| Plot Summary |
One woman and two men, educated, refined and prominent in social circles, are among the passengers on an ill-fated steamship which founders in mid-ocean. They escape on a raft and are cast upon a desert island. Anne Brewster was wholly untrained except in social matters. Her soft, white hands were useless for ministering to her necessities. Dr. Albert Leigh, a physician, well bred, studious and possessing the highest type of mental development, was a scholar and scientist, but his training did not fit him to single out from the multifarious fauna and flora of the island, those things which would sustain life, nor did his scientific knowledge teach him how to erect a structure which would protect himself and his companions from the elements. Roderick Random, of athletic build and acquainted with the hardships of tramping through the woods after big game, had been accustomed to killing and cooking his own meat over a campfire. Therefore, it was to Roderick Random that Anne Brewster and Dr. Leigh looked for the wherewithal to maintain life. Leaving his companions on the beach, Random discovers a roomy cave in which to his great delight he finds rude cooking utensils together with fish-hooks and lines in an excellent state of preservation. There is also a blanket, well preserved, which is immediately given over to Anne. As the weeks lengthen into months, the situation resolves itself into a condition where it means a survival of the fittest. Both Random and Leigh have learned to love the beautiful girl, whom fortune has made their companion on the desert island. Dr. Leigh with his mental superiority, controls Anne's mind, but the physical superiority of Random and his ability to care for her needs, arouses in her breast a feeling of admiration. As the months pass by, the veneer of refinement which has belonged to Random begins to disappear because of the lack of refinements of civilization. Dr. Leigh notes the unmistakable change in the attitude of Random toward his companion and fear enters his heart as to what will be the final outcome. He realizes that the time will come when he must battle with this powerful brute for the life of the girl he loves as well as for his own life. One day Dr. Leigh finds an old knife in a corner of the cave and he spends several hours surreptitiously sharpening it and restoring it to a condition suitable for use. One night Random forgets all that is manly within him, while his primitive passions direct him to the cave in which Anne, peacefully asleep. Dr. Leigh, always thoughtful of the comfort and safety of Anne, has made it his custom to sleep at the entrance of the cave. He is aroused by the approach of Random and places himself between the lustful brute and the helpless girl in the cave. The knife gives Dr. Leigh the advantage and he repulses Random after wounding him severely in the arm. The wound is serious and Dr. Leigh refuses to offer surgical relief until Random promises to go to the far end of the island and remain there. Anne has been awakened by the struggle and is terrorized. She overhears the conversation between Dr. Leigh and Random and realizes for the first time the danger to her from this man who has descended into the primitive, while she appreciates the valor and courage of the weakling who has made himself her protector. One day Anne discovers that she has become afflicted by an intolerable itching on the arms and hands. She informs Dr. Leigh of her discomfort and the doctor attempts to alleviate the affliction. The weeks pass on and Anne continues to complain more and more of the itching which has developed into small and unsightly ulcers, which Dr. Leigh diagnoses as leprosy. Random, in his wanderings about the island, discovers a skeleton half buried in the sand and with the skeleton he discovers a diary sufficiently preserved, so that he can read the contents. The diary tells the story of a sailor who had been marooned on this desert island, because he was a victim of leprosy. The last entry in the diary tells how he was struggling to reach the cave, but he inscribes a last message, stating that he has failed because he is dying from the horrible disease. Dr. Leigh attributes to the old blanket the source of the leprosy and he makes preparations to burn it. Random rushes into his presence and tells of his horrible discovery. He demands that the unfortunate girl be sacrificed immediately and her body buried in order to prevent a spread of the disease. Dr. Leigh indignantly refuses to concur in such a plot and again appoints himself Anne's protector. The craven nature of Random, which has heretofore remained undiscovered, asserts itself with this new development and he becomes practically a raving madman through fear. They fight and Random takes from Dr. Leigh the knife. Then the courageous Doctor, holds between the brutal coward and himself, behind whim Anne stands terrorized, the infected blanket, beyond which Random dare not pass He is afraid if he shall become enveloped in the folds he will become infected also. A ship is sighted and a boat puts out for the shore. Random tells the story of the leprosy which frightens the sailors, but brave Dr. Leigh sends for the captain to come ashore and unite Anne and himself in wedlock. Random loses no time in going aboard and as the white sails of the vessel are silhouetted against the horizon. Dr. Leigh assumes his self-appointed burden of ministering to the girl he loves. He has repeated aloud and in a firm voice, the words in the simple wedding ceremony: "Till death do us part."
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