The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-11-09
THE MALAY PROA.
BY COBB, JR.


erpooi, and commanded by Capt. Will
liam Babson, crossed the China Sea, on
her way from the Philippines to singa-
pore. She was loaded with an assort-
ed cargo ofgreat value, besides carrying
a large amount of money, which had
been consigned to her care at Manila.
Lying at Manila, with the Gazelle,
had beeuthe Yankee ship Minerva, COM
manded by Capt. Charles P. Heustis,
and it had been planned that the two
would sail together, as a measure of
safety; for it was known that the China
Sea. at that particular time, was infest-
ed by the most desperate and danger
GUS piratical gangs that had ever been
known on those waters. But when the
time had come for the English ship to
sail, the Yankee was not ready. being
forced to wait for an owner whose bust.
ness had called him away to another ISL
and. Babson whuld have waited a day
or two; but he could not waste more
time, so he sailed alone, bidding adieu
to the Philippines on the 9th day of
May.
On the evening of the Sd ofJune, hay.
ing run very nearly 1900 miles.on a south
westerly course, Capt. Babson deemed
it prudent to lay his ship to until morn
ing. During the four-and-twenty hours
last past he had met a strong ocean cur
rent that had so far perplexed him as to
shake his confidence in his reckoning;
and, as he knew that he must be very
near to the most northerly of the Great
Natural Islands, he did not care to rush
on in the dark. For two days be bad
been able to take no observation, and
the night before him promised to be un-
usually dark. So, as the night closed in,
he brought his ship to the wind and lay
his main. topsail aback.
With the dawning of another day
Babson found Il OF thankfulness for
his %precaution. During the night a
strong current had been setting the ship
to the southwark and westward, with
the wind in the same direction, and
now, with the breaking of the day, he
discovered land not more than five
duo south, and this land was directly on
the starboard beam, and it required no
consulting Of the chart to tell them that
it was an island of the Northern group
of the Natunas.
Upon going aloft with his telescope,
Capt. Babson gained a good view of the
island, which he judged to be ten miles
long; well wooded, it's shore free of
rocks, and indented about midway, by a
deep bay, the northern headla nd of
which was a high bluff, whereon he dis
covered something that had the appear
ance of q beacon. He was on the point
of lowering his glass, for the purpose of
closing it, when the fancy struck
him to Jake n more look at the sum
init of the headland, He did SO and
plainly discovered a human being there,
standing close by the beacon. He
watched him, and saw that he gesticu-
lated with his arms, as though signal
izing to some one on the shore Of the
bay below. Pretty soon a second man APP
peared at the beacon; and the two were
evidently i'll eager conference. 1t had
now grown to be so light that Bapson
could distinguish objects very clearly on
tho Island. He could see that 1hese
two men we're savages-probably Nav
lays, and at that they held conferences
with others below them. This upon the
promotory. Then the captain turned
bis glass upon the deep bay, and was
able to discover q short stretch Of its
shore, where, presently, he saw other
savages, carrying long spears in their
hands, running swiftly towards aipointlbe
meath the headland. He counted at least
q hundred Of these naked Islanders-all
Matays-making for a point beyond the
reach Of his vision; then he descended
to the deck, where he gave his glass to
n of his most reliable top-men, and
sent him aloft to keep watch and report
what he saw.
This done, the captain turned to his
chief mate-Tom Delaney-and told him
what he had discovered.
The situation was not a pleasant one.
With the first break of day the light
breeze that had held through the night
had entirely died away, 80 that the ship
now lay in a dead calm, under the in6u'
ence Of current that was setting hel
nearer and nearer to the shore-a shore
then not more than four miles distant,
where "a horde of blood.thirsty pirates
were making ready to come down upon
them.
As soon as Babson had told his mate
what he had seen, the crew were mus
tered upon the quarterback and clearly
informed of the probable situation. On
board the Gazelle were tive-and-twenty
able men, including the captain, the
cook, the supercargo, the mates and the
men before the mast. For weapons
they had four muskets, 25 large board
ing pistols, and about a score ofcommon
ships cutlasses. These were brought
out, and while the firearms we're being
loaded the lookout in the main top re.
ported that a large proa wa in sight.
Captain Babson left the work Of pre-
pairing the weapons Of his mate, and
npNrn n ~ nIoff In Nr,na nv n-~1~----
hand in those seas, end knew every sign
and signal. Taking the glass from the
hand of the topman, he levelled it upon
the bay, and saw the proa just rounding
the northern headland. 1t was one o.
the largest he had ever Malay
war canoe, capable OF carrying 200 men.
There We're two savages in her stern
sheets, 20 at the broad blsded paddles
ten on each side-and two more in the
bows, making "a in all. These we're in
plain sight, and SO arranged that il
should appear as though they were all
but Babson could BEE that others we're
living fiat upon the proa's bottom
Wishing, however, to maze sure, he
slung the glass over his shoulder and
sprang up to the crosstree above, where
he took another observation, being here
enabled to look down into the bottom
of the craft, where he saw the savages
packed away like fgs in a drum. He
made up his mind that there could moi
be less than lN of the piratical crew
Ard with this information he returned
to the deck.
William Babson was a brave man, but
his heart sank within him in view o
the prospect before him. His pistols
: were the old.fashioned aint-lock wesp
rH GAS