The Cook County herald., 1905-06-17

rescued by one of the lifeboats, exhaust
eu and almost lnsensible. Several of
the crew, panic stricken, still remained
on board the>vessel. They were ordered
| by the chief officer, who lost his life
| later on, to enter boat which had been
brought to their assistance, but they re-
| fused, electlng to stand on the 'fiddles." )"
a position which they could not, either
by threat or entreaty, be induced to
leave. They soon had to pay a terrible
penalty for their timidity OF obstinacy,
whichever it might be. A huge sea
broke over the vessel: the mon were
swept away and all of them perished :.
Soon afterwards all the seamen were
transferred into boat IN charge of tho
second officer, who received instructions
from the captain to make for the Kooria
Mooria island at daylight. All the fire.
men and engineers we're put in sepa-
rate boat. Both boats kept company
for considerable time. Towards day.
| light the second officer made for the
wreck, to save anyone who might be
on board; but there was no one to be
| found. The sea was still IN wild tu-
multi, and the breakers continued to
throw themselves against the vessel and
sweep the decks from one end to the
other. One of the boats, containing the
captain and others, drifted away from
the isla nd and made away for the main
laind, which was some thirty miles off.
A landing Was effected at about nine
o'clock on the morning of the 10Th June,
the immediate object being to obtain
water. No sooner had they set foot on
shore than large numbers of wild Arabs,
armed with knives and swords, came
down from the hills to meet them. The
predatory instincts of these "children of
the desert" were apparently largely de-
veloped, for without any compunction
or the slightest ceremony-and finding
themselves, of course, in the presence of
weaker number-they took possession
Of the boat and proceeded in the most
| nonchalant manner to divest Captain
Williams and his companions in adver-
sity of the larger part of their clothing,
which was all the had been able to bring
with them from the ship. The Arabs
having carefully cut off ali the buttons
of the clothes they we're good enough to
permit the men to retain, retired with
their booty to their haunts in the bills;
and left their shipwrecked visitors to
proceed along a rude, ill-constructed
road leading to the.town of Muscat. in
Oman. The men now began to feel tho
pangs Of thirst and hunger. A kind
hearted Arab moman took them to
we'll that they might quench their thirst
but the water was so brackish that they
could not drink it.
The lifeboat of which the second Off
Ger had charge, made for the island of
Kooria Mooria on leaving the neighbor.
hood of the sunken rocks which had
proved fatal to the Knight of the Bath,
but he was not able to land on account
of the strong wind that prevailed. He
then made for the mainland, and landed
at precisely the same spot where the
captain had been able to get on shore.
The Arabs again appeared on tie scene,
5randish1ng swords and knives. They
appropriated the boat, though for the
time being it escaped destruction, which
was the fate of the first boat taken.
They also robbed the officer and his
| comrades of most of their clothing, after
which they betook themselves away, EVIL
IDENTIFY satisfied with their pIunder. The
second officer then followed the path
taken by the captain and fell in with
him few hours afterwards. The two
boats crews had not proceeded far when
they we're overtaken by tribe of Arabs
with camels. Captain Williams tried to
prevail upon them to take the crew to
Muscat on the camels, promising them
handsome honorarium by way of in
ducement, but without success. On the
night of the 10Th June the crew rested
at we'll some distance inland from the
landing place. At daylight the Goth
June the party we're able to continue
their journey towards Muscat. They
walked all that day under fercely hot
sun. occasionally meeting an Arab at
we'll. Owing, however, to their feet
having been lacerated by shells when
they landed, they we're not able to make
much progress. Indeed, their feet be-
came SO painful that they were obliged
to rest for couple of hours at we'll.
| The water to be had at the various wells
which they passed on the road was SO
bracklsh as to be almost undrinkable,
and their sufferlngs were rendered all
the more poignant on that account.
While resting at the we'll they we're told
by some Arabs that there was party
with camels a days march farther on,
who would take them to Muscat. Full
of hope, they pushed On their Journey,