PART OF A HINDOO PAGODA.
"On the island of Ramisseram is a large Hindoo pagoda, where a great many pilgrims go at certain seasons of the year. There are also two very old tombs which the Mohammedans say belong to Cain and Abel. Some writers have thought the Garden of Eden was in Ceylon, and the Arabs say that when the children of Adam were scattered they went north toward India, and Cain and Abel were buried in this island."
The steamer sailed about sunset, and on the next morning she anchored in the harbor of Point de Galle. The day was passed in pleasant drives and walks around the place, and in closing up letters which would be taken a couple of days later by the weekly steamer that touches there on her way from the Far East to Europe. At sunset the steamer sailed again, and turned around the coast of Ceylon to head northward into the Bay of Bengal, and the next day she steamed along the coast with the shore nearly always in sight, her destination being Negapatam, on the coast of India.
There were about a dozen passengers in the cabin of the steamer; they included, besides our friends, two government officials with their wives, a member of the clergy of the Church of England, two planters going from Ceylon to Madras on business, and a little group of three strangers who could not be made out at a first glance. It soon became known that they were actors who had been playing in the cities of Ceylon, and were now on their way to India, where they hoped to make a profitable tour of the country.
On the second evening of the voyage the actors entertained the rest of the passengers with songs and recitations till it was time to put out the lights. The next morning Frank and Fred were in consultation with Doctor Bronson relative to a scheme they had concocted for contributing to the fund of amusement. The Doctor gave his assent, with the remark that they had been working and studying very diligently for some time, and a little recreation would be quite in order. "Besides," said he, "it is quite proper when at sea for all to contribute what they can conveniently to the entertainment of their fellow-passengers; they are doubly rewarded for the effort, as they secure occupation for themselves, and thus pass the voyage agreeably, and at the same time add to the happiness of those who are on board with them."
For a couple of days very little was seen on deck of the two youths; the weather was of the temperature that kept the cabins comfortable, and enabled them to conduct the work on which they were so mysteriously engaged. The steamer stopped at Negapatam for a couple of hours, but the captain said there was nothing to be seen on shore, and, therefore, the labor was not interrupted. Then she steamed on to Pondicherry, and in the evening, when dinner was over, a notice was circulated to the effect that there would be a grand exhibition in the cabin, to which the captain and passengers were invited. "It will be," said the bill, "a panorama of the wonderful adventures of Robinson Crusoe, in prose and poetry, and also in pictures prepared at vast expense by two celebrated artists who have engaged passage on this ship regardless of expense."
At the appointed time the passengers assembled, and the boys stepped before the curtain—a table-cover borrowed from the steward. Frank was the speaker of the occasion, while Fred had charge of the panorama: the latter consisted of a series of sketches in heavy crayon, with occasional touches from a box of water-colors to heighten the effect. As soon as quiet had been secured, Frank began:
"Ladies and Gentlemen,—It is hardly to be supposed there is any one in this vast audience who has not read the story of Robinson Crusoe, which we are about to illustrate; consequently, I will not tell you about him, especially as he never existed at all, and was never thought of till a Scotch sailor named Alexander Selkirk lived all alone for four years on an island in the Pacific Ocean. The adventures of this sailor gave Daniel Defoe the hint to write the story of Crusoe: it has been done in verse by some one else, and it is the poetical version which I shall now give you."
Frank paused an instant while Fred placed the first picture of the series on a temporary easel, composed of the back of a chair, which stood on the end of the cabin table. As soon as the picture was adjusted Frank recited the lines:
"'When I was a lad my fortune was bad,
My grandfather I did lose, oh;
I'll wager a fan you've heard of the man,
His name it was Robinson Crusoe.'"Now," said Frank, "it is customary to sing this song to an accompaniment, but we are out of music to-night, and the audience must be contented with a recitation. If we gave it in song, we should expect you to join in the chorus, which would be in the following words:
"Oh, poor Robinson Crusoe! Oh, poor Robinson Crusoe!
Sing tinky ting tang, sing tinky ting tang,
Oh, poor Robinson Crusoe!'"By this time Fred had changed the scene—that is, he had removed the first picture and brought out the second. Frank then proceeded:
"'You've read in a book of a voyage he took,
How the raging whirlwinds blew, so
That the ship with a shock fell plump on a rock,
Near drowning poor Robinson Crusoe.'"But we need have no fears of sharing the same fate," said Frank, "as we are in a steamer instead of a sailing-ship, and the raging whirlwinds would not be so likely to drive us on shore; and, besides, we are not in the season of typhoons, and everything promises us a prosperous voyage. Next picture."
