The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-05-18
A CLOSE CALL
FOR LIFE
tOrlginall

n tramp steamer. One morning when
| was sitting In the engine room wait
ing to relieve him he told me this story. |
In 1902 while in the Java sea, having
quarrcled with my captain. l left the
ship at BOrneo. | found an English. |
man who wanted TO take tug to |
IIongkoug and agreed TO go with him, |
we two being the sole crew The tug
proved to be n tub, and we soon found |
something the matter with the connec-
tons between the fire box and boiler. |
We lay to, put out the fires, then clean.
ed out the fire box, which it was neces.
sary to enter.
While was hunting for the trouble
with Il lighted candle the Englishman
was keeping watch on deck. Presently
he called for me to come up and show.
ed Inc suspicious looking craft OH the
starboard quarter. She didn't fly any
flag, set low in the water and appeared
to have no especial purpose.
"Shc's pirate" he said.
NONSENSE" | replied; there are no
pirates nowadays
Don't you believe 1t. These waters
are full of them. They're not the reg.
ular thing they used to bc. They're
robbers and murdcrcrs in Il small way,
but they're pirates all the same"
While we were talking the craft
vecrcd and came toward us. What
could we do? There was no fire In the
box, and If there We're we couldn't
make more than six knots an hour,
while the pirates-if they were such
could make ten or twelve. OF course
we were nothing Of n prize, but there
was no expectation that we would cs.
cape with our lives anyway. We cast
wistful glance at one Of the Anambas
islands II, more than five miles away
on tie POI side.
ri tell you what we'll do" l said.
I'VE can't swim ashore, but we'll
make bo.lcve we've tried. There's one
chance fJr us here. We can get into
the i.rr box. and II they don't happen
to open the door they won't know
we're aboard. What do you sayf"
zone chance in thousand, but we'll
take It. There's nothing else to do"
Well, we waited till we were salts
fed 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 click.
Then for the first time l 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 us
we must remain in the box and go
down with the tug IL they scuttled 1t,
and If they didn't we must starve to
death. 1t was Hobson's choice.
1t wasn't long before we heard
voices, then n bump, then the sound
of people jumping on to the deck
There was perfect babel Of voices
that neither Of us understood. Then
heard quick step coming down, and
in another minute the furnace door
was thrown open.
Instinctively we crouched on either
side of the opening. After n hasty
glance the door was closed with Il
bang. 1t had been opened to see II
the fire was out. l hadn't counted on
not being discovered. l had supposed
that IL they opened the door they
would surely see us.
The jabbering on deck was kept up,
and l was sure n promscuous lot of
dark skinned devils We're debating
what to do. Presently two voices rose
above the rest in hot dispute, and there
was pistol shot After that one OF
the two voices was alone heard, and
made up my mind that the leader had
asserted his authority and would set
tie the matter to suit himself Some
one went down into the hold, and In n
moment | heard the boring OF an au-
CUR. The tug was being scuttled. The
man below came upstairs; the foot.
steps above grew less frequent, then
ceased altogether. The pirates had de.
parted and left us to sink slowly to the
bottom.
There was one chance. Perhaps the
latch on the fire box door hadn't fallen.
gave the door push, but 1t didn't
move. That settled the matter. We
were fastened In, and within an hour
all would be over. / can't conceive of
more horrible fix to be in, and II
takes the starch out of me even now
to think of 1t. This Is the last time III
ever tell 1t.
How long we had been Gagged | don't
know-I hal no Idea Of time-when
heard something outside like groan
I listened and heard 1t again. Some
one was there and suffering. I beat
with my fist on the door. We shouted
made noise enough to wake the dead
There was no reply. Then we gave II
up.
Some time passed, during which there
was no sound except the plash Of the
waves against the sides of the tug
, when we heard the latch lifted and the
door moved ajar My companion thrust
an arm through, and forced the door
wide open.
A copper colored man covered with
Sd Ind crawled to the door and
opened 1t. He couldn't say much, and
, we couldn't understand what he did
! say, but in time we learned that he
was one of the pirates and his captain