Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-11-03

Ger. Nathan Smith. to think twice before
getting any nearer. Smith was in reality
the commander. the death Of Captain Nor
ris imposing the duties upon him. HG
however was at loss what to do. Third
Mate Clough suggested that the boats
make a dash for the ship together. reach
the deck and overpower the islanders. But
Mr.. Smith did not care to take such a
chance. For two hours the boats hung
about the ship out Of range of the spears
OF the natives. Clough asked TO be put /
near the ship for chance at harpooning /
the dark skins, but Mate Smith hadn't the /
nerve to try that plan Of capture. Then !
ClouEh suggested that with darkness he 1
would swim to the ship and enter the |
cabin, where he could procure firearms |
and at the first shot the boats crew were |
to make a dash for the shin.
The Sharon. fortunately. had two OLD
fashioned square windows astern, making
possible the plan proposed. Clough took
the water ahead of the ship, II being in
the game to keep the savages intent on
the boats. He slipped out of his boat
noiselessly and swan under the water, in
tending TO reach the side of the ship and
work his way along to the rudder. but the
moment he let himself over the whaleboat
the Sharon was taken aback by the very
light wind with no one at the wheel, and
when he reached the surface he faund
himself some distance from the craft In
that latitude to strike out and make HE
way to the stern on the surface meant
a dead giveaway, for the phosphorescent
water was unusually brilliant and con-
tact with il would cause such a sparkle
as would be sure to betray his approach,
He was a clever swimmer. and he knew
that IL he struck out for the ship the game
was up. And right here is where he dis
played excellent judgment He didn't dare
go down for fear Of creating too much
disturbance OF the water, but instead
dreaded water" until near enough TO the
ship to be unobserved by anyone on deck
when he went along the side until he
reached the stern. 1t was a cleverly per-
formed act for every swimmer knows,
''treadng water" while producing little or
no agitation Of the surface, is extremely
slow.
Reaching the rudder. he climbed up and
entered through the starboard window
looking down upon two sharks which had
| turned for a nab at him Just as he drew
himself up on the rudder. lie had Invested
himself OF all clothing, and when he stepped
! into the cabin he was as free from encum-
brance as the four savages in control OF
! the ship. He obtained two muskets and a
| pair of cutlasses from the captains room,
! and just as he started to go up on deck,
after loading the guns in the ark. for he
dare not strike a light, he faced one of the
! savages. The struggle was short one. but
the noise occasloned brought the others
aft, and for a brief period, which must
! have seemed hours to young Clough. II was
a fight against big odds. C1ough came of
! Milo, who knew that Captain Nye was to
make a dash for liberty. and every man
on that old ship prayed for his success.
! Captain Nye had lost the ship Abigail
by the Shenandoah a short time pre-
vious while cruising in the Okhotsk sea.
This was on Saturday. May q, and the
captain and his crew were taken to the
Shenandoah as prisoners. His pluck MS
serted itself even while a prisoner on the
| steamer. and he made Captain Waddells
life anything but pleasant while on board.
His stay was short one, but long
enough to suit Waddell and his officers,
who. when Nye was forward in irons
dreaded conversation with him. OF the
! twenty-seven whalers destroyed by the
Shenandoah in northern waters, twenty
five were captured two months after the
victorious, two of the savages making good
their escape on the death of their second
companion. At this point the crew in
charge of the first officer reached the ship
which later was taken to Sydney, N. S. W.
The news of Coughs daring reached New
Bedford long before the ship returned home
and upon his arrival he was given a royal
reception. His next voyage was as master
It was certainly daring act, one which
has not since been equaled Like a true
hero, however, he seldom during his life
alluded to II.
No more heroic deed was ever performed
than that undertaken by Captain Ebenezer
F. Nye and the brave men who volun-
teered 20 peril their lives in an open boat
in the summer Of 1865, while prisoners on
the bark Milo in the Arctic ocean. II was
an act which startled every prisoner on the
ship at the time. for within sight Of the
Milo, which had been captured by the
Shenandoah and bonded by Captain James
T. Waddell, its commander, was the rebel
steamer itself, its crew keeping a watch
full eve on the prisoners who had been
transferred from the steamer. It was Cap
tain Nye who was the leading spirit In this
undertaking. and he took with him men
known 10 be Manifestations from his Cape
Cod home, who had put him onto many a
large whale. and right here it may be
stated that the men who so up onto these
leviathans Of the deep must of necessity
be endowed with wonderful pluck The
very boldness of that midnight 'undertak-
ing on June % appealed to those on the
civil war had closed, and Captain Nye
had the courage to face the commander
of the Shenandoah and tell him that he
was engaged In an act OF piracy, showing
him late papers giving the details of the
downfall of the confederacy. Waddell
would not listen, and when Nye IN plain
English called him a pirate who deserved
hanging at the yardarm the daring Cape
Colder was forcibly removed from Wad-
dell's presence and placed in double irons.
!
whaleman's spirit, ana when later the Milo
was captured it was with relief that the
officers OF the Shenandoah saw Nye go
aboard the prison ship Little did those
men think that the frai but energetic
whaling master would be the means OF
thwarting them in their piratical under
taking. But he was, and the owners Of