Howland Is. Birds and Rats — Howland 
99 
diggings either by the rats or birds at the roots of the grass patches and it is possible 
the rats obtain some food from the seeds at such times in the season as these plants 
fructify. Our stay did not coincide with such a period so I could observe nothing 
but unripened and immature seed vessels or old and fallen ones in and around the 
grass and bush. No trace could be found of any difference in the rat bands that were 
found in all parts of the Island. The rats were in one great common army, squirming 
and squealing wherever the birds nested and making common warfare on the birds. 
Their complete fearlessness of us would indicate their antiquity inasmuch as rats that 
had been lately arrived here would carry their instinct of fear of man with them, in 
no matter what location they found themselves . . . 
The fifth day of our stay came in with a menacing bank of clouds to the S. W. and 
while the puffs of wind came from all quarters as usual, there was an uncomfortable 
feeling to the air and the barometer had fallen a 10th during the night. Captain Pope 
warned us as we were leaving the ship that we might find it necessary to spend the 
night ashore and to send the boat and crew off after landing with as little delay as 
possible. He advised me that in the event of his determining to make an offing he 
would hoist a basket at the main mast head and would make all haste to return after 
the weather had become propitious . . . 
At 12:30 p.m. Handy and I were returning toward Camp when we observed the 
signal of departure run up to the masthead on the "ROUSSEAU” and presently saw 
her fill away on the starboard tack under short sail and stretch away to the S. E. We 
noticed the bank of clouds had worked up to the Zenith and that the wind was set 
steady at W. by S. and increasing rapidly. By 3 o’clock that afternoon the wind was 
blowing hard in squalls of shortening intervals, the sky was completely overcast with 
low flying scud, but no rain. We knocked off work and spent some time putting 
extra lashings and guys on our tent poles. When we saw the last of the ship I had 
a very empty feeling in the pit of my stomach and could not help my mind from 
dwelling on the horrid situation that my two companions and I would be in should 
any untoward thing happen to prevent the return of the ship within a few days . . . 
I, for one, spent this first night on the Island with a lower range of spirit than I 
could remember and but little repose. The squalls were terrific by midnight and it 
seemed doubtful whether our shelter would remain with us long. Furthermore, the 
smell of our food attracted the rats and we found ourselves compelled to light our 
lanterns and actually defend ourselves with constant vigilance against this apparently 
ever increasing army of boarders. 
Towards morning . . . and by the time we were able to look about us we found 
ourselves surrounded by a small rampart of rats that we had slain and to our un- 
speakable distress, realized that the dead were the attraction for the living and that 
we were apparently doomed to a hopeless contest for as long as we should try to 
maintain ourselves in our camp, as it was apparent that the more rats we killed the 
more would come to devour the remains and anything else that could be found of 
an edible nature. Breakfast was out of the question under these conditions so we fell 
to with all our might to clear away the corpses to such a distance as would give space 
and a breathing spell for refreshment. At first it seemed, in spite of our efforts, we had 
undertaken to clear the Augean Stables as the rats continued to pour into our midst 
in seemingly ever increasing hordes, and I for one became pannicky as to the outcome 
