White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-10-11

that she had been the German ship
the Fortuna. She had been seized b.
the French during the war. So sh,
| got her old name back. She was Ger
man again-a German auxiliary cruis
er. For King fully intended to gt
right on buccaneering.
Three days after the Fortuna sailed
our former prisoners saw cloud Of
smoke on the horizon. Steaming al
full speed. her tunnels belching smoke
the Japanese cruiser, Usuma, steereG
to the island. On her bridge the ad.
miral swore In Japanese.
"By Joe, the count fooled me all
right He told me the truth. There
Is the wreck, and there are his men.
Everything except the Manila. he
trlcked me with the tale about the
Manila"
The Japanese found only men of the
allied nations.
"Where are the Germans?"
"rm sorry" replied the French cap
tain, 'but they sailed away three days
ago In my ship, the Lutece."
The Japanese admiral was thorough
ly disguised at that, but of course he
took the whole crowd aboard and took
them back to the Fills. It was of no
use to go racing about the immense
spaces of the Pacific looking for SOL
itary sailing sQuare-rigged schooner.
Kings plan was to sail around the
Horn into the Atlantic, sink q few
ships there, and then try to steal
through the. blockade and get back
home. His course took him to Easter
island, a small, remote possession of
Chile, where there was no wireless
station. There he intended to over
haul the ship, which was in bad con-
dition, and take aboard supplies and
fresh water. On October 4, they sight
ed the island, but while sailing into
the harbor struck an uncharted, sunk.
en- rock. The Fortuna was old and
worm-eaten. The rock crashed right
through her planks. The ship pound
ed and quickly broke up. The men
had to swim for 1t.
The lives of some Of them, at least,
were saved In curious way-by two
pigs. These animals we had brought
from Germany aboard the Seeadler to
serve as fresh pork. They soon be-
came pets, however, and we kept
them. They were quite companion
able and romped around the decks
with the men. Killing had them aboard
the Fortuna. When the ship sank, the
swimmers. including the two pigs,
found themselves among sharks. These
seemed to prefer pork to human flesh.
They seized the two pigs and began to
fight over them among themselves.
You bet the men In the water swan
as hard as they could. They were
quickly picked up by native canoes
that had put out as soon as the wreck
Ing of the ship had been seen from
shore.
The cargo of the Fortuna consisted
of Partisan flneries, silk stockings and
underclothing, handkerchiefs. parasols.
tennis shoes, brilliantine, scented
soaps. perfumes, and such. 1t had
been destined for the natives of the
South Seas, to whom the French bring
truly Partisan elegance. In the
breaking up OF the ship, many cases
filed with these swanky trappings OF
civilization remained afloat. The ma
tives salvaged them, and pretty soon
1t seemed as II the whole island had
been on shopping tour through Paris
and had visited the women's shops
chiefly, or the Galleries Lafayette.
Men and women alike arrayed their
dusky selves In all manner of silk
and lingeriel The population was de
lighted. Killing and his men were the
bringers of this treasure. They gra
ciously told the natives they could
have anything they found, and In re-
turn they were granted all the hospi
tally the island could muster. The
Chilean governor, an excellent fellow.
placed house at the disposal of the
officers. while the sailors were sought
after by the natives as guests In their
huts.
They remained on the island for
nearly two months enjoying life and
surveying the strange monuments
there, huge monoliths that tell Of an
ancient, forgotten civilization of PEG.
pie who long since have passed into
oblivion. On November rs. Chilean
steamer that made regular trips to the
island hove in sight. When 1t raised
steam for Its return voyage, our men
were aboard. The Chilean authorities
on the mainland received them with
friendly hospitality, regarding them as
shipwrecked sailors and therefore not
interning them. They lived as guests
| of German colonists in Chile from then
on until the end of the war.
1