The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-27
MODERN S|NDBAD
 FLEES CANN|BALS Thomas Ellis Tells How He Was Fattened for Slaughter WRECKED OFF NEW GUINEA He Was Rescued, According to His Yarn, As He Yves Being Pre-
 pared for the Gridiron By
 His Captors.
WRECKED OFF NEW GUINEA
Dispatch to the New York Herald.

Dispatch to the New York Herald.
 Philadelphia, Saturday.--To be captured by a horde of wild cannibals, fed until he presented d most appetizing spe scacle to bis captors. and to have a dangerously near view of a large, rough gridiron, where he was to be toasted until properly drowned, was the recent experience of Thomas Ellis, a member of the crew of the steamer Astrakan, which arrived at this port eoday. The story of how Ellis escaped this fate and thus disappointed the expectant palates of the savages was told by him today.
 At the time ol hi5 experience Ellis was a member of the crew of the sailing ship Aigburth. Under the command of Capt. John H. Reed and with a crew of seven men, the ship left New South Wales for Java, where it was to take cargo of sugar for Philadelphia. On July 10, when off the northeast coast of New Guiana, the ship met storm.
 Sails Carried Away.
 The sails were carried away first, and the mast soon followed. The second day land was sighted, and it was determined q still some distance away the boat was swamped, and the eight men, already ex- hausted, had to swim to shore.
 One of the men had brought rife with him, and ne managed to keep this dry, knowing 1t to be their only hope of get ting food.
 wet and weakened, the party made their way inland for several hundred yeards, when they were attacked by a band of naked savages. With the aid of the rifle, which kept their pursuers at bay, Capt. Reed and three of his men succeeded in escaping, but Ellis and the others were captured.
 To the wonder of the men, the savages took great trouble to capture them alive, and seemed to express glee rather than hatred in their glances. Still more sur prised were they when they were placed in a warm. dry hut and given plenty of vegetable food.
 No meat was given them, and this omission was due, they afterward found out, to the prevalence of retse, fly pest, which had exte-minated most of the anil mals in that section of the country. It was not until the end of this time that they began to realize the fate in store for them.
 Began to Fatten.
 Good living and little work had its usual effect, and they began to fatten. It was when they noticed that this increase of flesh was appreciated by their captors that they realized that, having been long without animal food or flesh of any kind the savages intende4 to have a gala feast with them a5 the principal dish.
 In the meantime the other sailors had also been captured, but by another and more friendly tribe. This tribe had many dealings with traders. When they learned that the rest of the party had been cap- tured by the cannlbals, they offered to rescue them, as it gave them chance tc wreak vengeance on tribe with which they had several scores to settle.
 When they reached the enemy's country they attacked the cannibals on the day that they had set for the feast. The cap tors were taken by surprise, and soon gave way, running in all directions. The captives were forgotten in the general route.
 Ellis and h,s three companions were found lying, bound, beside huge fire, on which had been placed a crude gridron. With the air of friendly natives, a port was soon reached and the men were able to set sail fer Java.