Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, December 1956 — page 141: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

to sea in case we might be sighted by savages armed with bows. We saw no sign of.any other. humans. I believe we are the sole inhabi- tants. We have just now returned at dusk and I would say that our island is approximately two miles in diameter and almost circular in shape. May 3 | Leaving Seamen Rollins and Burke to tend the signal fires, and fortified by the reports from our navigation around the isle, we have organized a party of seven armed with knives and cutlasses for fur- ther reconnoitering of the island. I would to God we could have salvaged a few firearms but in their lieu we have had to con- struct some crude. bows and arrows to hunt with. Some of the men have become quite proficient in their use and I myself practice when I have time as skillful ma- nipulation might some day prove expedient. If only my father and mother could see their pride and joy now—what a regal picture would confront them; hatless, hair and beard down to collar, raga- mufin uniform, shiny cutless at my side and bow and arrows in my hand. The caption might read, “Lieutenant Harry Crane of His Majesty’s Service stalking a squir- rel.” May 7 Tragedy has struck. Seaman Fo- SIX AND TWO MAKE NINE .- ley, on a medicinal expedition with Surgeon Rowan, was bitten. by a poisonous snake this morning. Luckily they were not far from our hut. We heard his cry.and helped him back to the hut where Surgeon Rowan bled him. It is evening now and his fever seems to have gone down a bit. Lt. Benton offered Thanks at supper for the refuge of this isle and its abundance and also for the speedy recovery of Sea- man Foley. May 8 Foley continues in a delirium. I seemed to have contracted a slight fever but have found a plant that seems to help. May 9 Foley’s fever has gone down enough that he does not have to be attended at night and I feel better than at anytime since we landed. May-10 We buried Foley today about twenty yards to the rear of the house. The poor fellow must: have lapsed into a delirium and killed himself. Surgeon Rowan found him this morning in his cot with his throat slit from ear to ear. The surgeon’s scalpel lay on the floor in a pool of blood. Needless to say the good man feels extremely up- set over the incident. He feels that if he had had a strong-box in which to lock his instruments this could not have happened. 139 EOPMNICGLOOC)KS5(EO