome gold-chasedring, with a fine carbuncle for a jewel, the whole in a state ofperfect preservation. This at once announced that my unfortunate was acivilized being and one of some importance. Moving towards the righthand, I found the bones of the fingers imbedded in a tuft of grass,and, releasing them, I ascertained that they grasped some object intheir clasp, which remained partly buried in the ground and soilthat nature had piled up around it. Taking the point of my knife, Ireleased it, and held in my hand a beautifully chased silver snuff-box,encrusted and soiled by exposure, to be sure, but in a remarkable stateof preservation. I forced open the lid, and took out a small piece ofparchment, which almost crumbled under my fingers. Being, however,warned by my discovery, I acted with caution, and took the box and itscontents to a smooth stone outside the hut, and commenced examiningthe contents with care. The wrapper of parchment that crumbled undermy fingers disclosed another within it that was much better preserved,and, noticing carefully that there was no writing upon the outercovering, I cast it away and commenced opening the second, which wasalso of parchment, but in a good state of preservation. This was alsoblank, but within it was enclosed a third piece, not more than sixinches square when opened, on which were written these words:--
_Anno Dom. 1781,_
_Dec. ye 17th._
[cross]
_Being neare to death I putt this on record in hopes that some God-fearing mann maye find it and become my heir. I have burried under ye foot of ye large tree, distant 27 pases from ye sou-yeste corner of this hous, a fulle and complete hystorie of my life and where my treasur lyes. Alas! at ye bottom of the sea, but hence it maye by skill and fortytude bee recovered._
_Who he be that redes this, if of Christan breeding, I proclaim heir to me. If not Christan I hope he wille nott be able to read this, or discover my secret. Lette my bones be burried. My curse upon himn who uses this treasur butt for good, which I acquired by yeares of bloodshed. Wille God ever forgive me?_
_THOMAS SUTLAND._
As I finished reading the above I glanced out beyond the ruined walls,and saw before me the tree that was mentioned, but I did not move tosolve the mystery further. Here was matter enough for thought beforeme where I sat. What had been this mortal's life that he should hereset down that he had gained a treasure through bloodshed? I examinedcarefully the ink with which the document was written, and made up mymind that it was composed of blood, that this human being had probablywritten these lines with blood from his own veins some eighty yearsago; and, although the characters were faint, they were perfectlylegible. Treasure! what was treasure to me that was at the bottom ofthe sea? Ah! but I had a submarine boat with which I could seek forit. My curiosity began to be aroused, but my thoughts were still soconflicting that I did not yet fully grasp the information that theparchment conveyed. After a long musing I commenced again my searcharound the hut, and, in the first place, took from the shelf thearticle that had attracted my notice, which proved to be a perfectlyformed clay pipe, of heavy and ancient pattern, but as well preservedas the day it was laid upon the shelf. The stem, of whatever materialformed, had disappeared, but there was the bowl, just as used eightyyears ago. I put it carefully to one side, and again commenced myexplorations of the hut, which I began, by clearing away all the grassand shrubbery from within, and exposing, as far as practicable, theformer flooring. Suffice it to say that, after a long day's work,this was the amount of my discoveries and collections,--one rustygun-barrel, with stock and lock gone; the rusty remains of two largepistols, and one cutlass; the remnants of an iron pot, and openfireplace; and parts of a steel-plated helmet or fighting hat; withsmaller pieces of iron and steel, of which it was impossible now todistinguish the use or form, a golden ring, a silver snuff-box, apipe, a mass of useless, broken, rust-eaten steel and iron utensils,and a human skeleton. This was all, when gathered together, that myexplorations brought to view, except the precious document that wasto explain the whole. With a sad and despondent heart I called my petgoat to my side, and descended towards the yacht, and went on boardto think over my strange adventure. This island then had been knowneighty years ago, had been inhabited, even. Had this unfortunatebeen cast on shore alone as I was? No; his arms, hut, and utensilstold another story. Why had he remained in this solitary spot? Toexpiate some horrible crime? By the confession before me, it seemedlike it. How much character did this parchment, on the face of it,proclaim? In the first place, a bloody and savage nature, by its ownconfession; second, a fair, but not over excellent, education; third,a superstitious or cowardly fear of the Almighty in the hour of death,after confessed deeds of blood; fourth, a love of display, as exhibitedin the snuff-box and ring; fifth, authority and command of some degree,as shown by the remains of costly weapons. Thus I gave my brainexcitement all the night, instead of indulging my curiosity by tryingto discover the history referred to. My life had been so lonely that Ipostponed as long as possible the final revelation of the life of thisman. I played with the sensations that my discovery had evoked, as acat does with a mouse, or as a sailor with his last piece of tobaccoat sea, or a miser his gold. The sensation was so intoxicating to havesomething to think about out of the usual run that I did not choose tohave it solved, and yet was on fire to solve it. In the morning, aftera restless, sleepless night, I plunged into the waters of the bay andtook my customary bath, and then to breakfast, after which I commencedthe proseecution of my search with vigor. I proceeded to the southeastcorner of the hut and paced off twenty-seven paces, which brought meto the tree that my eye had already picked out as the one alluded to.With some iron utensils that I had brought from the yacht, includingthe iron coal-shovel and poker, I commenced making an excavation in theground. I dug a hole at least four feet deep before I found anythingout of the ordinary, but when at about that depth, my shovel struckupon something that was not earth, as I felt assured, and I soon laidopen before my eyes the top of what was evidently a wooden box of somefoot or two in diameter, but so interwoven with the roots of the treethat had evidently grown about it since it was placed there, that Iwas unable to extricate it. I therefore went on board of the yacht andreturned with a hatchet, and soon cleared away these obstructions,and dragged to the surface a rough wooden box, of an oblong shape,made of wood, of at least two inches in thickness originally, but nowworm-eaten, rotten, and ready to be broken to pieces with my handsalone. With a slight use of my hatchet I forced this carefully apart,and found, within, a package rolled in what had evidently at someformer time been birch bark. Peeling this off, I came to a glazedearthen or porcelain pitcher or jug with a large mouth and with handle,that would hold at least two quarts, the color of which was a dirtywhite or dusky brown. The mouth of this jug was closed with parchment,once carefully tied down, but now in a state of decomposition. Graspingmy prize, I went on board of my yacht to examine it more fully at myleisure. This whole adventure had so worked upon my nervous system thatI even went to work and got up steam and buoyed my anchor, ready tocast off at a moment's notice, before I would proceed further with myexamination. Why I did this I cannot tell. It was a sort of sailor'sprecaution, engendered by years of care and prudence. My reason told meI had nothing to fear; my nerves told me to get ready for any emergency.
Having seated myself quietly on deck, after making all the abovearrangements, I took the jug again in hand and commenced to tear offcarefully the parchment at the mouth. The outside one, being removed,disclosed another in a better state of preservation, and this seconda third, which, when removed, showed a large soft-wood plug or cover,fitting into the mouth of the jug, and profusely covered with a sortof pitch, which had evidently been melted and poured upon it, and wasprobably made from the resinous gums with which the island abounded.I soon had this started by repeated knocks of my knife-handle, andthe plug exposed, which, with the point of my knife, I had littledifficulty in extracting; having done which, I emptied upon the deck aroll of parchment, tied up with a broad band of the same material. Withintense emotion
I opened the roll, consisting of several sheets; and,written in black ink, but with similar errors and ancient spelling, asin the first document, I found the following, which, corrected intomodern English, read thus:--