Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-02-14
A FEMALE CRUSOE.

On the 26th day Of October, A. D.
1e7l, the trading schooner Little King
sailed out Of the port Of Singapore,
Douud for the kindcroon Islands, to the
north, and only one of her crew was ever
again met With For tive years before
the schooner had belonged to and been
commanded by Captain Ezra Williams,
an American from San Francisco. He
traded between Singapore and Sumatra,
Java, Borneo and the smaller islands of
the Java Sex, and in May, 1871, died at
Singapore Of fever He had then been
married for three years to an English
woman whose maiden name was Dan
forth, who had been domestic in an
an English family in Singapore She had
accompanied him in all his voyages, and
had secured much experience and infor-
nation. AS She could not readily dis
pose Of the schooner, she determined to
continue in the business, acting as her
| own snpercargo.
Mrs. Williams secured an Englishman
named Parker as captain. another named
| Hope as mate, and with three Malavs be-
! fore the mast and Chinese cook, and
with about $1,000 in specie in the cabin,
she sailed away on her first voyage, and
! it Was four wears later before she was
again heard Of. The purpose of this
narrative is 70 chronicle her adven-
lures in the interim, as | had it from her
own lips.
While it was bit queer to start on q
voyage with woman virtually in COM
mand of the craft, Mrs. Williams had
nothing to fear from her crew. The
officers were good navigators, and the
men willing, and all were anxious for a
profitable voyage. She had no complaints
to make until the islands had been
reached. The group lies between the
Ma Peninsula aud the island of Bor-
neo, about 100 miles off the coast of the
former, and from $50 to 800 miles from
Borneo There are nineteen islands in the
group, covering length of 120 miles by
about forty broad There are only seven
or eight which are inhabited, and at the
time of which | write the people were 4
lawless set, and a share of them out and
pirates. The products were dried fish,
sea shells, cocoanuts, dye stutfs, various
herbs aud roots for medicinal purposes,
aud several sorts spices. The schooner
had been there once before and made q
profitable trip of it. She had clothing,
powder, shoes, axes, and great variety
Of notions, and where nore of these were
wanted she paid cash.
On the trip the schooner worked Il
the uorthward and made her stop at tn
Island of Quewang, being the third on
from tie northernmost island Of tn
} group She met with cordial reception
and at once began bartering for aud re
ceiying cargo. She was anchored in
sheltered bay, within 500 feet of th
beach, and had been there five days be
fore anything occurred to arouse Mrs
Williams suspicious that all was no
right. She then observed that the entir
crew were drinking deeply of nativ
liquor which the natives were supplyin
in liberal manner. and that some of tn
fellows were becoming impudentl
familiar. When the Captain was spoke
to he laughed at her idea of trouble al
promised be: er things, but the drinkin
continued On the afternoon Of II
seventh day several women came of
the canoes. One of them, who coul
speak English pretty fairly, was pr
sen,ed With some ornaments by Mr.
Williams, and in return she limited to b.
: that Il was the intention of the natives .
capture and loot the schooner that nigh
They had discovered that there was
large sum of money on board, and the
had found the crew an easy one
handle The native woman hadn't tin
nor\ opportunity to say much, but I
sooner had the crowd of natives left Il
schooner at dusk. as was their custor
than Mrs. Williams set out to sound II
alarm. Imagine her feelings when 81
: discovered that every single man {
board, from Captain to cook, was
much under the influence of liquor as
be unable to comprehend her words. 81