Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-06-04

N {M~ EngllSn ana ChlnSSG
 ~ EEA capitalists at Shang-
 IA&. HAlASAY hal which exported
 ElN NHt2:Ax3 teas and other com
 F=@ss~ssTS-R modities. It had at
 one time eleven vos-
 sels, eight of which were small schooners and brigs, which were employed in visiting ports along the coast and various islands in the China sea and Pacific ocean. It is of my first trip l am going to tell you about.
 l had run away to sea on vessel bound from Liverpool 10 Shanghai, and had left hcr on arrival. I found that the captain of the Silver Grown, one of the company's traders, was an old friend of my fathers, and so it came about that I took service in the company under him, with the rating of cabin boy. The Crown was tine new fore-and-aft schooner, carrying crew of eight men, all told. She had a native cook, but all the others were foreigners.
 Whom we got away it was with orders for the Philippine Islands, among which the company had many resident agents who collected products. Our course was to the southeast, to pass between For mosa and tho Loo-Choo Islands, and we had made the run without incident, when one day about noon junk-rigsed native craft, which doubtless came from some port in Formosa. intercepted us to the eastward of that island. We were about thirty miles off shore when she hailed us. She claimed to bc short of water, owing to an accident; but this, as we afterward came to know, was only an excuse. When she learned that we were bound for the Phillipines she had three passengers to transfer. They were three natives of Formosa, who were going down there to found a colony and would pay lberally for passage by the schooner. They claimed to have contracted with the junk for the round trip, but she had sprung a leak and must return to port.
 an only giving you the gist of what was urged in excuse. We lay to for a couple of houN;, and heard only part Of what was said. It did not seem to strike Captain Wharton or Mate Williams as queer or suspicious, and after haggling over terms for awhile, the three natives were transferred to our decks and tho ves- sels separated. Then had time to look the stringers over, and 1 was not long in concluding that I did not wish for an in- innate acquaintance. They were a tough looking trio, and the cook had scarcely set eyes on them before hc declared that we had made a great mistake in taking them aboard.
 took an early opportunity of commit nicating my suspicious to the captain, but he laughed at me in a good-natured way. tried the mate, but he saw noth- ing to arouse distruSt. It was singular, however, that every man of the crew outside of the two officers, was satisfied that there was something wrong With the trio. While their excuse was rea- sonable enough the looks and actions of the men were suspicious, and it was plain to all that they were sailors. They let us all severely alone except the cap- tain and tho cook, and I called it to mind aftcrward that while one interested tho former the other two were occupied with the latter. could ''chin- chin" bit and the cook could speak little English, and so we managed to understand each other pretty we'll. Three days after the called the cook assured me with a very serious face that the strangers were evil minded men, who had planned to cap ture the schooner. They had asked him to join them, and he had refused. I posted off to the captain, with this news, and he greeted it with contempt.
 'If you and the cook have nothing bet ter to do, I'll set you to rubbing the rust off the anchor chain" he gruffly re- piled.
 Tho mate also laughed at me, but when I went quietly among the men, every one of them was ready to believe. Each one had noticed something to arouse his suspicious, but in the absence of orders we could do nothing but wait for what might turn up.
 We were getting we'll down toward the northernmost island of tho group, when something happered which should have the three borrowed the glasses and went up to the crosstrees of the mainmast and and took long look around. We saw the sailor in his every move, and he had not been down an hour when a native craft came creeping up from the south, bows on to us. She had a free wind. while we had been beating down all the forenoon. We were at this time forty or fifty mics to the northward of the group, with a beautiful afternoon and smooth sea. Half an hour after the native craft had been sighted, one of the natives and the captain retired to the cabin. Five minutes later the native showed his head above the deck and called to the mate, who had just come on watch. He disap- peared down the companionway, and at the same time l entered the forecastle to look for something wanted. l was down there about five minutes. l heard no particular TOW on deck, but when I reap pearcd 1 was struck dumb by the spec tacle. One of the natives was at the wheel, and was bringing the schooner into the wind to lie to. The decapitated bodies Of the two Americans and the cook were lying aEnidships, while the two Sweilcs were at the foremast crosstreeS. Not a shout had been raised nor q cry uttered. The work had been done with terrible rapidity and in silence.
 As reached the deck one of the natives came forward with bloody creese in his hand and called mo 'good boy" and said l should not be hurt. He left mo sitting on tho windlass so scared and weak that could not stand, and then assisted his companions to lower the sails. When this had been accomplished they called to the Swedes to come down. The poor fellows began crying and lamenting, and refused to descend. The natives picked up the bodies from the deck and tossed them overheard, and then descended to the cabin and brought up the bodies of captain and mate and served them the same way. Both had been killed by the one native who enticed them down. About the time the last body was flung over tho rail the native craft drew along side. She had thirty men on board. all of whom seemed to know our three pas- sengers and their plans. There was great rejoicing over the capture of the