The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-27
LEAN AND LUCKY SEA CAPTAIN.
CannibnIs would Not Eat Him Untn
Fnttened.
From DC PIlLsburg DIspatch.


Capt. william H. Barnes, late master
and part owner of the good ship Mt
Hope" whose home port, before she went
to the bottom Of the sea, was Frisco, stop
ped over in Pittsburg on his way 10 New
York.
All sea captains have had more or less
startling adventures, but not every skip
per has been captured by tribe of man
eating saVages with the sure prospect of
being converted I'm n saVory stew for the
royal table after undergoing the fattenlng
process applied to their victims by the
canuibals OF the South sea islands, which
makes the flesh as tender and juicy as
spring lamb.
This happened TO Capt. Barnes, Having,
as if by a miracle, escaped the fate of
Capt. Cook the descendants of whose de-
vourers are now American citizens, the
old sea dog was elected King of the tribe,
and for six months ruled $500 saVages with
Yankee ability and a sailors sense OF
Justice Then he abdicated in the style OF
King James H., of England thai is he
sneaked away from his throne under cover
Of the night and left the country never TO
return.
The pity of It is that the captains story
loses much of its flavor when put into co
type. IL would be far more inter esting were
Il possible to tell II in print as he told il
to a Dispatch man at the ST. James Ho-
tel--interwoven with nautical terms and
garnished with the picturesque but forci-
bic language of the sea.
1t was in November, 1897, that the gal
liant fast-saihng bark MI. Hope left San
Franc SEQ for a whaling cruise that was to
begin In the Southern seas and end In the
Arctic ocean. Sperm whales seemed to be
mighty scarce that season, for the MI
af sailing about the we'll known
feeding grounds OF the monsters of the
deep for two months. didn't have a barrel
of oil in her hold. Cap. Barnes and his
crew were thoroughly disguised, when one
day the lookout in the forerigging yelled;
There she blows!'
That yell SEM a thrill through the bos-
ON of every man In the ships company,
from the captain to the cabin boy.
In a second the boats were In the water
the captain himself taking charge OF one
Of them The Whale-and to judge by the
size of the fountain thrown up, he was a
big felloW-was five miles to the lee of the
vessel.
The boats had not got two miles from
the ship when suddenly a great black
cloud rose rapidly from the horizon, bear
ing in it's inky bosom one of those terri
be storms that frequently lash the Pa
cihc ocean. In a few minutes the frail
boats were at the mercy of the wind Then
the sea rose and roared in its anger at
the earthworms who dared to fool with IT,
Wind and waves soon separated the
boats. The one Capt Barnes was in gal
lantly rode the big seas for awhile under
his skiiful steering, but at last a cross
sea caught it on the weather side and over
it went like a tub.
When Capt Barnes got his head above
water again he spied the overturned boat.
and taking advantage of a roller he was
fitted high up into the air and then thrown
toward the boat Another move drove him
so near the craft that with a couple Of
strokes good swimmer that he was he
was able to lay hold of the keel That was
his only chance Of life.
The storm lasted not more than an hour
But when 1t cleared up and the wind
abated, nowhere could the captain see his
ship. The chances were that the squall
which struck her when she was without
officers and had all sails set, had sent the
Mt. Hope to the bottom.
For five days and five nights Captain
Barnes drifted about, when, at last, just
as his strength was completely exhausted
he felt he was getting into shallow water.
The color Of the sea had changed and It's
greenish hue told the experienced sai Tor
that land was not far Off. The boat was
drifting before a stln breeze. Toward
evening Of that day the shipwrecked cap
tain saw dark line loom up over the horl-
That night the captain slept ashore. How
long he doesn't know. All he remembers
is that at the moment he felt dry land IN
der him he lost consciousness. When he
awoke the sun was high IN the sky. He
felt 80 stiff, sore and weak that he could
hardly stand up. But that powerful lever,
the instinct Of self-pressrvation, gave him
tho strength TO Walk. lholgh most Of the
time on all fours.
All around was rank vegetation and the
stiffness Of the grave. He found some Der
rles and later on a grove OF breadfruit
trees. He ate sparlngiy Then he fell
into o deep sleep again. Arising, he felt
now lfe coursing through his viens.
Captain Barnes found that he Was cast
on small Island. unlnhabiied, probably
one Of The Marquee group. he could tel
tnat a. night by me constellation Of the
Southern Cross. From me highest point
Of the island be could See another Island,
much larger not more man hye ipi IN
raf fhaf some ~ the larRcr islands
81 the group were inhabited by eayages
Ipl thought hs. raiher be killed by eaY-