The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-05-14

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scrambled up lie drew his knife and
showed hght. and was promptly
knocked down with a blow from the
barrel 9I long rifle which one of the
dusky Fellows carried Henry and /
rose up and stepped ashore at their or
der, aud alter being searched and re-
ieved Of our knives and trinkets were
motionel to be seated on the sand
When The sailor came To after the
blow he received he jumped up and
attacked the man with the gun, and
four or I've of the natives pitched into
MN VIII knives and clubs, and he
was soon 50 badly wounded that / have
no doull that lie died within two or
three hours.
we Ind come ashore, as we after
ward learned. about sixty miles to the
west OF Keslin. and tie Haurarns,nt
mountains were in plain view TO the
north OF us and about twenty miles in
land Only one of our captors was
mounteq- We were ordered to follow.
him, while the Others remained be-
hind, and we trotted along after his
horse about three miles before coming
upon the camp of his people. AT the
foot OF long and whaling valley.
which was rich with grass and run
ming water, there was a camp or vii.
lag diaining about 400 people.
There were huts OF brush and mud.
tents OF hides and canvas. and every
thlng indicated that the people had
been there for some months. There
We're horses, cattle. sheep and goats
IN plenty. but no camels. A great
hullabaloo was raised by our appear
ance. and we were nj once conducted TO
the tent of the chief He came to the
door, surveyed US with anything but
pleasant look, and then ordered us
away. We were thirsty, hungry and
weak. but got nothing more than a
drink of water before being left to our
| selves III an abandoned hut. and a
guard with a lance stationed before the
door,
We knew that we had fallen into
the hands of tile Arabs, and we knew
that the people along tho coast had no
mercy on foreigners, but as we could
say nothing TO console each other we
stretched out on the ground and slept
given some boiled mutton and cakes
of barley, aud after dinner was dis.
posed of we were reconducted to the
tent OF the chief. lie had with him
now a man who seemed to be a trader
and who could speak and understand
English fairly we'll We told this man
who and what we were, and how we
came to be cast ashore. and he repeated
1t to the chief. The only English
word the latter could use was dog, -
and he kept hurting that at us pretty
lively. The interpreter was patient
and good natured, and after we had
told our story and lie had consulted
with the chief he said:
Il am sorry for you. He hates the
English, because they once wronged
him, and he is angry that your boat
contained nothing. He may not put
you TO death, but you will have to
work very hard" F."
In reply told him of the financial
standing of my father, and that he
would be willing to pay a handsome
sum to ransom us, and he wrote down
the address and said he would send him
news as soon as he returned to Makal-
la, which was 100 miles further down
the coast. As soon as the interview
closed we were sent out To a field to
tread out barley which had Just been
cut. The grain was laid OH a bare.
hard spot, and we had to kneel down
and strike 1t with sticks. We thought it
best to do all we could to please them,
but no matter how hard we worked it
was not hard enough. a man was APP
pointed as overseer. and he did little
else that long afternoon but beat US.
When darkness finally came and we
were allowed 10 return to the hut we
were sore and bleeding, and SO tired
that we fell down and went to sleep
without tasting food. We were routed
out at daylight, given two small barley
cakes apiece, and then conducted TO the
same work, and when night finally
came again we were so used up that we
had to crawl back to our hut on hands
and knees.
Our work for the next twenty days
was threshing out grain, and how we
lived through such treatment has al.
ways been a wonder 10 me. we were
half fed, continually whipped and
kicked, and after the first day we were
bareneaded and barefooted and obliged
to hide our nakedness with two old
sheepskins which left arms and legs
bare. After the barley had been fin
ished we were set to building mud
huts, and as all the material had TO be
carried some distance, and as the over
seer was too lazy to walk with us. he
could use his whip only when we were
building. We had not been watched
at night after the first two weeks. and
on several occasions had planned to
run away. We realized, however.
that we had not the strength to go
far, and it was only after we had fin
ished our first hut and were feeling
better in mind and body that we deter.
mined 10 try and make our escape.
We had been captives about thirty
days when the night of trial came.
For the last four or five nights we had
crept out after an was still and picked
up whatever food we could find, and,
while yet half famished, we felt that
we had strength to make good effort.
We left the village one night at
about IL o'clock, and instead of going
to the seashore and following the
coast. as would naturally be expected,
we went right up the valley, a dis
tance of about seven miles. Then,
when daylight came, we found a cap
ital hiding place in a rayine, and as
no one came near us during the day
we felt certain that the hunt was in
the other direction. We kept very
close for three or four days, living on
roots and berries and wild fruits, but on
the night of the fourth we went down
the valley half way to the village and
captured two goats from the pasture.
These animals were very tame, and
we had no difficulty in getting them
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