The morning call., 1893-04-24
THE STOLEN SHIP.

THE STOLEN SHIP.
In the year 1860 l was one of the crew of
tue British survey brig Advance, which
vas surveying the islands to the south of
the Sandwich group. kingman Shoal, Pal
myra Islands and other shoals and islands
uad not been closely surveyed, and we were
Spending the summer in this work The
brig was a craft of 200 tons, and being a
Government vessel, was under strict disci-
pline.
About the middle of September we were
Il flaming Island. when a heavy gale came
mp from the west, and we had to run for the
open sea to the east The gale struck US
about o'clock in the afternoon and hung
10 us until noon the next day. During this
time we were running little east of north
pud having all " e could do. and when the gale
broke we were at least 200 miles to the
northeast of our island. 1 was mid-after-
noon before we got the brig about, and she
bad scarcely been headed back when a
whaleboat came down upon us from the
northwest, and when we got her crew aboard
we heard a very interesting story
There were eight of them; first mate,
two harpOoners and five hands All be-
longed to the British whaling bark Penrose
of Liverpool. Twenty days previously she
had run into Honolulu and discharged half
cargo Of OIL and shipped three Portuguese
sailors to replace hands WHO had been lost
Al sea. On leaving Honolulu she had
cruised to the southwark, taking a whale
Ucc slOnally, and on the day the gale broke
she lowered for whales about 200 miles
north Of the group we had been surveying.
Three boats were down at once as the bark
ran into a school. AS the breeze was light
Ouly shipkeeper was left aboard and lie
was sailor who was just recovering from a
hurt.
TIE three Portuguese were in the cap
taln's boat, which made fast to big bull
whale within a quarter of a mile of the
bark, and was Immediately struck and
disabled, and the line had 10 be cut.
Meanwhile the other TWO boats had gone
10 the eastward after the school, and they
had no sooner made fast than their vic
tim ran off at full speed. Owing to the
direction of the wind the shipkeeper could
not work down to the captain. His boat
was a wreck but was acting as a float to
sustain the crew. In this emergency the
three Portuguese offered 10 swim to the
bark and return with spare boat and they
we're told 10 60. They reached the craft
IA safety, but had no sooner got aboard
than the yards were trimmed, her head
was brought to the south, and she sailed
within 300 feet of the captain as she made
of. The dark-Sklnned Tascals made no
bones of the fact that they were running
DOaSIeQ
Of it, and derlded the men hanging to the
steven b at.
1t was heartless cold -blooded thing to
dc. The two other boats were five miles to
the eastward, and it was an hour after the
bark made of before the men cut loose
from. their dead whales to fathom the mys-
terry. They found the wreck of the cap
taIn's boat, TO discover that only one man
remained with il, tie others having been
pulled down by the sharks. By the time
he lie ST. ha rL-
than hull down, and just then the gale
broke. The boats were laid head ON To the
sea, and drlited slowly to the east, dividing
their men, 50 as 10 give each an equal show
10 live out the gale. During the night the
second mates boat was lost sight Of and
as It was never heard of again II must nave
been swamped. Had we been running
course the surviving boat could not have
fetched US, but as we brought about she
got the chance to do so.
As soon as the story had been told, our
captain decided to go in search OF the
stolen bark. 1t was a question, however,
whether she had 0utlived the gale. She
must have received the full force of It,
and being so short-handed she was liable to
disaster. The main question was whether
she would scud or drift. We had adopted
The former course, al the brig had habit
Of flooding her decks when lying head-on.
The mats Of the stolen bark, whose name
was Cummings, felt certain that the Portu-
gnese would let her drift. In that case we
would have to cover a hundred miles of
ocean to the westward before beginning to
look for them. What did they want OF the
craft? What could they do with her?
There was only one reasonable answer.
They would run her down among the south
ern islands, ind some safe spot to lay her
away, aud then have good time" This
meant eating, drinking, smoking, and
having no work to do. They would not
dare to try long voyage nor TO put into any
prominent port
1t was Mate Cummings belief that the
Portuguese would head for Christmas ISL
and, hundred miles 10 the south of where
We had been surveying, and the briggs course
was accordingly laid. On the afternoon Of
the third day after picking up the boat we
sighted the bark dead ahead. We were
then not over twenty-five miles from the
island. The stolen craft had evidently been
taking things pretty easy. She was under
short sail when we first espled her, although
The weather was fine and the breeze fair.
The thieves had no fear of pursuit. and per-
haps all were captains except The ship
keeper and would not obey each others
orders. We mad her almost hull up when
the fellows became suspicious; then they
set everything below and aloft, and to our
intense chagrin we discovered that the bark
was a faster saier than the brig. II was 4
O'Clock IN the afternoon when we sighted
her and as darkness fell she had gained a
couple of miles on us. Having got the alarm
II was hard to tell what they would now do,
but after long consultation our captain
decided 10 round Christmas Island aud lay
course for Jarvis Island. The bark was
headed directly south when we last saw
her.
Next day at noon we were to the west of
Christmas Island and running down on our
course, wheD we suddenly discovered the
bark on cur starboard quarter, standing out
from the southeast end Of the sland, where
she had been in hiding to let us pass. She
had not seen us on account of a wooded
peninsula making out for several miles, and
we ielt sure We had her in a box. The wind
was from the west and it was bit of job
10 get the brig about, smart as we were.
u ne bark was about five miles off as we
headed Tor her She couldn't 90 to the
west, nor were there men enough aboard
10 turn her on her heel and beat her back
TO the northeast.
her only recourse was to stand to the fall
on and run dead to the west WeallIonked
10 see ner mead into the wind and wait to be
boarded, but the rascal had not Southwest
heading directly Tor US, or to thought of it.
one suddenly shifted her course to he west
and hoping 10 cut her of, we shifted ours
northwest. Each was now the leg of a tri-
angle. 1t was plain from the start that we
should be within cables length OF her at
the meeting point, even il we did not cnt
her off. Sue would have shore on one side
and us on the other.
Each craft had all sail set. While within
three miles OF the bark we fired a gun for
her TO heaYa TO, but not the slightest notice
was taken OF II. Our two pieces of ordnance
were then shifted over to the starbaard side
and loaded with solid shot. If the rascals
refused to surrender they must take the
consequences. Each craft held dead to its
course, but again the bark proved her better
sailing qualities. Instead OF cutting her off
as we hoped for, we were still quarter of
mile away when she passed the point
The three Portuguese were shouting and
cheering, while the white man was at the
wheel. Orders were given to fire, and two
anf ~ IA at har hut IN paec