Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-08-14


paddle nor oar, and her craft was driv-
ing with the wind and sea, while she sat
covering in the stern. Our boat was
soon alongside of her craft, and the
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 ascer-
tanned, American. 1 say white, but
bronze would be the better term, for it
was evident that she had long been ex-
posed 10 tropical weather. She was of
medium size, regular features and about
40 years of age, and had at one time been
good looking.
s"Who and where is the captain of this
ship" she suddenly snapped, as she
reached the deck.
Here, ma'am," gallantly replied our
old man, as he stepped briskly forward.
81 want to talk to you in your cabin"
she continued, her fingers working nerv-
ously and her eyes afre.
They had not been gone quarter of
an hour when both reappeared ON deck.
l was at the wheel and therefore heard
all that was said. 1t appeared that
the woman, whose name was Mrs.
Thomas, owned and sailed a trading
schooner which had been left her at her
husbands death. 1t was a strange vO-
cation for woman, but it seemed she
liked it and also had a good business
head on her. She had a crew Of six, her
mate being an Englishman 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 left Sumatra 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, nd this plan might
have been carried out but for her rescue.
She was the spunkiest little woman 7
ever saw. She was so mad she couldn't
stand still for three seconds at a time.
What she wanted was for our ship to go
in pursuit. Her schooner was armed
with two brass six Founders, 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. Capt.
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-
.ided to huff mp toward the Andaxnan
Islands in search of the schooner, and he
almost promised to give her taste of
our metal if she would not surrender.
The little woman managed to eat a
dozen mouthfuls of breakfast, and then
returned to the deck to almost assume
control. She ordered man alOft, bOSsed
the job of casting loose the guns and get
ting up powder and shot, and every ten
minutes she WI Mailing the lookout to
know if anything was in sight. Luck
was in her favor. While we had been
jogging along all night the schooner, be-
ing further to the east, had been almost
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 vessels were
not over two miles apart. The schooner
could have no suspicion that the woman
was aboard of MS, and we few signal
that we wanted to speak her. She at
once lay TO, and as we ran down TO her l
saw Mrs. Thomas grit her teeth, clinch
her hands and show other evidences of
her feelin.;;. She had borrowed the
mates six shooter, donned d hat and
coat to disguise herself, and as we lay to
about cables length away no eye could
have made out her sex. Schooner
ahoyr' called our captain.
LAY, ay, sir! This is the Nancy Lee,
bound from Sumatra to the mainland"
Are you the captainT'
mo, sir. He's very sick in his berth.
run out those guns whispered the
old man to us, and down went the port
shutters, and out went the big bankers,
and such of the crew as were not at the
guns rested their muskets along the rail.
1--WE got your captain here, and she'll
be put aboard of your shouted the cap
tain. "If you attempt any resistance
III sink you"
The Nancy's mate ordered bis crew to
one of the guns, but they refused 70
obey, every man of them sulking for
ward and disappearing down the hatch.
The fellow left the deck long enough to
arm himself with a cutlass, and as we
lowered a boat he called out that he
would split the head Of the first man
who attempted to board the schooner.
Our first mate, the boatswain and two
Of us foremost hands went in the boat
with Mrs. Thomas, and as we hooked on
20 the schooner's chains the boatswain
pulled revolver and climbed in over
the bows. The mutineer retreated aft,
and then we all boarded. The woman
had not spoken q word since leaving the |
ship. She was pale as death, and her |
eyes glared like tigers. As she dropped |
from the rail to the deck she cooked the |
weapon in her hand, walked aft and |
right up to the mate, and as he flour
Isneo mis- cuIIass ana COMMANDED ner 10 |
keep off she shot him dead In his tracks. !
"It's the law of the sea-" she quietly
remarked, as she turned to US. "Now to
rout out those LascarsP'
"But you won't kill them said our
mate.
mo, not gutter was her grim answer,
as she handed him the smoking revolver.
Casting look at the dead mutineer,
to be sure that he was dead, she went
forward, took Delaying pin out of the
port rail and, going to the hatch, called
down:
ION deck here, every cowardly man Of
you, and be quick about it, tooF'
They came up one after the other, and