Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-07-27

arms be II the natlv" should make
rush in - :, us2 I didn't dare
sleep, can rell you. 1 was up and
around every few minutes to see that
the guards were awake and keeping q
bright lookout. At last, on the third
night, we had everything packed and
1 made up my mind to start at once.
The boys got the whaleboat out from
the shed under which she had been
lying, and together we pushed her
down the steep bank into the bay.
But we had no sooner launched her
than she filled, the water was up to
her thwarts, and there was nothing for
it but to haul her ashore again.
"I could not make it out at all, for q
week she had been q perfectly sound
and seaworthy boat, and I knew she
could not have dried up 80 much in
the time. Still there was no doubt
about her leaking; and I soon found
out the reason. Those devils of ma
tives had been at her, and some time,
it must have been during the previous
night, had managed to knock lot of
holes in her bottom. They were quiet
over the work, too, for, though the
boat was close by, we never heard q
sound. They had STAYED in the
planks with the heads of their stone
axes: 1t was a good job 1 had not sold
them any iron tomahawks, or else the
boat would have been cut to pieces
beyond repair. 1t was bad enough,
but, as the wrecked craft lay there in
the mangrove swamp, I SOW glimmer
of hope. If we could patch her up
we might still get away. If we
couldn't-well, l knew none of US
would see another dawn: 1t was
touch and go, but there was just q
chance. posted the men on guard
all around the palisade, with strict in
functions to fire at every native they
saw approaching. Then the wife and
I, and she was brave little woman,
set to work. We collected all the old
meat tins we could find about the
place; and, as we had been living on
nothing but timed stuff for the past
week, there were plenty. I made o
fire and melted the solder out of the
tins, 80 that 1 had O number of strips
of clean metal to use as patches.
cit was hard work, I can tell you,
lying on my back in the mud amid the
prickly mangrove stumps, mailing lit
tie bits of tin on each broken place:
We put the children to sleep in the
bottom of the boat, while my wife
held the candle for me. How many
hours I toiled I don't know, but I
thought would never have finished.
Now and again an alligator-and they
are plenty in those parts-would crawl
out of the water to see what was going
on, or perhaps in search of his sup
per, but the wife would dash the light
in his face, and he would 60 back
quicker than he came.
1.-The first flush of dawn was in the
sky by the time I lad finished. Twas
stiff and sore and worn out, but there
was no time to think about these
things. We launched the boat, and
she seemed pretty tight, sol bade
Tho mon -hrsnalo tho trade boxes into
her and make ready to shove of, while
the wife and I went up to the house to
get few little personal effects we had
not yet carried down to the beach.
''I remember, just as we'll Us if I
could see it now, scrambling up the slip
perry bank and making our way to the
little house. We were careless, per-
haps, but we did not anticipate any
attack. T walked straight up to the
hut. The door was closed, and I was
going to push it open when my wife,
who was just behind, caught me round
the waist and threw me backward with
all her force. She was strong wo-
man, and I was weak md tired, and 1
rolled over like baby.
eat the same instant she fell, q
dozen spears through her body, the
door burst open and q crowd Of naked
savages dashed out and made q rush
for the boat. They thought me dead,
or badly wounded. I suppose, but at
any rate they did not stop to look,
they were in such hurry to get the
goods, and the oversight saved my
life. I yelled out to the boats crew
to shove off, and then I crawled up to
where my wife was lying. 1t was all
over with her, I could see at q glance,
and all she could whisper was 'Vave,
wave, run quick and save you self!'
perhaps I should have stayed. I
do not know, but at any rate I had no
time to reason over the matter. There
were the savages coming back from
beach full OF rage and disappointment
at finding the boat out of their reach.
L crawled to the right and made a cir
Gle round to gain the shore, and luck
lily I got away unobserved. The boat
was lying O hundred yards of. For
tunately the men had had the sense to
wait and see if we escaped. I swan
off to them and found the children all
well, and the native boys shivering
with fear. But kick or two soon
reused them, and had the boatpulled
as close in shore as dared.
'"The savages were rushing about
and shouting and making tremend-
GUS row. Evidently they were search
ing for me, and they had lit great
torches of dry cocoanut leaves, which
showed them up as bright as day.
This was just what I wanted, for I
emptied my rifle into the midst of
them, and the boys gave them volley
with theirs. They scattered like
magic in every direction. I made
rush up the shore and carried the wife
down, for I was beginning by this
time to feel bit ashamed of myself
for having left her SO quickly. But
what could I do? My gun was in the
boat, and if had stepped I should
only have been killed, too, and the
children would have been left without
father. I found her lying in the
same spot, but she was dead, and the
vretches had even tied her I'D ready