St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1898-04-02
DON M'DONALD'S OATH
81 Copyright, 1898 Il 3sng ,s BY CHARLES B. LEWIS. 81

admired by all men. She was new
ship, fitted out In the best manner, and
DON Mcdonald, her captain, was also
her full owner. He was then a man
about 50 years old, and had been cap
tain for many years. He had good
reputation among owners and sailors.
It was said that no man aboard one OF |
his ships had ever been struck blow In |
anger, and he fed his crews so well that |
he could always have his pick of the
best sailors In port. He sailed away |
ON his long voyage with the good wishes
of all, and for weeks all went well with
the "Highland Chief" She had got
down below st. Helena when there
came calm.
The brig ran into the calm one night
at midnight, and 1t was not until she
had been delayed three days that Capt.
Mcdonald began to lose his temper.
He had been hopeful of quick pas
sage, and the heave of the ship and the
lookssof the sky told him that he had
been. caught in what sailors call @
"smooth." A man sent aloft with O.
glass could see ships passing for away,
and when the smooth had lasted five
days the captain INDUCED in such Ian
guage as had never been heard from his
lips before. He ordered his boats down
to tow the brig beyond the calm, and
though the crew responded cheerfully
enoughsshe was SO deeply laden that
they could make but snail's progress.
This aroused the captain 8 temper still
more, and on the morning of the eighth
| day of the calm, as the two boats start
ed In to tow again he ordered bag of
bread and breaker Of water into each
boat and said to the men: Il
'tNot one of you shall step foot on
| board again until we have breeze. !
take my oath that I win shoot the first
man who tries I'll"
He was left on board with only the
cook and cabin boy, and all day long
| the crew Of the boats tugged away at
the brig with no more result than to
move her three or four miles. When
night came they gave up and wanted
to return aboard, but Capt, Mcdonald
menaced them with a pistol and SO
frightened them that they set off to
the east and were picked up by trad
ing craft three days later. Thus the
brig was left without crew, and that
was the beginning of a long adventure
On the eleventh day the. calm was
broken by gale from the north. The
Chief went scudding away before 1t
but after run of 100 miles was dis
masted and left wreck on the tum
bling seas. The cook was of no accoun1
as q sailor, and the boy of little help
but the wreckage was cut loose, ane
four days after the gale the hulk wa!
riding high and dry and as tight as
bottle below. This was when she was
sighted for the first time after the de
sertfon OF the crew. was one OF the
crew of the English bark Hawthorne
4 homeward bound from India, and ont
1morning we sighted the wreck and bore
up for It. Our mate was sent aboard
i and from Capt. Mcdonald he got th'
particulars have given yon. Finding
the hull sound and the cargo valuable
the mate offered to send men nboart
20 rig jury-masts and sail her Int
port, but the captain would not ALLOW
i It. Neither would he consent to b
4 taken off the wreck. If the cook ant
the boy wanted 10 go he had no objec
tion, but he had started on voyage t
4 Australia and he would finish 1t or SIM
with his craft. The cook, who was
relative OF the captain, decided to stay
but the boy had had enough of 1t an
was brought aboard of as. We lay b
the wreck for three hours, hoping th
pair left aboard would change thei
minds, but as they did not we finall
sailed away. fG
It was two weeks before the High
land Chief was spoken again. In tha
time she had drifted $50 miles to tn
south. This time she was overhaple.
, by the steamer Congo Prince, lndi'
bound, and a boat was sent aboard
: Capt. Mcdonald was found at dinner
/ Hc had weathered another gale ant
the hull was still sound. The steame
offered him tow to Cape Town, but h
] rejected the offer. The cook had tire
. of the situation and wished TO be take
, off, but the captain had made up hi
mind to stick and no arguments coul
/ dissuade him. The cook went aboar
the steamer and the man was lei
alone on a groaning hulk In mid
) ocean. It was 81 days before sh
was boarded again, and the wreck ha
i drifted over 500 miles, though not altt
gether to the south. She WIS in tn
!. highway of commeroe, however, an
{ had probably been passed by q scor
D Of crafts which failed to make her ou
/. One morning she was sighted by tn
!, American tea ship Flying Scud, hom'
. ward bound, and as usual q boat we
sent aboard. Capt. McDonam was
{ good health and the hulk sound as
], dollar. He. admitted that he was b
: lonely, but was more determined tina
ever to stick to his craft. What
o. wanted were spars and o few men, an
!. It so happened that the Scud could q
9 commodate him with both. Then
raised the question aof price and r
q fused to pay what Was asked and
! finally fell into se1nper and ordere
o his callers back to their own Graf
9 Twenty-Five days after the tea sh'
! sighted the wreck she was almost rt
o down one night by an English steam
r called The Opal. She was them In Il
{ latitude OF the Cape and 45o mil
. from the coast. She was boarded as
q derelict, with the intention Of settir
:. FIRE to her and removing a dangerol
8 obstruction, and great was the surpri
of the boarding officer to find CAP