The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-12-06
THE VOYAGE OF THE HOSTILIUs.
A Muleteer's Diary of Return Trip
 from South Africa.

A Muleteer's Diary of Return Trip from South Africa.
 | On July 31 the British ship Hostilius sailed from New Orleans with cargo | of LOGO mules for South Africa. In ad- dition to the regular crew there were | fifty-two nuleteers in the personnel of the ships company. A majority of | these men were from New Orleans and not a few of them were from good fam 1 lilies, who signed the articles for the ad- venture Under the agreement a return
 passage was guaranteed, and plenty or fun was looked forward to even should it be purchased at the price of hard work Among those who shipped was
 Ava Holbrook, a young man who serV-
 ed in the Spanish-American war and rollicking young fellow who is always
 alive for any adventure. Another who
 took passage was L. c. Sheen, son of
 local drayman. Sheen went out as
 one of the three foremen of the mule
 teers, while Holbrook agreed to do his
 share of all the rough work and be sim
 ply a muleteer, or one or Toby S
 nurses" as they were called The story
 of the voyage is best told by Holbrook,
 who kept an interesting diary of the
 happenings and who arrived in New Or
 leans yesterday on the German ship
 Karthago. With the help of the diary
 connected story was obtained of the
 travels of the muleteers and their re-
 turn to New orleans.
 When we left here,'' said Holbrook
 yesterday, i've were under orders for
 Cape Town, where we were to receive further orders. There was little of in-
 terest on the trip. Our duties were to feed, water and generally tend the
 mules. Our food was coarse, but we had plenty of it. It consisted chiefly of curry, rice, stew, coffee and salt horse About the only sensation on the trip
 was that one mule fell through three hatches. When he was fished out he
 was as sound as any one of the lot. We were very lucky with the mules. We only lost eight of the lot on the trip. At Cape Town we anchored in Table Bay and we were only there four hours when we were ordered to East London. It was at East London that we unload ed the mules, and our duties as mule teers were practically at an end. Re turning, we arrived in St. Vincent Sep tember 24, and three days later left for Key West, where we were to receive further orders. We never reached Key West It was on that trip that we met with the accident that had us tossing about for fifteen days without enough to eat and not knowing just how long the hardship would last. To be accu- rate, it was October that the propeller shaft split and the Hostilius was hopeless and helpless wreck. At the time we were 750 miles from Barbados, the nearest port. Fortunately, there was little or no sea running at the time and the break must have resulted from some flaw in the big shaft. However, an examination revealed that repair was impossible and we were helpless.
 As soon as the accident happened we were put on half rations and an effort was made to proceed under sail. Some | sails were bent and others were made out of tarpaulns. We had floated about for seven days when the captain called | us to the bridge and made speech In | effect it was that we were far out of the course of both sailing and steam vessels, and that since the accident we had made only ITO miles i'll seven days. 1 This distance was made in the first few 1 days. As a matter of fact, we had l moved for considerable time. I He said that he had arrived at the con- cluson that the only way help could be l had was by the launching of small l boat. He would send his first officer, I Mir. Applegate, and two able seamen | who had volunteered At that time l.. | c. Sheen promptly volunteered to be | one of the party, and he was of course accepted.
 ''As the little party went over the side | into the little yawl they were wished | godspeed and heartily cheered. Seven days provisions were sent with the brave little party, and the long jour ney to Barbados began. It took them just six days to reach the harbor of | Barbados. Providentially, there was no stormy weather. and as they sailed alongside the British ship Indefatigabe he little party and the little craft were lone the worse for wear. The situation vas quickly explained to the master of
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