The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-06-06
WOMEN OF GRIT.


We were well into the Gulf of Bengal,
bound for Madras, when one morning,
just as night was fading into dawn, /
thought l heard voice hailing us from
the surface of the sea. There are sea
birds who cry out almost like human be-
ings, and although l was startled by the
hal, dismissed it after few seconds as
the cry Of bird. Scarcely had / done
so when it came again, and this time l
knew it was the voice Of a woman.
There was no need to hail the mate or
watch, for he had heard the cry as we'll.
We were jogging along under easy sail,
and he seized the glass and ran up the
forerigging. There was sort of steam
rising from the water, but the mate had
not climbed thirty feet when down
he came again, and in one breath
ordered the ship into the wind, the
Captain aroused aud boat lowered. We
OF the watch had no doubt that the ship
had been hailed by castaways, but che
boat was down before any of us had made
out lone woman in sort of canoe
craft about two cables length away on
our port bow. She had neither paddle
nor oar. and her craft was driving with
the wind and sea, while she sat covering
in the Stern. Our boat was soon alongside
of her craft, and woman aud craft were
soon aboard the Admiral Nelson. The
watch below had been turned up, and
| everybody was on deck TO sec what was
| going on. The woman was white and,
we soon ascertained,. American. | say
white, but brown would be the better
term, for 1t was evident she had long
been exposed to tropical weather She
was of medium size, re gular features and
about 40 years Of age, and at one time
had been good looking.
"Who is the Captaini" she snapped, as
abe touched the deck.
Here, ma'am, "rcpliel our old man, as
he stepped forward.
IL want to talk to you in your cabin, 4"
she continued, her fingers working nerv-
ously and her eyes swapping fire.
They had not been gone quarter of
an hour when both reappeafed on deck.
! was Mt the wheel, and therefore heard
all that was said. 1t appeared that the
woman, whose name was Mrs. Thomas,
owned and sailed trading schooner,
which had been left her at her husband S
death. 1t was strange vocation for
q woman, but it seemed she like it and
also had a good business head on her.
She had crew of six, her mate being an
Englishman and the Others Lascars, and
she had been sailing between yearly all
the towns on the Gulf. Three days be-
fore we picked her up, her schooner had
Left Sumatra, bound for the Indian coast.
4 1fle'crew seemed to be perfectly quiet
and content, t at 10 o'clock of the
previous night, headed by the mate, had
suddenly land violent hands on her and
sent her adr.ft without water, food, or
! paddle. The intention was TO run away
with the schooner and cargo and sell
them, and this plan might have been
| carried out but for her rescue.
She was the spunkiest little woman |
over saw. She was so mad she couldn't
| stand still for three seconds at a time.
What she wanted was for our ship to 90
in pursuit. Her schooner was armed
with two brass six-pounders, while we
had four twelves, and she expressed her
entire willingness TO see her craft sent to
the bottom before the mutinons crew
should benefit by their acts. Captain
Wheeler was pretty well along in years,
very careful on the question of insur-
ance, and his mind was not made up un-
til after breakfast. Then he decided to
luif up toward the Andaman Islands
IN search of the schooner, and he almost
promised to give her taste of our metal
If she was sighted aud would not sur
render.
T. he little woman managed to eat a
dozen mouthfuls of breakfast and then
returned to the deck to almost assume
control. She ordered a man aloft,
bassed the job of casting loose the guns
aud getting up powder and shot, and
every ten minutes she was hailing the
lookout to know if anything was in
sight. Luck was in her favor. While
we had been jogging along all night,
the schooner, being further to the east.
had been almost becalmed We raised
her almost dead ahead about noon, and as
luck would have it, again we had plenty
OF wind while she had none until the YES
sells were not over two miles apart. The
schooner could have no suspicion that
the woman was aboard of us, and we
flew signal that we wanted to speak
her. She at once lay TO, and, as we ran
down Ia her, i saw Mrs. Thomas glit
her teeth, clench her hands and show
Others evidences of her feelings. She
had borrowed the mates six-shoOter,
donned hat and coat to disguise her
self, and as we lay to about a cables
length away no eye could have made out
her sex.
"schooner ahoyl" called our captain.
'Aye, aye, sir This is the Nancy
Lee, bound from Sumatra to the main
land
"Are you the Captainq'
''No, sir. He's very sick in his berth. {"
''Run out those guns p whispered the
old man to US, and down went the big
baIkers, aud such of the crew as were
not at the guns rested their muskets
along the rail.
''lve got your Captain here and she'll
be put aboard Of your shouted our Cap
tain. ''if you attempt any resistance,
I'll sink you !"
The Englishman ordered his crew to
one of the guns, but they refused to obey,
every man of them skulking forward aud
disappearing down ihe-hatch. The fel-
low left the deck long enough TO arm
himself with .cutlass, and as We low