Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1905-02-22

seven ISLANDS OF tne IdulhV'u SioeP'
south Pacific, / was left alone aboard
20 keep anchor watch.
1t was about 6 o'clock in the evening
when the men pulled ashore in the
yawl and the shouting and laughing
and the bonfires were evidences that
Slc entertainment began almost at
once. 1t had just grown fully dark
when King John and about fifty Of his
subjects came alongside in their ca
noes and clambered OH board. Before
could ask any questions was knock
ed down and had my feet and ankles
securely tied. None Of them deigned
to explain what was going on, but in
few minutes l picked up sufficient to
satisfy me that the men ashore had
been overpowered and that King John
proposed to get the brig up the river,
which emptied into the bay just there.
There was water enough to float her,
but our captain had preferred an out
side anchorage for obvious reasons.
King John played fair with the trad
ers only when there was no opportuni-
ty for treachery.
The tide was running out rather
strong, but in their hurry to get pos
session the natives either overlooked
the fact or thought they were strong
enough to overcome 1t. A long two
inch rope, which they had either
bought or stolen from some craft, was
made fast to the briggs bows, and the
canoes took the free end; then they
began work at the iron cable; but, not
knowing how to unshac6le 1t, they
presently grew impatient, and King
John ordered me cast loose to do the
work. l got hammer and drove out
the shackle pin.
The canoes were almost in line under
.he cable and. as it was unshackled al
most at the windIass and when out of
the hawser hole as if pulled by steam
engine, five or six canoes were upset
and a score Of natives more or less hurt.
AS their tow rope Strengthened out
there was a grand yell for the canoes
to 90 ahead, but the brig started
down the bay stern first and pulled
the lot of them after her. sneaked
aft and put the wheel over and dashed
it, and FIVE minutes later the brig
swung around until her bows pointed
down the bay.
The natives were all more or less I'M
der the influence of the keg Of rum
which went ashore with the crew, and
when the brig started off with them
they became at first hilarious and then
panic stricken. Pretty soon they all
scrambled aboard and began to weep
and howl like lot of children. A ship
was a mysterious thing to them, and
that one should run away with them
without having sail set was something
to mystify them still further. They
could have escaped to the shore in their
canoes, but they did not want to aban-
don their prize. King John caught
sight of me and threatened me with in
slant death if | did not take the brig
back to her anchorage. | told him that
only the captain could do this, and,
though knives and clubs were -four
ished, they finally decided to spare my
life.
An oafshore breeze helped us down
the bay, and in half an hour we were
at sea- 1t was quiet night, but there
was big ground swell rolling in from
some storm at sea, and the brig hadn't
played seesaw very long before there
was terribly sick crowd aboard. She
heayed and rolled with just the motion
to make landsman's stomach try to
run away from him. 1t struck me that
| must keep the advantage that cir
cumstance had placed in my hands.
IL or men Lad not been murdered out
of hand, there might be a way to save
them.
1t occurred to me that my first move
should be TO hunt for rum. We had
plenty Of it aboard. as found in over
hauling e. laZarette and broke out
a kcg Gnd rolled it On deck. Every ma
tive welcomed it with a yell and could
not get at its contents fast enough. In
half an hour | saw that the whole
crowd would keep it up until dead
drunk, and quietly withdrew and be-
gan to hunt up rope At the end of an
hour the last Of the natives had Topped
down on deck, and then spent full
hour tying the wretched lot hand and
foot 1t was 10 o'clock at night ere
had finished, and l then went down to
the captains cabin and turned in and
slept through the balance Of the night,
knowing that the brig was all right
and that none of my prisoners could re-
lease themselves even If they sobered
off. | slept like a top until an hour
after daylight, when the first Of TIE
natives sobered up and began yelling.
1t wasn't ten minutes before the whole
crowd was hooting away.
/ got such sail on the brig as | could
handle and stood back for the bay and
the island and two hours later got
SlSul VI Jul W lUlc CIcM COLuluS Oul Ill a
canoe to meet me. They had been made
prisoners and were to be killed, but
when it was known that I bad run off
with King John and his cabinet the
natives ashore became afraid and re
leased the sailors.
To say that captain and crew were
pleased when they got aboard and
saw how things stood is drawing 1t
mild Everybody got ropes end and
sailed in on the crowd of blacks, and
each and every one was basted until he
howled for mercy ten times over. Then
King John was given an alternative.
1t was either to load us with twenty
tons of copra, banks, roots and sandal
wood within three days or be carried
off to Singapore, and he did not hest
tate two minutes in making choice.
The freight was forthcoming, and he
waved us adieu, and it was years after
that before he dared to indulge in hos
tile action against another trader.
NJ. QUAD.