St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-07-07
A YARN FROM THE SEA.
Tho Wonderful Adventure OF Z
Remarkable Woman.

AsSAAUA AUOAG "OA00us
We Were well into the Gulf Of Ben.
sai. bounl for Madras. when ono
morning. just rs night was fading into
dawn, l thought heard voice hail.
ing US from the surface of the sea.
There are sea birds which cry ou,
almost like human b:ings and
although was startled by the hail.
dismissed it after few seconds rs tho
cry OF n bird. Scarcely had l done SO
when it cane again. and this time
knew it was the voice of woman.
There was no need 10 hail Tho mate on
watch for he hal heard III. cry As
we'll We were 'gging along under
easy sail. and he seized the glass and
ran up the forcrigging. There was a
sort of steam rising from the water.
but the mate had not climbed thirty
feet when he came down again. and
in one breath ordered the ship into the
wind. the captain aroused and boat
lowered. We of The watch hal no
doub: that the ship had been hailed by
casiaways. but the boat was down be-
fore any of us made out a lone woman
in a sort If 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
stern. Oar boat was soon alongside
of her craft. and woman AMI canoe
were soon aboard of the A lmiral Nell
Son. The watch below had turned up
ard every body was on deck to see
what WAS going on. The woman was
white. and. as we soon ascertaincl.
American. say white. but bronze
would be the better term. for 1t was
evident that she had long been ex-
posed to tropical weather She was
Of medium size. regular features and
about forty years of age. and ut one
time had been good!ooking
WHO is the captain?' she snapped.
as she reach, ID the deck.
Here. ma am" rcpliod our old man.
Us he stepped forward.
Il want 10 talk to you in your cab
:n," she continued. her fingers work
ing nclvou>ly and her eyes swapping
fire.
They had not been gone a quarter Of
an hour when both rcappcarcd on
deck. was at the wheel. and there
fore heard all that was said. /: ap-
Pcared that the woman. whose name
was Mrs Thomas. owned and sailed a
T.. .nI, lnff
h at her husbands death. lt.was a
strange vocation for woman. but it
seemed She liked it. and also had a
good business heal on her. She had
a crew Of six. her mate being an En-
glishman and the Others Lascars. and
she had been sailing between nearly
all the towns on the gulf
Three DAYS before we picked her up
her schooner had eft Sumatra bound
for the Indian coast. The crew seemed
10 be perfectly quiet and content. but
nj ten o'clock of the previous night.
headed by the mate. they had sudden
ly laid 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 them. and this plan might have
been carried ont but for her rescue.
Sh, was The spunkicst little woman
ever saw. She was so mad she
couldn't stand still for three seconds
at time. What she varied was for
our ship 10 go in pursuit. Her
schooner was armed with two brass
six poandcrs, while we had four
twelves. and she expressed her entire
willingness TO see her craft sent 10 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
Insurance. and his mind was not made
up until after breakfast. Then he de-
cidcd 10 luff up towards The Andaman
Islands in search of the schooner. and
he almost promised 10 give her taste
Of our metal if she should be sighted
and would not surrcnder.
The little woman managed TO cat a
doz n mouihfuls of breakfast and then
r,tarncd to the deck 10 almost assume
control. She ordered maa aloft.
bosscd the job of casting loose the
guns and getting up powder and shot,
and every ten minutes she was hailinS
the lookout 10 know if any thing was
in sight. Lick was in her favor.
While we had been jogging along all
night The schooner. being farther to
the cast. had been almost becalmed.
We raised her almost dead ahead
about noon. and rs luck would have
il again We had plenty Of wind. while
she lad none until the vessels were not
over Two miles apart The schooner
could have no suspicion that the wonl-
a was aboard Of us and we fiew
signal that we wanted 10 speak her
She ut once lay to. and rs we ran
down 10 her ! saw Mrs Thomas grit