Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-12-07


movements proved them bent on mischief
When they had come up quite close to the
tent they raised loud yell and dashed for
ward, hurting their spears and swinging
their clubs, and it was two or three minutes
before they discovered that the tent was I'M
occupied. Then, as they huddled together,
We opened fire. They were not more than
sixty feet away, and the buckshot had to
tell. There were screams and shouts and a
stampede All broke for the boat-all who
were on their feet after our fire: Two or
three men had been left in charge of the
craft, and as soon as they heard the firing
and yelling a panic seized them and they
pushed the boat off, sprang into her and
made off down the rip Nine natives were
thus left in the lurch. They raised great
cutlery, calling and commanding, but those
in the boat did not even reply.
The situation was this: We had the fellows
penned up on a neck of sand without cover,
and we had firearms and they had none.
have no doubt we had been spied upon before
they came to make the attack, and very
likely they believed there were three OF us.
They were afraid to attack us, and as for
surrender it was not to be thought of. In the
five years sailed among the islands never
knew quarrel between white men and
natives to terminate in a draw. One party
or the other ran away or were wiped ont.
These wreckers had meant to butcher us.
Had offered them terms, they would have
refused. Had they captured us alive, they
would have lanced us off hand, and been as
tonlshed at any protest. Lying in our rifle
pits, we both realized that it was question
OF the survival of the strongest. and that we
would have no relief until the last man was
wiped out. We heard them chattering and
cursing for an hour or so, the leader evidently
seeking to work their courage up to the at
lacking point, and then all was quiet.
Daylight came at last, and what was our
establishment to discover that the nine had
crossed the channel to the sand bar, leaving
most of their weapons on the main shore.
We also soon discovered why they had braved
the sharks to reach that spot. The boat had
run down the rip, circled around outside the
surf, which was very light there, and at
tempted to land on the head of the bar. The
fellows had swan over expecting to be taken
off, but the craft had struck rock and filled
and sunk in fifteen feet of water There
must have been three men with her, for the
number on the bar was now twelve. The
only explanation of why the sharks did not
seize any of the nine was that they had fol-
lowed the boat out and around. Well that
was the situation, and no two men ever had
neater drop on gang Of cut Threats They
had their knives alone, while we had shot
guns, and it would have been the easiest sort
of work to bowl them over in succession by
off hand shots. By. our volley when at
tackled we had killed three and wounded a
fourth SO that he could not leave the spot.
That made the strength of the attacking
party sixteen.
| could talk all the LIMOGES of the islands,
and | asked the wounded man who they
were and why they had attacked us. He
said the boat was from the Pindos. and the
name of her captain was Abyan They had
attacked US for the sole object of plumber.
The fellow had several buckshot in his left
groin and others in his leg, and l told him
he was fatally wounded.
sit was so written" he calmly replied.
"Be so kind as to finish me-"
"Kill youg'
Certainly. l would do as well by you"
"But cannot do it.'
s'Then | will. l waited for morning, in
hopes my friends would kill you, but as they
have not, and as all must die, l will go first"
He had his naked knife in his hand, and
before l could move to prevent he drew it
across his throat, and two minutes later was
dead. We now had the living to look out
for AS told you, it was only about sixty
feet across the rip, and we could look right
into their eyes. A more bloodthirsty dozen
could not have been scraped together in the
east. Had they been humbled by the situa-
| ton should at least hoped to see them get
away; but they were not. On the contrary,
they were brazen and defiant. As soon as
| they saw us moving they uttered shouts Of
defiance and brandished their knives, and
because we did not begin shooting they taunt-
| ed us with cowardice.
| Just what steps to take did not know. I
| stood guard while my companion prepared
| breakfast, but there was little fear of any of
| them crossing the channel. The sharks had
| come in until they actually crowded each
| other, and out beyond the surf we could
| see their dorsal fins by the score The ma
| tives saw the situation in all its dangers, but
| they continued defiant l called to ask them
| why they had attacked us, as we had done
| them no harm and were not trespassing on
| their domain, and the leader shouted back:
"You are dogl You are not fit to live!
! Yes, you are dog and coward! have
wet my hands in the blood of half hundred
white faced dogs, and l am only sorry that
haven't your heart to throw to these fshes!"
| 'Well, what are you going to dos" l asked
as CuOkeu DdCk NY anger.
| "What is it to you, dog Comel You are
coward Now that it is daylight you
| tremble before US and dare not shoot! Ha!
| believe you will run away!''
| Ny companion was for killing them off at
! once, but / was more merciful. While l
knew they thirsted for my blood, and would
kill me if they got the chance, it seemed
awful to shoot them down in their helpless
situation. After breakfast we sat down op-
posite them with our guns in our hands,
when those who had knives began to flourish
them and their taunts were renewed The
leader finally worked himself up to such
pitch of anger that he threw his knife across
at me- 1t came whirling and whistling
through the air and entered the sand beside
me- l replied with a snap shot which
stretched him dead. His fall only enraged
the others, and l had scarcely finished re-
loading when my companion said
''Take care. They are going to try and
swim the channel"
They scattered along the bar its full length,
like skirmishers going to the front, and at
given signal all sprang into the water Had
there been no sharks we could have answered
for every black head crossing the channel.
By spreading out they hoped to distract the
attention of the monsters, and reasoned that
portion of them would get over to attack
us. But there were too many sharks. For
about five minutes the sight was terrible. It
seemed as if there were three or four sharks
for every victim, and they fought over the
feast like so many tigers. Not a man lived
to make twenty strokes toward us. In ten
minutes after fired my shot we were rid of
the whole gang and ready to resume our
labors, nor were we annoyed again before
the schooner took US off.-New York Sun.
Golden Rods and Asters.
Vick's Magazine thinks that these grouped
together should be accepted as our national
fowers-''emblems of endurance, light and
freedom" After midsummer, in this coun-
try, our rural landscape is everywhere bright