Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-05-25
WOMEN OF GRIT.
-Denor6St.

We were well into the Gulf of Bengal,
bound for Madras, when one morning,
just as night was fading into dawn,
thought heard a voice hailing us from
the surface of the sea. There are sea
birds who cry out almost like human be
ings, and although was startled by the
ha. | dismissed it after a few seconds as
the cry of bird. Scarcely had | done
30 when it came again, and this time 1
knew 1t 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
.fOreriggng. There was a 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 and boat lowered We
Of the watch had no doubt that the ship
had been hailed by castawavs, but che
boat was down before any of us had made
out lone woman in a sort of a 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 s,ern. Our boat was soon alongside
soon aboard the Admiral Nelson. The
watch below had been turned up, and
everybody was on deck to see what was
going on. The woman was white, and,
we soon ascertained, American. ] say
white, but brown would be the better
term, for it was evident she had long
been exposed to tropical weather She
was of medium size, regular features and
about 40 years of age, and at one time
had been good looking
'WhO is the Captain2" she snapped. as
she touched the deck.
Here, ma am, replied our old man, as
he stepped forward.
81 want to talk to you in your cabin"
she continued, her fingers working nerv-
Ously and her eyes swapping fire.
They had not been gone quarter of
an hour when both 1eappeared on deck.
was at the wheel and therefore heard
ali that was said. 1t appeared that the
woman, whose name was Mrs. Thomas,
owned and sailed a trading schooner,
which had been left her at her husbands
death. 1t was strange vocation for
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
Engllshman and the others LascarS, and
she had been sailing between nearly all
the towns on the Gulf. Three days be-
fore we picked her up, her schooner had
left Sumatra, bound for the Indian coast. !
The crew seemed to be perfectly quiet
and content, bat at 10 o'clock of the
previous night, headed by the mate, had
suddenly land violent hands on her and
sent her adrift without water food, or a
paddle. The intention was to run away
with the schooner and cargo and sell F.,
them, and this plan might have been
carried out but for her rescue.
She was the spunkiest little woman /
ever saw. She was so mad she couldn't .
stand still FOR three seconds at time.
What she wanted was for our ship to 90
IN pursuit. Her schooner was armed /
with two brass x-pounders, while we
had four twelves, and she expressed her .
entire Willingness to see her craft sent to
the bottom before the mutinous crew
shOuld benefit by their acts. Captain
Wheeler was pretty well along in years, (
very careful on the question of insur-
0nce, and his mind was not made up I'M
til after breakfast. Then he decided to .
huff 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 and would not sur
render
The little woman managed to eat .
dozen mouthfuls of breakfast, and then .
returned to the deck to almost assume /
control. She ordered a man aloft, /
bossed the job of casting loose the guns .
and getting up powder and shot, and .
every ten minutes she was hailing the I
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 a signal that we wanted to speak
her. She at once lay to, and, as we ran
down to her, | saw Mrs. Thomas gIit
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 Captain2"