Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-01-21

quarters like wolves seeking to
hamstrIng a deer. | ared another
solid shot aud then loaded with
grape, and this last charge was
fred right into mass of natives
waiting to Chamber up the side.
Tue gun next to me fred solid
slot, which tore through her bot
tom. and two minutes later she
floundered right alongside OF US.
The second craft got near enough
to grapple, but the irons were
thrown eff and two guns played
solid shot into her hell until she
went down stern foremost, leaving
80 men struggling IN the waves.
The third craft had forged ahead,
sailing FIVE feet to our one, ana
would have boarded us at the
bows but for the sudden destruc.
ton of the others. Their tate
frightened her of, bat she had
scarcely laid her head for the
island than 1t was brought around,
as if her crew had made some des-
pera;e resolve. Now occurred
curious thing. She had about 80
men on board, and she came down
on us with every one Of them
shutting and screaming and tried
TO Law us aboard. We could have
sunk her with one gun even, or We
could have picked of the whole
crew with our nluskets before they
had crossed the rail. Word was
passed to give her 4 full broadslde
at OmmAnd, and when the nke
cleared away she was not 10 be
seen. There we're over 70 OF the
pirates hanging to the wfeckage
around US, however, aud boat vas
lowered to pick them up, You can
IauHe of their de 'peratlOu whel |
tell yeu that every one OF them
fought like a tiger against bring
rescued aad that we got only Ave
out Of tue lot. The others we had
to Kill as they hOated about, with
the sharks swapping at them, ISo
OF che Ave leape out OF the boat
after being pulled IN and were seen
no more; aud the others gave u
so much trouble that the captain
swung them up to the yard srm.
Thus not one single man OF the
100 or more VINO cams out TO at
attack us escaped W tn mis- lite. l
was IN one of the boats afterward
sent ashore TO sec what sort Of a
lair the pirates had made for them
selves. The only human beings
ashore were an old native woman,
one armed japanese and a white
boy about ii years Of age. The
boy WAS off an English trader
Captured a year before aud had
been held prisoner ever since. lie
said there were los men in thr
gang, and we fOuud enough plum
der on the island to load our ship
They had captured about a
dozen different vessels, large and
small, and in every case had plan
dered and sunk them. They did
not always kill all tbe crew. Soon
after the boy was captured they
brought in an American sailor of
a spice trader The lad knew hin
only by the name of William, but
remembe eed that his home was in
Boston. 1t turned out that they
had spared his lie TO make use o
him as a blacksmith, but wber
they found he had no knOWledg,
of that work he was put TO dealt
with great cruelty. BY order Of the
chief he was hung in chains on
tree sbout quarter Of a mile from
the village aud was five or sil
days in dying. The boy went Will
US and showed us his bones, still
hanging.
The one armed man and the OLE
woman, assisted by the boy, were
The cooks for the gang. They n
first seemed very mech alarmed
aud protested their innocence o
anv completely in the crimes OF th'
pirates, but when they came to IN
derstand that all the villains hat
met their fate and that we hat
come ashore to clear the island o
It's last bale OF plunder they sad
denly ran lnte \ rude storehouse
blocked up the doorway with boIe
aud opened fire on us with pistols
We had two men wounded betor
we could disloge them, and the,
were then hanged TO the same lin
and their bodies left to the birds
What plunder we could not briu
off we burned on the island, an'
before leaving we set the forest o
fire IN a dosen places, and tb
flames did not die out until th
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