The appearance of this work of art was the signal for the recital of the third verse of the old song:
"Poor soul! none but he escaped from the sea.
Ah, Fate! Fate! how could you do so?
At length he was thrown on an island unknown,
And saved was poor Robinson Crusoe.'"The next picture was produced with great promptness, and the audience was left to pick out the various properties of the hero of the story, while Frank continued:
"'But he saved from on board a gun and a sword,
And another old matter or two, so
That by dint of his thrift he managed to shift
Pretty well for poor Robinson Crusoe.'"A contemplation of this admirable painting," said Frank, "will show you how much may be accomplished by very small means with a man of determination, or what amounts to pretty much the same thing, a man that can't help himself. It is hardly necessary to say that the hero of our story was obliged to make the best of everything, and the next picture shows how he accomplished it.
"He wanted something to eat, and couldn't get meat,
The cattle away from him flew, so
That but for his gun he'd been sorely undone,
And starved would poor Robinson Crusoe.'"By this time Fred had become accustomed to handling the sketches, and the change was made with great alacrity. Frank rested a moment till the eyes of the audience had sufficiently scanned the picture presented for their inspection, and which revealed the interior of Crusoe's residence when that gentleman was at dinner, with his pets about him. "The parrot will speak for himself," said Frank, "and therefore we will proceed with the narrative. The rest of the pets have never been known to talk, except in fables, and therefore we may conclude that they had nothing to say, though there is no reason to doubt that they were always glad to see their master, and did their best to console him and to lighten the burden of his solitude. From the appearance of things we may regard the family as a happy one.
"'He happened to save from the merciless wave
A poor parrot, believe me 'tis true, so
That when he came home from his wearisome roam,
She'd cry out 'Poor Robinson Crusoe!'""The explanation of the next picture may possibly be a tax on your credulity," said Frank; "but it is so stated in the song, and I cannot alter the words as they were originally written. The author doubtless availed himself of what is called 'the poet's license,' and followed Crusoe's example of using everything at his command.
"'Then he got all the wood that ever he could,
And stuck it together with glue, so
He made him a hut, in which he did put
All the flocks of Robinson Crusoe.'"At the termination of the second line Frank placed his fingers together to form an imaginary house-roof and indicate the way in which the castle of Robinson Crusoe was constructed. He explained to the audience that there had been much controversy concerning this matter, and it had happened in several instances that individuals who experienced no difficulty in believing Robinson Crusoe had really existed, and accepted his story as a true one, were thrown into a condition of doubt by the announcement that he employed glue in building his house. They argued that, in the first place, glue was difficult if not impossible for him to procure; and, secondly, it was a very poor material to use in cementing a roof. "But we will drop this discussion," said he, "and go on to the next scene. You will allow me to remark that the arrival of Friday made an end of the solitude of Robinson Crusoe, and gave him the human companionship he desired.
"While his man Friday kept the house snug and tidy—
For be sure 'twas his business to do so—
They lived friendly together, less like servant than neighbor,
Lived Friday with Robinson Crusoe."And here is the portrait of the hero of the story," said Frank, as the next picture was brought out, "and you can judge of his personal character by the appearance of his features. His clothing is not such as would secure him ready admission to the best society of England and America; but, as he had no prying neighbors, and nobody to criticise his actions, it is not at all strange that he adopted this style of dress, particularly when there were no tailors and no ready-made clothing-stores on the island.
"'Then he wore a large cap, and his clothes without nap,
And a beard as long as a Jew, so
That when dressed in his coat he resembled a goat
More than poor Robinson Crusoe.'"And now comes the last," said Frank, as the closing picture of the series was produced. "And allow us to thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your attention, and to express the hope that our efforts at whiling away part of the evening have not been altogether in vain. Alexander Selkirk disappeared from history when he left the island of Juan Fernandez and returned to England, and the story of Robinson Crusoe terminates in the same way. Our exhibition closes with the welcome arrival of the ship.
"'At length within hail he saw a stout sail,
And he took to his little canoe, so
When he reached the ship they gave him a trip,
And to England brought Robinson Crusoe.'"
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
THE SHIPWRECK. 
LANDING OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
CRUSOE'S EQUIPMENT. 
CRUSOE AND HIS GUN. 
CRUSOE AND HIS PETS. 
CRUSOE'S CASTLE. 
ARRIVAL OF FRIDAY. 
PORTRAIT OF THE HERO. 
A SAIL! A SAIL!