The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-24


hind. and home Is just few days away
at best, just over there, until can al
/ most smell the fresh earthly breezes
coming out to welcome us.
l had noticed for day or two the
men in my watch standing around in
groups talking mysteriously when not
! engaged, and sometimes their converse
ton became quite animated as one
could see by the wild expressions on
| their faces and peculiar gestures. For
! week this kept up and seemed to be
incited mostly by big. burly raw
boned fellow. with long arms and
long, bony finger nails, which looked
| more like devils claws than human
| hand. He would shake his head
wildly, making the large gold
rings suspended from his ears bangle
like big pendulums. 1 would inva-
riably put them to work at something
f! to break up these communions. but
| finally they left of very reluctantly
and cast such menacing glances at me
/; that told the first mate OF the occur
rences when he came on deck to relieve
me. He seemed little surprised and
| told me that the same had been the
case with the men in his watch. After
talking the matter over awhile and
reaching no conclusion, went below
to catch little sleep before the night
commenced, for it was my eight hours
| out that night. During my first watch
at night, the wind being steady. there
was but little to do, and the talking
was resumed and during the morning
| watch, four to eight o'clock, not only
| my watch assembled to converse. but
manned on deck, but kept well up for
ward and spoke in whispers. At three
bells those of the starboard watch
who had tn rned in We're called by their
comrades and the entire crew came
marching aft headed by the long-fin-
gered, villainous looking agitator of
my watch and similar one from the
starboard watch. They marched up to
the break Of the poop. halted, and the
two leaders came up to speak to me.
'1t's no go no more far away" said
the long-fngered man, and posed him.
self for an answer. pretended not to
understand, but he repeated it over and
over again, growing more emphatic
with each repetition. l called the
skipper and first mate, and told them
of the crew being aft and what they
had said. They both came on deck.
and again the refusal to proceed was
repeated to them. The skipper asked
them why, and, in very broken and dis
connected English, the spokesman ex-
planned that, had they known the YES
sells cargo was the bones Of their own
people being carried away to far
country to be ground into pulp to re-
store the strength to exhausted earth,
they would never have shipped. They
considered it a sacrilege, dissertation,
and demanded that not only should the
ship return them safely home, but
should discharge the cargo after reach
ing Alexandria again. Their harangue
was long and tiresome, punctuated by
shrugs, gestures and grimaces. and
their conclusions were definite. The
skipper and first mate argued and
threatened, but they were determined,
and refused to bulge until the ship was
bouted. The men went forward, held
consultation for short time, and
then sprang into the rigging like cats
aud stripped her of every thread
of canvas. There we lay for the
entire day, rolling in the trough
of the swell under the poles. The
skipper stamped the poop like mad
man, swearing and threatening until
he was hoarse. but the heathens never
relaxed, nor did they eat. The long,
lonesome night was spent as the day,
and morning daw ned only to find them
back again, as the preceding morning,
demanding to be carried home again.
The fury of the skipper was something
terrible; his oaths were blood-curdling
and his threats murderous. They next
demanded breakfast, and, on being re-
fused, went straight to the galley,
threw the cook out bodily, and pro-
ceeded to help themselves. The skip
per and mate made rush after them,
and, with reviewers drawn, tried to
clear the place. / ran to my room to
arm myself, and while there the fight
started and became general. Sheath
knives, Delaying pins and pistols were
all being used 1t once. The pistols of
the two officers did deadly work for
moment, but the twenty-four Arabs
were too many and surrounded them,
killing them almost Immediately by
blows upon the head from the Delaying
pins and wounds from their long, muir
derous knives. BY the time l could
arm myself and get out of the room,
my two comrades were dead and they
were chasing the poor cook. who was
running aft as fast as he could fly. /
stood in the doorway and commenced
firing, hoping to save the cook until he
could make the cabin, but big brass
Delaying pin hurled by one of the mob
caught him back of the head and
sent him reeling into the scuppers
senseless. On they came directly for
me and retreated, firing all the while
until l reach the after cabin. The
after store-room was separated from
the cabin by a very thick water-tight
bulkhead; so rushing through the door
way. which happened to be unlocked
and opened aft, l managed to get in
and swing the door in place just as the
first ones reached me. Barricading the
door hastily, l sat down and listened
breathlessly TO their vain attempts to
break down the thick watertight door
way.
For two hours they kept up their
yelling and haEncring at the bulk
head. but. thanks TO ;ue constructors, i.
withstood it all. although I sat trem-
bling with fear lest al any moment
thnr would rr1Sh in and pnr;h;la, u