Evening journal., 1905-06-14
A CLOSE CALL
FOR LIFE
IorlElnaLl

lOrlBlual-l
Jim Mulford and / were engineers on
tramp steamer. One morning when
was sitting in the engine room wait
ing to relieve him ne told me this story:
In 1892 while in the java sea, having
quarreled with my captain, l left the
ship at Bomeo. / found an English
man who wanted to take a tug to
Hongkong and agreed TO so with him,
we two being the sole crew. The tug
proved to be tub, and we soon found /
something the matter with the connec- /
tions between the fire box and boiler /
We lay 70, put ont the fires. then clean
ed out tie ire box which il was neces-
sary to enter
While I was hunting Cor the trouble
with a lighted candle the Englishman
was keeping watch on deck. Presently
he called for me TO come up and show
ed me a suspicious looking craft on the
starboard quarter. She didn't fy any
hag, set low ia the water and appeared
to have no especial purpose.
"She's a pirate, he said.
Nonsense" l replied; there are no
pirates nowadays"
Don't YOU believe Il. These waters
/ are fun Of them. They're not the reg
ular thing they used to be. They're
robbers aud murderers In a small way,
but they're pirates all the same"
While we were talking the craft
veored and came toward u.s. What
| could we dog There was no fire In the
box, and # there were we couldn't
make more than six knots an hour
while the plrates-if they were such
could make ten or twelve. OF course
we were nothing Of prize, but there
was no expectation that we would es-
cape with our lives anyway. We cast
a wistful glance at one of the Anambas
islands. not more than five miles away
on the port side.
"Tu tell You what Wen do" ! said.
"We can't swim ashore, but wen
make believe we've tried. There's one
chance Tor us here. We can get into
the FIRE box. and II they don't happen
to open the door they won't know
we're aboard What do you sayf'
zone chance I'm a thousand, but Wen
take f. There's nothing else TO do"
Well. we waited tin we were salts
ned there was murder aboard the com
ing craft. then went down, got into
the fire box and pulled the door to.
The latch came down with a click.
Then for the first time I remembered
there WAS no means Of opening the
door from within and we must meet
death in one Of two forms. If the pi-
rates didn't find us and murder as
we must remain in the box and go
down with the tug IL they scuttled IT,
and if they didn't we must starve to
death. 1t was Hobson's choice.
1t wasn't long before we heard
voices. then bump. then the sound
! OF people jumping on TO the deck
, There was perfect babel of voices
n that neither Of us understood. Then
a heard a quick step coming down, ane
In another minute the furnace dOol
was thrown open.
ID Instinctively we crouched ON eithel
e side Of the opening After hasu
:. glance the door was closed with I
= bang It had been opened 10 see 4
j. the dre was out hadn't counted OF
y not being discovered / had supposed
d that if they opened the door the'
ID would surely see u.s.
Ie The jabbering on deck was kept up
D and / was sure promiscuous lot O
darh skinned devils were debating
p what 10 do Presently two voices ros
t...I ~ md fIInr
(, was a pistol shot After that one o
" the two voices was alone heard, and
made ND my mind that the leader ha'
asserted his authority and would set
\. lie the matter to suit himself. Som
one went down into the hold. and in
moment heard the boring OF an au
CUR The tug was being scuttled. III
man below came upstairs; the foot
= steps above grew less frequent, the
ceased altogether. The pirates had do
. parted and left us TO sink slowly 20 III
4, bottom
= There was one chance. Perhaps IN
latch on the FIRE box door hadn't faller
/. l gave the door a push. but IL didn'
= move. That settled the matter. W
- were fastened in. and within an hou
~ an would be over can't conceive q
a more horrible fix to be in. and
y takes the starch ont Of me even no'
10 think Of it. This is the last time I
ever tell IT,
= How long we had been Gagged l don
know-I had no idea Of time-when
:, heard something outside Ike groal
listened and heard 1t again. Som
= one was there and suffering. / bes
II with my fist on the door. We shouted
~ made noise enough to wake the dea'
: There was no reply. Then we gave
n up.
Some time passed. during which thel
was no sound except the plash Of n
waves against the sides Of the tu
N when we heard the latch lifted and n
- door moved ajar. Ny companion thru
an arm through, and I forced the doc
/! wide open.
A copper colored man covered wit