Page 507 - Child's own book

sail* W e had not proceeded far before we saw the two immense
birds approaching us, and soon after they hovered over the ship;
one of them let fall an enormous fragment of stone, which fell
into the sea close beside the ship ; but the other let fall a frag­
ment which split our ship. I caught hold of a piece of the wreck*
with which I was borne by the wind and tide to an island, the
shoTe of which was very steep* I readied the dry land, and
having found the most delicious fruits and excellent water, I
became refreshed. Further in the island, I saw a feeble old
man sitting near a rivulet: when I inquired of him how he
came thither^ he only answered by signs for me to carry him
over the rivulet, that he (night cat some fruit. 1 took him on
my back, and crossed the brook; but, instead of getting down, L*
clasped his legs so firmly round my throat, that I thought he
would have strangled me ; so that with pain and fright I soon
fainted. When 1 recovered, the old fellow was still in his for­
mer position, and lie quickly made me rise up and walk under
the trees, while he gathered the fruit at his ease. This lasted a
considerable time. One (lay, while carrying him about, 1 picked
np a large gourd,called a calabash; and having cleared out the
inside, 1 pressed into it the juice of grapes. Having filled it, I
left it for several days, and at length found that it became excel­
lent w ine. I drank of thisj and for a while forgot my sorrows^
so that I began to sing with cheerfulness. The old man made
me give him the calabash ; and liking the flavour of the wine,
he drank it off—soon became intoxicated—fell from my shoul­
ders, and died in convulsions. I hastened to the sea-side, and
soon found the crew of a skip. They told me I had fallen into
the hands of the Old Man of the Sea, and was the first person
that had ever escaped. I sailed with them, and the captain,
when we landed, took me to some persons whose employment
was to gather cocoa-nuts. W e all took up stones and pelted