The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-06-29
SAVED BY A WHEEL.

had come to Florida to take up an APP
pointment as assistant engineer on n new
line one of the great millionaire hotel own
ers had decided to construct down the east.
ern coast of that low, sandy peninsula.
The work was, of course, all done by me-
groes, rough, half civilized lot, good
workers when well looked after, bat very
flends when fired by drink or gambling.
There were five white men only in resi-
dence at the camp, and the number of
darkies varied generally between 20 and
100. Lately we had been hard put to it to
get sufficient hands in these sparsely popu.
lated wilds and had in consequence taken
on all who came to us and asked for work,
without any sort of inquiry as to their
character or antecedents.
There were several coughs, as they
say in the states, among the new hands,
and of these the worst was big mulatto
known as Gilead Mack
Two weeks after his arrival the catas
trophe occurred. Marriott, the pay1naster,
with his colorod servant Cicero, drove to
Warrenton one Saturday to draw the weeks
money from the bank there His usual
hour of return passed, dusk fell and there
was no sign of him, s o'clock, and, Sc
riously alarmed, we started a search party.
Five miles from camp, where the road
ran through moss hung oak scrub, the
pale starlight revealed a horse, broken
buggy and two riddled bodies, Marriott's
and that of his faithful servant, stretched
on the bloody sand.
Four furious men were soon securing
the country for assistance, and ere morn
ing strong party of white settlers and
planters were following with bloodhounds
the trail of the cowardly scoundrels.
In little more than "a hours after the
crime had been committed the perpetrators
were caught, run down in the black depths
of the inland swamps. There were three
of them-camp negroes, as we had sus-
pected
Portions of the plunder-poor Marriott s
watch and ring-were actually found upon
them. There could be no defense, so JUS
tice was meted out, short, sharp and terri
BILE, and three dead bodies dangled from a
giant live oak, warning to the rest.
During their examination two Of the
three implicated Gilead as the planner and
instigator of the whole thing But he was
proved not to have left the camp that
night, and though some were for putting
him also out of the way of further mis-
chief, it was eventually decided he should
simply be logged and turned out of camp.
And logged he was! Such a fearful
thrashing with heavy hickory switches as
trust never again shall see.
This was in March. In May / had ten
days leave which I was to spend with
the Warburtons, old friends had known
at home, who had come out to Florida
| chiefly for the sake of Mr.. Warburton' IS
health. They lived on the coast, about 80
miles due south, and to reach their place
took steamer down the Indian river.
Rarely have enjoyed myself SO thor
oughly as during those few days. The
surf bathing was perfect, as could well be
Imagined, the fishing superb. Sailing on
the river and hunting turtles on the beach
gave us other delightful occupation, while
perhaps the best fun of all was long bioy-
Gle rides by moonlight.
We had splendid ground for spin. Be
tween low and high water mark the smooth
beach was as firm Us a turnpike road, and
except for here and there soft stretch 10C
yards or so in length, one might drive the
| flying wheel many mile north or south.
Two years before, something more than
a friendship had grown up between Lena
Warburton and myself. Before a week
was up we had come to an understanding
and my happiness was as nearly complete
us human happiness ever Is in this world.
My leave of absence was not up til
Thursday. My disgust, then, may be
imagined when on Tuesday darby boy
appeared on pony back with note from
Northcott, the superintendent, requesting
me to return at once. Vale, the second
engineer, was i'll, and my presence urgent
ly required.
There was no river boat going north be
fore Thursday, so my only way of return
led up the beach. was about to go ovel
to Port Lea to hire an animal which
could ride or drive when Jack Warburtor
came to my assistance with the offer of {
bicycle-he had two-on which, he truly
said, could get back to camp very mucf
quicker than ON any animal l should b.
likely to get in the neighborhood.
1t was about s o'clock when l started, {
glorious summer night, whose heat wa
tempered by the soft sea breeze that cam,
signing off the luminous crests of the Ions
Atlantic rollers. Lena and her brother &C
companied me for some five or six miles oil
my way.
AS rode the loneliness came home t.
me. North and SOUTH in an almost per
! IeCIly bIrdlRnD lluo, tne Dure, brodu DtstCi
extended, on one side the sailless ocean, OF
the other the low, monotonous palmett'
crowned bluff. Back of this bluff lay
mile or more of unbroken scrub, the haun
of rattlesnake and panther, and behin'
that the wide, shallow Indian river, OF
whose inner bank our camp lay.
Two hours had passed. Scarcely flv
miles now before must turn to the lef
into the track cut through the scrub from
the camp to the beach. So far the onl.
signs of life visible had been the multitu
dinous crabs and n couple OF huge, un
wieldy turtles; the only sound that reached
my ear the monotonous, kissing roar of tn
breakers on the bar.
But suddenly low, distant, drumming
noise attracted my attention, and, glanc
ing back over my shoulder, l made on
three mounted men galloping up behin'
me- As they gained rapidly turned agail
and perceived, with sudden, unpleasant