The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-07-21
ALunatic Crew
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1914. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By M. QUAD

I.,izon, one Of the Philippine group.
and heading down the China sea with
a cargo for London when we caught
the tail Of a typhOon. We were lying
10 and making fairly good weather Of
it when Il Spanish ship, also lying to,
hove into sight She was lighter and
drove faster to leeward. She was
about mile to windward of us when
first sighted, and no great attention
was given her until it was seen that
she was drifting sQuarely down upon
us. AS she came nearer we saw that
her crew were dancing about on her
decks like lot Of drunken men and
paving no attention to the storm. Her
foretopmost had gone overheard. and
much of her canvas had blown away,
and she was being held in the winds
eye by tarpauin set in the rigging.
A sheer of the wheel would have sent
the Spanish ship clear Of us by half
cables length, but the fellows drifted
down without paying us the slightest
attention, and she did not move by
ten feet. AS she rode past we could
look right into the eyes Of her crew.
They were about thirty in number.
and they yelled and screamed at US
like so many lunatics. Brief as was
the time, we all noticed one peculiari-
ty about them.
SReyond cursing the Spanish crew for
q gang of idiots we had little to say.
The idea Of fear Of the storm had
made them take to drink. as Is often
the case. and they were going to Davy
Jones' with jag on. Six hours later
the storm broke. and we headed our
course. but within six hours we were
pitching about on the troubled sea
without way enough to ruffie 4 feather.
I turned in at 8 o'clock that night and
turned out again at midnight for the
morning watch. After midnight the
sea began to 80 down very fast. and at
2 o'clock there was only what you
might call tumble on. 1t was then
that we family caught the sound Of
voices in whooping and singing to the
south of us. 1t was thick night. and
nothing could be made out, but at
o'clock we got light breeze and had
not been waited along knot when
we had the Spanish ship again under
our eyes. All her topmasts were gone
now, while a portion Of her bulwarks
was smashed in, and she looked bad
wreck
We headed for the wreck at once. and
when we came within hailing distance
we asked il help was wanted. The
reply was a chorus of shrieks and
screams, while many of the men shook
their fists at us in defiance. 1t looked
like case of mutiny, and our captain
was at loss to know what step to
take. Before he could make up his
mind the Spaniards had lowered boat
and pulled for us. Every one of the
crew piled into the boat, and we saw
them grab up Delaying pins, canstan
bars and whatever else could be used
as weapons. The boat came dashing
at us with every man yelling and
whooping, and they tried boarding us
ut once. We had no better weapons
with which to beat them or. and we
were three less in number, but when
we looked into their fierce eyes and
saw murder there we struck to kill.
They fought like tigers aud seemed
insensible to blows, but we beat them
off at last.
-Four OF their number went to the
bottom Of the sea with broken skulls,
and Of those pulled away all were
more or less hurt. We knew now that
they were lunatics instead of drunken
men, and we stood by till noon in the
hope that they would calm down.
They appeared to after awhile, but
just as soon as we lowered Il boat they
woke up again and ragged like wild
beasts. We could understand nothing
Of their shouts except that they were
oaths. and in the face Of their deter
mined opposition we could not board |
their craft. 1t was . o'clock in the !
afternoon before we squared away and
left them. and then q fierce fight was
going on. and ut least one man had |
been thrown overheard to drown.
You may well guess that we aboard |
the Bristol We're astonisLcd and mysti, |
fled by the singular incident, but the
explanation when it came was very
simple in q sense. The Spanish ship