The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-13
TIIE R1ANOkE rIsd as. d UEsDAY. APRIL 18
orime every man Will be murdered, and
when the ship has boon looted it is easy TO

crime every man Will be- murdered. and
when the ship has boon looted it IS easy TO
scuttle her."
Iquite agreed with Captain Towle and
was ready to do my share toward defending
tho ship should our worst fears be realized.
Thank God wo have the moon, +" no
said as wo turned away from the rail.
Arms werc secured and tho men given
Instructions. Fortunately our crew, willie
small in point of numbers, was composed
Of good material, and, knowing that lifo
was at stake, every man would fight with
desperation.
had been reading an old book pub.
lished in England concerning tho spice
region and how the English camo to hold
Singapore. One incident was very fresh
in my mind. 1t had produced feeling of
admiration for the genius of the Quaker
In whose brain tho scheme originated, and
determined to take advantage of tho op-
portunity to test its efficacy.
Tho captain heard my plan with awak-
ening interest, and at its conclusion em-
braced me.
My dear fellow, it is simply immense.
We all wear shoes. These pirates nre bare
footed and half naked. In tho hold nre
some cascs of empty bottles going out to
DO filled with Dutch rum. I'll have them
brought on deck and sot the men to work
with hammers"
His enthusiasm was Astounding, but I
begged him to go slow. Tho broken glass,
remnants of two gross of empty bottles
shivcred into slivers under tho sturdy
pounding strokes of several hammers, need
not DO scattered about the deck until we
had positive evidence that we were about
to be boarded by tho fcrocious Malays.
Tho full moon wheeled up in an azure
In cxVnl 1Nf IN
ton of the ship would under ordinary cir
oumstanccs have lullcd us to slumber.
But sleep had been effcctually bnnished
from our eyes by the presence of the shadow
that overhung our vessel.
So we waited, and the minutes crcpt by
with lcaden wings.
1t must have been close on midnight
when the captain guve me II sudden nudge
and almost flcrccly whispered:
There they come, SIR
looked and saw that it was true.
In the misty moonlight could see q
dozen Malay proas, each manned by a
score of rowcrs, moving swiftly over the
water of the straits and heading toward
the Jane Eyre.
The shivercd glass was hastily scattered
over the deck of the vessel, most of it for
ward, rs these straits pirates generally
board over the bows. This done, we pre-
pared to fight for our lives small can
non, used for saluting purposes, had been
loaded and was trained to cover the deck
On came the proas with their long oars
ohurning the water that sparklcd In tho
moonlight
1t was u sight to stir an artists blood.
But none of us was in q condition or
franc of mind to enjoy it.
This was an old business with them, and
they knew how to manage It, the boats
separating as they approached Perhaps the
Malays were surprised Mt the silence with
which they were greetcd-thcre was some
thing ominous about it-a calm that pre-
ccdcs tho rush and roar of the typhoon over
the southern seas.
Still their numbers and ferocity urged
them on. watched their advance as calm
ly us was possible under the circumstances
Most of them had their backs toward us rs
they welded the long oars, but the moon