Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-04-30

loot the schooner that night. They had
discovered that there was a large sum
of money on board, and they had found
the crew an easy one to handle. The
native woman hadn't time nor opportu-
nifty to say much, but no sooner had the
crowd of natives left the schooner at
dusk, as was their custom, than Mrs
Williams set out to sound the alarm.
Imagine her feelings when she dis
covered that every single man on board,
from captain to cook, was SO much un
der the influence of liquor as to be un-
able to comprehend her words. She
doused them with sea water and pound
ed them with Delaying pins. but all to
no purpose. The entire lot were stu
pidly drunk, just as the natives had
planned for.
1t was a perilous situation for the
woman to be placed in. If the natives
captured the schooner they would MUIR
der every one of the crew as a natural
sequence, and the first step toward
capturing her had already been taken
The step she took showed sound iudg-
ment. :. The schooner's yawl was down,
having been in almost hourly USE The
native village was about forty rods
back from the beach, and as the
SSAOOAOA ." A19 W Vic COO tAOC BIC pre-.
sented her broadside to the village
When the yawl was pulled around to
the port side she was out of sight
Mrs. Williams first act was to step the
mast; her next to supply the craft with
provisions and water. There was an
unusual number of lights burning in
the village, showing that something
was on foot, but she had no fear of an
attack until later hour. The natives
would wait until certain that all the
people were helpless.
Mrs. Williams had determined to slip
away from the doomed craft in the
yawl, although she had no experience
in the management of small boat.
After water and provisions she brought
up all her money which was in boxes
she could handle. Not penny of it
was left behind. There was rifle, re-
volver and double-barreled shotgun be-
longing to her husband. These she
took, together with powder, shot and
fixed ammunition. Then she gathered
up all her bedding and clothing, took
of clothes belonging to the officers, and
when these were in the boat she took
pots, pans, dishes and cutlery, bundled
up a. lot of carpenters tools, secured
two axes, lot of small rope, several
pieces of canvas, and in brief loaded
the yawl with whatever was portal BILE
and handy, including the clock, COM
pass, quadrant, sextant and lamp and
four gallons of oil. She worked for
upward of two hours getting these
things into boat, and the last articles
taken aboard were meat, flour, beans,
tea and provisions from the lazarette.
1t was about ten o'clock when Mrs.
Williams took her seat in the yawl and
cast off from the schooner, and the tide
at once drifted her out of the bay and
to the north. The only thing of conse-
quence she had forgotten was chart
of the Java sea which she could have
put her hand on at a minutes notice,
and it was the want OF this which made
a Crusoe of her for several years. AS
the yawl went out to sea after it's own
fashion, Mrs. Williams lost the points
of the compass at once. Indeed, had
she kept them in mind it would have
been no benefit just then, as she had
not studied the chart and could not
have told which way to steer to reach
another group or the land
She heard nothing whatever from the
ascertained that they did not board the
schooner until midnight. The men, all
of whom were still drunk and asleep,
were stripped and tossed overheard to
drown, and then the absence Of the
woman and her money was discovered.
Five or six native crafts, were at once
sent in pursuit, while the people who
remained looted the schooner Of every
thing of value to them, and then towed
her out to deep water and scuttled her
to hide the evidence of their crime.
After drifting three Or four miles out
to sea the yawl got light breeze, and
after few trials the woman learned
how to manage the sail and lay
course. She had no idea which way
she was heading, but ran off before the
breeze, and kept going all night and UNI
til afternoon next day. She must have
passed the Upmong in the early morn
ing, but SO far to the westward she
could not see it. The wind hauling at
midforenoon altered her course by sew
eral points, and the northernmost island
of the group, named Polio, was thus
brought in line. The island is seven
miles long by three in width at it's wild
est part, we'll wooded and watered.
The woman landed on the east side at
the mouth of a creek which forms a
snug little harbor. She was convinced
that this was one of the islands of the
Kinderoon group, but she did not know
that it was the most northerly one. By
consulting the compass she got the car
dinal points, but not having studied the
chart she could not say in what direc-
ton any other land lay. She had seen
the sails of two traders that morning,
but as they were native craft she had
every wish to avoid them. The boats
which were sent in pursuit of her must
have taken another course, as she saw
nothing of them.
When Mrs. Williams landed on the
island she had no idea of stopping there
for more than day or two, or until
she could decide on some plan. She
had scarcely gone ashore when gale
came up which lasted about thirty
hours, during which the yawl was so
damaged that she must undergo repairs
She unloaded her goods on the shore,
covered them from the weather, and
then set out to explore the island, pref
| ty well satisfied that it was inhabited,
and hoping, if it was, that her money
| might secure assistance. Before night