Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1903-06-06
''THRASHING A KING
rcnnxright. 1sos. by c. B. Lewis

lanQS IN the DTlS bouiSS VI 1880
cisco and on this particular trip hao
anchored in bay in the kings own
island and opposite his village. Inc
king was called Tom John, and lie pro-
fessed the greatest friendship fer trad
ers We had been there for ten days
and nothing whatever had occurred 10
make us suspect treachery. The cap
tain and / had been ashore several
times, been treated with the greatest
Difference, and the natives VINO hao
boarded us did not need watching.
We soon received il royal visit.
The king was accompanied by three
of his escort, and we afterward remem-
bered that they appeared to be more
interested in the windlass, cable anu
the spare anchor on the rail than IN all
else about the craft 4 pressing INV,
tation was given us to attend royal
feast on shore that evening, SORT or
blowout" to prove the friendship OF
the islanders, but as the captain was
not feeling we'll he declined TO accept.
Tom John and his friends appeared to
be very much disappointed ana upset
that we were not to go, but when they
left the brig it was with the under
standing that the feast should come
off day or two later.
The night came down very dark, with
the promise Of a change Of weather.
Every night we had had two armed men
on watch, while the cannon was Loaded
with canister and the muskets were
ready at hand in case OF an alarm.
There were thirty canoes drawn up on
the beach. and the adult male popula-
tion of the town counted up at least
$50. For arms they had a few old
muskets, but depended mostly on blow
guns. lances and bows and arrows.
Aside from these every man had
knife. We had an anchor watch set,
with orders to be extra vigilant, and
this man had not been on duty an hour
when he felt, as he afterward explain
ed it, that something was wrong with
the anchor or cable. He aroused the
man who had left the deck, but was
ridiculed for his fears and ordered to
return to his station. Ten minutes
later, having heard suspicious noises
over the bows, he ventured to wake me
I'D 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
sleepers to be turned out.
The black rascals were trying trick
worthy of a Yankee. The tide would
begin to flow at 2 o'clock. -Four or
their largest canoes had padded quiet
ly out to the anchor, divers had gone
down with the rope, and they were lift
ing it off the ground to let the brig be
drifted 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 a minute too soon. l went
down into the cable tier and softly
knocked out the shackle pin, while the
went overheard without noise, being
lowered by a rope. At the same time
men were sent aloft to loosen the sails,
and we got steerage way on the brig
Just in time to save her. Some Of the
fellows must have been nearer than
we imagined, for as we headed across
the basin they raised an alarm, a score
Of torches were lighted simultaneously
and three canoes full Of men came
dashing at our port bow. The captain
and a sailor slowed the gun around and
poured its contents into the approach
ing crafts, and the discharge was fol-
lowed by such shrieks and yells 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, and for the next $50 hours we
were boxing about the basin and eX-
pecting 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 q lesson first, however.
There was q fleet Of dozen canoes
coming out for us, and the fellows
were no doubt pleased and surprised
that we had not escaped to sea. Every
man was told what to do, and we
put the brig directly for the fleet
When within musket shot, the cap
tain opened with canister, and later
on we used our muskets to good adj
vantage. In passing through the fleet
the brig ran down a canoe with nine
men in 1t, and I believe we killed
dozen outright. None waited for
second dose, but made for the shore
as fast as possible. In one Of the
canoes was the king himself, and one
Of our crew brought musket to bear
on him and put a bullet into his
shoulder.
We had won victory, but the cap
tain was not yet satisfied. We had
about thirty solid shot in the maya
zine, and standing back and forth
Il L