Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-07-08

/ and hose enough to reach any part Of
| the ship from both couplings. By
| sunset we had all our dispositions
made The captain was in command.
| The first officer was TO work the port
| and 1 the starboard hose. The arms
were distributed among the white
crew. The Asiatics were kept in the
hold
As the evening approached they be-
| gan to cry to be let out, not relishing
being murdered like rats in trap.
And they also feared that the blacks
might set the ship af1re or let the wa
ter in on them to drown them We
paid no attention to them, and they
finally became more quiet.
Long before the sun surrendered the
day to the moon we had everything
in readiness to repel boarders- Open
ings were left in the fencing, which
was closely woven, with barb on
top. so that we could fire at our enc
mics as well as keep them from get
ting at US. When there was only
moonlight dark cloud rolled over our
big round lantern and hid it. As it
was being obscured we saw every ca
noe pulled furiously toward Us.
1t seemed to me that we fifteen
white men opposed to more than three
times their number of strong men
armed with spears they were used to
handling, besides probably some fire
arms, had q very small chance for our
lives. We were supported. however,
by faith In our arrangements for their
reception, and If we could reach them
with our steam Jets we had confidence
in it's power to harm them considerably.
Now and again while our enemies
were pulling toward US a thin part of
the cloud passing over the moon would
give US some light. The coming ca
noes and their loads were black as
Erebus, though here and there we
would see a fash when the moonlight
struck a shield or steel weapon.
Nearer came the black death till the
canoes reached a point cables
length from US. Two pulled to port.
two to starboard
I wondered how they proposed to
board US, for we had been careful to
leave nothing hanging for them to take
hold Of AS soon as they came beside
us and under our stern we learned
their method. They were provided
with ropes of their own making-of
what material did not know-and at
the end of each was q sort of
made from a forking branch, one side
being free to form a hook. They no
sooner came near enough than they
began to throw these VS. to catch on
the gunwale. But here our wire fenc-
ing stood us in good stead. The blacks
! - 70 q N n
ment except at the openings we had
purposely left for our own action.
Standing at my post with my noz-
zle, I saw one of the canoes come to-
ward me, and its crew, seeing a single
man apparently unarmed to defend the
opening, pulled directly under me.
One of them threw V, which caught
on the gunwale, and a black came
quickly up, climbing hand over hand.
l gave him a dose of steam right in
the face.
With q wild shrek, he dropped
into the boat. 1 dared not remain ex-
posed to a spear thrown from below;
but, sighting the position of the boat,
1 reached out with the nozzle in my
hand and poured q stream of hot va
Dor into it Knowing by their yells
that they were in distress, 1 made bold
to lean over the ships side and turn
the stream from one end of the canoe
to the other
For awhile the blacks were too para
lyzed to act; then every one who had
not been severely scalded jumped into
the water, leaving the wounded in the
boat to drift away. OF course as soon
as they were put out Of the fight
desisted.
Meanwhile the first officer was hav-
ing a similar experience with the
blacks on the other side, as l well
knew from the yells coming from that
direction. l had no sooner driven off
my enemies than 1 was ordered by the
captain to the stern, where several
blacks had already climbed up and
were jumping down on the deck.
did not need to go to them. l simply
turned a steam jet on them. Some fell
on the deck; others managed to get
over the taffrail and down into their
canoe or the water.
And so at every point we achieved
an easy victory without firing shot.
Great is the power Of steam. Since
our triumph on the African coast with
no other weapon l have wondered
why military men should not place
boilers with hose attachments in forti-
fications for the close work. Might II
not be made as effective as a Calling
gun?
AS we saw the canoes pulling away
to get rid OF the dreadful hot water
we felt our ship sliding off the reef
4 cheer both for our victory and for
the friendly tide that had freed us
went up, doubtless the greatest noise
from the mingling Of human voices
that had ever been heard on that ST
lent shore. In q few minutes we were
In deep water. and instead Of using
our steam to scald negroes we moved
away under it toward q friendly port.
I've been through hurricanes and |
been wrecked on deserted island. but |