Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-09-25
find anything Of the boatl, swan off as

related above.
Captain Meserve and the mate, who
had thus fortuitously escaped, now took
counsel as to the best course to pursue.
One of the sick men had died during the
night, and three others lay i'll. This,
with the eight lost on shore and the
previous loss of man. reduced the ac-
tual force of the crew to eleven. The
only avenue of escape open to them lay
in constructing light craft out of the
upper works of the brig, and thus reach
ing the settlements of Europeans on the
penter rendered such a task doubly off
ficult.
"Parties of blacks appeared on shore
several times during the day, shouting,
gesticulating, and holding up fresh
skulls. They appeared, however, to
have no means of putting off from shore,
fact which the distressed crew of the
Hobart observed with renewed sense
of safety. A most vIgilant watch was
kept however, both by night and day.
Meantime the keel for shallop
twenty eight feet in length by eight feet
breadth of beam was laid, and the task
of building this miniature vessel began
in earnest Sandal-wood was used largely
for the ribs, being kind of timber
which the dreaded tcredo had seemed to
avoid. For sheathings they ripped up
the decks Fortunately they had plenty
of stores and of water on board, the bulk
of which, by the captains order, had
been got on deck befoie the hold filled.
"For three days they wrought on un-
molested, though the savages, like packs
of wolves, often saluted them with wild
cries from the shorea They were not
to be allowed to thus quietly pursue their
labor long, however, for while hard at
work on the afternoon of the fourth day,
an unusually prolonged shouting on
shore attracted their attention. Fifty or
sixty natives were running along the
beach making a tremendous uproar
Suddenly one Of the sailors shouted:
d" 'Cap'n, we're took Look to sea-
''Out near the entrance into the little
bay, were FIVE immensely large canoes
coming in, full of natives, and padded
at speed. Each canoe contained from
twenty to thirty warriors. They had ap-
preached within a mile of the brig, and
already hideous fanfaronade of conch
shells, drums and outcres was audible.
SIS it any wonder if, for a moment,
the hearts of the castaways failed them,
and that they believed that their last
hour had Gomez But twas only for a
moment. The true New England cour-
age revived in them; and very quickly,
but with grim determination, they
looked to their weapons, and prepared a
sell their lives at a dear price.
Captain Meserve showed himself a
/ good leader. lie first stationed his little
party in twos around the deck There
were three loaded muskets for each man,
also cutlass and long boarding pike.
Stand well back from the netting,
my men,, the Captain commanded.
These fellows have no cutting weapons,
but only spears and clubs. Stand well
Lack. Use your muskets first, then your
pixies when they try to climb over. Don't
mind their noise.
''Such was the speed of the canoes
that these simple preparations were no
more than completed, when the savages
were close aboard. The canoes were
each from forty to fifty feet in length,
and had both the stem and stern curling
upward to height of ten or twelve feet,
surmounted by a hideously carved effigy
/ of some idol or hero.
GAS they closed in, the yells both
from the crowd on shore and the canoes
rose to an almost deafening pitch; and
shower of stones was hurled over the
netting.
"But not till the canoes came so neal
as to almost touch the side OF the hulk
did Captain Meserve give the word to
/ fire. Thirty three heavily loaded musk
cts were then discharged, with terrible
effect. Yet for some minutes the conflict
ragged fiercely, the blacks trying first tc
pull aside the netting, and then, failing
in that, 10 Chamber over or break the
ropes. Some were even seen chewing al
the tough hemp lines with their white
+ teeth. All these naked fellows offered
fair targets for the sharp pixies; and the
cold steel was put to them without
mercy.
SIN fact, the savages olated by their
easy victory over the sailors on shore,
had counted quite without a knowledge
of the resources of the whites. TheiI
first rush was tremendous; but suddenly
I finding that they could not pull aside the
netting, and panic stricken at the havoc
the bullets and pixies were making. such
of them as were not shot or thrust
through, leaped back into their canoes,
and giving vent to wild yells of fear and
astonishment, padded away as fast a;
they could.
dFrom forty to fifty, Captain Meservt
estimated, of the attacking party, were
either shot or transixed by the pixies.
A sudden silence fell upon the yelling
crowd on shore. The canoes made of,
and slowed no disposition to renew the
attack. They bore away part of their
killed and wounded; yet numbers OF
black fellows were tumbling about in the
/ water alongside; and several days after.
ward their bodies rose to the surface and
1oated about the bay.
''No further attack was attempted
although three Of the sick men died OF
the scurvy, from their inability TO pro
( cure fresh food from the land. Twenty.
eight days were occupied in building
the shallop. At length it was launched,