East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-12-24

DOuuO ID utN1lhAAi1 eAheht NNlNN--J
night replied the captain. Az all
events we can discover nothing till day.
light. Keepa good look out, Mr.. Allen.
Thus speaking, no and the second lieu
tenant went below.
-Four BELLS six, and eight, were struck !
in turn, but without repetition, giving
rise in the minds of the officers to belief
that one of tho men had been playing
tricks, and had been afraid TO continue
them, for had the sound come from Iship,
il would have been repeated through the
night. AT four o'clock tho ship was got
under weigh, aud soon afterwards it was
broad daylight. No ship was in sight,
though the horizon could be swept IN a
circle inclosng many miles. ~
But all endeayors to find out who had
been playing the trick with the bell were
in vain, and the mems grog was stopped,
according TO the captains order,
Three days after the Coquette reached
the termination of the strait. Here, sit
uated far apart from any Of the other
islands, is long low sand bank, rising to
a hummock in its centre, and here has
long been established what is known to
the navigators Of those seas as The
Postoflice of the Torres Strait 1t con-
sists of large seaman's chest, covered
with tarpauln, and protected by shed
of boards from the weather, aud here for
many years past, it has been tho practice
Of masters of ships, who have got safely
through tho straits, to deposit letter,
which is read by the new conner, who de.
posits one in his turn, and reports on his
arrival at his destined port, that on such
day such vessel, or vessels, passed
Postohiee Island in safety, having sue
ceeded in escaping all tho perils attend
ing tho navigation Of the strait. A.
, OF course this out Of the way post
Office was duly visited by the officers
S Several letters were found written by
s masters of ships, who had deposited them
within few weeks or months, and the
= reports they made were copied to be set
down in the Coquette's log.book. just
i As tho officers were about to leave the
@ spot, one Of them perceived what appeared
5 to be leaf torn from pocket book, on
which was scrawled in pencil:
SUNDAY, May I, 1912.
J. Left here boats crew, escaped from
the natives Of one of the islands in the
= middle of the strait. We have com
G pass, and few yams, and little water
C on board, and shall shape our course tC
Iinor. Left on the island, in the powe
d of the natives, several of our shipmates
and one woman and child. Three other
10 are with us.
ITO the commander of a ship-ofwar o
% any nation.
i Masters Of merchantmen will pleas
S. report to a man-of-war a: the earliest or
i portunity,-for God and PHYS sake.
It 81. +. HUTchINs, Chief Mate.
1t Ship Martha, Bristol
e. The officer handed the scrap of pape
IL to the captain, after reading it.
st MAY tho 7th, said the captain. 'Thi
g is but the I'd of June; this must be see
to-
u AS soon as the officers returned o
&c board council was held, and it was dc
ne termined to keep the sloop of war lyin
" off and on near the termination of tn
strait, while the boats and men that coul
id be spared were despatched forthwith
to wcll-armed, and provided with water an
y provisions, to search the islands thel
s. oughly, in hopes of discovering the un
II happy captives.
TX Several days were spent without an
discovery. having been made, and tn
II. boats had met off the island where TN
n mysterious sound Of the bell had bee
heard. On landing, it was evident enoug
A. that, though now uninhsbited, as on th
ID former occasion, it had been visited b.
l. the natives since the sloop-ofwar he,
= quilted it. At length, party Of seamo
+. stumbled over heap Of ashes still warm
The officers wero satisfied that the nG
10 tives must be close at hand, and that o
ut this occasion, as on the former, they ha
of vacated tho island on the approach of th
O. white men, This was unusual with then
A as they were generally eager for present
re when thoy could not plumber. 1t wa
r. reasonable, therefore, to suppose the
ii. had some special motive for disappearing
t, While the party of officers in oomman
of the expedition were still deliberatin
TX what to do, they were startled by th
or sound of the mysterious bell, now run
o. rapidly. Presently it ceased, then on
ne or two strokes were heard, then one fec
es bic one, and all was still.
at That bell was sounded by the captive
SO we are in search of, I'll wager my con
I'd mission, said one of tho officers
os The sound seemed to come from be
n yond the wood said another.
$, The whole party proceeded in the d
I'd rection suggested, Nothing was hear
n or seen, and they passed out of the WOO
to the opposite shore. About two hur
o. dred Yards a.taRt-N~as-s ssaally -tlensel
II wooded islet, not more than half an acr
N. in extent. completely hidden from tn
of strait by the larger island. Thither tn
70 party proceeded in force, and the myster
was explained.
10 A party Of natives came down to til
I'd waters edge to meet them. One of tn
n. sailors could speak the Malay languag
b. imperfectly, aud acted as interpreter
ne The officer in command demanded at one
in the liberation Of the captive white me
70 on the island. The natives positivel
ly denied there were any there. The Off
10 GERS insisted that there WERE and tn
to islet was secured, but though there mus