The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-08
A YARN FROM THE SEA.
Wonderful Adventure OF Woman,
who was a Remarkable Person.

d night was fading into dawn, ] thought
kasrd a voice Ealing us from the surface Of
Ia sea- There are sea birds which cry out
4 lmost like human beings. and although I
4 vas startled by the hail, dismissed it after
4 faNx seconds as the cry of bird. Scarcely
al done so when it came again, and this
&sn,a 7 knew it was the voice of a woman.
Fhare was no need to hail the mate on
latch. for he had heard the cry as well.
" were Jogging along under easy sail, and
Ia seized the glass and ran up the forerig-
NC There was a sort of steam rising
ro1r the water, but the mate had not
lin,bed so feet when he came down again,
81 ID in one breath ordered the ship into the
[jnd the captain aroused and a boat low
80 We Of the watch had no doubt that
Ia shin had been hailed by castaways, but
H. boat was down before any of us made
,t a lone woman in a sort Of canoe craft
mont two cables length away on our port
kow She had neither paddle nor oar. and
or craft was driving with the wind and
3. while she sat covering in the stern.
En- boat was soon alongside of her craft,
nd woman and canoe were soon aboard of
he Amiral Nelson. The watch below had
znrned I'D, and everybody was on deck to
ee what was going on. The woman was
rbite. and, as we soon ascertained, Ameri-
an / saw white, but bronze would be the
kettar term. for it was evident that she had
ing been exposed to tropical weather. She
has of a medium size, regular features and
bout 40 years of age, and at one time had
cen good looking.
Il "Who is the captains" she snapped, as she
cached the deck.
Here, ma'am," replied our old man, as
lie stepped forward.
II II want to talk to you in your cabin"
he continued, her fingers working nervous
and her eyes swapping fire.
ii They had not been gone quarter of an
hour when both reappeared on deck. Twas
the wheel and therefore heard all that
as said 1t appeared that the woman,
Ehose name was Mrs. Thomas, owned and
billed trading schooner, which had been
eft her at her husbands death. 1t was a
trange vocation for woman, but it seemed
he liked it, and also had good business
cad on her. She had crew of six, her
hate being an Englishman and the others
ascars, and she had been sailing between
bearly all the towns on the Gulf.
81 Three days before we picked her up her
chooner had left Sumatra bound for the
indian coast. The crew seemed to
Be perfectly quiet and content, but at 10
ID clock of the previous night, headed by the
e bate, they had suddenly laid violent hands
IN her and sent her adrift without water,
hood or paddle. The intention was to run
s way with the schooner and cargo and sell
ihem, and this plan might have been carried
but but for her rescue.
81 She was the spunkiest little woman ever
jaw She was so mad she couldn't stand
IT'LL for three seconds at time. What she
Fanted was for our ship to go in pursuit.
Her schooner was armed with two brass six
Iounders, while we had four twelves.
b Ind she expressed her entire will
#hgness to see her craft sent to the bottom
6 before the mutinous crew should benefit by
& their acts.
# Capt Wheeler was pretty well along in
sears, and very careful on the question of
assurance, and his mind was not made UP
fntil after breakfast. Then he decided to
3lf up toward the Andaman Islands in
learch of the schooner, and he almost prom
BED to give her a taste of our metal if she
thould be sighted and would not surrender.
a The little woman managed to eat dozen
outhfuIs of breakfast and then returned
the deck to almost assume control. She
ordered man aloft, bossed the job of cast
pig loose the guns and getting up powder
Ind shot, and every ten minutes she was
ailing the lookout to know if anything
as In sight. Luck was in her favor.
While we had been jogging along all night
he schooner, being farther to the east had
host dead ahead about noon, and as luck
you'd have it again we had plenty of wind,
Fhlle she had none, until the vessels were
pot over two miles apart. The schooner
Eould have no suspicion that the woman was
board Of us, and we few a signal that we
wanted TO speak to her She at once Law
o and as we ran down to her l saw Mrs.
Tomas grit her teeth, clench her hands,
fnd snow other evidences of her feelings.
Pie had borrowed the mates six-shooter,
fonned hat and coat to disguise herself,
Rnd as we lay to about a cables length
Rway no eye could have made out her sex.
Schooner ahoyw called the captain.
Aye, aye, sir! This is the Nancy Lee,
pound from Sumatra to the mainland
Are you the captain!'
No, sir; he's very sick in his BERTH
4 Kun out those guns" whispered the old
Rnan to US, and down went the port shut
4ers and out went the big bankers, and such
the crew as were not at the guns rested
heir muskets along the rail-
I've got your captain here and she'll be
1ut aboard of you'll" shouted our captain.
j II you attempt any resistance I'll sink
Rou!'
Inc Engllshman ordered his crew to man
Fne OF the guns, but they refused to obey,
#very man Of them skulking forward and
H.sappearlng down the hatch. The fellow
FL the deck long enough to arm himself
'ith a cutlaSs, and as we lowered a boat he
Failed out that he would split the head of
he first man who attempted to board the
8cuoOner.
Our first mate, the boatswain, and two of
foremast hands went in the boat with
prs. Thomas, and as we hooked to the
fcnooners chains the boatswain pulled re-
&olyer and climbed over in the bow. The
nuuneer retreated aft, and then we all
d oarded. The woman had not spoken a
ORD since leaving the ship. She was as
aIe as death, ana her eyes glared like a
gers. As she dropped from the rail to
he deck she cooked the weapon in her
q and, walked aft and right up to the mate,
"a as he tiourished his cutlass and COM
handed her to keep off, she shot him dead
his tracks.
Il It's the law Of the sea-" she quietly re-
srked, as she turned to us. Now to rout
{ut those Lascars"
put you won't kill them" said our mate.
4 40, not quite" was her grim answer, a
~ handed him the smoking revolver.
CaStlng look at the dead mutneer, to be
- mat he was dead, she went forward,
ooA Delaying pin out of the port rail, and
+pproachlng the hatch she called down:
On deck here, every man of you, and be
ulck aboutitin
Iney came up one after another. andf as
acn man touched the deck she gave him a
raek over the head which made him see
s They went down on their knees and
esseu Tor their lives, and after knocking