Let us water your garden Maud
As the rains are far away
What are doing Green?
Carving a love poem on my rifle butt sir
Whatever for?
To remember the prettiest girl in my home town
Christopher Green had been on the island for over six years after being abandoned by the ship of the five towns
He was dressed in rags and had a sandy beard which he kept trimmed by the ingenious use of cuttlefish bones
What are you doing Christopher Green?
Thinking of my Lady Maud sir
Thinking of my Lady Maud
She is from a fine family and lives in a large house on the hill that overlooks my coastal town
I often visit her in the garden and we admire the many flowers
She wears the finest clothes that money can buy and is only seen in the counties top establishments
She is out of your league Christopher Green
Forget this fine girl
You are more suited to the dockside whores
Maybe so but my love puzzles me as I have seen her dressed as a cabin boy standing on the harbour arm
Looking out to sea
She does not wear shoes and her feet are filthy and hurt
Do you approach her?
No I do not want her to see me in my poverty
She thinks I am a fine gentleman from a distinguished family
The truth would break her heart
That was why I abandoned myself on this wretched island
Christopher Green hated communicating with the talking primates but he felt her needed to otherwise he would remain totally silent
If he did not confuse them with his questions and jests then they would slowly fade from view
He did not want to be reminded of Maud but resolved to visit her again when he was eventually rescued
He wanted to see her in the flesh and tell her of his stranding
There were many stories to tell
He built a beacon on the highest rock and would ignite a fire if he saw a passing ship
But he was always ignored
Perhaps the ships feared a native trick or something worse
Of late he had abandoned this quest and preferred to imagine his true love frolicking in the waves like a mermaid inebriated
This gave him comfort but he knew these thoughts to be thin
He resolved to build a light boat and sail towards a passing ship and plead for safe passage
The talking primates advised him against this venture but he built a boat and on the seventh month of the seventh year he was finally rescued by a naval ship and taken to his home town
But things had changed whilst he was away
He found that Maud was now married to a rich merchant and had two fine children
The news nearly destroyed him and he spent many weeks trapped in a bottle
But he was rescued by a kind parson who offered him refuge in his church and slowly Christopher grew stronger
In time he decided to return to his island and after some difficulties this was arranged
On his return he noted that little had changed
The taking primates still watched him from their trees
But he kept communication with them to a minimum
For he was no longer alone
As the barefoot cabin boy had agreed to accompany him to the island
And share his chosen exile for the rest of their days