The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-15
A BASE BETRAYAL.
BIZ CHARLES D. LEWIS.


BIZ CHARLES D. LEWIS.
In the year 1862 an English mer-
chantman, called the Red Cross, was
wrecked on reef in the gulf of
Siam, and the sole survivor of a
crew of 1Gmen was a sailor named
George Matthews.
He floated an entire night and
part of day on piece of wreck
age, and was finally cast ashore on
one of the Panjang islands. All
charts upto 1864 chow a group Of
shreeislands. Those printed since
show but two.
AS a matter Of fact, one Of the is
lands disappeared in 1858, and sound
a1gs over the spot show depth Of
no fathoms. It was on this island,
however, that Matthews was cast
ashore, after drifting for 80 OF 40
miles, and he remained there for
four months before being taken off.
His island was almost circular in
form and about half a mile across,
and between the wild fruits on the
trees and the shellfsh along the
shore the sailor did not suffer for
9pod.
He found evidences that fishermen
.snd shell gatherers visited the is
land at intervals, but it was $50
days after landing before he saw a
6uman face.
Matthew'S had been on the island
about 90 days when strange thing
.43appened. There was coral reef
encircling the island and at low tide
er6UCn oft was viHble.
One morning he awoke TO find
that the water had receded in all
directions until he could walk from
}I;s beach to the reef. In other
words, where there had been from
SIN 60 ten feet Of water he now
found the ocean bed.
AS the sailor looked about him
and puzzled over the phenomenon
Ae caught sight of the hulk of a
small vessel lying in the basin and
close to the reef. It was resting on
lie side, and he soon made out that
II had tu,nbled OFF its bed on the
Taef as The waters receded. It was
slmost dry ground between him and
the hulk. and he at once started out
TO examine her. It was a curious
1lscoyery he made-an old wooden
hnn, incased in an armor of shells a
foot thick. BE judged the craft to
Have been of about 200 tons burden.
and she had been brig 1igged. Her
xnasts had been, broken off short
near the deck, her rudder was gone,
and there was a great hole in her
Bottom where she had crashed on
the reef. Although in fear that the
waters would return at any mo-
ment, the sailor gave the hulk a
pretty thorough overhauling.
He found that she had been armed
TO fight, and close against the reef
he found two small cannon, the hilt
Of a creese and the rusty barrels of
three or four pistols. So thorough
ay incaeed was the hulk in her she'll
armor that there was no way of get
aing into her without proper tools.
Ner Dnlwarks had been swept away
30 the last inch, but the crust over
her Decks was thicker than on her
.aides.
Fat the end of an hour Matthews
heard a great roaring outside the
reef, and realizing that the waters
were returning he ran for the beach.
Something like a tidal wave swept
in after him, and had he not caught
the limb of tree and pulled him.
self up he would have been killed or
drawn out to sea.
It was half an hour before the sea
grew quiet, and he then found that
the hulk had been swept in and left
on an upright keel so near the beach
that the waters barely covered her
at high tide. At low tide her whole
decks and two feet of her sides were
exposed, and casual observer would
have taken her for rock.
At the first low tide Matthews
boarded the hull and pounded off
the shells about the cabin hatch and
6ually made his way to the cabin
itself. 1t was full of water, OF course,
and he gained nething.. He realized
that 80 long as the hulk remained
where che was he could not pene-
Nrate the interior. He did not even
board her again during his stay on
the island.
Some 80 days after his first dis
-aovepy he was taken off by a native
boat and 90 days later was set
ashore at Singapore. His rescuers
did not notice the shell incrusted