The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1888-12-01


ing over the stern of the boat, while
the Frenchman was forward, and the
Englishmen had gone off with one of
the men in a canoe to inspect some
rocks. l heard shouts and yells, and
turned just as our crew, one after an
other, plunged overheard and struck
out for the shore. We had been board
ed by solitary native, who had come
off in his canoe from the other bank.
The firearms were in the cabin, and as
l turned to see what the uproar meant
the native cut the Frenchman's head
almost clear off by blow from a short,
heavy sword.
l did not know why the fellow had
come, nor his intentions, but as the
Frenchman fell l retreated to the cabin
to arm myself. The native made a
rush, and l shut and hooked the door.
He began chopping at it with his
sword, and from a little side window l
fired upon him with a revolver and
wounded him in the side. He there
upon retreated out of range, but took
up his station in such a manner
that he could cut me down if
| attempted to come out. The up
roar had reached the Englishman, and
he approached in the canoe. He had
gone off without weapons, and now he
dared not board the boat. There was
one small stern window, and he dropped
the canoe down and called to me and
explained matters. The fellow hold
ing the deck was desperate. He had
come off single-handed to rob us, but
must also have our lives. He was en-
tirely alone, and probably would not
be joined by others. While he was
explaining matters lashed revolver
and some ammunition to board used
as life-preserver and lowered it to
tho W stter. AS it fioSted down, the En-
glishman secured it. The robbers
canoe was alongside, and | instructed
my companion how to secure it did
not propose to let the fellow get away
after his bloody work. l heard him
cursing and growing as he discovered
what was going on, but he did not
leave his station. He was bent on hav-
ing my life, and the wound | had in
flicted had worked him up to furious
degree.
The craft was light one, and the
cabin was little better than thatch.
After the canoe had been taken away 1
took up one of the shotguns loaded
with buckshot, dropped bullet into
the barrel. and then crept around the
cabin to discover the villains outside
location. He kept as still as mouse
for a few minutes, but by and by
| heard him Love and mutter.
Then / brought the gun to bear so as
to pepper his legs and blazed away.
He fell down, shrieking and cursing,
and, grasping one of the revolvers, |
dashed out. The charge had taken
him in the right leg at the knee, and
it was fatal wound, but he pulled
himself up and came at me hopping on
one leg, while the blood literally
flooded the deck behind him. l saw
that / must finish him, and l
didn't hesitate to do it. When our
crew of natives returned most of them
recognized the man. He was a robber
and had several times been imprisoned,
and they clung to it that his sole idea
in coming aboard was to despoil us. In
his idea murder went with robbery. 1t
was a necessary adjunct. fhe was, as
they claimed, only a second-class des-
perado, one of the first-class would
probably have the assurance to attack
merchant ship single handed.
My second adventure was at a town
called Kwei Ling. l had been there a
month. and my business and social re-
lations had been extremely pleasant. l
went one night to sup with and spend
the night at the house of the mayor,
who was also our local agent. He
lived out in the suburbs, with very
fine garden about his house, and the
room assigned me was on the ground
floor, front. 1t had two windows, and,
while not over eight feet wide, was fully
twenty-four feet long. Lying in my bed,
l could see the whole length of the
room, and, as the night was very hot
and close, l left the lower sash up. l
had my revolver at hand, and, being a
light sleeper, l knew that the slight
est noise would arouse me. We sat up
to a late hour, and it was after mid
night when l got to bed. l at once
fell asleep, and at two o'clock found
myself sitting bolt upright in bed and
a man climbing in at the window. 1
had my revolver on him before he was
on his feet in the room, and l called
out to him in Chinese to stand where
he was or l would shoot him. Ny
clothes were on a chair between him
and me, and if he had been intent on
robbery alone he might have grabbed
them and made off. But he wanted to
rob and kill, too; and although he
could have seen the CLEAN of my re-
volver in the moOnlit room, he came
for the bed on a run, brandishing the
ugliest looking knife l ever set eyes
on. / pulled for him over the foot
board when he was only ten feet away,
and he fell. When lights and help
arrived we found that my bullet had
glanced around his skull and stunned
him. There were six or eight of us
at hand, but the fellow fought like a
giant, and we could not secure him