flemings

I'ulau Tiolllan is all islalld. II tropical isle. We
rl'llwmlwr til(' bo) hooll storics of tropical i"le~. TIl('
I[oll~"onll I1lm;l nf such places I,ith gnlden sand~ alld
('''c,mut palms alld Hhonda Fleming. lor I,as it A,a or
Hita?l. bring Sllcet dreams. But "hocl'er thought about
tropical isle~ "ithout hal'ing the nllmc Rohin"on Cm..">!'
pas" hetlleell the ears! \0. thi" isn't Crusoe's i"lalifl.
out it ma) \\ell he. if one allo"$ onc's imaginatioll l"
a little.
~trllY
NOI' this stor) isn't reall> like Defoe's \('rsion. We
,He all sailors. and Ill' hale more romantic illtas. Others
hall' tra(~ed hi~tof) lind almost pro,cll our hero Bollin.on.
alias Alexallder Selkirk. to he nOlhing but a SI.'oUlldrf'1
put ashore for causing some discontent amongst the erel'
"f a trading ,cssel. We'lI not helielT that. either. Keel·
haul the man )C~! But put him ashore-nc'er! Sf'a
tillle is a far greater punishment. This stof) is the whule
truth ,.110 ,\(mld doubt tllat? Well. reao it.
It 'las long ago. elell before elaporators 1I('n'
inll'ntell. and H.H. 1:l;U "liS still in note form at Bath.
Fresh lIater \\as onl) fnund in "I'll." am! streams tIll' lazl bilge.rats to fill up. and damll the I"mlt'll.
Another !wur found him and his part} pulling a'la}
from this tropiuth
under Ihe ltloolllist sk). \Vh" \Ill;; missing? Alex Selkirk!
A quick check of the hanlml>l·k nl"l IHoIl'd lu' I,as n"t
in Ihe ship. Our Aln. h} thi~ timp hafl decide(l it I,a"
getting close to the ha} season. It lIas Sl'ptemher. lind
he \las bus} cll:1~ing Chiquita ,lith a pair of gra;;~
"hears.
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