The manuscript sent forth.
PERSEVERANCE ISLAND, SOUTH PACIFIC,
January, 1877.
I have decided. I am no longer in doubt. My mind is fully made up as
to the course I must take, and that it is of no use for me to remain
upon this island fretting my life away. I must escape, I must have
companionship, and I must choose. Each method presented to my mind has
its advantages, and I have long been in doubt which to adopt: but the
struggle is ended; I have fully made up my mind, and shall not swerve
from it. If I should try to escape I have the following methods open to
me: First, the submarine boat. If I should decide to use that method,
I should, in the first place, have to build a much larger one, with
room for provisions and bed; and, being larger, it would be propelled
much slower by goat power, for I could not utilize a steam-engine on
account of the oxygen it would eat up, and the necessary space that
would be needed for fuel. Now to build another, and larger boat, would
take time and patience, and would be practically useless when built;
so I dismissed this from my mind. The one I now had was too small
to carry provisions for myself and goats, enough to last any great
length of time; and the whole fabric was too crude to trust myself
in for a voyage of any length, supposing, even, that I could carry in
it sufficient food to sustain life. There was one principle, however,
in the submarine boat that I hated to give up, and that was the
perfect safety from storms on the surface: these I could escape at all
times,--and, again, I should never lose in the night-time what I made
in the day. There would be no drifting back, before the wind, whilst
I was asleep, but by descending from the surface at night I should
rest peacefully till morning, subject only to the slow drift of any
ocean current that I might encounter. In stormy weather also I could
always keep on my way in perfect calm, beneath the surface, without
resistance of any kind except the friction of the water. These points
were strongly in my favor; but I could not see any way to utilize them.
One great impediment would be the want of air. If I should have to
remain below the surface for any length of time beyond a few hours, I
should have to keep to work preparing and introducing new air. Then, if
my steering apparatus should get out of order, it would be difficult
to repair it, and if my goats should die, or become sick, I should
be utterly without any means of locomotion, and liable to be left
drifting about in mid-ocean till death ended my troubles. No; after
long and anxious consultation with myself, I was forced to give up all
idea of using my submarine boat, and, having so decided, put it wholly
and completely out of my mind, and did not allow myself to think of
it again in connection with my escape. This gave my mind relief to
concentrate itself upon the second means of escape, namely, the steam
yacht.
Here I was again puzzled. There was a great deal in its favor. I
should, of course, have to sleep, and during my sleep I should go to
leeward, before the wind, without reckoning of where I should bring
up. I felt that I could stop this drifting, to a degree, by making a
sort of bag of canvas, to be submerged in the ocean to a certain depth
to which the yacht could be anchored, so to speak, during the night.
She would, of course, still drift, but not one-quarter as much as she
would without it. Such an anchor was often used successfully, as I well
knew, in larger vessels, in gales of wind, to keep them head to sea,
and to prevent them drifting so rapidly to leeward before the blast as
they would without it. If I should risk this drifting I might also be
exposed to all kinds of weather and gales of wind to which my little
boat was hardly equal. I felt confident that she would not be safe in
a heavy seaway, and, if the machinery should break down, I should be
reduced to sails alone, which I could only handle in the daytime, and
which, in any sudden squall, might cause my being capsized for want
of assistance in taking them in. No; I knew the risk was too great.
I might never see land for months, if at all, if my machinery should
give out so as to compel me to use sails, which would often become
unmanageable by myself alone. No, I must give this idea up; and I did
so.
I next turned my thoughts to a catamaran boat, or life raft,--something
upon hollow cylinders, that could not capsize, and upon which I should
feel sure of being safe, as far as any fear I might have of the ocean.
This seemed more feasible than anything yet,--slow, to be sure, but
more safe than any of the foregoing. I had here the danger of being
washed off such a raft, the discomforts of being forced to go without
fire during any gale of wind, and to be utterly unable to advance,
with any great speed, towards my place of destination, unless the
wind should be, by chance, favorable. By this third method I should,
in reality, be exposed upon an open raft to the winds of heaven, for
how long a time God only knew. That I should suffer infinitely I felt
certain. I was too old not to see plainly just what I should have to go
through with to put to sea in such a vessel. I knew that it had been
done, and that just such rafts had crossed the Atlantic after many
weary days of passage, and others had started that were called life
rafts,--and believed so to be both by practical and scientific men, who
had examined them before their departure,--which had never been heard
of again. No, I would not trust myself to the mercies of the sea in
this manner, and exchange my pleasant island for its dangers.
