The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-11

men, full of physical strength and dare
devil spirit and the knowledge that the
voyage was a dangerous one had made
them the more eager to 60. :,
We had been out six weeks and had
Eecn making souudings and surveys along
the west coast of Long Island to the
north of Borneo, when we had our first
trouble. We had been surveying bay
about six miles long by three in width,
and deep enough to float q man n.ot-war.
While we had failed to make out any In
habitants on the shores, several small
native crafts had visited us and engaged
in fishing in our peighborhood. While
they seemed to he povertv-stclckcn fel-
lows, with nothing more than natural
curio ;ity to know why We were taking
so much troublefor nothing, our Quarter
master, who had spent years on the
coast, put them down for spies sent out
by near colony of pirates, and he adj
vised every man to keep weather eye
open. We had been in The bay three
days, anchored in thirty feet of water,
and within half mile OF the beach,
when it came on dead calm. Some OF
our men had seen natl. es in the
tops of trees ashore, and there was no
doubt they hal climed up with
spyglasses to look down upon our decks
and discover our strength. We had one
more days work to accomplish, and,
therefore. instead OF getting out the
boats and towing the schooner out of
the bay, we got spring on our cables,
loaded the guns with grape aad cannis-
ter, aad made everything ready for the
night attack which the quartermaster
scented from afar off. He was sure that
BIZ midnight we would be beset by
dozen native craft manned BY desperate
fellows intent on our capture.
A more unfavorable light for US could
not have been made Not breath OF
air was moving, and the sun had no
sooner gone down than Il mist rose from
the still waters of the bay, and by nine
O'Clock we could not see the length of
the schooner. Although half mile
from the shore, we heard all the sounds
of tropical night, and after ten no one
was allowed to speak above a whisper.
There was nothing serious about The situ-
alton to us young fellows. All we had
to do was to open on the pirates if at
tackled and drive them off. The officers
took a different view of it, however.
There were no more desperate men at
that time than the pirates of Borneo and
ad djacent islands, and if they eamc down
on us, they would come five to one. AT
ter eleven o'clock everybody was on deck
and at his station. We lay broadside to
the entrance to the bay, with the schoon-
er laziy riding to the ground swell. and
swinging her head this way and that by
turns. This was thought to be an un-
favorable position, as, if attacked from
the entrance, we could bring only the
two port cannon to bear. 1t proved,
however, to be our salvation.
It was little past midnight, and
every man on deck was listening for
signs of the enemy, when we were sud
denly attacked on all sides at once. We
had scarcely got the alarm when full
dozen native craft of all sorts burst
through the fog and were upon us. 1t
was a Gle :er piece of work. All had
come into the by from the sea, our
position had been exactly located, and
the fleet had separated to take US on all
sides and to attack at the same moment.
The best white naval officer could not
have lail his plains more perfectly. A
merchant vessel would have been in the
hands of the pirates in five minutes, even
if cxre ting them. Discipline saved us.
There was no confusion. Every man
knew his station, and snrang to it. We
gave them a couple Of broadsides inside
Ol half a minute, and it was these which
saved the schooner. The guns were
depressed and fired at just the right
moment, and the havoc created was
simply awful. The recoil of the guns
gave the schooner sheer which upset
two or three craft, and the only attempts
to board were at the bow and stern. 1
was on the bow with others, and we each
had a musket and cutlass. I blew the
whole top of natives head off as he
raised it above the rail in front of me,
and then Used my cutlass. The fellows
just swarmcd up the chains, and they
had ropes, with hooks attached, which
they threw over the rails and came
climbing up. In spite of the way we
laid aboat US they kept gaining on us,
and had inst split fellows head open
when q hook thrown from below caught
in my clothing and I was jerked to the
mil and over it in three snaps of your
finger. I fell upon the heads Of several
natives and rolled Oh into the sea; but
almost as soon as struck the water a
rough hand pulled me on to the raft or
catamaran, and in thirty seconds my
hands and feet were tied and pirate
took charge Of me.
Although dazcd and confused by my
sudden change of position, l knew all
that was gong on. I hadn't been on the
raft two minutes when she was backed
away from the schooner, and as she
moved dose ofcannister from one of the
guns killed FIVE or six natives, who stood
over and just behind me. Again, after
we were concealed by the fog, another
discharge tore off q corner of the raft and
killed two more men. could hear the
shouts aud cheers Of my shipmates, and
I knew we were one of the last parties
to withdraw from the attack. The
schooner had come out of it very hand
somcly. having, rs l soon learned, in
flctcd terrible damage on the pirates.
After getting away from the vessel we
were Joined by boats and RATS carrying
nearly handred men, and good third
of these were wounded. All made for
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