We boarded our ship on the 20^th of March at about 2.00pm. It was a fine day and we were all looking forward to our holiday. We sailed out from Southport at 5.00pm. As we set sail the captain spoke to us saying he hoped we would enjoy our cruise.

I was enjoying my holiday and the weather was fine when we hit bad weather in the fifth week. One night after dinner I went to my cabin early and I fell asleep. All of a sudden I was woken by the noise of people shouting and crying and saying that we had hit a bad storm. It was getting very windy and the waves were coming in and over the ship. We were sinking!

I had to get out quick and find my way to the deck. The noise was frightening and the water was getting closer. I had to find a life jacket before the ship sank! On deck it was hell as people were screaming and trying to get into lifeboats. I had to jump into the sea as the ship was sinking fast. Once in the water I swam hard and fast to get away. The waves were making it hard to swim but soon I found a piece of wood to hold on to. It was getting dark and stormy and it was getting hard for me to stay awake.

It was daylight before I knew it and when I saw some birds I knew land was not far away. I had to paddle like hell to get there. Before I could reach the shore I hit a coral reef which made it harder to swim to the shore. Wh4en I reached it I fell asleep.

When I woke I was still exhausted and because of that I did not do much that day. All I wanted to do was find something to keep myself warm and dry for the first night on the island. I started looking around for something and a while later I found a lifeboat. I managed to drag it up on the shore and I looked for any damage on it. It was fine and it would do until I found something better in the morning. I turned it over. It was nice and warm and I settled down for the night.

I had a good night’s sleep and when I woke I looked out to sea and saw that the ship was about a mile out. I then decided to go out to it and see what I could find. I went to the lifeboat and turned it over and pushed it into the water. I found a piece of wood to use as a paddle.

It took me an hour to get to the ship. It was lying deep in the water and I knew I hadn’t long to look around before it sank. I climbed aboard and managed to find a radio, flares, food, some batteries, fresh water and some tools. I put them all into my boat and then went back for a quick look around to see what was left. I found more food, a tent and some blankets. I had to be quick as the ship was sinking fast now. I jumped into my boat used my oar to get way from the sinking ship. By the time I got back to the shore I was exhausted. I sat down on the beach for a while before I decided what to do next.

The next thing I decided to do was to look around the island and find somewhere to set up my home for as long as I was there. It had to be warm and dry. Soon I found a cave. It was away up from the beach. I put all my things in there and went to find somewhere to set up my flares. It needed to be somewhere up away from the trees.

When I got back to the cave I checked the radio to see if it was working. I had to check all the parts. By now I was getting hungry and I looked to see what food I had. I found some tins of meat and fruit. That would do for now. Then I made a fire and settled down for the night.

In the morning I looked for fresh water. I decided to make a fishing rod and see if I could catch some fish. I looked around to see what kind of fruit trees were on the island and see which ones were alright to eat. I soon found plenty that were safe. Then I went to check the flares to see if they were alright and to look and see if there were any signs of life on the island.

A day later I took some food and water with me and I went to the other side of the island to see what I could find. It took me a while to get there and when I did I got the shock of my life. I found signs of life and I knew someone else was on my island. Someone had built a fire where I stood. The fire was cold and I some animal bones beside it. I walked on and found more signs of life. By now I was getting a bit frightened about what I might find next. Before I knew it I saw someone standing by a tree. He looked at me and then ran off. It must have been a big shock for him to see me standing there. I wondered what I should do next. Should I run after him or leave him alone for a while? I had to sit down as I had started to shake. But then I decided to go after him.

I found him sitting by a fire. He looked terrified as he looked up ate me. We were both very nervous and wary of each other. I didn’t know what to say to him and it was the same for him. At last I started to talk first and ask him his name and how long he had been on the island. He looked up at me but he would not talk to me, so I tried again. This time he started to talk. He told me his name was Tom and that he was frightened of me. He said that I was the first man that he had seen in about eight or nine years and that he thought that I would take all his food away and destroy his home. I told him not to be frightened of me as I was just as nervous as he was. I did not expect to see anyone on the island and I was still in shock too. Then he asked me to sit down by the fire, gave me some food and drink and started to tell me his story of his adventures on the island.

He began by telling me what happened to him and how he landed on the island. He said he was on his way to America with his wife and two bairns and that it was the first time that were all on a ship. Then one night the ship hit rocks and began to sink. He tried hard to save his family but could not. He said he felt terrible for days after. Then he told me how he arrived on the island and struggled to build his first camp. He described how bad he felt when it was flattened by storms that lasted for days. He said he had seen ships out at sea and he hoped that they would rescue him, but they did not. I looked at him. He must have thought that he was not going to be rescued or see anyone ever again.

