Nuhou, Volume II, Number 8, 8 August 1873 — PEN PICTURES OF THE PACIFIC. CRUSOE'S CAVE, JUAN FERNANDEZ. [ARTICLE]

PEN PICTURES OF THE PACIFIC.

CRUSOE'S CAVE, JUAN FERNANDEZ.

[Written for the Nuhou ] Thc great, in facfc the on!y } spot of mtei'est on thc island of Juan Fernandez is Robin«on Cru-! soc's cavc. Cruj?oe's cave ! llow strange it seems 3 ] to say that it still cxist;s, and how mueli etranger i it sccms to say that one has seen it! What a Golconda of literary fictions it has been ; \vhīit a ! focus of juvenilc thought it is, anel what a eliikl'e L T topia it cver will be ! Fairy tales \yill be read and fbrgotten, studies will be taken up and neglected, and business will be engaged in and pursuedj but Robinson Crusoc will bc a life's thoughts. The reality upon wliieh ite narration is founded s gives it an unconsciouB hokl upon a young mind and colors it with a thrilling intcrest few fictions posscss,and onee theiuterest becomes thoroughly aroused in it, that .is never wholly lost. What a legion of embry Robinson Crusoe have been created (in livcly imaginations) among the susceptible youth of all nations, by t-he writing and sequent readlng of the history of that cave and its involuntary celibrate with the associations connected with both ? I was an unassuming member of the susceptible fraternity in the days of my youth, when my chief pleasure and occupations werepunching small boys, courting young damsels and trying to read iairy tales and other historical romances. In my creative imagination, I had the island transformcd into a land overflowing wUh milk and honcy, wliere ī might climb Farnasūs to watch the Muscs performingpn ilelieon opposite, while a Ganymede or Friday dished up the spark!ing Nectar 111 a diamond goblet } after whieh Ii rolied gracefully elown the skle of the custardpudding mount and coolcd myself in the Lethean waters below. How niee it was? But ehiklhood ? s happy dream has passed like a fleeting cloudofj gildcd vapor,—faneiful andpleasing, but ethereai and unreal, but in its stead, harsh, uncolored re- • ality has appeared to dispel any traces the dream | may have leffc. Instead of finding thc Elysium of my youtb, I found a wild, uninviting island, as (mountanous as it was deserted, a twenty-four | hours' residence ūpon it bcing enough to satisfy i the longings of any one but a lunatic or an enj thusiast. As a plaee of great natural beauty it | is well worfch a single visit, but beyond the ro- | manee attachcd to it, there is little attractiou' | about it for a visitor. | But to rcturn. The cave is several huudred I fcet from the heaeh, iu the side of one of scveral j mountain.s ecparating thc valley whieh it is iu | from the valk»y opcmng ou Cumbei'laud Bay, | whcrc all vessels anchor. To reaeh the cave by ; land from thc anehorage \alley is next to iuipos- | sible, especlally if iime was liiuited\)r one % s lower ■ extremities parfieularly weak, but It might be I aceomplished iu thfee evcntualitics: First # by devoti«g a whole day to tlie uudertakiug , seeond, by ploddiug eix miles up # dowu and around mountains to make? onē ; third, by riskiug onc % s | life an unlimited number of tlmes while makiog the l sis n*ile*N īn tlie event of any one uudertuking this knd j\nssage, the following suggestious might l>e 1 wlul : Cut them out. (I had a little | expericn<s in climbing t!iere myself ? aud it is! with feeling of thc deepe§t that I . &ke the trouble to peu these suggestions for thc iollowers iu my iooUteps.) I drces 6hould '.>c as lig!it auJ sluiplc as

J - I - - - , 1 i-jf (lii* f would jadoption the King of l)ahomey'6 costumc 01 ; postage stamp on the forheaā- This eostume eool, and offers no impediment whotever to ; n motions. A lose canvas iobe might add i j :i.. * j coiufort, in prote&ting liim from thoriiS and C.j of any, elide. The only j ticlcps absoiutely nccessafy ) are a good stout btl;l j a fcw fect in iength, to use as a motive pow.-. I and a flask of doublc < r listilled extract ol chul r j liglitmng. The flask phoukl be carefully tended to anU frequent]y tested, rapid evapoiaiion generaliy takes plaee wLe;: i$ a steepaseent. youmight eake an op-e;. if you wish to take the trouble of your steps, but that would be useless, as onc,fiequently takes a uozen ?;teps down when he e« peeU to take one step,up. There are but tw r more unimpoitant t>uggestions: one is s bef;-;-. 6tarting, make a firm i|esolution not to let yov r . angry passion rise so fap as to give vent to theL. in Janguage more than elegant, and tL i», ilave a sinali boy in advance with a be, iow)s to pump in an ocvasionai supply of winv.. your own gives ou|t. The however> is neither so d;zl cu!fj nor so dangerous. By taking a boat, a pi;l: of about a mile and a half around the base of : projecting mountain will bring one to the f.-A :' the valley in wliieh the cave is. i * ** I * " * ! As before stated, thejcave is only u few Luu drecl feet from the head, ,in the slde of a mouiat;/. faciiig the west. Thc mouth of the eave is irrvg- ! ulai in shape, f_>rming an imperfect . abotit twenty feet wide!at the base and tweu: t ; | feet high at the apex, whieh may be takeu as - dimension« of the īuterio|r^jjeptli bcing tv?cl ■ fect| From the entranj?e the sides slope ward so ns to form acute' angles with the grjuL.„ Theintcrior is rough, a$ if eut out with a nxe|or similar tool,, anj_makei. eo. .poleMoi;.; sha]hc or regularity. A few places were dug ; in the sidcs for keeping |iis poi'eelain, silver w.\;', or other househoid artieles, but these, like eave, wcre empty. The on!y thiugs iu t;:e c;v . wcrb a fcw nails drivcu.iu a coruer, wliieh L;J; most probably beeu pla<jed there by som; vi-i;. or later oceupant. The entrance had onee Lee; elosj*d with rustie work <pf brancbcs filled iu wi v . • mud, but tliis was all gone escept a suiall pk tbat lookei.l as if it baa beeu rccoutlj ropairci. And this was the housc aud liom,cof R . Crusoc for four years and f.«ur iuoatlts. | j As I tliougiit ot the lot of that ui;.::, j gi'out l>ig tea*s of mcaudct\\l ai-aee^u^ |do\\ju uiy iosjjp <h«ckf| aud I sootlicd oulj( after \Yaibliugs of ■ • e 1.. (liuudi:ct.l." To thiuk pf liviug four jcars au.. ( uioutli!> with " uoiliiu' to ate but* puuii I wuUkm', 16 tuougli to dra\v jLiKhrsina ehna: I froui tlie ejes of a teuiperauee luiui. £ut, whi.. ( lio \vas deuied mauj pleaiurefi, lie \vas spau.. I alllietious of ordiuajj- life that balaueed tl;„ loss«ps lie sustaiued. Ue liad uot Uw trial; o; r iiusi\mj, thc eures oi a pthex, ihe <4uarreli ... lo\c|, tlie ti-oulilcs of a brother, uor auj of tliousaud aud oae ever].astiiijj Iktle sufferiu£i... luu to uudergo wheu uuder thc mjitic au..; halelul iuflueuecs the ūeai;, dear. cues. iu t|ic kuovrlc\lge that ljic ttas far £roui teaiiu;u, aud tjramy, lie should havc l\xu eoaieu, Nmiu wherc he \vas aud die iu peaee. E,;: ! he v,\ts uot coutcut, dcluded uiau,. ~