The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-06-18


As the tide WAS setting inshore, the
briggs stern was toward the island. We
quietly tailed on to the spring which had
been set and brought her starboard
broadsidc to bear. This man9uvrc might
have aroused the suspicious Of the Dyaks
had we not taken so much pains to DIS
suise the brig. As it was, they doubt
less argued that it was for the purpose OF
assisting Us in our repairs. At any rate,
at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, we
caught sight of their fleet coming out.
The sea was smooth and CLASSY, and we
could see the craft almost as soon as they
left shore. There were five of the native
craft called prahns. These are clumsy
looking affairs to European, but, as a
matter of fact, arc light, buoyant, and
quito safe in heavy sea. None of those
approaching us had masts or sails, but
were propelled by rowcrs. Each had a
small iron cannon mounted on the bows,
and the rowing and steering was done
from behind screen or partition, which
crossed the boat about third Of its
length from the bow. AS they came
nearer VIC could count about twenty men
in front of each screen. Some had mus
kets, and all had the sword-like weapon
called kris.
While our Guns were loaded and the
ports ready to be dropped, the most of
our crew were out of sight behind the
bulwarks. The prahns came on IN line
until about half mile away, and then
they formed in line the other way.
That is, each was now bow on to us,
with an interval of not more than ten
feet between them. You would have
thought they would play the hypocrite
bit and try and get aboard Of us without
any fighting or loss of life, but that isn't
Dyak nature. They didn't mean to spare
a soul of us, and they probably hoped for
a little shindy to make matters more ex-
citing. They got it, sure enough. At a
given signal each one of their howitzers
sent solid ball whizzing at us. Every
man raised yell, and the five prahns
dashed forward to board us. We let
them come within quarter of mile be-
fore we dropped the ports and run out
nine guns, loaded with short fuse shell
and grape. "Bang!' chang" "bang!"
went gun after gun, the muzzle of
each depressed for the short
range, and, although we could
see nothing for the smoke, we heard
enough to satisfy us that great havoc had
been wrought. While we waited for the
smoke to lift some object dashed against
the brig, and next moment we were be-
ing boarded by about thirty Dyaks. They
belonged to prahn which had escaped
injury, and you can Judge what manner
of men they were. While they must
have realized that they had caught
Tartar, and while our broadside had
sunk or disabled the other craft, this
solitary one hoped to carry us by dash.
She'd have done it, too, had we been a
merchantman, for she reached US under
cover of the smoke, and no sooner had
we left the shock of contact than twenty
five or thirty swarthy fellows were on
the rail. We opened on them with our
pistols and thea sailed in with the steel,
but before we had overcome them they
had cut down three men and wounded
two more. One fellow, who seemed to
be leader, kept six of us away from
him for four or five minutes, and the
way he handled his kris would have done
honor to fencing master.
When those left in the prahn saw how
the fight was going they backed her off,
but solid shot was clappcd into one of
the guns, the muzzle depressed at the
right moment, and the shot sunk the
craft as if she had been loaded with
stone. Two of the prahns were sreak-
ing shoreward, though badly battered,
when Long Tom was turned loose on
them and finished the job. A dozen
sampans had come out at the opening of
the fight, some carrying one and some
two men, and these picked up few
stragglers and took them to shore. AS
was afterward known, the number of
warriors who came out was 143. Of
these only eleven escaped death at our
hands. We had no sooner disposed of
the phraus than four boats were dropped,
each filled with well.armcd men, and
then we pulled for the beach. The
anchor was lifted, and the brig drifted in
after our souudings until she brought
up in four fathoms within muskct-
shot OF the beach. Then we lay of for
half all hour, while she piled the woods
with her shells, and when we landed it
was to meet with q scene of devastation.
There had been good-sized village just
opposite the brig, and such of it as had
not been knocked to pieces by her shells
was now Oh fire. We found about thirty
dead bodies, men, women and children,
and in the mouth of small river were
three prahns and about twenty sampans.
These were destroyed, and after the brig
had turned her shells loose again as
goodbye we went on board. The forest
was now on fire in twenty places, and the
flames were not extinguished until they
had burned every tree and bush over
space twenty-five miles long by fifteen
broad.
At about sundown we got land breeze
and made an offiug. We were not yet
through with the pirates. We had SIM
ply dosed one batch of them. Standing
to the northward all night under light
breeze brought us at daylight about op-
posite Aratora Bay, on the coast of this
same island. We still held to our dis
guise, and as day dawned We hoistcd
flag of distress. This bay was known to
be pratical stronghold, and it was soon