San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1893-05-26
CAPTURED BY CONVICTS.

CAPTURED BY CONNlCIS,
The brig in which I shipped t.
make a voyage from Jamaica to Per
nambuco and return. calling a
Georgetown en- route, was called the
Little Queen. She was a trim, neal
craft, just out from England, and was
commanded by one Of the oldest
mariners l ever saw in active service.
His name was Rothsay, an English
man, and he was hale and hearty at
y years Of age. 1t may be recorded
as a curious thing that he was the
only Englishman on board an English
craft. Both mates, cook and all
foremost hands were Americans. and
three of the men were Cape Codders.
The explanation was that we had
been wrecked in a sugar vessel in the
Caribbean sea and picked up aud
carried to Jamaica by a British
steamer. There were nine of US ali
told as the brig left the island.
Georgetown, as you viii see by the
map. is on the north coast OF Brazil,
in the state or province of Guiana, a
strip of territory so miles long by
900 broad. is divided up among the
British, Dutch and French, and the
two latter have established penal col
onies there. We reached George
town in due time and discharged a
part OF our cargo, and Just as we
were ready to sail we were notified
that ten convicts from the French
penal settlement of Cayenne had got
away to sea in the yawl of French
merchantmen. Little attention was
paid to this notice, as such escapes
were by no means rare, and when we
began our run down the coast the in
cident passed out OF our minds.
One day at noon. when we we're to
the south of Cayenne and about forty
miles of the coast. a man alOft dis
covered a ships boat about forty miles
away and heading down across our
course, As she was standing in from
seaward our first impression was that
she carried a shipwreeked crew. As
soon as | leveled the glass at her |
detected the clothing of French CON
Ticts and counted an even ten men.
The craft was under sail but the
breeze was light and the sea smooth.
She was on our port quarter and if
we held on she would intercept US.
As soon as the captain was notified
OF the discovery he ordered the brig
kept of four or five points, and then
called the crew aft, and notified them
that If the convicts got aboard they
would not hesitate at murder Half
a dozen muskets would have given us
a powerful advantage, but there was
not even a single-barrelled pistol in
the brig. II it came to a fight we
could only arm ourselves with cap
stan bars and Delaying pins. We had
hopes, however, of getting off with
out coming to close quarters. While
the wind was light we had all sail on
the brig, and there was no question
but that we could outsail the yawl.
As soon as we shifted our helm the
yawl raised a signal of distress and
the conYicts shouted again. We paid
no attention, OF course, and she
swung into our wake about quarter
of mile astern. They must have
realized that we had established their
identity, for half dozen of them
sprang up and shook their fists at us
and roared like wild beasts. | got a
plain view of the yisages of three or
four of the lot, and more villainous
countenances l never saw. We were
rapidly leaving them behind and CON
graduating ourselves on the fact
when the breeze began to puff and
die, and in the course ola quarter of
an hour it fell fiat When this oc-
CURED we heard faint cheer FROM
the convIcts, and they shortly doused
their sail and put over two pairs of
oars.
at seems that we have got to fight
for it after all, observed the captain.
after look through the glass. Mr..
Lenox, you viii arm the crew and
hold them up to their work The
boat can only board US at the bows.
See that the cook has a supply of hot
water ready. Give every man to
understand that he must fight for his
life"
A quarter Of an hour later the yawl
lay of our port quarter within speak
ing distance. Every man Of the ten
looked the villain. Only desperate
men could have attacked and over
powered the guard and escaped as
they did. There was neither a young
man nor an old face among them. but
all we're middle-aged men. Some
were in full convict uniform. while
others had thrown away their jackets.
Their leader was a short. stout man.
so dark complexioned that he seemed
TO be a Spaniard, and as the boat
drew near he stood up in the stern
sheets and called out:
Hello, captainl Why you run away
from poor shipwrecked sailormeu?
Our ship go down of here Ito the
east yesterday afternoon.
Il know you.n shouted Captain
Rothsay, in reply. you are escaped
convicts from Cayenne. If you at
tempt to board us you viii find US
well prepared"
They could not know how well or
how poorly armed we were, and we
we're nine to their ten.
"Yes, captain, you speak truly"
said the leader, after a brief consul
tation with his men. I'VE are con-
victs from Cayenne: but we arc limo
cent men. We do not wish to board
you We have neither food nor drink,
and we ask you in the name of human
ity TO supply US"
The captain consulted with me in
regard to it. They must come along
side in order to receive supplies, and
when they had once hooked on who
could say what they might attempt?
Beside, we had little or nothing to
spare. They had been aaoat five or
six days. and none of their faces ex-
hibited evidences of suffering.
II have nothing to spare, and
warn you to keep Of" shouted the
captain, in answer to the request.
We had seen no arms among them,
and had supposed them to be without