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Cord and Creese by James De Mille
page 51 of 706 (07%)


THE MYSTERY OF COFFIN ISLAND.

When Brandon awaked on the following morning the sun was already high in
the sky. He rose at once and walked slowly up, with stiffened limbs, to
a higher spot. His clothes already were partly dry, but they were
uncomfortable and impeded his motion. He took off nearly every thing,
and laid them out on the sand. Then he examined his pistol and the box
containing cartridges. This box held some oil also, with the help of
which the pistol was soon in good order. As the cartridges were encased
in copper they were uninjured. He then examined a silver case which was
suspended round his neck. It was cylindrical in shape, and the top
unscrewed. On opening this he took out his father's letter and the
inclosure, both of which were uninjured. He then rolled them up in a
small compass and restored them to their place.

He now began to look about him. The storm had ceased, the waves had
subsided, a slight breeze was blowing from the sea which just ruffled
the water and tempered the heat. The island on which he had been cast
was low, flat, and covered with a coarse grass which grew out of the
sand. But the sand itself was in many places thrown up into ridges, and
appeared as though it was constantly shifting and changing. The mound
was not far away, and at the eastern end of the island he could see the
black outline of the rock which he had noticed from the ship. The length
he had before heard to be about five miles; the width appeared about one
mile, and in its whole aspect it seemed nothing better than the
abomination of desolation.

At the end where he was the island terminated in two points, between
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