Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-26

could catch up gathered that messen-
gers had been sent off to bring the vii
layers home to attack the brig. They
came before sunset, and they had scarcely
arrived when couple Of guards came
and conducted me to the head man or
chief. He was a short, stout, ugly look
ing fellow, and / saw at q glance that all
the people seemed to fear him. He had
been told, 1 suppose, that l could speak
the dialect, and no sooner had / come
into his presence than he shouted at me:
$50 you dare land on my island with
out first seeking permission. We shall
see about that
''But we are sailors in Distress" re-
piled.
''Bahi What is your distress to me?
Am l responsible because you don't know
how to sail your ship safely? Where does
your craft come from, and where is she
bound to?''
told him truly.
"What is your cargo?'
''She is in ballast only"
elbow many men are left aboard?"
"Seven, counting the cook"
SIS he negro?"
'He is
"Well, you needn't count him. We
will throw him to the sharks. / ate some
negro once and it made me sick for three
days. We will capture the ship and bring
your friends here"
''But why not carry word for us to
some of the ports and thus earn large
sum of money!
"And be seized and shut up in prison,
or hung? Take the lean, long devil away
and fatten him up. If he won't eat you
must cram the food down his throat"
He hit the nail on the head when he
called me long and lean. l stood about
six feet, was long armed and long legged,
and weighed only $40 pounds. They
might have hunted for a week without
finding an ounce of fat When l returned
to the hut no longer had any hope. I
felt certain that we had not only fallen
among cannibals, but that some Of us
would surely be eaten within
day or two. L was greatly wor-
ried, too. about the brig. The yawl was
the only boat left her by the storm,
and our continued absence would puzzle
the captain. He would have no idea Of
the mess we had got into, and would not
therefore be on his guard against an at
tack by the natives. | am certain they
meant to make one, but Providence inter-
fered. With the going down Of the sun
a strong breeze set in from the land and
before midnight, as / learned several
months later, the cables which had so
long stood the strain parted and let the
brig drift to sea. She was picked up by
steamer next day and towed into Homo
lulu, and the captain reported that we Of
the yawl had likely been capsiZed and
drowned while trying to come off to the
brig after dark. That report settled our
fate, and nothing more would ever be
learned Of us except by accident.
Our first night In the village was
q wretched one. The natives were awake
all night long, singing, shouting and
rejoicing over our capture, and, it
being midsummer, we were nearly
devoured alive by insects. l caught few
words now and then from the guards dur
ing the night, and thus learned that the
sea was too heavy to permit the attack on
the brig, and that none of us would be
eaten until the people Of Little Cannibal,
which was three or four miles distant,
could cross the channel. This, they
figured, could be done in another twenty
four hours, but they were wrong. The
wind held at half a gale for the next two
days, and it was on the fourth day Of our
capture that the visitors appeared A
chief and about twenty men came, and
were warmly welcomed. 1 had not seen
any of the sailors except the one who
lodged with me up to this time, but l
knew the huts in which they were con-
fined, and by looking through the crevces
of my prison walls l got an idea who
would be the first victim. The latest
man in our crew had come ashore with me.
He was second class seaman named
Philbrick, and was built like porpoise.
He had a smooth face, red cheeks, and
was in the bloom of health. II the natives
were after something fat and tender in the
way of human flesh they would certainly
take Philbrick, and I soon saw they meant
10. The choicest food they could provide
was being carried to him, and it was evil
dent they were stufling him for the feast.
He, poor fellow, evidently had no sus-
picions, or, with sailors proverbial reck
lessness, was bound to live high while the
held out.
The visitors arrived about 9 o'clock in
the morning. and half an hour later saw
Philbrick led out. I do not think the
men in any of the other huts could have
seen him. l think they had given him
plenty of strong drink, for he acted tipsy,
and as he came out of the hut he was
singing happy song. The people at once
around him and led him off TO
the woods in the rear Of the village Our
guards went with the crowd, their places
being taken by five or six boys of from Is
to IS years of age These boys were well
attended strictly to the business
on hand, and any attempt to force our way
out would have resulted in our death.
1t was o'clock in the afternoon when
the men returned, and was soon aware
of the fact that Philbrick had been killed
and devoured Indeed the people con-
graduated each other on his excellent con-
dition, and the strangers departed for
home with the promise TO come back on
the third day 1t now seemed that the
was to kill and eat one Of US
about every third day, and the sailor and
/ made up our minds to eat no more food
than would barely sustain life. I was, as
have told you, in very poor flesh, and,
for the sailor, he was not
much Batter off, while be had q mining
sore- on his leg De- Had no. sooner. in-
formed, me- Uf ibis then eat With my
knife AID gassess, tho call q ssif II ,st SsSs
hIid then, 10y rlItssiae , tobacco into THE
frssh wound, got UP an irritation which
knew would soon produce sore.
The next day after the death Of Phil
brick our allowance of food was greatly
but we scarcely tasted a mouth
ful. They also gave Us plenty Of brandy,
In bottles Of English make, but we never
touched it. I kept working az my wound
and the sailor kept irritating his sore, and
in couple Of days we both had fever,
and really cared very little about food.
knew we should not be the next victims,
rs the two other men were in better flesh;
but still as the third day came around