The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1915-08-26
PENNED
IN
3, WILLIAM CHANDLER

s,versity of condition among the In
s,tants of the different islands. Fiji
Gears ago l knew more about them
do now. When was a boy Of
[.staen | shipped on small steam
80 running from San Francisco
long these islands. trading by the
- The captain, Simpson. was then
.,ta an old man and had sailed
eng them for a number Of years.
rnew the character Of the people
The different islands and told us
y, while most of them were APP
.aschable. there were few at which
,rould rot care to touch unless with
numerous crew and with plenty of
rms and ammunition.
IN nrr,ng one Of our voyages we had
a luck from the start Our crew
a. small one when we left San
- nc,sco. Two men were taken III
+, ,th,n a week after we left, and both
|,ad Another fell down an open
Satchway, and still another was wash
a overheard and lost
n We had passed the Hawaiians and
<rossed the equator not far from the
International date line when we struck
4 northeaster that drove us on to a
t,o,ut directly north of the Fits. Dur
Sn0 the storm we shipped a sea that
[,rove one man headforemost against
{he bulwarks and washed another one
overheard. This left us the captain,
&be mate and three seamen. Hardly
Aad the storm blown itself out when
Lomething about the firebox gave out
md we were obliged to let the fires go
..own In order to find out what 1t was.
I'VE had sail enough to keep steerage
WAY, but no more.
lust before the captain gave the Or
her to put out the fires noticed him
hooking intently at an island lying OF
.our port bow and heard him tell the
mate that he believed it to be one
<from which on previous voyage he
had narrowly escaped with his life.
Having found the natives bent on plum
der and ready to strike any weak crew
that came within their reach, he did
mot relish the idea Of putting out the
Enres in that locality.
However, there was no choice In the
matter, and when the firebox had cool
4 I'd down one Of our number went into
-it for an examination. Unfortunately
/ the wind was blowing straight toward
the island. Presently we saw a num-
Der of canoes coming out from the
shore. The captain looked grave. Un-
I der sail we couldn't make four knots,
and we were too few to defend our
selves against the swarm of dusly
men who were coming for us. The
mate suggested that they were only
coming out for trade or to beg and
wouldn't harm us. The captain said
he knew better; they would murder us,
take what they wanted and either get
the ship to the shore or sink her.
The only chance there seemed to be
for us was to hide. We all went down
and got into the firebox, where a man
was working. and closer the door. The
latch fell and could be opened only
from the outside. But this didn't trou-
Bile US, for the man who had been at
work had his tools, and when we want,
ed to get out it would be possible for
him to bore hole near the latch sc
that 1t could be lifted.
The furnace room was pretty dark
and since we all packed ourselves II
the far end Of the firebox we were
not likely to be seen except by pail
Of first rate eyes. We waited in sus
pense till we heard men trampine
about above. They must have beer
surprised to find the vessel deserted
but delighted as well, considering tha
there was much plumber for them. W.
heard them everywhere. evidently col
Letting what they wanted. The doc
Of the flrebox was opened twice. bu
whoever opened 1t shut 1t again with
out taking the trouble to make an ex
animation.
The visitors remained on board til
we began to feel the vessel rolling con
siderably; then the sounds suddeni,
ceased. It was evident that the SCI
was getting rough, and they did no
dare stay longer. Then Captain Sim
mons directed the man who had bee
repairing the firebox to drill a hole 8
that the latch could be lifted.
Boring hole In wood and iron ar
two different things. The one can b
done In seconds: the other may tax
hours. The man had been drillin
some time when we began to feel wa
Ter on the firebox floor. Bringing tn
light the workman had with him. an
BY which he was drilling, to bear O
the floor. we saw water trickling in a
several points.
Every man Of us paled. The shi
mad been scuttled. and we were per
ned In to be carried to the bottom.
The man who was drilling had spleI
oid nerve. He did not lose his heat
out kept steadily on, conscious Of tn
iact that he must make an openin
before the ship sank and not KNOWN
now soon she~would sink. When b
was nearly through. removing his dri
and nT1fffx.<. an, s.4oaf txxxV,laFnnnt n