The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-09-01

heavy list to pork, sank beneath the sur
face of the sea some six feet down before
she grounded on bottom, the hot air and
steam making for few moments seeth-
| ing caldron of the waters around us.
AS she sank down, the natives on the
shore howled like flends incarnate, and
began to leave the shore in their canoes,
and make for us as we rowed for our
vessel
The Endeavor, fortunately, was only a
short distance off, so we were soon on
board, our boats hoisted up and swung in
board by the davits, and our boarding
netting, that had been dropped for us to
leave the vessel, was triced up in hurry.
The canoes were approaching us rapidly,
but a well-directed shot from our swivel
caused them to sheer off in hurry, they
returning to the shore, from which they
watched our movements.
We had eleven bodies on board, so our
first duty was to examine them and see if
we could identify them but we could not
unfortunately, for the savages had emptied
their pockets of even the most trihing arti-
cles, having nothing whatever about them.
They seemed like Dutchmen and Swedes,
although our gunner was of the opinion
that some of them were Frenchmen.
1t was all conjecture, however, and all
we could do was to sew the unfortunate be-
ings up in canvas, and give them sailors
burial, which we did, running few miles
off shore into deep water for that purpose
and, after reading the burial service for
mariners from the Episcopal prayer-book,
launched them beyond the reach of further
mortal strife.
We lay near the submerged vessel while
making our arrangements for this ending
of a sad scene, and had made reverential
disposition Of the mangled remains, and
were back again, long before the savages
on shore understood our intentions.
AS it was drawing near to night when we
returned, gave directions for preparations
to lie at anchor near the wreck, ordering
port fires to be burned until daylight came
again, and for gun to be fired every half
hour, in order to warn the natives that we
were ready for an attack at any moment.
Firing a gun SO often produced the de-
sired result, for the natives howled dis
mally in concert, just outside of the space
in the&ater lighted by our fires, not daring
to come within the charmed circle, as
dose from the gun was hurled in that di,
rection whenever they attempted that
game; and as they had some of their party
wounded in the first of it, they did not
care to repeat the experiment of getting
within range too often.
was too anxious to sleep much that
night, only catching cat-naps on deck,
waking with start every time the cannon
belched forth its spiteful roar.
Everything has an end, and that night,
of course, was no exception, for old So
came around at the appointed hour, the
dusk of morning rapidly clearing away,
revealing the wreck in the same position
we had left it in, the masts and sails pro.
jecting from the water, mournful tomb
stone to her former glory.
"What are you going to do with the
wreck ?" inquired my mate, as we hauled
up as near as possible to it.
ave can do nothing but strip her." ]
answered. at is too bad to leave SC
much rigging and canvas in the hands Of
the savages and am determined to gel
all we can from her.
Both of my officers coincided with me,
SO we detailed gang of men to got into
the rigging on the sunken craft, and gel
what they could from her.
The men sent were soon busily EN-.
ployed unbending sails, sending down the
topmasts into the water, and unreeving
the rigging from the mastheads. 4id
AS fast as a boat was loaded with the
wrecked material, we took it on board,
even taking the topmasts and spars on
deck and as l sent new watch as fast as
one set got tired, we kept the things com.
ing right along, until at night nothing was
left standing but the bare masts on the
sunken vessel. They were heeled over,
and seemingly already to snap of, SO we
applied the axe, and sent them by the
board in a jay, ..,.oa.,. v.....,.
The wreck righted on her keel as soon
as this leverage on the hull was removed,
and showed us at once that the deck was
scarcely three feet under the water,
4 ".What is the reason we can't unload
her s'' asked the mate, as we saw what
effect cutting the masts away had ON her,
and bow near the surface the hatchway
was.