Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-01-27
SAVED BY SEA SNAKES,

when the Philippine ISLANDS were sum
almost unknown to most Americans even
bv name. tried to cross the little strait
known as Malampaya sound which sep
= arates two islands in the MindorO sea. |
: was after big pythons and had hired a
Chinese boat to carry me there.
-Four miles within the entrance of this
tropical strait is a bay that is marked
down as Pirate bay in the British ad-
miralty charts, and the pleasing charac-
ter of the dwelers On those shores is best
told by tins nttle reference which ! found
on the map;
Caution. Merchant vessels entering
Malampaya Sound in the early part of
the southwest monsoon should be on
their guard against pirates, for in Pirate
bay the Royalist's gig was nearly cut off
by a feet of eight iilanon proas on their
annual marauding expedition"
| was thinking of this cheerful state
meEt when we opened Pirate bay off our
starboard. 1t looked peaceable and pref
ty enough. with its silver shore stretching
in a gentle crescent and its tall palms
waving lazily in the scented wind. 1t
was hard to imagine pirates living there.
Ore would rother expect to find dream
eyed. indolent. amiaoe lotus-eaters in
that soft and sleepy land.
But even while l was looking three
tall sails uplifted behind palm -clad
point. Swift and straight they came,
like the triangular fins Of sharks 1t was
most unlikely that the natives would
come out in these big craft if they were
bound Oh peaceallc mission.
Soon they cleared the point and with
the cl9ss | saw that there was album
dart reason 10 be apprehensive, for the
decks OF the prcas were full of armed
men. | hurried below, loaded my four
guns, and disposed my ammunition so
that | could get at it easily.
! In the brief time the proas had APP
! preached near enough for the Chinese to
see them and they turned stern at once
and made for the opeu sea. The boat we
had was a good one, having been built
i'll Singapore by New Bedford whaler.
She was fast, and when she turned to
run for the open she got the wind on her
beam which was her best point of sailing.
During the whole long race not a sound
had been uttered ON the proas. 1t was
all done in grim, oppressive silence. My
Chinese were not the timid type of coolie,
but hard -faced fighting men, whose Occur
patton, l suspect, was the smuggling of
opium. | had been searching the sea all
around with my glasses, hoping to spy a
sail or smoke, but in vain. Nothing was
to be seen except the great level lone
| ly horizon. | knew that we would have
to fight for our lives.
l dropped below and came up with my
guns and ammunition The first weapon
that | used was seven-shot repeater
carrying a long 44-caliber ball. The sea
was smooth as glass. | had to allow
merely for the very slow, steady roll. /
threw the sights for a 200-yard elevation.
which was the distance of the nearest
proa and hailed the captain in Spanish,
warming him to sheer off. The reply was
a shot from an old fashioned musket. 1t
! fell short.
| motcncd to my hclmsmen to keep
her steady and fired The tall brown
captain leaped systematically and tum-
/ blcd bacl. to the deck dead. The proa
Immediately fell away, and while her sail
was Tapping | dropped the man who had
fired the musket. Firing into that huddle
en- the deck of the proa was like firing
into target Just in front of ones nose.
1t was terrible work and | would have
given anything if | could have escaped it.
But there was nothing else to do, so |
picked my shots and fired steadily till |
had emptied the magazine And when [
fired the last shot seven men Law on the
lproa
Meantime the other two vessels had
come close and were being fought off by
the Cinnamon. who were Wei armed
themselves But they were poor shots,
like all Chinese, and wasted ammunition
frightfully.
loaded again and got in four more
SHOTS, dropping a man each time. before
the proa drew away. Then | turned to
the next one and fired three shots into it.
But the end had come The two proas
doomed down on lis with the wind and
crashed into our side
Men began to pour on our decks. |
jumped up to fire point blank at them.
when Whirling spear drove at me, and
though ats point missed me. its shaft
swung so powerfully at me that it
knocked me overheard.
There was howl from the proas and
a rush TO the side. | knew what that
meant They We're waiting for me to
come up SO that they could spear me.
Therefore, | dived deep, came up, under
my vessels keel and hung by her rudder,
where | could not be seen from the deck.
As / rose to the surface / heard the
sharp high pitched cry of a Chinaman.
Others followed l knew that each meant
the death of one of my crew. and then,
when there Were no more cries. a series
lot dull splashes told me that the drama
was ended
After while the pirate proas drew
oil Then the vessel to which | was
ehnging squared away to follow them.
1t was dark then and | raised myself
cautiously and peered on deck. Five fr-
ures were there. They evidently were
the men who had been left aboard to sail
the prize home
Nbila ! ,,,,.,