companion. My amusements were equally confined--looking down into the
depths of the ocean, as I lay over the rocky wall which girded the
major portion of the island, and watching the motions of the finny
tribes below, wondering at the stars during the night season, eating,
and sleeping. Thus did I pass away an existence without pleasure and
without pain. As for what my thoughts were I can hardly say, my
knowledge and my ideas were too confined for me to have any food for
thought. I was little better than a beast of the field, that lies
down on the pasture after he is filled. There was one great source of
interest however, which was, to listen to the sleeping talk of my
companion, and I always looked forward to the time when the night
fell and we repaired to our beds. I would lie awake for hours,
listening to his ejaculations and murmured speech, trying in vain to
find out some meaning in what he would say--but I gained little; he
talked of "that woman"--appearing to be constantly with other men,
and muttering about something he had hidden away. One night, when the
moon was shining bright, he sat up in his bed, which, as I have
before said, was on the floor of the cabin, and throwing aside the
feathers upon which he had been lying, scratched the mould away below
them and lifted up a piece of board. After a minute he replaced
everything, and lay down again. He evidently was sleeping during the
whole time. Here, at last, was something to feed my thoughts with. I
had heard him say in his sleep that he had hidden something--this
must be the hiding place. What was it? Perhaps I ought here to
observe that my feelings towards this man were those of positive
dislike, if not hatred; I never had received one kind word or deed
from him, that I could recollect. Harsh and unfeeling towards me,
evidently looking upon me with ill-will, and only suffering me
because I saved him some trouble, and perhaps because he wished to
have a living thing for his companion,--his feelings towards me were