The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-02-27


prov of every boat was painted a huge,
staring eye, with black streaks diverg
ing from it.
The more | looked at these strange
objects the more | became convinced
that they were Chinese junks, such as !
had seen few days before in the Woo
sung river off Shanghai. On the for
ward junks | saw several armed men
gesticulating wildly. They were evil
IDENTIFY Cinnamon, and they were greatly
excited.
After watching their movements for
a few moments, it occurred to me that
the men were acting as if they did not
like my appearance. If it were pos
sibIe, might even have supposed that
they were afraid of me, but the fact
that they were pursuing me at good
rate of speed shut out any such SUPPOSE
ton as that.
As | rose upon crest of wave, and
at the same instant came into position
almost erect, was astonished to see,
behind these vessels in advance, large
feet of others like them.
Then the whole situation flashed up
on me. The vessels which were pursu-
ing me were manifestly pirate junks,
which at that time occasionallyswarmed
up, seemingly out of nowhere, in the
Chinese seas. While had been at the
bottom, this feet of pirates had sudden
ly hove in sight around the cape. There
were, in fact, 900 or 800 junks.
The people in our boat, when they
saw the pirates swoop down upon them,
had no course but to take to flight. But
what were they to do with me down
there at the bottom? 1t was a wonder
they did not cut my lifeline and leave
me to my fate AS the laws of human
conduct go, they would have been jus
titled in sacrificing my life in order to
save their own.
learned all this afterward, when
Ccwles told me how he stood at the
gunwale with his revolver in one hand,
keeping the men off the line, while
with the other hand he now jerked
crafty at the rope to signal me, and
now worked the airpump.
Then, with all hands at the oars that
could grasp them, they bore away for
the forts of the Woosung. OF course
they really had no chance to get there.
They were 10 men in big whaleboat,
with a weight of machinery and gold,
and dragging behind them a man from
the bottom of the sea, and they were
chased by fleet of pirates, sailing on
quartering but very good breeze.
Meantime l was being dragged
through the water ON my back. Through
my bit of plate glass could see the
pirates in advance, who seemed to be
bearing down upon me rapidly.
The more realized the situation the
more frightened | became. Our men
could never row away from those
junks. They would overhaul me first,
and when they had done that the men
in the boat would cut me off. Then !
should drown in a moment from the
water rushing into the air pipe and
through the inlet valve into my breast
plate.
/ own that hoped the boys would do
that very thing-my situation was SO
horrible. And l actually welcomed a
little dash of water that | got in my
face, though my heart stopped beating
for an instant when | felt the water.
But it was only little which | shipped
through the outlet air valve.
When the pirates should have over
hauled me, they would go on after the
boat and the recovered treasure, the
taking up of which they must have
somehow got wind Of, though they
knew nothing of diving. | hoped from
my heart that the boys had already
thrown the gold overheard though
what should happen after my air pipe
was cut was of very little consequence
to me.
came upon another full view of the
fleet from the top of the wave. could
see the pirates looking at me as their
sailing craft steadily overhauled me.
Their black eyes were almost bursting
from their sockets as they looked at
me. 1t occurred to me that they were
frightened at something.
/ went under a wave again, and the
whole scene was out of sight for two or
three minutes.
When l came TO the surface again,
and saw the same thing-pale visaged
Cinnamon and the staring round eyes
painted on the bows of their vessels
bearing down on me-the truth flashed
upon me. The pirates had taken me
for the demon of the ocean, which they
are always fearing and fighting away,
with offerings and incantations, on
board their iunks.
A man in diving suit-especially
fiat on his back in the water that way
was a new sight to them. had sim
ply frightened them out of their wits.
There was my great, glittering head
of red copper, three times as large as
the head of an ordinary man. In its
front was big staring eye of plate
glass, with a bright brass ring around
it. My ears were represented by two
more glass windows with sort OF
barred grating over them.
Then there was my bullying breast
plate of timed copper, which helped to
carry out the impression of some fabu-
lous monster. Occasionally | kicked
my legs out of the water; they were
incased in thick black sheet india rub
Der, and my feet were clad in very
thick soled boots.
MY hands, protected at the wrists
with tightly fitting india rubber cuffs,
were free. They were the only portion
of my body that was visible, and the
only thing about me probably which
suggested my human character. But
no doubt they had the effect to scare
the Cinnamon the more. But for the
hands, they might have imagined was
some sort of marine monster. Now
they were sure that / was the dreadful
demon.
AS soon as become possessed OF this
idea. | resolved to make the most of it.
began to throw my arms wildly about,
to kick vigorously with my feet and to
roll my head from side to side.
The effect was marvellous. On the
TOP Of another wave | could see that
the whole feet was breaking away to
starboard-and running free, straight
out into the east China sea.
Before long the whole fleet was get
ting well to seward and leeward of us.
| got a little more water through tie
air pipe just here and had some little
difficulty in breathing, but at the same
time | felt myself pulled with new
movement
/ guessed what was the cause OF 1t.
The boys in our boat had ceased to give
all their attention to rowing, and for
the first time since they got under way
began to pull me in with the lifeline.
Presently, rolling over, saw the gun
vale of the whaleboat just in front ard
was hauled aboard.
Il did not take me half minute,
with George Cowles' help, to get my
helmet off, and to breathe the open air
with a deep breath.
It was like a starving man taking too
=. - ~,,,o I falt faint hrk