The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-03
No MORE
FOR THEM
South Sea Island Life
Tested by Five
Deserters.

| Korea, calling here yesterday, are Avs
| young men returning to the mainland
| from Yokohama at the expense of the
| government, their tickets having been
procured for them by the American
| consul at Yokohama. In February last
they had sailed from San Francisco
with the whaler Gotama, small
| schooner of 100 tons. Now they are
going back to relate to their friends
on the Coast the adventures they have
passed through, including a fight for
their lives with sharks, life for five
long months on a tiny island with none
Japan on a Japanese copra schooner.
arriving there barefooted, hatless and
penniless.
I'VE wasn't exactly shanghaied at
Frisco" said one of the five, "but we
didn't know we was goin' until we got
sober. There was nineteen of US in the
fo'csle and every time we had blow
everything got soaked. We throwed
the mattresses away when we was
month out because they got SO mouldy
you couldn't sleep in the same ship
with 'em. And the chow we got was
fierce. Say, you wouldn't feed stuff
like we got to a hog, if you thought
anything of the hog.
1--WE sighted the Ladrones when we
was sfxty-efght days out and they
looked good to us. The skipper thought
he'd go ashore for some fresh vege-
tables We thought we'd get ashore
too. We'd had all the whaling in that
ship that we wanted and the cocoanut
palms and the green island seemed to
be lust about what we was lookin' for.
We knew there wasn't any use asking
for permission, f'r tn skipper had an
idea we was lookin' for a good chance
to jump out an wouldn't let US go in
the boats.
THAT night we slips overheard and
struck out for the sand. We made a |
bundle of what duds and things we
necks, but we hadn't got very far be-
fore they got soaked and We had to i
slip them off and let them go. All we
had was shirt and pair of pants |
each and our sheath knives. We swan |
along all together and kept the sharks
away by splashing. We was mile
and a half from shore and the tide
vas running out hard against us, and
the tide and the sharks all
around us it looked like we wasn't go
ng to make it. But we did, and, tell
Jou, the feel of the coral sand under
ny toes was the best thing that ever
That's what I thought
hen.
Say. you know them stories about
;oing to a South Sea island and being
ting among the natives and marrying
. chiefs daughter Well, forget 'em.
There amt anything in it. The natives
vas friendly all right. They hid US
way so that the officers off the ship
couldn't find US when they come the
ext day and hunted us all over the
title island. It was the Pogon Island
ye was on and there was only about
Ell men and women living there, not
ounting the kids. But there wasn't
ny marrying of kings daughters for
8. Rustling Shellfish up and down the.
,land and getting breadfruit and yams
nough to live on didn't give us any
me to get married in, and the natives
-as too darned handy with their hsh
pears for us to be breaking up any
Apply homes, anyway. Clothes didn't
other US. for we just rustled breech-
outs and got next to the native style
ght away
we stayed there for three months.
atching for any old kind of ship to
ike us off We'd have gone back on
le old whaler and been dead glad OF
le chance if she'd ever come back.
hen a little copra schooner that was
vned by a Dutchman came in and
,ok US over to Agrigan Island, I7hich
as thirty miles away and quite a bit
gger The Dutchman prom sed to {
III for us and take us to Guam on
s way back, but we didn't see him =
" more. Two months later Japa-
sse schooner came in and took US
BOARD We sailed with the Japs to {
ozohama, working out passage, doing
II turn with the watch and standing
If trick at the wheel when 1t cams o
ound. And then the Jap goes and
Us in a bill to the consul for our
ssage money. fifteen yen for each :,
e of US. after we had done the most ="
Jrk on his ship. ! puts up a holler,
It they puts up a squeal in their own ~
nguage. and 1 guess they got their :.
)ney.
The consul buys US tickets for a
risco and you bet we're glad to be "
ing there again. No more South
a islands in mine Little old
risco's good enough for me-" "