My last chance of escape was by my flying-machine, and the many things
in its favor tempted me greatly, and at one time I thought that they
had overcome in my mind the danger. I could easily construct one of
these machines, that would take into the air both myself, my two
goats, provisions, spare sulphuric acid and steel filings to make
new gas, and if my machinery would work I could escape in safety, I
felt convinced. I could, as I have said, make new gas, even when on
my voyage; and if I should use up all my sand-bags, and needed more
ballast, I had only to let down a bucket into the ocean, attached to a
long line, and pull up as much water as I might need to overcome the
buoyancy of any new gas I might make. I might, also, if a favorable
wind should commence, fly like a bird towards the continent of South
America. But, on the other hand, if a gale should arise, I might, if
one of my fragile propellers should become broken, be hurled before
the blast till I floated above the vast ocean far beyond the reach
of mortal aid. If I dared trust my machinery this would be the way I
should make my attempt; but I did not feel that I had the right to risk
my life in this manner, or by any of the above methods, till I had
exhausted all means of making the outside world come to me. Therefore,
after due and serious consideration, I made up my mind firmly not to
try to escape by any of the above plans, or by any means, till I had
tried the other alternative.
This decision having once been firmly made, I felt that more than half
my task was already done; for it was this shilly-shallying that was
undoing me. Anything was better than to waste my life in this useless
wavering. What good to me was all my wealth unless I could utilize it?
and to do so I must run some risks, and the quicker I undertook them
the quicker I should be put out of my pain and misery if my plans were
to be successful, and the more years I should have to enjoy my princely
revenues. I could not better affairs by any act of mine. It was all in
the hands of God, and I might as well now, as at any time, give myself
up to what He might order for the best.
Having thus made up my mind to let my position be known to the outside
world, and to ask for assistance and aid, I had next to settle upon the
best plan. If I should send up, daily, one or more small balloons, with
a piece of parchment attached, giving the latitude and longitude of the
island and asking for rescue, I ran several risks. In the first place,
I was well aware that in these days, on board steamers, with passengers
especially, anything and everything was thought of to pass away an
idle hour, and that albatrosses, when caught, were fitted out often
with letters and legends tied to their feet; that, in sport, bottles
were often thrown overboard containing fables and yarns of shipwreck
and disaster, and I was very much afraid that, if one of my balloons
should be picked up, it would be taken as a hoax, as the first thing
would be to examine the chart, and no island would be found to exist
where I now write these lines. Besides, if anybody should pick up one
of my balloons, which at sea was improbable, it would, I fear, be taken
little account of. For, although I might send up hundreds, the chance
of their falling into the water so as to be seen by any vessel, in the
daytime, near enough to be distinguished from a nautilus, was extremely
and infinitesimally small. No, I had little hope in this direction.
On the other hand, should they reach land, the chart would show that
there was no known land in the direction specified, and the whole thing
would be taken as a hoax from the next neighboring town, and I felt
sure no attention would be paid to it. And if any of them landed on the
coast of South America, as was possible, and even probable, the English
language, in which they would be written, would be so much Greek to
the natives. On the other hand, should one of them be picked up by a
vessel, and search made for the island, what guarantee had I that I
would be allowed to preserve my treasure?
No! I felt that small balloons would be of little use to me, and, in
fact, might do more harm than good. What should I do to prove that I
was in earnest; that there was such an island, and that I was upon
it, in person; and that I needed help and assistance, which I could
repay? Why, I felt convinced, by writing a history of all my sorrows,
troubles, and tribulations, that would bear upon its face the impress
of truth, would carry conviction to any mind that would read it, and
would prove to the intellect of any one that it was not _fiction_, but
truth, in all its majesty, never to be mistaken for the former.
This, I felt, was the only way to reach out towards a rescue, and it
is for this purpose that all that has been herein set down has been
penned. Having made my mind up firmly to this, I have written all the
above, to be launched into space. Let me beg that my story may be
believed, and that I may be rescued; let me ask of you, who find this,
by God's grace, to weigh each word and sentence, and feel that you are
reading no romance. I shall attach this to a balloon of size, so as to
float long in the air, and to attract attention, if ever observed by
any one, both by the strangeness of its make and these parchment sheets
upon which I have written.
And now let me proclaim to the world the following,--for if this
manuscript ever does come into the hands of anyone who intends to seek
me out, let all that is contained therein be perfectly understood:--
PROCLAMATION.
