Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-08-01
CHAPTER XI
Shipwrecked in Southern Seas

Shipwrecked in Southern Seas
We amused ourselves by playing
with the sharks. The andluhher can
scarcely imagine the hatred the sailor
feels for those bloodthirsty monsters
| We had a particular grievance
| against them. swim now and then
| would have provided us with needed
| baths and would have been pleasant
| and vigorous diversion from tile end
| less monutony of cabin and deck, our
wooden prison. Many time looked
| down into the cool. refreshing ele
ment, and a shark would lille beneath
my gaze. as though Whiting for me
| there. The sailors passed The time
by angling for the voracous mon
sters. They would catch a couple, lie
| their tails together and throw them
back into the water The sharks, nn
able to agree ON the direction of their
mutual movement. would have great
tug of war. The sailors thought the
plight of their loathed enemies quite
comcal
Or they would take a large shark,
tie an empty and water-tight barrel
to his TALL and heave him over. The
| fish would dart downward. but the
barrel would stay relentless III the
surface. Now would ensue q desper
ate struggle which we could follow by
watching the gyratlons of the barrel.
The sharks displayed an excellent eye
for chunks at bacon with hand gre
nades In them When the bomb went
off In the creatures stomach, pieces
OF shark would 60 flying In all direc.
lions.
We had been In the Pacific for five
| months now. and had sailed 35.WU
| miles With our stale water and the
| lack OF fresh food, scurvy was break.
Ing out among our men. and then beri-
beri. which turns the blood 10 water"
Limbs and Joints were swelling We
imperatlvely needed fresh water and
food and a rest on shore. But where
could we go7 All the Islands OF the
Pacific were In tile hands of the
French. British and Japanese We
certainly feffNl keenly, now that the
whole world was against us. There
was no inhabited place that would
welcome u.s. II made us feel very
lonely.
We'll" ! said TO my boys, I'VE will
pick out some nice deserted island
~ ba
against us and no wireless 10 enI the
cruisers, and we will get water and
some kind OF vegetables and maybe
shoot some game and have q fine
shore leave. Then. after we have rest
ed up. what BIO, boys. and away for
more adventure"
Buccaneering In the Pacific, With
only three ships sunk In five months
seemed much too unprofitahle /
planned that, after brief sujourn on
some peaceful South Sen isle. We
would sail for the AntipOdes. Then
we would destroy the English whaling
station and oil tanks al South Georgia.
sink few ships. capture one on which
10 ship our prisoners, and, II we gul
away safely, continue our cruise In
the prosperous waters OF the Atlantic.
Our first plan was 10 sail direct 10
one of the larger Cook islands. But
we gave that up for fear Of finding a
wireless station there thai might give
us away. We did not want to move
enst OF our present longitude. for that
would have taken us against the trade
tor. II was necessary 10 save the en-
CINE as much rs possible and not have
: 1t wear out on us. We hoped we would
need II for further captures and es
capes.
Mopelia, one OF the Society Islands
(some Biographies include II In the
Sicily lsies), seemed about right foi
our purpose. Ii WAS French pos
session, and, so far as we knew, unln
hahited. II was one at thnse Isles OF
the South Seas so Enthusiastically beau
tiful and SO awkward for the sailor Il
approach. Only seldom does he ilnf
one with decent anchorage, and no
where In the world are the winds ant
currents more treacherous.
On the morning of July ~, we sight
ed Mopella, and steered toward II
Words fail me when ! try to describe
Its beauties From the blue ocean rise
a mass of green palms The snniigh
glows In the green. II somehow ever
seems TO turn the sunlight green
Against the dark blue Of the sen AM
the Iight.hlue Of the sky, the sulllish
seems TO be drawing the green Islam
out of the water and the soft sont
wind carries the scent of flowers FIJI
out to sea. II Is the greeting OF th
island. and we inhale II deeply.
Here was a typical coral ntoll-th
kind yon dream about. A circula
reef studied with waving palms an
within The reef a lovely. placid |,
gann. The coral shore was snn
white, md. with the suns rays r.
neciing from 1t, II looked like a spar
ling jewel set In an alabaster rim
like emeralds set In Ivory. Thel
were coral terraces below the wuie
The shallOwer ones were white
pale green, and as aon neered dee