The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-16

all to pieces. A sortie was made by six of the
men, armed with capstan bars, but the only re-
suit was that four of the party were stabbed al
most to DEATH and the other two escaped, one
to the bath room, the other to the upper rigging.
1t was about 1890 when the doors of the fore
castle were suddenly closed from the outside
and fastened with locks and ropes, and timbers
braced against the bulwarks The men inside
were undoubtedly demoralized and panic
stricken by the scenes of blood they had wit
messed in the preceding twenty min
utes. Those who were wounded thought
they were dying. and the others seem to have
been bewildered. s. Schmidt was the first one
stabbed by the Indians after they wounded the
mates. He was walking on the half deck, near
them. and when he saw one of the Indians come
up the steps from the main deck, he asked what
he wanted. He pretended not to understand,
and walked on toward where the mates were sit
ting. and the other Indian came up the steps al
most Immediately. The mates seemed to pay no
attention to their presence, but continued their
conversation, the first mate giving directions
to the work that was to be done by the early
morning watch. The action of the Indians was
as quick as lightning, and Schmidt had no idea
they had hurt the mates until they had stabbed
him. Having made the cabin and the forecastle
secure on the outside, and killed the carpenter,
Boothke, and the man on the lookout Antoine
Zerin, the Indians now had the decks to them
selves, the only other person alive therein being
the Chinese cook All Say, who in mortal
terror and as useless as kitten. They forced
him to cook for them, and he says that he put q
lot or matches in their coffee, with the hope OF
poisoning them. They warned him to stay in
his galley if he wanted to live another minute,
and while one prowled about the fore
CASTLE the other fingered at the windows and
doors OF the cabin, no doubt hoping and expect
ing each moment to get some token that the
Captain was dead All Sang, the steward, had
run away and locked himself in his room when
he saw the Captains wounds, and it was only by
threats that he prevailed upon to lend Mrs.
Clarke the slightest aid.
Thus passed the dreary hours from l o'clock
until daybreak, and on that dismal Sunday there
was scarcely any change. The Captain fingered
between life and death He knew nothing. as
yet about the fate of his crew. but he guessed
rightly that his mate was dead. There can be no
doubt that every one who escaped from that ship
owes his life, under the benefcence of Provi-
dence, to the faithful exertions of Mrs Clarke.
All day long one of the Indians was heard about
the Captains window by the inmates and was
seen by the man in the rigging, listening for the
Captains dying groans, or cry from the poor
wife or child that would indicate that he was
gone Had he died. every one would have
perished, for the assassins could then have
tered the cabin with impunity secured the fire.
arms. and killed off the rest of the men in de-
tall The sails, which were set during all the
time were alternately filed and tapping loosely,
as the noble ship swung round and round. a
helpless and aimless thing. The night came on
at last, and it was an age of doubt, uncertainty,
dread and sufferingto those unhappy mariners.
Monday morning. Jan. A, dawned at last, but
no relief came; no sound or word of hope from
the crew. Mrs Clarke had succeeded in stop
ping the flow of blood from her husbands
wounds by stuffng cotton batting into the gashes
IN his head and face and by pressing the lung
back into its place and bandasing the wound in
his left side securely. He began to suffer in
tensely after the first excitement Of the fray was
over, but he kept his will and determination
actively employed, and though he had had
neither food. drink, medicine nor stimulants
since supper on Saturday, he felt shade better
On Monday morning the captain, for the first
time learned from Hendrickson that the Indians
were the only culprits. The Captain DOW felt
stronger, and he determined to make desperate
effort to dislodge the Indians. But on Sunday
night the assassins had prepared for the battle.
Across the roof of the foretop cabin, q foot for
ward of the sky-light. they placed heavy door
on edge. lashing it fast to the railing.
Behind this they placed wide twoinch
Ss sh brssstwork s ank with and the finished he'd .oa
pillows from the murdered carpenters room.
They were armed with q fine Spark harpoon and
several jayeins made by lashing knives to ends
of rods ten feet long They were worried by the
shots from the skylight and prepared to har-
poon the first person who ventured there They
OWNED that all was not we'll with their game,
and they were going to play their last desperate
card. Hendrickson, directed by the captain,
kept up such fusilade at their breastworks that
Il
seek shelter along the sides of the cabin, before
they had chance to hurl their javelins. Firing
through the cabin, where he knew they were
standing, he hit one and wounded him so badly
that he yelled and -an to the forward part of the
ship, where he first put plank overheard and
then went over himself. The captain, mean
while, cut the upper door Of the companion way
open with broad-a axe and Hendrickson climbed
up through the sky-light. Sandborg, who was
in the rigging, now came down, and Indian No.
" dIcnya Nad 1vnx
men broke out Of the forecastle. In
the tumult of the moment, while the
men were acting like haif-drunken wretches,
wakened from sleep. smoke was seen issu.
ing from the after hatch, where the mates were
slain, and it was some minutes before the Cap
tain could get the men to 60 into the hatch with
revolvers to kill or capture the Indian, whom all
knew to be the incendiary. At length Henry
Wilson and Hendrickson led the way, and all the
others who were able, followed. But the
between decks was already filled with smoke.
and the Indian, fourishing his knife. kept well
concealed behind bale OF hemp where their
bullets could not reach him. They were almost
stifed with the smoke, but they thought they
deck and began with will to fight the fire. But.
alas, there were only eight men besides the
Cinnamon (who were strictly useless) able to
work. The Captain says that, however their
earlier conduct is judged, it cannot be denied
that they did all that they possibly could then to
was blowing fresh, and the flames spread rapidly.
The rest is soon told The Captain got the men
fairly to work, and they had taken the hose into
the tween decks by the port leading on to the
main deck. . He found the fire raging and the
men told him that while they were in the tween
decks the assassin and incendiary had gone out
through the hatch. All Say completed the story
with the information that when he came up he
uttered yell and leaped over the side. The
sharks were about the vessel, and no doubt took
him for what ne was worth. BY IL o'clock the
flames were coming through the decks, and the
Captain saw there was not moment to lose if he
would take the chance of saving the men by
means of the boats Already every sail and
mast was burned. Only scanty supply of pro-
visions and two hundred gallons of wster were
got into the larger of the two boats that were
launched. The three men who had charge of the
smaller boat swamped it under the bows of the
ship with cask of water, and all hands were
packed into the other boat They were seven
hundred miles from the nearest speck of land
and that land small island which is often missed
hvySy Syondy, ~ ,boa g..