We talked for another hour or two about what we were going to do next. I decided that it was for the best that I go back to my camp until we got used to each other. When I got back to my camp I asked myself some questions about Tom. Was he telling me the full story? Was he on the island for as long as he said? I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

A day or two later he came to visit me in my camp. He brought some food and drink with him. I showed him around my home and then he sat down by my fire. I made some food to eat and we sat by the fire talking for a while and then he went back to his camp. I told him I would come to see him in a day or two.

But, when I went there I could not find him. I looked around the camp for him but he was not there. Where was he I wondered. Suddenly he turned up out of the blue. He told me he was away fishing. Later he told me that he was not sure that I would come to visit him. I told him not to worry about that and I would come and see him as often as he wanted me to. I wanted to ask him if he would like to come and share my camp but I thought hard first before asking him. I needed to know if I was doing the right thing. When I did ask him he told me that it would be better to build a new camp. It felt strange at first but we soon got used to each other.

What now I thought to myself? I asked Tom the same thing. He said we had better sit down and talk. I said that I thought we can work out all the jobs that have to be done and Tom agreed. He said that some days he would go fishing ad that he would show me where to find the best fruit trees.. I would find the best place for the flares. Then we had to decide which of us was going to cook. I had to learn how to set traps and to skin the animals we caught. Tom said he would show me how to pluck the feathers of the birds. Tom didn’t know how to work the radio so one day I sat down and taught him. I showed him what to do if I was away hunting and he heard voices on the radio.

One day when I returned from hunting I found Tom lying on the ground. He looked terrible so I put him on his bed. I was not sure what to do next.. I tried to give him some water but he wouldn’t take it so I left him to go to sleep. I thought he would be better in the morning but he wasn’t. He was just lying on his bed looking the same. For the next week he did not move and it was a struggle to get him to eat and drink.

_____________________________________

That is when I knew that he had taken a stroke and life was going to be very hard for him. The most important thing was to get him to eat a little every day. I found it hard to understand him at first as he would get all his words muddled up. I then had to get used to doing everything. It was going to be hard to look after him and do all the work. I was not sure about leaving him all alone when I went hunting and fishing. I would have to make sure that what I got would last for a day or so.

After a month or so he started to walk a little with the help of two sticks. He found that very difficult at first. Then he started to talk better and I found I could understand him which made life much easier, although I still had top do a lot for him.

6 months later

For a while I found life was very tough and I was getting more and more tired. Tom was just about the same. It was taking me longer to do all the work. Some days I would try to take Tom for a walk to the beach but he would get very tired and sore..

One day I was away fishing and when I got back I found Tom lying on the ground. I thought he was sleeping but was dead. He must have taken a stroke and died. I felt terrible for not being there when he died. Next day I looked for a nice place for him to lie. I found a spot high up looking over the island. I dug his grave and laid him to rest.

I did not do a lot of work over the next week or so as I felt lost and sorry for myself. I decided to look at Tom’s belongings. What I found surprised me. He had a box under his bed. I opened it and found a lot of private papers and letters. I was shocked to read that he had a wife and bairns, as he did not talk about them. I read on. One letter was from Tom’s wife’s brother inviting him to come and stay with him in Canada. I looked deeper into his box and found a bible. On the first two pages it had his mother and grandmothers’ names in it. I thought for a while how it reminded me of my mother and how she kept hold of all the family bibles and didn’t believe in throwing them out. He must have got it from his mother before he left to start a new life in Canada.

Then I found his diary. It would be interesting to see what he had written. But that could wait until the morning. That night I could not sleep much as I kept thinking about Tom and what he had written in his diary. How strange I thought how Tom never told me about it.

After breakfast I sat down and took out Tom’s diary. I opened it and started to read the first pages. He had written all about his wife and bairns. Then I got a big surprise. His wife had not died in the shipwreck but had survived for a year or two. How strange I thought as I read on. He wrote about how his wife found it hard to survive without the rest of her family and how he struggled to keep her safe. But it was all in vain. One day she went for a walk and jumped off a cliff. What next, I thought to myself? What else will I find? Where did he bury her? He never said.

On the next page he wrote all about his adventures on the island and what he had to do to pass the time. I put down the diary and put all of his letters and papers back in the box. That is when I found a photo of Tom and all of his family. I turned it over and on the back was the address of his sister. I decided that I would try and find her if I ever get rescued.

Next morning I decided to try and find Tom’s wife’s grave. Where could I look I first thought to myself and where was Tom’s first camp? Where would I look? By the beach or by the river, and what would I do when I found it. I looked all day but found nothing and decided to give up for now.

