The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-11-25

| thad been slowed away in the captain
cabin, and was safely lodged in one OF
Miners FIRE and thief proof Safes
ssfhey proceeded to- the captains
cabin, but in a very short time return
ed, and knocking at the door with their
bamboos, demanded it to be opened
At first they used threats, then entrea-
ties, promising us that not hair of our
heads should be hurt. But, though we
feared their threats, we had no faith in
their promises. and fully determined
that, if Che worst came TO the worst, we
would sell our lives dearly. Oh, how
we longed for eleven O'Clock, for Cap
tain Wilkes return. How patiently
and eagerly we listened for the splash
of the ears of the six stalwart boatmen.
We heard four bells from the different
ships in the harbor, some not a couple
of hundred yards away; but it was inn
possible to reach or signal them. In
stead of large port-hole, there was
only the small headlight, through
which we could not even manage to
thrust our heads, much less our bodies.
Well, sirs, when they found that neither
threats nor promises would avail them,
they at once commenced their work. |
was standing on a camp-stool, endeav-
oring to see what they were doing, by
looking through the iron-grating on the
top of the door, when saw one of them
with spear, at what in military phra-
seology would be termed shorten arms
that is, with the spear, drawn back
to its fullest extent, ready to thrust
through the door, l gave one spring
from the stool, and lucky indeed | did
SO, for the next moment the point of a
spear grazed my cheek. Another inch
to the left, and / would have been q
dead man. We both then retired to the
further end of the cabin, so as to keep
out of harms way. We knew that they
dared not to use firearms, for fear of
attracting the attention of the ships in
the neighbOrhood;, and no doubt this
was our salvation. Spear after spear
was thrust through, some almost reach
ing us as we crouched down on the floor
of the cabin, when all at once we heard
crash, and, on looking up, to our hOr-
ror saw that one of the panels of the
door had been forced in sufficiently for
a man TO thrust his body through We
both Immediately. .sprang upon our feet,
grasping our revOlvers more firmly, ex-
pecting that in desperation some of them
would be hardy enough to try and force
their way into the cabin. But they
were too cunning for that. Two of
them now got upon chairs, but taking
care to keep out of the line of the fire
of our revolyers, and by side-thrusts-,
by which they were adopts in the use of
the weapon-compelled us to kneel and
crouch behind the chest of drawers one
moment, into the berths the next, and,
at last, under the bottom of them,
where we were for some time compare
lively safe. But, emboldened by their
they now faced the broken pan
cling; and we could plainly see that, in
another minute or two, the matter
would end by our both being speared
like wild boars. whispered to Spen-
Ger to fire at the first head that showed
itself at the paneling, and | would do
the same-he to take the right, and |
the left, SO that we should not waste
through both of US firing
at the same person. remember as if
it happened only five minutes ago, two
heads suddenly appearing, and myself
and Spencer in the act of presenting
our revolvers at them, when, rs a flash
of lightning, two spears were suddenly
thrust through the aperture, and the
next instant / felt twinge in the right
side s..
Here the narrator paused for few
and after a good stiff pull at
his punch, continued:
81 remember no more until six weeks
when | was lying in bed in
a strange room, very weak and very
faint. There was my servant keeping
me nice and cool with a large fan,
whilst on my forehead was a cloth
stepped in vinegar. BY degrees some
Slight recollection came back to my
mind of the events that had happened
on that fearful night; but when inter
rogated my Chinese nurse, could only
obtain from him such replies as, ME
no sabby; doctor berry angry me talkee
that pigeon BY which he meant that
he knew nothing about the matter, and
that if he did, he was enjoined by the
doctor to silence, otherwise he would be
very angry with him. However, with
good constitution and careful attention,
[ was soon able to leave my room; and
then, and not before, / gathered from
nay old friend, Charles Lawrence, one
quiet afternoon, the following farther
account of the affair:
al have no OCCASION said Charley,
to ask you to remember the 8th of
March, for that you will do to the end
Of your days; but / have also reason to
remember it; for on that day, as
learned by letter from home by the
last mail, an only brother was killed on
the Great Western Railway, in the col
lisiOn near Reading. Well, if you re-
that evening, we were to have
a great spread at Douglass. Thomp-
son, Wilkinson, and some twenty others
were invited, including Captain Wilkes.
OF course, you know what jovial fell
low Wilkes is, good for a story or a
song, and can take his part in an argu-
ment with the. best of them. Every
thing went off well during dinner; and
after the cloth had been removed, and
one or two songs had been given, the
call was for Wilkes. He, however, who
is usually so ready and willing to oblige,
made some excuse about hoarseness,
which, however, was so palpably ficti-
tious, that we all burst out laughing;
and upon being pressed again by some
of US, including old Douglas, he posi-
lively refused, and intimated his inten-
ton of going on board at once. We
could see that something had occurred
to irritate him, but for the life of us
none of us could guess. Before leaving
the room, however, Douglas called him
to one side, and asked him the cause of
his going away so early. He replied
that he was uneasy in his mind that a
of spirits such as he had
never felt before had come over him
within the last half-hour, bat for which
he could not account; and asked
Douglas kindly not to detain him, as he
to go on board TO see that every
hing was all right; and if he felt
better, they might expect TO see him in
.he course of an hour or so. And in an
hours time he did return, not to join
our party, but to horrify us with the de-
-ails of what had Occrrred on hoard the