The evening times., 1899-03-01
A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
Shipwrecked Sailors Fight With
Myriads of Crabs.
(From the Pail Nall Gazett


presents not single feature of interest.
Like scores OF others in those 1atitudes, it
has not yet attained to the dignity Of a
single cocoanut tree, although many dere
lict nuts have found lodgment upon it,
and begun to grow, only to be wiped out
of existence at the next springtide Viewed
from balloon, it would look like silly
season mushroom, but with a fringe of
snowy foam around it marking the pro-
tecting barrier to which it owes its exist
ence, TO say nothing of it's growth, Yet
of all places in the world which | have
been privileged to visit, this barren little
mound of sand clings most tenaciously to
my memory, for reasons which will pres
emily appear.
One of those devastating cyclones that
at long intervals sweep across the Pacific,
leaving a long swath of destruction in
their wake, had oyertaken the pearlng
schooner of which l was mate. For twen-
tyfour hours fled before it, knew
not whittier, not daring to heave to. The
only compass we possessed had been de-
stroyed by the first sea that broke on
board. Whether it was night or day, we
had no notion, except by watch, and even
then we were doubtful so appalling was
the darkness. Hope was beginning TO re-
vive that, as the Papalangi had proved
herself so stanch, she might yet run it
out" unless she hit something. But the
tiny rag rigged forward to keep her before
it suddenly flew into threads, the curl of
the sea caught her under the counter and
spun her into the wind like teetotum.
The next vast comber took her broadside
on, rolled her over, and swallowed her
up. We went down quick into the pit.
Always reckoned powerful swimmer,
even among such amphibia as the kanakas,
don't remember making a stroke. But af-
ter horrible, choking struggle in the
blacly | ppt m breath again find
ing myself clinging, as drowning man
will, to something big and seaworJhy. 1t
was an ordinary ships hencoop that the
skipper had bought cheap from passenger
vessel in Auckland. AS good a raft as
one could wish it bore me on over the mad
sea, half dead as ! was, until | felt it rise
high as il climbing a cataract and descend
ed amidst a furious boiling OF surf into
calm smooth water. A few minutes later
| touched sandy beach. Utterly done up
| | slept where ! lay, at the waters edge
| though the shrieking hurricane ragged
| overhead as if il would tear the land up
| by the roots
| When ] awoke il was fine weather
| though 10 leewaTd the internal reek of the
departing meteor still disfgured huge
| segment Of the sky looked around and
| my jaw dropped. Often ] had wondered
what poor devil would do who happened
! to be cast away on such a spot as this
| Apparently | was about TO learn pain
| fui pinch at my bare foot startled me- and
| saw an ugly beast OF crab going for
| me. He was. nearly a foot across his
blue back covered with long spikes. and
| MS wicked little eyes seemed to have an
| expression of diabolical malignlty
| snatched at a handful of his legs and
swung him around my head dashing him
| against the side of my coop with such vigor
that his armor few TO flinders around me.
never have liked crab even when dressed
| but found the raw flesh of that one tasty
| enough. II quite smartened me up. Having
eaten heartily. | took a saunter up the
shooth Knoll OF sand amlessly I sup
| pose, Tor 1t was as bare as q plate without
a stone shell. From its highest point
ABOUT ten feet above highwater mark. |
| looked around. but my horizon was com
| pletely bounded by the ring of breakers
Aforesaid | felt like the scorpion within
| the merry circle, and almost as disposed To
sung myself to death had / possessed the
| proper weapons.
| AS | stood gazing vacantly at the foam
| ing barrier and solemn enclosing dome
| of fieckless blue l was again surprised nv
| a VICIOUS nip at my foot There was an
| other huge crab boldly attacking meme
vigorous man, and not a sodden corpse.
as yet. l felt a grew of horror run ALI
down my back but l grabbed at the vile
thihg and hurled it from me half across
| the island. Then | became aware of 9TH
ers arriving, converging upon me from all
| around, and | was panic stricken. For one
| mad moment | thought of plunging into
| the sea again. but reason reasserted itself
| IN time reminding me that while | had
| certain advantages on my side where
was, IN the water | should fall heIp!ess
| victim at once If, as might naturally be
| expected. these ghouls We're swarming
I of Ii, IA
see neither stick nor stone. Ny feelings
OF disgust deepened into despair But I
got little time for thought Such null
tltude OF the eerie things were about me
| that ! was kept most actively EMPLOYED
seizlng them and fiinging them from me
lhey got holder, feinting and lodging
around me. but happily without anv def
mite plan of campaign among them. Once
| staggered forward, having troddeu un-
aware upon spiky back as | sprung aside
wounding my foot badly. | fell into d
group Of al least twenty. crushing some of
| them, but after painful struggle among
| those needlelike spines regained nv feet
| with several clinging 10 my body. y kind
| OF frenzy seized ME. and, regardless of
pain, l clutched at them right and left.
dashing them to fragments one against
| the other. until quite a pile of writhing,
| dlsmembered enemies lay around me
| while my hands and arms were streaming
from numberless wounds. Very soon be-
came exhausted by my violent exertions
and the intense heat. but, to my unfath-
omable thankfulness, the heap of broken
crabs afforded me long respite. the sound
ones finding congenial occupation in de-
vouring them. While I watched the busy
cannibals swarming over the yet with
ing heap l became violently ill., Vertigo
seized me, l reeled and fell prone obliyious
to all things for time.
| broad moon was commencing her tri-
umphal march among the stars, which
glowed in the biue-b concave like
globules of incandescent steel. MY body
was drenched with dew, a blessed relief, fol
my tongue was leathery and my lips were
split with drought. | tore off my shirt anC
sucked ii eagerly the moisture il held
though brackish. mitigating my tortures o
thirst Suddenly l bethought me of my
foes and looked fearfuily around. There
was not one to be seen, nothing near but
the heap of clean picked shells of those
devoured. AS the moon rose higher / saw
cluster of white objects at little dis.
tance. soon recognizable as boobies. They
permitted me to snatch a couple of then
easily, and wringing off their heads | go,
such draught as put new life into me
Hope returned. even quelling the cruel
thought of daylight. bringing again those
ravening hordes of crawling crustacea YET
my position was almost as hopeless as one
could imagine. Unless, as | much doubt
ed this was known spot for beche de mel
or pearlshell fishers, there was but the re-
motest chance Of my rescue. while wthou
anything flcatable but my poor little hen
coop. passing that barrier of breakers wa.
impossible. Fortunately, l have always
tried to avoid meeting trouble half way
and with thankful feeling of presen
! tod