The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-09-27
HELD FOR RANSOM.

In 1853" srid Thomas Thompson.
latter [ had been i'll of fever for two
months at Georgetown, British Guiana
a general trader at that port named
| William Chester fitted out small
schooner TO proceed up the river Esse-
quibo to barter for the native products
Of the country A berth was offered
me, and was only to glad to accept it .
The craft which our partner fitted
ont was an old coaster which had been
wrecked or condemned and sold at
auction. The schooner was provided
with two small boa.s, which were old
and patched. As to the cargo | sup
pose that II was all right,and there is no
reason to doubt that the captain, whose
name was Larkins. and the mate.
whose name was Wardell, We're sailor
men and knew their business. We
numbered twelve men aboard, there
being nine Of Us before the mast. We
were only on our voyage two days
when we discovered the reason of our
being so full handed. Wheu the wind
was not favorable we were expected to
tow the schooner, and after a day or
two this back breaking work was put
upon rs as regular duty"
After getting above the last mill
taTy post we were among the natives.
with only ourselves to depend upon.
and while we discovered nothing hos
tile in their demeanor but the boats
were always. provided with muskets,
and when we came to anchor at night
a strong watch was kept, and we made
ready against a surprise. After the
first four days we began bartering for
pelts, roots, gums, woods and the like,
and everything was plain sailing. 1t
was on tbs tenth day out, at about mid
afternoon, that trouble came. We
We're towing the schooner ahead
against sluggish current, in portion
of the river split in several channels
by bars. [ was ordered INTO the small
boat along with Sames Legs and
" llliam Price, sailor men, to sound
the channel and pick out birth for
the night. While the schooner was
being held by the yawl, we forged
ahead around a bend IL the river. and
the thick forest shut out the craft from
our vision. 1t wasn't two minutes
after we lost sight of the schooner be
fore three canoes, each holding five
natives, dashed out at rs from the
mouth Of the creek. The black fellows
made no noise, but padded full at us.
This put us In fix. you understand.
There bad been no hOstilities as yet.
and II would not do to fire upon them,
though on the other hand, we couldn't
understand why they were making for
Us in that manner We didn't have
more than four or five minutes to spare.
/ was sounding, while Keys and Price
were rowing. Price dropped his oar
and raised musket, but we protested,
and he laid down again. Next 1no
ment we We're surrounded, and dozen
Of the fellows had their hands on our
boat They were armed with bows and
arrows and old British muskets.
While they offered ho violence. we
plainly understood from their gestures
that we were prisoners. They took
the oars and muskets from our boats.
and in the course Of five minutes we
found ourselves in the stream from
whichsthey had first appeared.
Mates says l. as we were being
towed ashore, it's plain enough that we
have been made prisoners and disarm-
ed. 1t doesn't appear. however, that
they mean Us any great harm, and it
will perhaps be our wisest plan not to
provoke them to violence"
i expected we would be landed on
the bank of the creek, but in place of
that two Of the natives came in the
yawl, her painter was taken Ivy one Of
the canoes, and we went up the creek
at smart pace. The forest was so
dense on either side that it was twilight
III there, and we could hardly see each |
others faces The creek was about |
thirty feet wide and quite deep. We /
were about half mile from the river
when We heard the report Of a musket /
The gun had been fired on board the
schooner for a recall The report
somewhat excited the natives, and at
the command of their chief they,pulled
ahead the faster. Price was man of
hot temper, and when he had recover
ed his wits and realized we were being
carried off, he advised that we make
fight for'our liberty. While it might
be that the natives understood few
words Of English, it is more likely
that the tone Of his voice and his ex-
citement gave them the cue. One of
the fellows in the yawl with Us had a
musket, and he cooked it and held the
within foot of the mates
breast This was to warn him that anv
move on his part would be his death,
and he soon subsided."
Il think We must have gone up the
river fully eight miles before we came