The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1882-08-24
AN ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE.
a New Hampshire Mans Fight with Fueg

SosuEcss
Captain Dennis Mahoney, of Green.
land, N. e., who, few weeks ago, arrived
home from sealing voyage to Cape
Horn in the schooner Express. of Ston.
ington, Conn.,, has, since his sreturn, had
removed from his head fragment of a
spear which was driven into it in
January, 1881, on the shore of small
island near Terra del Foego by one OF a
party OF Fuegan indians, by whom he
was attacked. Captains Mahoney's ac-
count OF lis adventure is something as
follows, and, says the Portsmouth
Chronicle, no one who knows him will
question its truthfulness:
The schooner had left a sealing gang
ashore at selected point, and, with
only four or tiSe men on board, was
working up the coast on her way to
Sandy Point, Straits of Magellan, when
the wind falling light she made
harbor near nightfall behind one Of the
numerous small islands, and Captain
Mshoney took couple of men in the
boat and went ashore to pick up
few skins by trading with the natives,
who had been making big smoke, the
recognized signal to the vessel that
they desired to trade. There had
been some trouble at point further
down the coast the previous winter
between gang OF sealers and tribe of
natives, in which one white man was
fatally wounded and possibly some of
the Indians killed. Not seng aitts---s- ait-s
whaleboat's crew Of the scalers, armed
with Winchester rifles, while some dig
tance from shore, espied a ships launch
filled with natives-smong them being
a number of sqaaws and children-and
gave chase without being able to over
haul them for long time, until
shot killed the old squaw, who was
steering, when the wretched creatures
ceased all effort to escape, and making
no attempt at resistance were pitilessly
butchered by the Christians, not even
pickaninny being allowed to survive.
None of Captain Mahouy's men had
anything to do with the heartless affair,
and no memory OF it REQUIRED to him
as he stepped out of his boat and clam
bered up a steep, rocky bank, thirty
feet more in height, to where the ma
tivesawaited him in ambush. When but a
shert distance from the edge of the bank
he was assailed by shower of spears, one
of which struck him on the side of the
head, just forward OF the left ear, and
another in the abdomen, and blow on
the head with club las he supposedly
knocked him down. He fortunately
fell down the bank, reaching the beach
At the loot Bruised, dazed, and bleed
ing, but still alive, and with sense
enough left to stagger to the boat,
when he drew his revolver and fred
several shots, which probably had no
other effect than to frig ghsen the natives
from further attack.
Captain Mshoney at once gave up all
taouxht of buying a seal SKIN, and was
pulled aboard the fschooner. Hi
numerous bruises Jcasioned him moth,
ing more than annoyance. The wounc
near the LEFT :..r was the most painful
and the hearing on that side proved tt
be entirely destroyed. In dressing tn.
hurt be found some foreign substance
in the passage of the ear, and the stew
ard succeeded in extracting piece OF
spear three. quarters of an inch long and
three. .siIteenths of an inch in diameter,
which Captain Mahoney now carries in
his vest pocket to remember the adven-
ture by. The Fuegan spears are slender
affairs, from twelve to fifteen inches
long, made of very strong, hard bone ;
when Used they are affixed to heavy
handle about eight feet long, with q
swell in the middle and tapering at both
ends, the Indians darting the weapons
with one hand long distance
and with considerable accu-
racy when darted, and strik-
ing with a sharp blow, they are quite
effective, and Captain Mahoney's escape
with his life was no doubt due the fact
that bis assailants were So close that
they could not dart the spears, and held
them in their hands when striking, SO
that only one of the many holes made
in his outside clothing penetrated
through to the skin.
As he remarked: 81 don't blame the
poor devils bit. 1 was kind O. mad
about it at first, but when I got cooled
of, and considered the provocation the
poor creatures had had, didn't want
to hurt 'em, and never tried to hunt
'em down at all. But in this case; as it
generally is in rows between white men
and savages, it wasn't the one who de-
served punishment that got it."