Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-07-26
THE NANCY LEES CAPTAIN.

THE NANCY LEES CAPTAIN.
We We're well into the Gulf of Bengal,
bound for Madras, when one morning,
just as night was fa ling into dawn, L
thought | heard a voice hailing us from
the surface of the sea. There are sea
birds who cry out almost like human be-
ngs, and although / was startled by the
tail, | dismissed it after a few seconds
As the cry of a bird Scarcely had done
so when it came again, and this time
knew it was the voice of Il woman. There
was no need to hail the mate on watch,
for he heard the cry as well. We were
Jogging along under easy sail. and he
seized the glass and ran up the forerlg-
Ging. There was Il sort of steam rising
from the water, but the mate had not
climbed 30 'eet when down he came again,
and in one breath ordered the ship into
the wind the Captain aroused, and boat
lowered. We of the watch had no doubt
that the ship had been hailed by cast
awavs, but the boat was down before any
of us made out a lone woman III Il sort OF
away on our port bow. She had neither
paddle nor oar and h,r craft was driving
with the wind and sea. while she sat cow
ering in the stern. Our boat was soon
alongside of her craft. and woman and
canoe were soon aboard of the Admiral
Nelson. The watch below had been
turned up. and everybody was ON deck
to see what was going on. The woman
was white, and, as we soon aSccrtained,
American. | say white, but bronze
would be the better term, for it was evil
dent that she had long been exposed to
tropical weather. She was of medium
size, regular features, and about 40 years
Of age, and had at one time been good
looking.
"Who and where is the captain of this
ship" she suddenly snapped, as she
reached the deck.
Here, ma'am," gallantly replied our
Il want to talk to you in your cabin. y"
she continued, her fingers working nerv-
ollSly and her eyes atire.
They had not been gone a quarter of
an hour when both rcapprared on deck.
was at the wheel. and therefore heard
all that was said. 1t appeared that the
woman. whose name was Mrs. Thomas,
owned and saleI Il trading schooner,
which had been left her at her husbands
DEATH 1t was a strange vocation for a
woman, but it seemed she liked it and
also had a good buSin IS head on her.
She had Il crew of six. her mate being an
Englishman and the others Iascars. and
she had been sailing between nearly
all the towns on the gulf. Three days
before we picked her up her schooner
had left Sllmatra, bound for the Indian
coast The crew seemed to be perfectly
Quiet and content, but at 10 o'clock of
the previous night, headed by the mate,
had suddenly laid violent hands on her
and sent her adrift without water, food,
or paddle. The intention was to run
away with the schooner and cargo and
sell them. and this plan might have been
carried out but for her rescue.
She was the spunkiest little woman
ever saw. he was so mad she couldn't
stand still for three seconds at time.
What she wanted was for our ship go in
two brass 6-poundcrs. while we had four
twelves. and she expressed her entire
Willingness to see her craft sent to the
bottom before the mutinouS crew should
benefit by their acts. Captain Wheeler
was pretty we'll along in years, very
careful on the question of insurance, and
his mind was not made up until after
breakfast Then he decided to huff up
toward the Andaman Islands in search
of the schooner, and he almost promised
to give her a taste of our metal if she
would not surrender.
The little woman managed to eat
dozen mouthfuls of breakfast. and then
returned to the deck to almost assume
control She ordered a man aloft,
bossed the job of casting loose the guns
and getting up powder and shot, and
every 10 minutes she was hailing the
lookout to know if anything was in sight.
Luck was in her favor. While we had
been Jogging along all night, the schooner,
being further to the east, had been al
most becalmed. We raised her almost
dead ahead about noon, and, as luck
would have it, again we had plenty of
wind, while she had none until the YES
sells were not over two miles apart. The
schooner could have no suspicion that
the woman was aboard of us, and we
flew signal that we wanted to speak
her. She at once lay to, and as we ran
down to her saw Mrs. Thomas grit her
teeth, clench her hands, and show other
evidences of her feelings. She had bor-
rowed the mates 6-shooter, donned hat
and coat to disguise herself. and as we
lay to about q cables length away no
eve could have made out her sex.
Schooner, ahoy!" called our captain.
"Ay, ay, sir! This is the Nancy Lee,
bound from Sumatra to the mainland,
Are you the captain}"
mo, sir. He's very sick in his berth. !"
"Run out those guns! whispered the
old man to us, and down went the port