The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-04-13

who is his Britannia Majesty's Consul
at Nome, Alaska, is at the Waldorf,
having just returned from a brief
visit to London, whittier he went to
show his friends over there a nugget
he had picked up in the North and to
renew old associations for a brief
time.
But the fashions of Piccadilly and
Pail Mall did not appeal to the Col
onel at all. Most of his life during
the last twenty years has been passed
away from England, for he has
sought adventure in India and South
Africa, and again In Cuba during the
last Instruction. So he clings to the
wide brimmed felt hat Of the West
and a short coat. In manner he is
genial and he speaks in a full, round
voice, and he hasn't lost the broad
ga of his younger days, though his
forehead has grown and grown. Ihe
Colonel makes no attempt to conceal
this either, for what hair he has left
he wears closely cropped, in contrast
with the length of his mustache.
"I went to the Northwest in '9S
first" said Col. Weatherby. "First I
tried the Dawson country, but in 1900
I came back and went down into
South America to explore the head
waters of the Amazon. I have never
told about it yet. In fact I am keep
ing quiet about that until get ready
to tell what I found. I was down
there two years.
There are few old timers left in
Alaska. Most Of those who went up
there in the early days got out after
making their pile. Alaska is still the
richest gold country in the world, but
of course the Territory has undergone
tremendous changes.
During the last Cuban insurrec-
ton I was in charge Of a flibustering
expedition in the Horsa, a little fruit
steamer, and took a lot of rifles n
ammunition down there for the reb-
els. One night we ran up near the
southern coast, but when we made
out a vessel which the Cuban major
with me said was a Spanish gunboat
we made off shore again. Next night
we came back and anne in sight of a
black cloud which the major said was
the island and we prepared to LAND
our cargo in boats. A field piece was
the most important part of the outfit,
and I got that and the ammunition
belonging to it safely into the first
boat, and told the major to hold on
until the last boat left. Well, after
a few of the other boats had been
loaded the steamer started away and
T pulled in our hawsers and found
they had been cut. The Horsa after
ward arrived in Jamaica, was found
to have arms on board and was sent
up here with her captain, under ar
rest.
I'VE found ourselves in a ~predica-
ment. What we were told was land
turned out to be only a cloud, and in
stead of being a couple of miles off
shore we we're fully thirty. To make
things worse, a storm came up and
we spent the night pitching up and
down. We couldn't see the stars,
and so couldn't make out which way
+. to steer. The crews of the other
boats threw their cargoes overheard,
except one that was commanded by g
colonel. Next morning we could not
see land at all. I had put a tarpaulin
into the boat to cover the gun, and
we rugged this up with a sail, and
using this and the oars we made for
where we thought the land was. AS
We had been told we were so nea the
land we had not put any water o.
food into the boat, and on the second
day the man upon whom we depended
to show us the way to Gomez's camp
went mad and tried to kill several Of
us, so We had to tie him up. We
made out land on the second day, and
rowed for all we were worth, and that
night, the moon being clear, we hove
in sight of what seemed the entrance
to a beautiful bay.
All at once two men-o'-war ap-
peared, coming out of the opening.
1t was the harbor Of Santiago. I i'm
mediately ordered the tarpaulin down