The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-22

oil into the water. AS fast as a barrel
was emptied a full one was put in its
place.
Within an hour 40 barrels Of oil had
flowed into the sea. Then Mr.. Jackson
called a halt. The deck and rail were
carefully mopped up. and wiped with
cottoon waste: the donkey engine gave
pull on the anchor chain and the Val
entine lay 20 fathoms ahead of her for
mer position. Mr.. Jackson saw a fresh
supply of full barrels put in position
ready to be used as the first had been.
Then the watch was set and all lights
which would show were doused. The
captain and mate took their places on
deck. The men had been instructed
what to do when the time came.
The stars gave just enough light to
show the sea- Its glimmering surface
near at hand had strange look, for
coating of oil several acres in extent
was spread over II on the port side of
the vessel The oily space ws widen
ing every minute. though very slowly:
for the set of the current was light.
An hour later. half a dozen more bar
rels of oil gurgled their contents into
the sea. At midnight the same number
were again emptied over the ships
side.
From the bridge Captain James and
his senior officer closely scanned the sea
in the direction of the islands. but no
sign of canoe was visible. The cap
tain had begun to think that. after all.
his mate was wrong, when jackson laid
a hand on his arm. There they come"
he said.
Stealing into sight. though as yet
very indistinct, both men could see half
dozen specks. which. as they looked.
grew larger. They were almost abreast
of each other. seemingly, and were ad-
vancing fast. The captain had scarce
ly noted the. absence OF Jackson, who
slipped silently from his side. when.
behind the first group of canoes, he
made out second. Though the near
est were too far off, as yet. to be seen
clearly, he knew that they We're
crammed with the yellow skinned saw
age rascals. When they struck the edge
of the expanse Of oily water the captain
noted that they stopped; for a couple
of minutes they remained motionless.
He could not distinguish the men in
the canoes, but he was sure that they
had remarked the curious condition of
the seas surface, and were examining
II; but plainly they were satisfied with
their inspection, for they shortly came
on again.
yards of the ship. There the first group
waited for the remainder. When the
latter had come up the captain counted
Ia long canoes i'm all. They were made
of large followed logs and held a dozen
men each.
Then the little fleet separated and
swung out in two wings, one making
for the bow of the Valentine, with the
tention of rounding the vessel and re-
peating the tactics of the first attempt
the other sweeping toward the stern
with similar end in view. Captain
James impatiently awaited a move
from his crew. But nothing happened
until two of tho fnrarY,nGf
within so feet of the vessel
Then spark appeared close to the
bulwarks; another glowed from further
aft. A moment later two buckets of
cotton waste, saturated with oil and
blazing furiously, were pitched over
board. AS they touched the sea 20 feet
or more from the side of the Valentine,
flame shot up from the water, not
nigh, but of prodigious fierceness.
swiftly II spread over the sea in every
direction but one, a low wall of fire
sweeping onward from the ship. In a
few seconds it had completely envel-
oped the fleet of canoes. Then a dire
yell of terror burst forth from the Ma
lays. In the weird light of the burning
oil their dark forms could be seen con-
fusedly moving about. But this lasted
for so short a time those watching on
the Valentine had scarce space to take
in the scene before the tragedy had
canoes were overturned by the strug-
giles Of their occupants, and the men
precipitated into the sea. But II was
not the element with which the natives
were almost as familiar as fishes. 1t
was a binding sea of fire; and the
shrieks of the wretches told of their
fate. The flames quickly exhausted the
layer of oil. which was, of course, very
thin. But those whom the fire left in a
condition to keep afloat mere, in most
cases, so paralyzed by terror that they
soon went down from their inability to
make use of their limbs.
Away to the port the fire was still
burning family in patches. But IL had
done its work. Only the dark forms
of the canoes drifting about upon the
water were left to show what had hap
pened.
Whether any of the Malays got
ashore the Valentines crew and officers
never knew. They were rather sick
ened by the scene they had witnessed.
But there came to each the thought of
what would have been his lot If the
crew who had so lately persisted had
once got foothold on the deck
F. c. Williams