_In the name of God, Amen._--Be it known to all men, that I, William
Anderson, a citizen of the United States of America, do here solemnly
declare that I am the discoverer, and at this present the occupant, of
an island in the South Pacific Ocean, which I have named Perseverance
Island, and that said island lies in the latitude of 42° 21' S., and
longitude 119° 11' 15'' W. of Greenwich. That I was cast on shore, and
miraculously saved by the goodness of God, on Nov. 10, 1865, and that
I claim as my own, in the name of the United States, all this hitherto
unknown island as my property, belonging to me and my heirs forever;
and, inasmuch as I have discovered upon and about this island immense
treasures, as recited in a narrative hereto annexed, I ask, demand, and
pray for the protection of the United States, and hope that it will
be deemed both fitting and proper to dispatch a man-of-war to protect
me, for which assistance I am fully ready and capable of reimbursing
the government for any outlay; and further, let it be well understood
that I, the aforesaid William Anderson, will resist to the death any
encroachment upon my property, by whomsoever made; and that for the
protection of myself, my treasure, and my island, it is hereby plainly
stated, all manner of instruments of defence have been made by me, the
said William Anderson, and that the harbors of the island are strewed
with torpedoes, and that it is highly dangerous to attempt to land
upon any part of the island without intercourse with, and consent of,
myself. And that there may be no mistake, and that I may know that if
any that approach have seen this proclamation, and acknowledge my just
claims and pity my long years of solitude and suffering, I issue the
following set of signals, to be by them used in token of amity and that
they come to me as friends, otherwise they will be treated as enemies;
and although my wealth is great, as herein related, it is believed that
pity for my sufferings will touch the heart of any in the civilized
world, and I do look most for succor and comfort from the ships of war
of the United States of America.
The signals to be made by any vessel approaching the island, which
would be in safety, and rules for anchorage, etc., are the following,
and must be strictly observed:--
If in the daytime, the vessel, if a steamer, will stand in to the mouth
of Mirror Bay till the two iron discs on the mainland are in line, or
nearly so, when she will anchor, in six fathoms of water, and then
fire three guns, two from the starboard side, one from the port side,
and then run up the colors of her nation to the mizzen peak. A sailing
vessel will follow these orders except that greater license will be
granted her in coming to in a line with the two discs.
If a vessel makes the island in the night-time, she will heave to, or
stand off and on, and not attempt to approach, by boat or otherwise,
at her peril, till the morning; keeping up, during the night, a red
signal lantern at the fore, and firing one gun; when, in the morning,
she can stand in under the rule preceding this, for daytime. Having
anchored and signalled, the same will be answered by the occupant of
the island by two guns from South Cape, when a boat can then come on
shore, containing three persons, one officer and two seamen, who, if
unarmed, will be allowed to land, and, if honest and true men, as is
to be hoped, remuneration for all their trouble in seeking me out
will be freely granted. But let it be distinctly understood that all
my treasures, of both gold, silver, and pearls, are no longer hidden
in the places described in my narrative, but have been removed, and
carefully re-hidden, and that an attempt to take my life and possess
one's self of my treasures will be futile, for their burying-place will
never be known; and I shall resist all aggression with all my might and
strength, and, if need be, give up my life in defending my treasure,
that I have watched over for so many years.
In my lonely, solitude, with none but the hand of the ever-present
Providence spread over to protect me, I sign the above proclamation as
my will and desire.
WILLIAM ANDERSON.
PERSEVERANCE ISLAND, South Pacific, Jan. 10, 1877.
And now I have done. I am about to cast this manuscript to the winds
of heaven, to be conveyed hence to where God shall think best. Let me
beg that the subject-matter of the "Good Luck" may be published in the
London newspapers, when attention may be brought to the case, and the
old society may send for me, and believe in me much quicker than the
outside world will.
I know but little French, but, to still further protect this manuscript
I add these few lines, from what remains to me in memory, of the
sailor's French that I once picked up, in Havre, in years gone by, so
that this may not be thrown carelessly away if it falls into the hands
of any who can speak that lingo.
AVIS.
Ne jetez pas cette papier; c'est écrit en Anglais et est DE GRAND
IMPORTANCE. Faites rendre en Français, et vous trouverai une vraie
historie d'or et de l'argent trouvé par moi sur une isle dans l'océan
Pacific.
* * * * *
I have no more to add. I have finished my story with regret. I am tying
this manuscript together, and inflating the balloon that is to carry it
where God wills.
I will believe in His justice, and await in patience His reply to my
many prayers.
WILLIAM ANDERSON.
[Illustration: THE MANUSCRIPT COMMITTED TO THE WINDS.--PAGE 372.]
L'ENVOI.
It may be interesting to call to the attention of those whose eyes it
may have escaped, the following that appeared in the _New York Herald_
of June 16, 1880:--
"_In addition to our account of the wonderful story and succor of
William Anderson, from his Pacific Island, with all his treasures,
and his arrival at this port in the U. S. S. S. Tallapoosa, published
in our last evening's edition, we have to state that, at a late hour,
it was ascertained that this remarkable personage, who appears in
excellent good health and spirits, will at once sail by one of the
Cunarders for London to confer with his associates there, who were
the originators of the "Good Luck" scheme. He states that, having no
relatives, he shall, without doubt, expend the larger portion of his
immense wealth for charitable purposes, and that it is very probable
he may return to Perseverance Island, with a colony, there to end his
days._"
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Otherwise, the author's
original spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been left intact.