The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-11

prize We should have been a fool
ish lot of men to think of fighting the
junk except as a last resort. Our
object was to dodge her, and we went
about it at once. Every sail which the
bark could carry was spread, and for
q time we were leaving her behind.
When we We're about five miles ahead,
however she began to hold her own.
AS the wind was light no great run
was made during the day, and at sun
set, having obtained our westng, the
bark was headed for the south. If
the junk was bound for the northern
PHILIPPINES she would still hold to her
west. To our surprise she did so, but
here again Wong-Lee was not sharp
enough to fool a Yankee sailor. He
went off on his course so slowly that
we knew he must be dragging a
bunch of spars astern, and the crafts
were not over seven miles apart when
| darkness closed down.
Just then we had a racket aboard.
The prisoners in the hold got to quar-
reling, and when l went down to quiet
| them found that one had loosened his
bonds and nearly Killed a companion.
| The assaulted man asked to be taken
to the captain, and when his request
was complied with he said:
81 am no pirate. but an honest man.
| Three of the men below are pi-
| rates, and one is a brother of Wong
| Lee. They knew that the money was
| to go in the bark. That junk we saw
astern this morning is after the money
| We We're to get loose tonight and fight
you and make signals to the junk. Two
| of us would not join, and Wong-Lee's
| brother has given me a beating"
The man was as earnest it was de-
cided to release his companion and
make use OF the two, while the pirates
We're doubly secured. We went away
to the south with all lights out and
two points off our course and had the
| breeze held we should like have seen
! the last Of the piratical junk. But it
| did not hold. AT about IL o'clock it be-
| gan fining down, and at midnight we
| We're becalmod and enshrouded in a
fog, We might calculate that the
| junk had changed its course and head
ed after us as soon as night fell, and
| that she was now not over five miles
| away Our first move after losing
stecrage way was to stow every sail
and haul taut the yards. That Wong
| Lees junk carried sweeps was a sure
thing, and it was just as certain that
he had taken our bearing and would
come pulling down in search for us.
The fog and the calm were to his great
advantage and we were a pretty sober
lot Of men as arms We're served out
and we were distributed the length of
the ship. 1t was understood that we
| would DO our best to repcl bOarders,
and that If OVerpOWcred we should re-
treat 10 the cabin and hold out as long
as possible With this necessity in
view we Watered and provisioned the
place, and some planks were got out
of the hold to form barrlcades. The
released Cinnamon said they were anX-
ious for fight with the junk, but the
two Malays We're detailed to watch
j them and give orders TO cut them down
at the first sign Of treachery. This
precaution was well taken. Much as
we had come in contact with the
heather, our captain didn't know the
extent Of their cunning.
At about half-past one o'clock with
the fog so thick that you had to touch
a man to see him. and with the sea
perfectly calm, we heard the noise of
sweeps, and the junk was pulled past
us at the distance of a biscuits toss
That she shaved us close we could tell
by feeling a movement of the air and
by the ripples from her sweeps break
ing against our sides. She shot on for
perhaps half a mile, and then turned
and came back. Wong-Lee knew our
position within half a mile, and he
was going to take chances OF Pumping
into us in the fog. The junk passed us
a bit further away this time, and just
as she got opposite both Chinamen,whc