This discovery now accounted to us for the tree-stump at the top of the
mountain with the initials cut on it; also for the patch of sugar-cane
and other traces of man which we had met with in the course of our
rambles over the island. And we were much saddened by the reflection
that the lot of this poor wanderer might possibly be our own, after
many years' residence on the island, unless we should be rescued by the
visit of some vessel or the arrival of natives. Having no clue whatever
to account for the presence of this poor human being in such a lonely
spot, we fell to conjecturing what could have brought him there. I was
inclined to think that he most have been a shipwrecked sailor, whose
vessel had been lost here, and all the crew been drowned except himself
and his dog and cat. But Jack thought it more likely that he had run
away from his vessel, and had taken the dog and cat to keep him
company. We were also much occupied in our minds with the wonderful
difference between the cat and the dog. For here we saw that while the
one perished like a loving friend by its master's side, with its head
resting on his bosom, the other had sought to sustain itself by
prowling abroad in the forest, and had lived in solitude to a good old
age. However, we did not conclude from this that the cat was destitute
of affection, for we could not forget its emotions on first meeting
with us; but we saw from this that the dog had a great deal more of
generous love in its nature than the cat, because it not only found it
impossible to live after the death of its master, but it must needs,
when it came to die, crawl to his side and rest its head upon his
lifeless breast.
Pages:
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120