Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1912-08-15

next morning, and Won Hoydonck, peering
from the portfolio of his stewards cabin, saw
that there was considerable shipping about
them. The crew had discovered the flag of
distress almost Immediately, however, and at
once brought it down, but not until 1t had
been deserted by a passing tug-boat. The
tug at once came alongside, but could not
get close enough for any communication other
than by signal. The mutineers were clever
enough to explain, in response to the tugs
signals, that their distress was due to the
fact that their chronometer had run down.
whereupon the other boat signaled them the
time and went its way.
Had Won Hoydonck then been aware that
the crew had no ammunition for the pistols
he knew to be in their possession, he would
have given them battle while they were sig
mailing, in the hope that the men on the tug
would have taken cognizance of it.
While Won Hoydonck had been plotting
against the mutineers, they, too, had been
plotting. Believing themselves to be at
Cadiz, it had occurred to them that it would
be possible to navigate the Lennie through
the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean
keeping within sight of the shore and hence
obviating the aecessity of taking the sun and
making calculations therefrom. Hence they
had decided to murder their navigator (and
incidentally the cabin-boy) in the morning
and get along without him.. Had Won Hoy
donck, therefore, not anticipated trouble be-
cause Of having run up the distress flag and
been led to take precautions in leaving his
cabin, he would doubtless have been killed
then.
The mutineers set sail and started for
Gibraltar that morning, posting a continual
lookout at the door of the stewards cabin.
Much to their surprise, however, after sail
ing for three days southwark along the coast.
~ Dab ~ H{b~ol%o~ h0uo IN S{oHt Aaoor6-
ing to the admiralty chart on board 1t should
have been only a days run from Cadiz. On
the third night, moreover, a storm drove
them out Of sight of land, and the next day
they were compelled to make overtures to
Won Hoydonck.'
Being in a position to dictate to the mutt
neers, the Belgian demanded that their two
pistols, which he knew to be the only ones
on board with the exception of the two he
carried, be handed in to him before he left
his cabin. It was when this condition was
compiled with that he learned to his chagrin
that The ammunition for the weapons had
given out with the shooting Of Mcdonald
eight days before. and that he might have
thrown down the gauntlet to the desperadoes
when they were in the Bay Of Brest.
By a remarkable coincidence the Lennie
was found to be approximately in the same
position when Won Hoydonck made his OBJ
servations that morning as she had been
when he assumed the duties of navigator or
the day her officers were murdered. He
refused to answer any Of Green's questions
as to their whereabouts, however.
Won Hoydonck sailed the Lennie for the
Pointe de L'Aiguille in the province Of Ven
dee, bringing her to anchor about five miles
from shore on the evening Of the ninth o.
the month, for he was sure that some of his
messages would have been picked up by thai
time and that search would have been insti
tuted for the mutiny ship. That nigh
Cargalis, Cascaris, Kafda, Caludis, Angeles
and Green took Captain Hatfeld'a propert,
and the ships papers and went ashore IL
one Of the ships boats at Sables d'Olonne
where they claimed to be shipwrecked sail
ors, all unaware that the bottle found farthel
up the coast had made the news Of tn,
mutiny known all along the west of France
The six sailors were at once recognized al
members Of the murderous crew, and wer'
arrested and put in irons.
Meanwhile Won Hoydonck, with the Eng
lishman, the Dane, the, Austrian and a Turl
for his crew, had navigated the ship to tn,
vicinity of La Flotte, of the Isle de Re. Her,
on the following morning, the 10th of Nc
vember, the French man-of-war Travailleu1
that had got track of her through the landin,
of the six fmutineers at Sables d'Olonne, over
took the Lennie, and the brave Belgian's lon,
vigil was over.
Newspaper reporting was not as highl
developed a vocation in Europe in the sey
enties Of the last century as it is today, an
it was not until the trial of the ten mutineer
in England the following May that Won Hoy
donck's fame became international.