The sun., 1897-02-28
A SAILOR AMONG SAyAGES.
browns FIVE YEARS OF EXILE ON
an ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC.
re wa. xssroouca Among q Tribc OF Eermer
Cannibsis-Ifis Life There ana Long watch
for n ssii-An Island where work IL
n. yrurh Unknown ns Clothes.

|
LYNN, Mass, Feb. 27.-Jamos G. Brown. the
sailor who returned to his family last week
after having long boon given up for dead. tells u
strange story Of shipwreck and lifc among saw
| ages. THE Sun reported his arrival in New
| York and his departure for his home In this
| city, where q wife and son. grown TO manhood
| during his absence Of ten years, awaited him.
| The returned mariner was found by THE sun
| correspondent at his home, 10 Lincoln street,
| surrounded by members Of his family and
neighbors, who were pressing upon him the
fatted calf and listening to his story Of ship
wreck and cannibas.
| Mr. Brown 10 English by birth. 90 years old,
and vigorous in appearance. Ho has been
| through enough to rob him Of his reason, but he
! is keen witted, blunt spoken, and inclined to dry
! jokes. The last ten years OF his life have been
| full OF hairbreadth escapes, and nearly half OF
| his time he was exile on a small island In the
Indian Ocean, the only white man among savage
natives. He has followed the sea for forty.hyc
years. His father was for fifteen years master
OF a vessel which was finally lost. and he and all
| on board met the fate which the has twice
narrowly escaped. The boy was born in London,
but early came to this country and served his
Apprenticeship as ships carpenter. His Grst
| pcrienco was In the vessels OF James S. Emery Of
Boston, by whom ho was employed for nearly
| twenty years, mostly In tho West Indian trade.
On one OF these trips he met his flrst wreck.
| The vessel was tho Aroostook. Shc was blown
ashore on Cape Cod and dashed to pieces. though
all hands escaped. Shortly nfte- this Brown
married. In November 1887. ho shipped as
steward on board the bark Glide Of Salem, for
Tamatave, Madagascar. the commander Of tho
bark being Capt Terwlligcr. Tho vessel car.
ried 600 bales OF cotton and anchored in the hnr
| Dor Of Tamatavc in company with about a dozen
| other vessels. While ut anchor tremendous
storm swept over the harbor and the Glide was
| blown upon a coral reef and became a total
wreck. The storm struck the vessel about mid
day and continued with unabated fury until
| o'clock on tho following morning. during which
time the crew we're lashed to tho rigging. They
were finally taken off, Some OF the other ves
| sells and their crews, including IA nan-of-war,
| were lost at the same time.
| From Tamataye Brown shipped for Mauritius
whero he remained for several months. During
| his life there he was stricken with the fever pc
was cared for by the Consul, who finally deter.
mined that the only way to save his lie, was to
MeiboaEne. There Brown REMAINED for some me
sell, When the Consul asked tho captain OF tho
bark; ,si b mMhere did You bury Brown T. the Cap
Brown IL alive and has big n stomach "a
| you have. Brown remained at Mauritus
Son aSa ,a an BraWn ,nS 10
that led her to believe that he had again shipped
on on the bark Aleka, which was afterward lost,
Intended TO convey. by his letter that he had
sh,IPed Si. aboard .rhS tho AlGxa for MGHrtius
| advantage OF the first chance for work that came
I. 70 him. and shipped as steward on the Florence
| Solomon Islands. He knew It was not an auspi-
,ious venture, for the Captain had lad rcpuia.
tion. More than that. The schooner was not
always in Legitimate trade, and even then
going TO PICK up labor" as it was called. Tho
small islands in the solomon group. induce ma
,h uvss to ship p wiih him. and: at,er transporting
to contractors. Ali OF which. 10 quote Brown,
was polite form OF the slave trade" ON the
not the irst time the schooner had BEEN nut TI ts
such a use, for the Captain told him that he had
found by experience that the natives were apt 70
| Ing rcvolvers which he said he had found very
useful in persueding them to sail with him.
| Brown soon discovered that he he'd IA had mas
ter. man of violent temper and u hard drinkcr.
The schooner had been lifted out at Melbourne.
spite OF the fact that his wife was aboard. the
| Captain indulged in drink to excess from the
when few days ont had drunk himself to a
state OF madness. His wife remonsireted with
harsh words, Suddenly the Captain snatched a
knife from the galley and raised 1t TO strike hor.
other members OF the crew wrenchcd the knife
Away and ovcrpowcrcd the :Lm-Crazod man.
enemy for tho steward The later ipTh had ti'E from
that time until the end OF the voyage TO DO CON
Whom the Solomon group WAS sighted tie Cap
tain. then partly sobcred, strcrcd for one OF the
interior Islands, out OF tno usual course ot ves-
nrd looked shorcwa!d he SAW q small unciyl!.
i.ed,lookinS settlement near the waters edge
and the natives running about naked. The next
day the Captain aud some OF the crew, Brown
among the number; landed. The Captain was
an Ynwelcome visitor. Brown learned after
ward that the islanders remembered an earlier
xisit and IN rcyenEc for murders the Taptain had
Brown. WAS not so fearful OF the natives as he
was OF his Captain. 80 ho vcntnrcd into the set
began trading for fresh fruit. Hearing loud
voices and pistol shots, he hastencd toward the
companions pulling, for the vessel. and the
natives making hostile demonstrations. Brown
| In despair he watched the vessel hoist anchor
lie tried 10 believe that he had boon accident.
take him OF the island. FoE the rest OF the day
he did no; take his eye of tho horizon, expecting
sight, But day after, day passed. and she did
& n1t return. Gradna!;y the truth was realized
On this island. OF which he does not oven know
years in ali that time he did hot hot see a'Ss sail Tor or
face When asked Mat sort .. life S il" led. % Ihs
nSSns SS rsp{ IN tSs, AS prnf S
nibals. They had been caInihals, as Brown
le3rhCu WnCn no WAS AbIe tO understand
them and u brother tribe much larger than
theirs, living some distance inland. was even
| then fond OF the long pig" This information
WAS warming, and Brown never went a mile
| from shore during his ontirc stay. llc was IN u
| constant state of terror, knowing that hc WAS
near man-catcrs, and wholly dcionCclcss. He
Ind many opportunities of finding out, too, that
| the natives did not regard him any too kindly
| though as time wore on and they bccan,c accus.
toned to his presence, hostile demonstrations
ceased to a great doRIe 90,
The settlement was composed OF mud huts. At
hrst tho sailor WAS treated IA u wondrous freak
Ills white SKIN was a source OF much amaze.
ment Children felt his cheeks and thcn grinncd
| and fclt Of their own. Tho fact that he wore
clothing was great my stery TO them, and II he
laid aside garment IL wns promptly conlscatod.
| The second morning after he was abandoned he
| missed his hat, and the next time he saw IL IL
| was pcrchcd on u fat native womans head. and
| the other women were sQuabbling over IL.
The men NJ hrst were inclined 10 br hostile.
| They made the sailor understand that on q
| previous vist the captain had killed TWO OF their
| number. Brown enlcayortNi 10 make them nm