The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1900-08-09

A
killed everybody to the last child. They
then looted the ship and scuttled her
and the plumber was subsequently d.
| vided on an island in the China sea.
! Some people believed this story and
some said II was absurd. The general
idea was that the Star foundered at sea
during a heavy gale. The dying state
ment Of the pirate was never fully In
vestigated for some reason. SO Tar as
the investigation went IT was proved
to be a fact. The pirates had long
been scattered, many were doubtless
dead, and the idea of bringing the gang
to justice was given up as impossible
In the year 1863 I was one of the
crew of the English brig Swiftsure,
which was making survey OF the
islands to the northeast of Madagascar.
At the Chagos group, as We were pull
ing into land one day, with seven men
in the boat, We were upset in the surf
and only two OF US escaped death. My
companion was sailor named Wallace
and while In half drowned state we
were swept along the coast OF the island
by current and finally thrown on
shore In bit of cove. A boat put
off from tho brig as soon as the d.sas-
ter was noticed, but only two bodies
were recovered The three others
were pulled down by the sharks before
the boat got to them. Believing this
to have been the sad fate Of all five
no search was made for the pair of us
cast ashore, and before we had recov-
cred from our exhaustion aid pr, pared
signal the brig had departed for an
other field. The island on which we
were cast lie one of group of nine and
the innermost one of all. 1t is likely
the same today as then, having plenty
of fresh water most of 1t covered with
verdure and wild fruits, shrimps and
shellfish so plentiful that shipwreckei
crew OF twenty men could get along
there for months. Wallace and l were
inclined to look upon the affair as a
lark. We erected hut in the woods,
procured fire by rubbing Two dry sticks
together and after thorough explor-
alton Of our domain, which was not
over two miles across in any direction,
We slept, ate and talked and had a
pretty easy time of it.
We had been on the island about
three months when we awoke one
morning to find the sea like a sheet
of glass and the air as still as death
The sky was overcast, and yet of cop
perry color, and the birds on the island
appeared to be in great alarm. Great
fiocks of them came in from the sea,
and all along shore the fish were leap
ing out of the water as IL it were pol
luted. After surveying things for a
while Wallace gave it as his opinion
that we were in for typhoon or an
earthquake. The sulphury smell in
the air inclined him to the latter, and
as soon as we had eaten we started for
the center of the island. There was a
thing but couple of trees and few
bushes, and we sought it on account
Of the tidal wave we knew would sure
ly follow an earthquake.
There was more than one shock, but
the first was the most violent and last
succeeded were thrills rather than
shocks. They ran through the island
from east to west and out to sea, and
we heard chorus of what may be
called the shrieks of distress from the
birds with each vibration. Two or
three minutes after the fourth or fifth
shock Wallace stood up and looked
out upon the sea to the east and shout
ed to me:
Look! Looki The tidal wave is
coming in and there's big ship on the
crest of It,"
sprang uI and followed his gaze.
Ten miles away there was a wall of
water which seemed to lift it's great
while crest almost to the sky and to
reach north and south as far as could
see. Riding on the crest was great
ship. with her three masts standing
erect and some of the yards across.
For the first ten seconds the wall
seemed to stand still. Then 1t came
rolling on like railroad train, and al
most before could have counted TWEEN
ty 1t struck the shore OF our island
and swept across 1t. The island was
a good thirty feet above water in every
part, while on the hill we were at least
lo', but all portions save the hill were
covered By at least ten feet. / had my
eye on the ship alone. 1t came straight
for the hill, but as the wave divided it
was swept TO the left and struck the
earth and was turned full about. While
1t hung there the waters passed on, and,
10! at our feet. resting almost on a
eyes of sailor ever beheld. 1t was
ship, to be sure, but one had to rub his
eyes and lcok again and again to be
certain Of it. There was the great hull