Next day I did not do much when all of a sudden out of the blue I saw a ship out at sea. I ran up the hill to start the fire and tried the radio.

I got the shock of my life when a man answered. I did not know what to say at first as I was still shaking with the shock of hearing a man’s voice. I began by telling him what my name was and that he was the first man I had talked to for a long time. I told him I had given up any hope of being rescued. He told me he would send a boat to the island and asked me to go down to the beach. Soon I could see the boat coming with four men in it. When it reached the shore one of the men jumped out. I ran to meet him and he told me he was the man I had been talking to on the radio. By now I was shaking and crying. He put out his hand and told me I was going to be alright.

We walked up the beach to my camp and I told him about Tom, how I found him and of all the things we did to survive - until Tom took a stroke and died. I got some things together and before I knew it I was in the boat and heading for the ship. I looked back at my island for the last time with a tear in my eye. When I boarded the ship the captain told me he would drop me off at the next port of call.

We sailed on for a few days and reached Gibraltar where I went to the British Embassy and asked for help to get back to Britain. After I told them my story they told me they would put me on the next flight to London.

I spent the next two days there before going to look for Tom’s sister. First I took the train up to Brighton and I walked around town for an hour or so. I felt nervous and was wary of what kind of reception I would get.. At last I jumped in a taxi and when to the address. I rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. Before long an old woman answer and looked at me with a puzzled look. I told her I knew Tom and asked could I come in and talk to her. She seemed even more puzzled now and said that I had better come in. She took me into her living room and asked me to sit down. Where to start I thought to myself. I told her not to worry as I meant no harm. She told me that she had not seen Tom and his family for years and thought that they were all dead. She went to a cupboard took out a photo of Tom and the family to show me. By now she had a tear in her eye. I then started to tell her my story about Tom and how we met and of how he and his wife survived but not the bairns. I told her of how Tom struggled with his wife as she could not cope without the bairns and killed herself.

All of a sudden she told me to stop. She siad she coudn’t believe what I was saying to her. I looked up and took hold of her hand and told her it was alright. She said she was now frightened pf me and what I was going to say next. I bent down to my bag and took out some of Tom’s things. I explained how I looked after Tom and of how he struggled after taking a stroke. I explained how he had died on a day when I was away fishing, and of how I found him lying on the ground. And that I had felt terrible guilt for days after that for not being there when he died.

I gave her Tom’s diary, photos, letters and the family bible. She looked at me but could not speak and the tears were running down her face. Then she thanked me for finding her and telling her what had happened to Tom and his family. She asked me to go as she wanted time on her own to take all that I had told her. I stood up, shook her hand and left. By now it was getting late so I found a B and B for the night.

After a good night’s sleep I went to Bristol Airport to see if I could get a flight to Inverness. They told me there was a flight at 4.00pm and to come back at 2.00pm. It left on time and I reached Inverness at about 6.00pm. By that time it was too late to get a bus home so I had to spend the night in Inverness. I could not sleep that night as I kept thinking of home and what I would find there. In the morning I went to the bus station to find out got a bus at about 11.00am. It felt a bit strange going home to Dornoch and when I arrived in the town I felt sick and nervous. I had quick look around town before going up the road home. I had tear or two in my eyes as it all brought back a lot of memories good and bad of the time I was growing up. Of the time we went on a picnic with the Sunday school and of how we spent our summer holidays down at the beach. We would often go and pick raspberries in the woods so that Gran could make jam. I also thought about the time dad died and how mum coped on her own.

By now I was at the church hall and going up the hill. I stopped and looked back down the street. It was quiet and I didn’t see anyone I knew. I passes the war memorial. Not far to go now. Around the corner I could see home. I couldn’t wait to get there to see what it was like now and if there was someone there.. It didn’t look like it. As I got closer I could see that the house was in a bit of a mess and that nobody had lived there for years. I had a good look around. I felt sad that it was in a hell of a state..

What now I thought to myself? I went up the road to the cemetery to find the graves of my parents and the rest of the family. I stood there for a while and told them I still loved them. Then I said my goodbyes and walked back into town, walked to the beach and had a last look around at where we played when we were bairns.

As the bus pulled away from the stop I could hear the Dornoch Pipe Band playing the Dornoch Links in my ear. I looked across the square and I thought I could see my dad standing at the corner like he used to. It mad me sad as I looked out the window at all the people walking about. I wiped the tears from my eye.

Soon we were crossing the Dornoch Bridge. I looked across the Firth for the last time and said God bless you as I fell asleep with a tear in my eye. God knows where I will wake up.

Harry Duncan

Inverness 2008