Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1898-04-01
A SEA SLCRET.

In the year iS4O the Hon. East India
company's ship the Star Of India set
sail from Madras fer London. having on
board over 200 passengers, and among
them Lord Glcnham, General Swift,
Lady Artwell and her two daughters,
and other men and ONE Of note at
homo end abroad. a. idc from her gen
cral cargo, the chip carried treasure to
the amount Of $3.50, 900. Tho bankers at
Madras figured out that the passengers
must have had at least $lGO, Geo Gncng
them, whilo an Indian p%ot,ntnto, on his
way to be received rs q cues. Of royalty,
bad a strong box of jewelry and gems
valued at 80 great a sum that no u
dared speak il. 1t was intended that
tho ship should be conveyed as far rs
tho cape of Good Hope by Il man.of-
war, as there were plenty Of pirate
craft still Gloat, but the government
vessel met with a mishap at sea and
was detained somewhere, and the Star
finally decided to sail without her, and
there was little fear but that she could
take care of herself. Two days ont of
Madras she was sighted AID reported,
but that was the last seen or heard Of
her until tho year 1894.
Tho loss of tho Star made n great sem
satiou fer several reasons, and when it
was finally concluded that she lad been
lost various vessels were sent IN search
Of her, and every effort was made to as-
certain her fate. In 1856 q Malay sailor
who died aboard Of an English tea ship
told her captain that the star was ut
tackled and captured by pirates to the
south Of Ceylon, and that he was one of
the men engaged in the attack. lie said
there were five native crafts, and that
they came upoiI the star Ia a calm and
Carried her 10y boarding. Tho ship lrado
q long and stubborn resistance, Lut wns
finally captured, and tho piTutos hnd
suffered such heavy loss That in revenge
they killed everybody to the last child.
They then looted the ship and scuttled
her, and tho plundcr was subsequently
divided ON al island in the China sen.
Some people believed this story and
sono nid it was absurd. The general
idea was fiat the Star foundcrod Mt sea
during a heavy gale. Tho dying state
munt Of the pirate was mover fully in
vestigatod for some reason. no far as
tho investigation went it was proved to
10 n fact. The pirates had long been
scattered, many were doubtless dead,
md the idea of bringing the gang to
justice was given up ns impossible.
In the year 1868 1 was II of the
crow Of the English brig Swiftsure,
which was making n survey Of the
islands to the northeast of Madagascar.
At tho Chago5 group, as we were pull
ing into land one day, with soven men
IN tho beat, we were upset in the surf
and only two Of us escaped death. Ny
companion was a sailor named Wallace,
and while in u half drowned state we
were swept along the coast Of the island
by a current and finally thrown on
shore IN a bit Of a o A boat put OF
from the brig as soon as the disaster
was noticed, but only two bodies were
recovered. Tho three others were pulled
down by the sharks before the boat got
20 them. Believing this to have been
the sad fate of all five no search was
made for the pair Of us cast ashore, and
before wo had recovered from our ex-
haustion and prepared a signal the brig
had departed for another field. The
island on which we were cast is one OF
a group Of nine, and the easternmost
one Of all. 1t is likely the same today
as then, having plenty Of fresh water,
most of 1t covered with verdure, and
wild fruits, shrimps and shellfsh SC
plentiful that n shipwrecked crew Of &c
men could get along there for months
Wallace and I were inclined TO lool
upon the affair as a lark. We erected {
hut In the woods, procured FIRE by rub
bling two dry sticks together, and Rftel
a thorough exploration Of our domain
which was not over two miles across II
any direction, We slept, ate and talked
and had a pretty easy time of it.
We had been en- tho island abou'
three months, when we nwoke ont
morning to find the sea like a sheet o
glass and the air as still as death. Thu
sky was overcast, and yet Of a coppery
color, and the birds on the island mp
pcared to be In great alarm. Grea
6ocks Of them came i'm from the sea
and all along shore the fish were leap
ing out Of the water as If IL were pol
hted.
After surveying things for awhile
Wallace gave il as his opinion that W,
were In for q typhoon or al earthquake
The sulphury smell in the air inclined
him TO the latter. and as SEQ as we ha'
eaten We started for tho center Of th,
island. There was a high hill In tn
center, bare Of everything but a couple
Of trees and a few bushes, and we sough
il ON account of the tidal wav we knew
would surely follow an earthquake. A
70 a Disturbance Of the earth, we wcr'
helpless except to keep clear of the for
est Il was midday before anything oc
CURED The m~enacing look Of the SIX,
and the sea increased, and fish by tn
thousands drove up on the sandy beacl
- their death. Just about noon, whel