Smyrna times., 1901-07-10

with you on this voyage. see Won
nave inquired on cook. Strike him off
I the list. / shall be cook myself. If
can cook and work here, / can do the
same aboard of brig, and we want no
ldlers. L have fully made up my mind
TO carry out my ideas, and you will 90
ahead as fast as possible"
was pushing things along to get
away at the earliest hour, when I
heard that the captain Of the late Good
Intent was secretly seeking a craft for
charter. This satisfied me as to the
value of the wreck if it was still intact
and also made me hustle the harder.
When we finally got away, there was
no talk about it, and 1 was the onlv
man aboard who knew our real dastina-
tion. That we should be followed with
IN week or ten days was certain, and
we were no sooner clear of the "heads"
than orders were given to crack on
and keep the little hooker travelling for
all she was worth. We were in ballast
only, having cleared for Japan, and
had picked up a good sailer in charter
ing the Duchess.
There is a wide stretch of salt water
and weeks of sailing between the Cali
fornia coast and the Necker islands,
which lie in a southwest direction and
number II, great and small. Only the
largest two are inhabited, but 1 knew
that residents of them rOved among the
whole group and that shell gatherers
and traders would be frequently met
with. Among our outfit was a pound
cannon and 10 muskets, bought of a
junk dealer in San Francisco. If we
found the wreck, we might have to
hold it by force and do some sharp
fighting. From the first day of sailing
until the morning we sighted Niger
island, one of the Necker group and the
one where the Good Intent had left her
bones, she appeared to be certain that
our adventure would turn out all right
The wreck lay there on the reef as
she had been abandoned, and a yell
came from every throat. We had sim.
ply to feel our way down to her as near
as possible and then take the yawl and
board her. She looked sad wreck, but
we found her in fairly good shape
hANh VIC 6Ol 0OOdlNS ing lLG MluOM
with us. The reef was half a mile
from the beach, and the ship bad driv
en- on t. it stem first, run about hall
her length and then made n cradle fOl
herself. At high tide there were TIVE
feet of water in her lower hold at low
tide she was drained of every drop.
Now, see how queer are the ways o
fortune. We had not been on the wrecl
an hour before two native catamarans
each carrying 10 islanders, hove il
} sight and came down to us. The fel
!. lows at once demanded a share of tn
l loot, and we had to resort to the bi
r gun to drive them away. They return
4 ed under a white flag before night an
r offered their services for pay, and
t of them were engaged to assist us.
D 1t would have been great find will
out the opium, but the stuff was abOar
all right. The value of the tin case
packed in one of the staterooms wa
not far from $4,000. and of generi
cargo we took in load which sank tn
brig to her pimsoll mark. In wee
we were through with the wreck an
ready to turn her over to the islander
for what they could get out of her. W
up anchor and headed for the Pacif
coast at noon one day, and With
three hours we rose a bark which wa
heading straight for the spot we ha
left. 1t was the captain of the loi
Good Intent, but he had come too late
We made port after an uneventfl
voyage, the cargo was landed and di
posed of with only a few days della
and one morning we were all paid oi
said goodby to the widow, and new
saw her again.