Gilpin observer., 1899-06-15
THE SPRAY ENTERING SYDNEY
HARBOR.

April. 1895, and in eight days was
1900 miles across the Atlantic, being
a record for the little craft of $50
miles day. 1t took Capt. Slocum
some time to get used to the solitude
of the cruise, and he tried all kinds
of devices to make believe he had
company. Firstly he would call out
the name Of the boy who had sailed
with him in his last ship; then he
would sing out the number of bells
struck, and during the night watches
he would address himself to the moon.
Eventually, however, he got accus-
toned to the appalling silence of the
limitless sea. In 30 days the adven-
turer reached Gibraltar. From thence
he sailed for South America, where, off
the coast of Terra del Fuego, the ma
tives tried to board him, but on being
fired at they made off. The following
ruse had something to do with keep
ing them at safe distance. sticking
his hat on a projection, so that it
would show above the hatchway, near
the tiller. the captain ran forward
through the hold to the fore-latch,
Shoh6 ms lis Soot III Tic ACdHllhC, anu
placing another hat on a log of wood
on the hatchway. and walked the deck
a bit, finally going below and taking
his old place by the tiller, so that
these movements gave the natives the
impression that there were at least
three men on board. Slocum was
about thirty days getting through the
straits of Magellan, always with a head
wind and sometimes with rain. Re-
turning through the straits some time
after, he was followed by canoes, and
gained upon him. The captain had,
therefore. to prepare for a possible
fight. He first sprinkled the deck with
tin tacks, with the points upward, and
concealed a revolver up his sleeve,
after which he merely awaited their
approach ready for any emergency. He
had also placed a repeating rifle con-
veniently near On the arrival of the
first canoe, which contained a chief,
the captain was asked where the re-
mainder OF the crew were, because
when the Spray passed that way before
there were three men on boara. Slo-
cum Icply Wdo thiI lucy were SlctD-
ing. and that they (the natives), had
better not make row, or the men
would be very angry anu make trouble
when they awoke." Seeing the rifle,
which he was itching to possess, the
chief asked "how often will it shoot?"
to which the captain replied, LAS many
times as there are natives" Eventu-
ally the gallant skipper got rid of his
unwelcome visitors, without allowing
them on board. and he proceeded on
his way unmolested. In the chief the
captain recognized a regular cut-throat
from the description given him by
master of vessel. friena OF him,
who warned him not to give him half
n chance to get on board. but to shoot
him down at sight. Happily, blood
shed was avoided, the natives no doubt
thinking the crew were lying hidden
and ready to fire on them at the least
sign of treachery. Had the savages
even dreamed that this remarkable
man was quite alone on the ocean, he
would infallibly have been killed. He
at length arrived at Apia, Samoa,
where one OF his first visitors was Mrs.
Robert Louis Stevenson. He called at
several islands, in that part OF the
world. and noted the customs OF the
natives. He also brought away some
very interesting curlos for his friends
in America. At one island the little
Spray was towed into a safe anchor
age by some native girls. who came out
In a canoe to welcome Captain Slo-
cum, an honor which the skipper OF
the little vessel keenx appreciated.