The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-31


fering with hunger and thirst. They
scented the fresh water in the scuttle
butt at the foremost, but of course could
not readily get at it, They climbed over
the cask, scratching, biting, yowling, and
while some Of the men took to the rig
glng of the mainmast the remainder
found shelter in the cabin.
The helm being deserted, the brig
slowly preached to, carrying the tree
fast to her bows, but as she was taken
aback the obstruction was cleared. We
could not see these things from the cabin.
but knew when they occurred Fortu-
nately for us, the wind kept falling, and
the weather was steady. Had it breeZed
up smartly we should have met with dis
aster. a ships scuttle butt or water
barrel Is as stoutly made as cider bar
rel. 1t did not take the tiger cats over u
quarter or an hour to pierce one of the
heads with their strong, sharp teeth. and
as the water poured out on deck they
fought to see which should get the first
Taste. 1t was good half hour before
their thirst was assuaged, and then they
were ready to rummage around for some
thing to eat. They came shifting and
yowilng about the cabin doors and sky
light in n way to make our hair stand on
end, but they could not get ut us.
The Dolphin had 4 focastle III place of
deckhouse, and in roaming around the
decks the tiger cats came to the opening,
the slide of which was pushed back. The
scent of something attracted them, and
after little hesitation they leaped down.
We in the cabin did not know this, and
mo- RI mt. ii
for the courage of one Of the sailors
aloft. He saw the animals go forward.
but only suspected that they had entered
the fo'castle. He descended to the rail,
pnlled Off his boots and then ran forward
and closed the slide and fastened it. We
were then free to take possession of the
decks and get the brig out of her fix.
we had captured the cats. but they
had captured the focastle. For about
two hours they kept up such racket
that every man was ready to spring
aloft at an instant's notice. Being turned
out of their quarters, the crew had to
bunk on deck, but it was after midnight
before any one felt sleepy. We had no
means of killing our captives, and it was
finally decided to feed them and take
them into port. This plan we carried
out, but we had better tried some other,
even to starving them in the fo'castle.
we could ind no one who would buy
them and had to pay government Off
clal SD for the services of six soldiers to
Kill them. The men were half q day in
accomplishing this and fired over hun
dred bullets into the focastle.
When we had chance to inspect the
place, we were amazed ut the havoc
wrought. Everything in the line of bed
ding and clothing had been torn to
shreds, and the four missing pairs of
rubber boots must have been devoured
by the hungry beasts when they first en-
tered the place. The bad luck did not
stop there. In securing the claws as rel
ics oneof the men received deep scratch
on the hand, and within a few hours
blood poisoning set in and resulted in
his death.
The landsman calls the sailor supersti-
.ious because the latter sees and relates
things which cannot possibly happen to
the former, and for that reason ne denies
that they can happen at all 1t would be
.iext to impossible to find sailor, no
matter what his nationality, who believes
in the legend of the .'Fl. lag Dntchman,"
but there are hundreds OF them who have
witnessed strange things III strange crafts
Mt sen. We we're off the coast of Liberia,
bound from Liverpool to st. Paul de
Loanda. when turned ont on watch one