The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-01-22
MALAY'S DEADLY WORK.
WITH cREESE IN HAND HE RUNS
AMUck ON BOARD A SHIP.

AOsscssAOh OF the tefsel
In four yoyagesto the East Indies,
two OF them to Malay ports, I have
seen but one instance of that native
performance called running amuck.
Fortunately I saw it from position OF
perfect safety, but the sight was
enough to make me steer clear of all
Malays afterward, and any vessel that
has them on board" said Erdix Deer
ing, who as boy and man sailed many
seas in deep-water ships. eft was in
1865, when I was bdy on my first
voyage on the ship Harry Warren,
which sailed from Boston to India
with cargo of ice. We were lying
at anchor in the roads off Madras, un-
loading our middle-deck cargo into
lighters, and q hundred vessels of all
nations were anchored about us, dis
charging or taking on board their car
| goes. The ship nearest us, about two
cable lengths away, was the British
ship Mahratta, which had come from
Singapore in ballast with crew of
Malay Lascars. It was one day at
noon that, as our crew lay round un-
der the awning in the forecastle wait
ing for orders to turn to, one of the
sailors sitting on the capstan sung
out:
!" Hi, matesl just look over to
the lime-juicer! They're having some
kind of rumpus there! See 'em 60
ing! 1 believe it's one of those Malays
running amuckP'
1--WE all jumped to our feet and
looked at the Mahratta, and some of
us ran up into the rigging to get a
better view. From the topsail yard
could see all that was going on on the
deck of the British ship. Amidships
a Lascar, naked to the waist, was
slashing and stabbing at European
officer who had tried to grapple with
him, while everybody else in sight on
the ship was running fore or aft or
taking to the rigging. On the quarter
deck the Captain was hurrying two
ladies down the companionway into |
the cabin, supporting in his arms one
OF them who had tainted. As the Of
ficer fell lifeless to the deck, the
Malay bounded past him following
three sailors who had run aft, along
the port gangway, upon the poop. As
he ran he swung before him q long,
slender knife, its crooked blade curv-
ing in and out like the writings of a
snake. He overlook the rearmost
man on the poop and cut and stabbed
him, as he had done with the officer.
until the man fell. Meantime the
second man leaped overheard, pre-
ferring to take his chances with the
sharks and water serpents to remain
ing on board, and the third man ran
across the quarter deck and up into
the mizzen rigging like a cat. The
man in the water swan for our ship,
and some natives in lighter picked
tim up ahead of the sharks.
''The Malay left the man he had
killed and looked around as if for fresh
but he himself was the only
living person in view on the decks. !
He ran fore and aft, searching, but
ound no one, and he tried the cabin
loor, but it was closed fast. Then he 7
vent to the nizzen rigging and started
Up the ratlines after the man who had o
AIKEN refuge there. When the Malay i
lad got as far up as the mizzen top J
he man he was after took to the top
'allant fore-and-aft stay and began to !
20 down it, hand over hand, toward =
he mainmast. The Malay kept on ND :
o the topgallant cross-trees, and be- G
AN to follow the man down the stay. q
There was something frightful in :
he relentlessness Of his pursuit. He
ad got about ten feet down the stay Q
then the Captain appeared on the
oop with revolver and began firing q
t him. One, two, three shots he fred .
nd the Malay kept on down the stay. q
Ie was two-thirds OF, the way to D
he foot when, at the fourth shot, the o
RIM that held the creese fell helpless G
y his side, though his hand still
lutched the weapon. He chung to the
tay by one hand and his feet and kept a
n down it almost as fast as before. If
fifth and sixth shot, and at the last q
ne Malay stopped still, then fell like b
lump of putty to the deck, full forty d
let below. Whether he was dead a,
hen he struck the deck do not know. h
ut the mate, who must have been
atching from his room, ran out from .,
lie cabin to where the Malay was with o.
handspike and made sure work of 81
lie fellow before he could rise. Then f.
le Lascars came running from the ri
recastle and down the rigging, and IL
18th capstan bars, Delaying pins, and W
hives struck and thrust at the dead fa
-alay until if he had had a dozen r
yes In him they would have been ST
ammered out of his body before the tb
fcers could restrain the excited n
Iilors. h.
"Our Captain got the full story of Ar
q affair from the Captain Of the vi
ahratta the next day. The Malay BIZ
I'd been brooding and sullen for DAYS IN
fore, though no one knew what his hi
ievance was. On.this day as the nj
EN- were piped to dinner he had gone an
to the forecastle, got the creese from VIZ
me place where he had it concealed, ha
d had furiously attacked his mates
thout word. They raised the cry
muck! Amuckl' and scattered, but
t until three of them had been lol
lied or MORALLY wounded. and two wi
pre- of them riously cut by the ell.
eese. Running forward, he had en- an
untered the second mate, and the pa
st of the affair T saw Five man ID. I IN