Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-29

was washed ashore at Caplz-on
the north coast Of Panay Philip
nine Islands He was more dead
than alive half-crazy His eyes
were glazed. His tongue was SO swollen thaS
he couldn't speak
According to my friend Col. Gr1ntns OF
the Philippine Constabulary, that Is oe-
scription of mySelf-after being IN the sea
for 20 hours and then spending 3 days and
nights In an open boat On Panay toE-
nado ingulfed and obliterated fleet OF nsn-
ing bancos and sunk my pearhng lugger.
There were less than half dozen Survivors
among the men, of whom 1 was one. the
Manila Times printed a long circumstantla1
account of the wreck-but the survivors tale
has never been told. 1t is no exaggeratlon
to say that, for years afterward, ! wanted
nothing so much to forget all about IT,
Perhaps it deserves a place in this odyssey
which shows-so far-that, although had
q few close calls in the perilous waters around
che Philippine Islands, luck was on my side.
It was my third pearling cruise, although
some folk say that the third times lucky 1t
certainly did seem that my luck was IN ON
that Spring morning in April when / sailed
from noilo for the pearling grounds on the
northeast end of the Island of Panay. had q
little coral atoIl there, virtually my own, on
which my headquarters were situated very COM
fortably indeed. And we were taking q fair
amount of shell. I was thinking, with great
satisfaction, that my next trip to uoilo would
be to deposit my pearls with the bank. 1t was
a pleasant thought, and derived considerable
10Y from it-joys of anticipation. Maybe 1t Is
q good thing, a wise dispensation OF Providence,
that we don't always know what is coming
20 us.
WHEN I arrived everything was going like
wv cIockwork and everybody was happy.
had good quarters good men, and as fine little
pearlinR lugger-her name by the way, was
eaf1n NNaIIG vvfG
already had my share Of typhoons and tornados,
and Culion had proved her mette splendidly,
for the worse the weather the better she seemed
TO stand up to it. We were all very proud OF her.
Our atoll was surrounded by the usual coral
reef and there was a tiny lagoon inside just
big enough for comfortable anchorage Ny
diver Sinforoso, and all my crew were married
men and had built decent shacks for them
ashore. They had their wives with them, they
cultivated their own little gardens and reared
chickens and pigs. Upon the whole, don't
think you would have found anywhere a happier
OF more contented family Of pearlers. We were
working early and late We thought we were
getting rich quick. ] called that place Tom
T1ddler's Ground. was happy as a schoolboy
on holiday. Even the weather was kind TO US
up to point-though it was intensely hot.
MY strong box on the lugger was packed with
pearl. would look at my hoard and hug my
self Again and again congratulated myself
"WeI, we have struck it lucky this timel"
could have Rugged Sinforoso every time he
came up. But it high time those pearls
were transferred to the bank for safekeeping
and had to tell my men to make preparations
for our trip to Ioilo. intended TO stay at
Yloilo for only few hours-no longer than was
actually necessary to deposit the pearls in my
bank. We were all aching to get back to work
again, to ill the strong box again with the
precious stuff, to keep going while the going
was so good.
dala in
farewells being said and wives giving thousand
and one orders for commissions to be executed
IN noilo shopping and lord-knows-what. How
ever, we sailed at last.
So as to lose opportunity, had planned
TO spend an hour or two working our patch
en- route, and leave for uoilo in the evening
instead Of returning to the atoll. Again my
luck held amazingly; Sinforoso went down and
soon reported that he had found depression
IN the bottom which lined with she'll It
was impossible, he said, to clean it right out
unless we anchored there for the night and
put in q couple Of hours work tomorrow. Now
/ dislike altering my plans. / demMrTed but
Einforoso most earnestly begged me to stay.
He splendid worker and as keen as
sort of fellow you don't like to
discourage.
IAN right" said.
The day had been hot and breathless. There
was a sullen haze in the atmosphere that should
have warned me Of dirty weather to come. But
was thinking of pearls. pearls pearls.
And had left my barometer IN noilo to be
corrected.
A TORNADO was approaching. II was is
miles in width-as I afterward learned
and IN the position where Culion anchored for
the night we were in the dead-center of It,
Anchored all around us were numerous big
fishing bancos with hundreds of men on board