Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-09-05
CHAPTER XIV
Caught by the British at Wa
kaya


Through our minds Natives IN shore
spied lis. took us for shipwrecked sail
ars, and put. a hnHt oni To meet us.
II suited our plans to lei them 60 right
on thinking we had been shipwreekef
Thai might make II much easief for
lis to get some Information about the
vessels at anchor Leaving o couple
OF my boys In the boat. lie other four
OF us accompanied the natives 10 THEFT
hufs. where they treated us hospitality
They were simple trusting people
Several half-hreeds md couple ni
white men. however innked nj lis sus
picinusly. une hnfhreed was par
ticularly offensive and insisted on ask
Ing us many questions. We did not
like his behavior al all
kircleiss and | touk walk along
path In he woods 10 talk over what
seemed another menaeing situation
A white man came gallopng ny on
horseback He was pale with excite
ment. lie slowed down for a moment.
ga2ed nj lis. responded CURLY to our
greeting and went on Thoroughly
alarmed. we hurried hack to the vii
lage. Some curious business WIS afont
and we were determined to find out
what II was
Our last half gallon Of rum.
kircheiss murmured regret fully.
yes" | responded. III Is too Dad
but II will 70 to useful purpose.
we got hold Of the half-caste who
had been 50 inquisitive. The white
man we had seen on horseback was
with him Something, indeed. WIS
dfoata We talked casually with them
md then suggested drinking. They
were Interested and became enthusi
astic when We produced our half-pal
ION of rum In the half-hreed's hui
we staged drinking bout. which last
ed half through the night. Nothing
like rum to make men friendly and
conversational The hall breed got SO
conversational that he hlurled out:
@Why. you're MI right Rnl at first
we thought you were Germans. We
could get fifty pounds If you we're
Germans"
Now. us an American sailor would
English They know how TO spend
money when II Is useful We Ger.
mans are usually more niggardly, OF
careful some might call ii. We will
try 10 save a mark and then lose ihnu
sands. Having received the wireless
warning from the resident nj Aitnaki
of mysterious armed Germans 10 the
South Sens. the authorities In the
Fills had passed word among the na
tiyes TO be, on the lookout for US. and
had offered q twn-hnndred nnd.fiffy
dollar reward to anyone who turned
In definite Information ahouloa party
Of Germans posing as neutrals.
Ii was clear enough that the halt
breed and the white man had been
plotting 10 i1und us over TO the an
thorities. hut how far they had gone
we did not know. we didn't find out
TINT night. II was moi Until later thai
we learned the white mans horseback
ride had been to give ! warning about
as to the captain OF cutter In tile
harbor, and that the cutter Ind nj
once showed off TO carry the message
% the officials of the darger islands
days snii away.
Not knowing this, we used a good
deal Of persuasion to put the Idea
irmly into the heads of the two men
that we could not possibly he Ger,
mans Ii may have been our elo
luence. or. more likely. the genial In
1uence OF the rum. bur. al any rate.
hey seemed 10 lose all of their sus
oicIons and became convinced thai we
we're the truesf Narwegians from
Scandinavia kircheiss and 1, some
what the worse from our session al
detective work. slept al the English
mans house,
The -four others were offered quar-
.ers ashore for the night. bur two OF
my boys remained In the boat as q
II was well they did. too
During the night, native swimmers
vent out to her and cut the anchor
rope They we're put up to II BY o
Malay Police officer who was suspi
,iuns of us MOI knowing any of M,
men would remain on board her, since
she was only an open lifehoat. he
planned TO search her. So he sent his
swimmers out to pull her ashore and
beach her. The wind was inshore
The anchor rope cui, the boat drifted
in. Our two men were asleep. and
only awakened when keel Jared
againsI bottom DARK figures were
around In the water. trying 10 pull the
In hand. drove them away and then
pushed out into open water
On the following duy. we made our
final costly error. The ships IN the
harbor weighed anchor and raised sail
We picked the one thai seemed Tie
newest and arranged with the skipper
to take us along with him to Suvn. on
the main island Viii Levn OF course.
our plan was simply To sail q few
miles ont 10 sea with him and then
lake the ship ourselves after dunninp
our uniforms aud getting nui all OF
plr Heupnns sudden suual blew