The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1903-07-11
THRASHING A KING


island and opposite his village. The
king was called Tom John. and he pro.
fessed the greatest friendship for trad
ers. We had been there for ten days
and nothing whatever had occurred to
make us suspect treachery. The cap
tain and had been ashore several
times, been treated with the greatest
Difference, and the natives who had
boarded US did not need watching.
We soon received Il royal visit.
The king was accompanied by three
Of his escort and we aftcrward remem-
bcrrd that they appeared To be more
Interested in the windlass. cable ana
the spare anchor on the rail than in all
else about the craft. A pressing inyi-
tation was given us to attend a royal
feast on shore that evening, a sort OF
blowout" TO prove the friendship OF
the Islanders, but as the captain was
not feeling well he declined To accept.
Tom John and his friends appeared to
be very much disappointed and upset
that we were not to 20, but when they
left the brig It was with the under
standing that the feast should come
OF Il day or two later
The night came down very dark, with
the promise of change of weather,
Every night we had had two armed men
on watch, while the cannon was loaded
with canister and the muskcts were
ready AT hand in case of an alarm,
There were thirty canoes drawn up on
the beach, and the adult male popnla-
ton of the town counted up nj least
$50 For arms they had few old
muskets, but depended mostly on blow
guns, lances and bows and arrows.
Aside from these every man had a
knife. We had an anchor watch set,
with orders to be extra vigiiant, and
this man had not been on duty an hour
when he felt, as he afterward explain
cd II, that something was wrong with
the anchor or cable. He aroused the
man who had left the deck, but was
ridicucd for his fears and ordered to
return to his station Ten minutes
later. having heard suspicious noises
over the bows, he venturci to wake me
up and relate his fears. | went on deck
with him, and after listening for few
minutes became satisfied that some
thing queer WAS going on and called
the captain, who at once ordered the
slcrpcrs to he turned out.
The black rascals were trying n trick
worthy of Yankee. The tide would
begin to flow mt . O'Clock. Four Of
their largest canoes had padded quiet
ly ont TO the anchor divers had gone
down with the rope, and they were lift
Ing II Off the grornd TO let the brig he
driftcd ashore with the tide. We
couldn't see ten feet into the night, but
we came to this conclusion from the
feel of things, and we didn't reach that
conclusion Il minute too soon. | went
down into the cable tier and softly
knocked ont the shackle pin. while the
captain saw that the end of the cable
went overheard without noise, being
lowered by II rope. At the same time
men were sent aloft 20 loosen the sails,
and we got stccrage way on the brig
Just in time L. save her Some of the
fellows must have been nearer than
we lmag ri, for as we headed across
the basin they raised an alarm, score
of torches were lighted simultaneously
and three canoes full of men came
daShing nj our port bow. The captain
and II sailor slowed the gun around and
poured its contents into the approach |
Ing crafts and the discharge was fol
lowed 10y such shrieks ana Wells as
never want to hear again. We dared
not risk the attempt to leave the har
Dor with the darkness SO thick around
us and the breeze shifting about SO I'm
steadily, aud for the next two hours we
were boxing about the basin ana eN-
pccting an attack any moment
When daylight came the wind set
tied into the north and was fair for
run out The captain wanted To teach
the heather lesson first, however
There was II fleet of dozen canoes
coming ont for us, ana the fellows
were no doubt pleased aud surprised
that We had not escaped e. So Every
put the brig directly for the fleet
When within uuSkrt shot. the cap
tain opened with canister. aud later
on We used our muskcts to good ad
vantage. In passing through the fleet
the brig ran down u rnunc with nine
men In It. aud believe we killed
dozen outright. None waited for
second doSc, but made FOR the shore
as fast as possible In uue ~ the
canoes was the King himself and one
OF our crew brought muSkrt to bear
on him aud put bullet into his
shoulder.
We had won r victory. but the cap.
tain WINS not yet satisfied We had
about thirty solid shot I'm the maya
gtnc, and standing back and forth
across the basins, as near the town MS
We dared approach they were sent
whiyzinc from the biz gun to knock
things into fragments Every uuhuh.
liant He'd to the woods aS we np,utd
Are. and, though we were not usiug
hot shot three or four fires we're
kiudrd and the biggest part " the
town was laid IN ashes.
lhrrr WAS TO fear of the natives al.
lacking ms II we landed, "a the rlar
" the hig gun ana the havoc wrought
10y the cannon balls had given them n
fright they would not got over In
whole day We put OF In hoatS Land
"a on the beach and what buildings
had been spared we applied The torrh
10, and before the briS sailed away
nNnrNthimg was M hlmns lL.. ~ ~