Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-10-27

| down INSIDE, WINCH CauSul sunni
from the water which alarmed me As |
rose up and advanced caught sight ola
native craft stealing into the rip from
tic lower side She was from the Pindo
Islands, to to north of Us, and was IL
spice boat She had Il single mast and
latcen sail, and duringa cain was pulled
! by oars. ran back 60 my companion.
and we crept forward on hands and
knees to discover the object of the visit.
Had the men been honest they would
have been talking and singing. They 4
would not have come into the rip had
they not known of our presence and the
fact of their coming so quietly BODIED Ill \
Tor us. The craft WAS grounded about
Ice feet above US, and twelve or fifteen
natives leapcd out on the beach.
When we had seen tbs much we re-l
turned to our tent, secured the three /
guns and course ammunition, and took
up our stations between the tent and the
water. In live minutes we had burrowcd
cur rifle pits and charged the guns with
buckshct. 1t was no, for us to open the
fight. We could just make out the
group of figures around the boats and
they would soon let us know whether
they were friends or enemies. We had
Just got fairly settled when we saw tho
crowd stealing over the sands i'll the
direction of the tent All had spears
and clubs, and their cautious movements
proved them bent on mischief. When
they came up quite close to the tent they
raised loud yell and dashed forward,
hurting their spears and swinging their
clubs, and it was two or three minutes
before they discovered that the tent was
unoccupicd Thea, rs they huddlcdi
together. we opened fire They were
not NJ ,rc than sixty feet away, and the
burkShot had to tell. There wcrei
screams. and shouts, and Il stampede.
All broke for the boat-all who were on
their feet after our fire. Two or three
men had been left in charge of the craft,
and as soon as they heard the firing and
Yelling panic seized them, and they
pushed tho boat oil, sprang into her,
and made oil down the rip Ninei
natives were thus left in the lurch. They
raised great cry, calling and command.
ing, but those in tue boat did not even
reply.
The situation was this: We had thet
fellows penncd up on neck OF sands
without cover, and we had firearms and!
+ they had none | have no doubt we had
been spied upon before they came to-
make tic attack, and very likely thcyf
believed there were three OF rs. They
were afraid to attack as, and rs for sur
render it WAS not to be thought OF. 1ni
the five yclrs sailed among the islands
never knew quarrel between whitea
men and natives to terminate i'll draw.
ne party Or the other ran away or were.
( wiped out These wreckers had meant
to butcher us Had offered them terms.
they would have refused. Had ;hey
captured us alive. they would have;
lanccd us OIL hand, and been astonishcd
at any protest Lying in our rifle
pits. VIC 10th realized thati it was Ques
ton of the survival of the strongest, and
that we would have no relief until the
last mau WAS wiped out. We heard
them chattcring and cursing for an hour
or so, the leader evidently seeking to,
work their courage up to the attacking
point, and then all was quiet
+ Daylight came at last, and what was
our astouishment to discover that the
ninc had crossed the channel to the sand
bar, leaving most of their weapons on
the main shore. We also soon discov-
cred why they had bravcd the sharks to
reach that spot. The boat had run
down tic rip, circled around outside the
surf, which was very light there, aud at
tcmpted TO land on the head OF the bar.
The fellows had swan over expecting to
be taken OH, but the craft had struck a
rock aud filled and sunk in fifteen feet
of water. There must have been three
men with her, for the Eumber on the
bar was ROW twelve. The onlyicXplana-
ton of why the sharks did norselze any
of the nine was that they had, followed
the boat out and around. Well, that
was the situation, and no TWO men ever
had a ncatcr drop on gang OF cutthrcats.
They had their knives alone, while. we
had shotguns, and it would have been
the easiest sort Of work TO bowl them
owe. in succession by band shots BY
our volley when attacked we had killed
three and wounded q fourth so that he
could not leave the SPOT. That made
the strength OF the attacking party SIX
teen.
could talk all the LIMOGES Of the
islands, and | asked the wounded man
who they were and why they had at
tackled u. &c said The boat was from
the pindos. and TIC name of her Cap.
tain was Abyan They mad I'll tackled lis
for the sole object of plumber. ;;.:hc TEL
low had several blckshot in his lce, groin
and others in his lcE, and ltold 'ilim he
was fa; ally wounded.
cit was so written. he calmly lrcplied.
"Be so kind as to finish inc. u
"lAill you:"
you"
.But I cannot do it, y
s'Thea l will. Waited for morning
in hopes my friends would kill Won, bat
as they haze not, aud as all must die, |
will go first. ;"
lie had his naked knife in his hand,
and before could move TO prevent he
drew it across his throat, and TWO min
utes later was dead. We now had the
living TO look out for. AS | told you, it
was only about sixty feet ACROSS the rip,
and we could look right into their eyes.
A more boodthrsty dozen could not
have been scraped together in the East.
Had they been humbled by the situa-
ton should have at least hoped'to see
them get away, but they were not. On
the contrary, they were brazen and de-
liant. As soon a5 they saw us moving
they uttered shouts Of defiance and
brnndished their knives. and because