The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-02-11

ing neither sail nor oars, food no,
water. The brig was then run up the
Gulf Of California about thirty miles,
plundered, holes bored in her bottom,
and while she was sent adrift to sink
the robbers pulled ashore in their
boat
The brig drove down the Gulf and
out to sea and waterlogged. The peo-
pie on the boat drove out to sea, and
after several days of terrible suffering
reached Revilla Island. which is 125
miles southwest Of the Cape. Here
they found water and food, but four
died from exposure and exhaustion.
They had not been on the island quite
two days when the waterlogged brig
came in sight It was midsummer,
with fine spell of weather, and the
survivors at once decided to cast their
fate with the brig. Her deck would
have been awash in a placid sea but
for her bulwarks, and there was not q
dry spot aboard. The people got some
of the lumber from her hold and made
with all sails set they determined to
try and work her across to the coast
This feat was performed with only one
sailor among the crowd. and with
nothing to eat except raw onions and
-four, and with no water except thai
caught in their blankets as a shower
passed over.
Twas on a ship lying in the port of
MaZatlan as the Penguin came in one
morning an hour after daylight. bring
ing the Don and those who had sur
vived. Her story had not been fully
told when her yawl, containing the
five mutineers and murderers, also en-
tered the harbor. They had fixed up
a story of the brig being wrecked and
of their fortunate escape in the boat.
and this story as / heard it confessed
to in court, was so well laid in all
particulars that it would have passed
had there been no one to contradict it.
1t was boat and crew from our ship
which captured the yawl in the har-
Dor, and 1 was aboard the Penguin
when three corpses which had been
washing around in her cabin for eleven
days were taken out as evidence of the
mutiny and murder The trial OF the
men did not last long, as they had no
defense to offer, and ii was only few
days after the verdict that they were
taken out and executed. The Don re-
covered his money, the brig was
pumped out and repaired, and the only
sacrifice was the loss of life. The set
of an ocean current, which might not
have set that way again for weeks be-
fore or after, carried the suffering
people to the only island on that cape
for a distance of thousand miles.
Another current, aided by favorable
winds, drifted the brig down to them.
Their efforts to sail her back were
aided by the most favorable weather
and favoring winds.
One day in the whaler Lady Blake. |
of Glasgow, about 400 miles west Of
Santiago. we had raised and killed q
large bull whale and had him along
side for cutting in when Russian
whaler named after some prince or
other came working down to us out of
the south, flying signal that she
wanted to speak to us. When whaling
ships meet it is customary to hold
what they call gam" or talk. The
captains have dinner together, COM
pare notes. give each other pointers,
and the crew which has rowed its cap
tain OF is allowed to mingle and visit
with the other men. As a ship may
be out for four or five months without
meeting another, these occasions arc
looked to with great interest.
The whale alongside was the frst We
had raised for five days. and We had
run him distance of twelve miles be-
fore killing. We had our hands full
with the big carcass, and there was no
lookout aloft. or any thought OF live
whales when the Russian worked
slowly down. Her presence was gen.
orally commented on. but no one
stopped work. She came down to
within half a mile of us, was brought |
up into the wind, and, while prepare
tions were being made to lower boat,
q dozen of us who were at the tackles |
had a breathing spell for a moment |
and chance to look at her. As We |
looked her stern suddenly lifted high |
in air, her bows plunged under water
and she rolled over on her port side.
There was dull crash as she lifted.
but our shouts of alarm had scarcely
been heard before she was over. There !
was a general rush to the lows of our
vessel that we might see better, and
we were so confused for couple OF
minutes that no one needed the order
to lower away boat Just as we had
one in the water the Russian disap-
peared under the surface, rolling back
to an even keel as she went down. At