Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-29

ton the foremost and mainmast
crashed the side, dragging
with them the miZzen tOpmast
Only the mizzenmast remained standing, soil
tary sentinel or rather monument to vessel
dispatched to her doom.
Day was setting into night when I bade the
old Minstrel farewell.
Many sailors look on their ships as almost
human and regard a wreck with some such sad
ness as they would feel In gazing on the corpse
of dear friend. Why not? Does not ship
have her moods her Whims, her vagarieS? Is
she not vibrant with life, as If pulses ran
through her frame? Must she not be watched
with unremitting vigilance, like beautiful and
beloved but capricious woman? Does she not
bear the hopes and fears Of men from port to
port even as our lives center about women from
the cradle to the grave?
Cold and hungry when reached the cottage,
I gladly sat down Ito a meal with Jorgensen.
One could have worse dinner than what he
served: egg pancakes with tea of beaten eggs
and hot water To say that 1 slept that night
would be hardly accurate; suffered tempo
rary DEATH so tagged was by the eventfu day
and the sleepless night preceding. I was resur-
rected when JorgenSen called me to breakfast.
And such a meal: boiled eggs, each weighing
nearly pound: an omelet; egg bread, or pam
cake again washed down with egg tea.
A FTER breakfast tramped about the island
in search of something from the Minstrel,
and was rewarded by finding part of the stern
washed inshore. On wading out to it was de-
lighted to discover nearly all the awning and a
few sails. damned with the canvas were the
fragments of Walkers piano Much to my sur
prise there was something else: rule that in
some inexplicable manner had got there from
my cabin on the main deck. 1t was one OF the
few things 1 saved after 81 years at sea-
The canvas, I Immediately saw, would be Of
immeaSurable utility; could unrave knot
and skin it into Irvine for fishing nets; the wires
of the piano might be used for making hooks.
Indeed piano did have some value. We salved
the sails and awnings and drenched them with
fresh water otherwise the canvas. being satu-
rated with salt, always would have become
damp in wet weather. The steel piano wires we
rubbed with oil to prevent rust. With hooks
made of them We caught many fish excellent for
eating a variety Of albacore so large and strong
that have seen two men dragged by one from
the beach into the sea, fighting hard and hang
ing on until the fish drowned and was hauled
ashore after struggle of half hour.
While I was playing the wrecker Capt
Walker met me with tidngs that the crew re-
fused to obey his orders.
You saved some firearms" said I. Give me
. revolver. III maintain discipline" Would
you shoot one of the mem" he demanded. i
shall muster the men in line" said !; the first
who refuses to obey you will be shot" Good
Cod" he exclaimed That would be murder"
mot at all, Captain" assured him; I'll not
shoot to kill; merely to wing" I'll never
consent" he interposed. Perhaps I can per-
suade them by gentler means" do not delude
yourself, sir" / urged. Il know these cattle
better than you do. They must be kept In
hand; dealt with firmly taught, especially now,
to look up to US as their superiors and masters.
What is 1t to be? Do you consent to my pro-
pOsal?" "Mr. Cameron, do not; that is final"
Every we'll Capt Walker, you must paddle
your own canoe. Nothing remains to be said
except that we are all equals now and that each
is law to himself shall, of course, protect
your wife and children"
In thus declaring my belief that respect for
authority, the foundation Of our little society,
had disintegrated, was sincere: I fully ex-
pected the men to diSobey me when ordered
them to work; but one and all eagerly carried
out my instructions. They foraged for food and
brought in hundreds Of eggs, of different kinds
and sizes. Rapidly did they melt away, so hum
cry were our men, Such myriads did we eat
that I do not understand how can stomach
an egg today. Obviously the first and second
officers could not lag behind the forecaStle;
Caucasian prestige had to be upheld. In one
sitting Jorgensen and disposed of 49, hens
size. Notwithstanding their weight, relative and
absolute. in our diet. eggs did not constitute our
sole food. Here may give one days menu:
Breakfast-fiSh boiled or fried egg pancake.
egg tea Dinner-beach la mar soup, minced
flesh of sea fowl, fried fish, egg pancake Sup
per-egg tea, outlets of sea birds, egg pancake.
Day after day we famed the hope that
passing vessel would rescue us; days became
weeks, and weeks months, and hope burned low.
Why despair? We made the best of things.
For me the crew worked willingly, though they
would not move hand for Walker. "Why?"
I asked boatswain He replied that the men
realized that the wrecking of the Minstrel was
the captains fault; he was to blame for their
being cast away, for the loss of their effects and
probably their wages well.
THAT they dwelt so insistently on their few