The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-02-15
Personal Narratives of Sailors
Are Particularly in Demand
at This Time.
OLD TALES ARE READ AGAIN
jnterest In Merchant Marine RESPONSE
BILE for Demand for Stories Of
SaiIors-Escape OF Mariners
From Arabian Sands Told.

MISUNDERSTANDING of the Con.
gressional library, which Is in a way
a clearing house for all the libraries
or the country, state that ut present
there Is n lively demand from read
ers for all kinds of literature relating
70 sea lore, and especially to the ad-
ventures of sailors In the American
merchant marine.
Personal narratives are In greatest
demand, and are the hardest for the
ordinary reader to find. There are,
however. u good many Of them, both
here and in public libraries and spe-
clal collections in Eastern cities.
Many of these books, now being re-
read with public interest after many
: years, have particular point at this
time for their value in Indicating the
grit with which American sailors face
peril and hardship, such as the pres
ent era Of German "frightfulness" at
sea is apt to impose at any time on
American crews.
A visitor to the capital the other
day had in his grip one Of these old
volumes Of adventure that may be
cited as an example Of the kind of
literature the American sailors of long
ago produced for the benefit Of pos
terity.
1t was written and published In 1874
by n Daniel Saunders, an American
sailor, and described his sufferings,
md those Of his shipmates, in escap-
Ing from the Arabian desert, after be-
Ing cast upon its burning shore by
shipwreck.
Daniel Saunders was a seaman on
the ship Commerce Of Boston, which
while coasting In the Eastern seas for
a cargo. and on q voyage from Mad
ras to Bombay ION the coast Of Mala-
bar" stranded In the night on a beach
on the Arabian coast. the captain hav-
Ing lost his bearings.
On attempting to land on the beach
the crew of "a souls were menaced by
savage natives. They therefore
manned their boats and coasted along
shore. On the second day out they
We're caught in a gale on a lee shore,
and obliged to make a landing on the
beach through high surf.
In making the landing n boat "a
upset and three Of It's occupants lost
their lives, among them being ma
thaniel Seaver Jun. the merchants
son." In those days, merchants made
voyages, and the father Of this lad
''stood an unhappy spectator Of this
melancholy catastrophe" His grief,
says the author, may be more easily
imagined than described"
Attacked by Arabs.
We and weary, the sailors lay down
to sleep. They were reused by the
approach Of a band of Is Arabs,
mounted on camels, "and armed with
spears, cutlasses and knives" who at
tackled them, stole all the stores that
had been In the boats, and robbed
them Of all their clothing, "even to the
shirts off II backs"
As the camels could not carry all
the plumber, the brigands finally left
.'some old clothes to cover us, to pre-
vent the sun from burning our SKINS"
One got a pair of trousers, another a
coat, another a shirt, but n got only
a strip Of canvas, which he wrapped
around him.
Thus arrayed, the shipwrecked ma
riners, on being left by their plumber
ers, set out for Muscat, which they
were told was five-days' journey dis
tant.
Their way lay through fields OF
burning sands and over mountains of
rocks and precipices,% affording neither
food nor water"
In this scorching desert, famished,
and with tongues cracked and mouths
sore, the sailors found themselves ex-
posed to a sun of incredible fierceness
by day, and to cold dews at night.
Fol- two days they stumbled on
along the seashore, with neither food
nor water. On the third day the party
broke up into several smaller groups.
Some sought a shorter route by fol-
lowing paths that led inland. Saun-
.ders and three companions tried the
inland route, and came upon some
vines that bore a kind of melon, re-
sembling watermelon.
Feverishly tasting some of the fruit,
they found 1t bitter and unfit for
food.
Turning back to the beach, the wan
derers met three Arab fishermen. who
robbed them of some books and pa
pers, and took from the man with the
canvas his sole protection from the
sun. Later that day Saunders and his
party met an Arab who directed them
to q well. Here they were Joined by
CAPTAIN johnson Of the Commerce and
a few of their mates.
The next day they found food, IN the
form of crabs and cookies taken at 4
rocky point on the beach.
Natives Were Kind.
The wanderers now began to meet
more natives. both men and women.
The latter were kind TO them. giving
them water from goatskin containers,
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