The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-09-12
A Thrilling Adventure at Sea,

In April, 1929, whom I WAS boy of
hftccn years, apprcnticcd on board the
the GLASGOW ship large vessel for
those days, (cight hundred and fifty
tons) | experienced the first horror of
very cvontful life, and its memory
has never left me.
will describe it briefly, but truly,
for ovcry word is fact.
Wo wore chartered by the British
Government to carry stores, ctc., to
her penal colony in New Zealand and
besides our cargo, had thirteen con-
domnod Malay pirate, who had been
sentenced to transportion for life.
They were in charge of an English
naval officer named McFcc. They
were all ironcd hand and foot, besides
chained to ringbolds in tho deck and
so securely fastened that no ono deem
1t possible for them to get loose with
out outside hclp.
Our crew, officers and all numbered
twcnty-cight souls, and was none too
large to manage such heavy craft.
We had fine weather when We left he
Clyde, and it stayed with us until we
Ono afternoon, when looking Mt tho pri-
soners undcr his charge, Lieutenant
MoFco th'Sht he saw something wrong
about the irons of'onc of them, aud no
reported it to Captain Wilson Of our
ship, and thought there had bottor be
Il close inspection Of them. But Cap
tain Wilson was u worry oasy-going
man at all times and supper being
ready just then, he remarked that he
guessed MI was right, but no would
havo look at them in tho morning,
for tho satisfaction of NlcFcc. Alas
for him there was no morning to
come.
1t was clear, calm night; the
moon ut full not enough wind to
fill tho canvass, or give tho ship stocr-
ago way. Another boy, of about my
own age, and myself woro aloft, sit
ting in the sings of tho forcyard, talk
ing about home, when all ut once wo
heard rush of fcet below us, and
looking down on deck, wo saw to our
terror, tho whole gang Of Malays rush
ing up from below, free from their
irons. They soizcd cupstan-bars, the
cooks axe, iron Delaying pine, every
thing which oamo handy, and rushed
at tho men Of tho watch On dock,
striking them down without any NOR
cy, but making no outcry. Mr.,
Bruce, tho first victim, and IN few
minutes-loss time than it takes mo
to toll it-overy man, except tho man
at tho wheel, lay dead upon the dock,
with their brains dashed out, or stabb-
cd to death with thcir own sheath.
knives.
Wo two boys clambcrcd up into tho
top, whore wo lay Oh cur faces, as still
rs doath, looking on tho horrible sconc
going Oh below. Another of tho
crew, named White, was asleep there,
but wo did not dare to wake him. for
fear wo should be discovered or over
heard by the inoarnate fionds below.
Captain Wilson, atsthis time. came
out of the cabin, hearing an unusul
noise, but was killed in IN instant.
Tho wrocthes now rushed down into
the forccastle, where tho laborcd watch
was sleeping, and soon finished them.
by this ,timc Lieut.. McFco and the
second mate, also tho carpenter, who
were in the cabin, found out what was
gong on and closing and barricading
the cabin.,door, they got pistols from
the arm-chest and commc cnced firing
on every pirate they could SEQ thro'
the cabin sky-lights. At the first fire,
three OF the pirates, being close TO
them, fell dead |; and in minute or
two, several more woro badly wopud-