The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-07-17
M. QUAD'S STORIES.
A Mutiny at Sea, and the Retrbution
That Followed It.

Il dllllC OlCdll ollOMo blu, lNCNkGI,
Gardner, and various other islands and
many shoals. These islands and
shoals are really continuation of the
Sandwich group, though but few Of the
islands are inhabited. Some of them
are little better than great mass OF
rock heaved up out of the sea, without
verdure or fresh water, while others
are so difficult of approach that navi
gators give them a wide berth. Mid.
way Island is almost exactly half the
distance between the ports of San
Francisco and Yokohama, but 900
miles south of the track of vessels
making that voyage.
The noon observation taken on board
the bark Harvest Home of San Fran
cisco had given US the latitude Of Mid
way Island when man aloft reported
a ships boat dead ahead. We were
lUCIl uCduCd SOulll' SOulllNCol, Dul NV
making over four knots an hour. The
boat had neither mast nor sail, nor was
the man sitting in her stern sheets
making signals. l had him under the
glass while he was yet two miles away.
The boat was captains gig, provided
with a single pair of oars, and the man
was taking things with astonishing
GOODNESS He was a castaway, of
course, though he acted more like a
man who was drifting about with a
fish line over the side. In 90
cases out of 100 the man in the boat
would have stood up and gestured and
shouted, fearful that we might pass him
by, even by daylight, but as | watched
this man | saw him bite off a fresh
chew of tobacco and survey the bark
in a critical way. A line was got ready,
and as we passed him within twenty
feet it was hove and caught and made
fast, and directly he was alongside.
Everybody was astonished to find the
boat we'll stocked with food and water
and to see the man come aboard as
calmly as if we had been lying in bar.
Dor. He was about IS years of age,
dark faced and sinister, and gave his
name as John Williams. He elaine d
to be an American, born and reared in
Ecuador.
The story told by Williams was not an
improbable one, but none of US gave
him credit for truth. He claimed to
be the captain of an English brig. The
Swallow, which had been chartered tc
convey 200 natives of the BONN Isl.
ands, off the coast of Japan, to Cure
Island, next to the west of Midway
The island was safely reached, he said
but the natives were not pleased with
it and demanded to be returned to the
Bonins. There was row about it in
which one man was killed, the two
mates sided with the natives, and ht
was put ashore to shift for himself
They left him the boat and provision;
and sailed away, and instead of stopping
on the island he had pulled away tc
the north to get into the track of ships
The story was fishy from start to finish
and out of our entire crew no man haC
favorable impression of the stranger
We had, of course, to accept his story
or to pretend to. | would give g
months wages to know the facts in the
case, but have no hope of ever solving
the mystery. There was no English
brig on the Japanese coast called The
Swallow. None of the residents of the
BONN Islands had been taken away by
any craft. The captain and | puzzled
over the matter for some time, anc
finally decided that Williams had beer
captain of some craft, and the crew hat
mutinied and sent him adrift. Eithe
that or he had pulled away from Graf
on fire or about to founder, leaving al
others to take care of themselves
From the look of things in the boat VI
were satisfied that he had not beer
ahoat over three or four days.
Courtesy demanded that the stranger
being an officer, should become tn
guest of the ship, we having our ful
complement of officers, but after da
or two he insisted on doing duty as al
able seaman. This was a surprise, bu
no objections were made. He wa
placed in my watch, and a boy VIII
was of little use was turned over to tn
cook as assistant. The man brough
US i'll luck from the start. He had nc
been on board two hours when it fe
calm, and during the next thirty hour
we did not gain mile Of Wrestling
When the breeze came again it wa
foul for US, and the observation taken a
noon on the sixth day of bis comm
aboard put US only 1870 miles west c
where we picked him up, William
had shown himself thorough sailo
and though our distrust and dislike {
him abaft the mast were not leSsene
he soon struck up friendship with tn
men forward. Mutiny is such raj
thing at sea that officers never worl
over it. On a dozen different occasion
| caught Williams EARNING it with tt
men of his watch. and | couldn't hel