The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-04-29
THE TIMES NEW BLooMF1ELD PA. APRIL 29 1879

The men had been discovered at day
light, but the savages had not troubled
them during the entire day; they were
very busy, however, in plundering their
prize, and took all the dead bodies on
sbore-probably to feast on.
The wretched prisoners remained In
the cross-trees second night, suffering
from thirst, but have plenty of fruit to
eat, as the rigging was thickly hung
with bananas, If they had had any APP
petite.
Some time In the night, the natives
being very thick on the deck, and fire.
quently looking up at the cross-trees,
which were plainly visible in the fire
light from the shore, the Kanaka fancl-
ed they were meditating an attack; and
managing, despite his wounds, to as
cend to the royal yard, he cut it adrift
and sent 1t down on deck with a crash
that made the savages scatter. This noise
1t was which had been heard by old
Tom and the Tannaman.
The second morning after the capture,
the natives had attempted to reach
them, five of the blacks coming up the
topmost rigging, the leader bringing
cutting-in spade; but the Englishman
had cut the rigging at the top, and let
them down by the run, by which they
believed the whole number were killed.
The savages had then cut away the
mast; the two men sticking to their
position as long as they dared, and then
riding down the topgallant head-stay to
the foretop, and ascending to the fore
topmast cross trees. The natives had
then commenced to cut away the fore
mast; and it was half cut through when
the yells of the savages warned the sea-
men that something unusual was taking
place they did not see us until we were
close to the briggs boat, being too intent
watching the natives. Even when they
did see us they had but little hope that
we should be able to defeat the crowds
of blacks; but after seeing the deadly
effect of the first fire, and the evident
CONSERVATION it occasioned among the
islanders, they began to gather hope;
though they still feared that we might
trust to hand-to hand encounter when
destruction would have been certain.
My story is told but may as we'll
say what became of the brig. We stood
in for the wreck with the schooner, all
the arm being on deck, and brass gun
loaded with a round shot and small
bag of big nails. No signs of life greet
ed us as we approached her, the mate
going ahead of us in the boat, carefully
sounding his way. We brought the
schooner to the wind about three hun
dred yards from the brig; and having
drawn out the nails, fired the shot at
the wreck. 1t struck her about the
covering board and passed through her
galley, making great crash; but no
natives appeared. Two or three shots.
were fired at the woods without starting
anything up, and we then hauled off
shore till next morning, when we ran
in again, and cannonaded the wreck till
we were satisfied that the natives had
left her, when we cautiously went on
board. From what we saw we conclud-
ed that the savages must have cleared
out soon after we had retreated with the
boat; as we found seven dead bodies on
her deck or below, and they would not
have left them behind had they not left
in a hurry.
We merely put the bodies out of our
way, and commenced taking out what
oil we could. By supdown we had got
one hundred and twenty barrels of it on
board the Adventure, about all we could
well get at, or we'll stow in the schooner.
So we set the dismantled wreck on fire,
and stood away to sea again. She burn
ed brilliantly for about two hours, and
then the light decreased, and finally
went out in darkness. We returned to
the British colonies instead of going to
China; and the whole of the oil we
brought in was divided among us, the
Celia's owners declining to claim any
part of it.