Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-05-24

big bamboo RATS l noted with grin
of satisfaction that all hands set to
work packing them into the hold with
an alacrity which they had never be-
fore manifested in my service.
Taking on cargo occupied week
and during that time l never left the
ships deck farther than the cabin.
The following evening we put out te
sea, the men working like demons te
get away before night shut down,
Shackleford laughing all the while at
their eagerness to be rid of what he
declared to be "the finest spot east OF
Suez." His Chinamen-I shall never
forget that last glimpse of them
squatted upon the empty bamboo RATS,
their cues wound about their un.
shaved heads, the sweat still stream
ing down their naked bodies to the
flimsy cotton pantaloons corded about
their waists, and viewed our departure
out Of their narrow eyes with features
as impassive as those of a stone Bud.
dha. What did they know about the
two rusty hulks, the gray thing that
haunted them, and what had they told
my crew? wondered. Worn out with
trying week, turned In.
A shock hurled me from my berth,
and as l groped about in the darkness
for the key Of the door the sound Of
crashing timber and of branches trail
ing across the cabin window made me
guess my surroundings. Springing ON
deck, l turned instinctively to the
wheel, and there, bowed over it like
an old man and clutching the spokes
with hairy hands, was q huge gray
ape-the very monster Shackleford and
had failed to bring down the night Of
the raid upon the cocOanut grove!
At sight of me it relinquished its
hold upon the wheel and sprang at
me, barring its teeth in sudden rage.
Whipping out my pistol, began to fire
and back away and brought it down
with shot in it's gaping mouth just
| as it was reaching out its horrible
corded arms to seize me. AS it col
lapsed with gasping shudder at my
very feet sprang backward from sheer
repulsion and in doing so fell into the
lagoon through hole in the railing
that the thick branch Of a tree had
carried away.
Not till then did the full Significance
Of what had transpired dawn upon
me. Crew there was none, but apes
from the surrounding trees and the
two rusty hulks that had so puzzled
me and that nov lay on either sids
came swarming UPON the steame
till they covered everything-winches
forecastle head, the empty davits, til
spare anchors, the very rigging-wit,
a gray, writhing mass that struggle,
and fought and screamed in viii,
rush for the cocoanUts, which coul,
easily be reached through the mui:
hatch, left open to prevent oyerheatine
Swimming round to the rudder, nov
completely out of water above the MAJ
ly racing screw, | climbed up beyon'
the reach of sharks and listened t.
the appalling pandemonium till th'
last cocoanut must have been remove,
from the hold, when the brutes grad
ually dispersed through the forest.
Afraid to venture back on deck,
at daylight 1 mounted a piece Of the
round house that had been swept over
board and made my way on the in
coming tide up the channel which led
to the plantation. On the edge of the
grove paused in incredulOus wonder,
and then the truth came home to me,
Under a fierce attack of the apes the
wire fence had at last given way,
and the cOcoanut grove was In ruins.
Chnn ylofo 7 in q
state Of pillage so complete that only
the four upright posts remained, and
the fimsy huts occupied by the Chi
nese labOrers were scattered about as
if struck by typhoon.
Not far from the ruins I found
Shacklefords beautifully stained meer
schaum pipe trampled into the earth
by host of passing feet, and protrud
ing from under a tattered cocoanut
leaf was Chinamans cue, streaked
with gray, but no Celestial at the sew
cred end. Prepared for the worst,
was fastening down the newly beaten
path toward the jungle when groan
to my left attracted my attention, and,
rushing over, 1 found Shackleford and
his Cinnamon neatly trapped under the
barbed wire fence.
"You see," Shackleford explained
when I had pried up the edge of the
deadly netting, which they were un
able to raise with their bare hands be-
cause of the inch long barbs, 1--WE were
poking the bally brutes off the fence
with sharpened bamboos and having
no end of fun when their weight
doubled the whole thing over and shut
us into as fine little fort as fellow
could wish for. Ha, hat
Shackleford, followed by score OF
bedraggled Cinnamon, crawled out
stiff1y from his involuntary but lucky
Imprisonment and looked ruefully at
his blood spattered clothes "They rip