A SOUTH PACIFIC PIRACY

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 168, 15 July 1916, Page 13

A SOUTH PACIFIC PIRACY

(By J. E. BROWNE, in " Wide World Magazine.")

[This is an account of the tragic voyage of the brig "Mnu." of Auckland. She runted a box containing ten thousand pounds In gold, rorwlirneil by Messrs Owen and Graham, to the Tahiti Cotton Company. Before Uie money reached Us rightful owners it led to tin- routing nwnjr of a ship, the murder of a whole crew, the execution

CHAPTER 111. The man at the wheel, hearing the disturbance, incautiously thrust his head tiown the companion, when instantly a shot rang out, the saloon became partly obscured by smoke, and the tailor fell limply down the companion steps. A moment later a trampling of feet was heard overhead, and the German, stepping over the lifeless form of the steersman, rushed out on to the deck, and there immediately followed shot after shot in rapid succession. Meanwhile Young and his companion were tjo much taken aback at the tragic occurrence to move. The firing ceased, and a deathlike silence reigned in the ship. Upon ascending the companion, the two men found prostrate forms dotting the decks; signs of life elsewhere there were none. "Take hold of the wheel," said \oung, hoarsciy, to the mate, and going forward he discovered all the Moa's crew hiding in the fo'c'sle. speechless with terrorall but Hoppenstcdt, who was nowhere to be seen. Upon examining the victims, in all eases life was found to be extinct. One man, single-handed, had wiped out the entire ship's company of the Faloma! A further search revealed the German crouched in the ship's galley, his bead bent to tfie knees and* breathing heavily. "I vas mad." he said, when Young entered the galley. Extending liis handa he added quietly, "I give myself up." Five minutes later Hoppenstcdt. with handcuffs on his wrists, was locked securely in one of the spare cabins. The dfiad were laid side by side near the main hatch, and reverently covered with one of the ship's Hags. Captain Young now found himself in somewhat of a dilemma, and visions ol a court of justice loomed up unpleasantly. That neither he nor any others of his crew bad taken part in the killing might be true enough, but at a judicia inquiry what amount of credence woulc be. given to any statement coming frorr him? What version of the affair woulc Hoppenstedt be likely to give? The general outlook was decided!} black, and Captain Young came to th< conclusion that it would have been bet ter had he in the first place stuck to tin legitimate object of the voyage. If In had done so the Moa by this time woul< doubtless be safely moored at Tahiti where he would be able to look -liis fel low-man squarely in the face. The pre cious iron-bound chest, the cause of al the trouble, now, strangely enough ceased to possess its old attractions These reflections, however, had come toi late, and the inevitable must be faced. That evening at eight bells the erev were summoned by Young, who silent!; pointed to the flag-coverea corpses nea the hatch. The men understood. Ni * words were needed to tell them that th< : decks must be cleared of the unhapp; victims of the German's madness. Sei : vice there was none. To read the solemi I words contained in "The 'burial of thos ■at eea" would, in the circumstance! have seemed but a mockery. I This mournful task over the men wer ' assigned by Young to their respectiv

THE TRAGIC STORY OF AN AUCKLAND BRIG.

of one man. nml the deportation of two more. -The narrative Is absolutely authentic," wrlhw .Mr Urownc. "1 have put It together from my many conversetlotis with Captain Young after Ills landing, the evidence given ill the trial, nml the statements of the commander of the 'Lander." "]

watches, the cook took bin place naturally enough in a new ami better appointed galley than he had been accustomed to, ami to all outward appearance the Paloma became a perfectly normal ship. "I suppose you realise that we arc In i most confounded fix with this vessel?" remarked Young to the mate over breakfast the following morning. "It might be worse," rejoined the mate. "At any rate, there's a fortune uwaitin' for us in the chest yonder."' "It wan not the gold 1 was thinking about," retorted Voting, "but of the ensi cut way to reach a place of safety. Tin sooner we get out of these waters tin hotter. We are right in the track ol ships between Marquesas and Tahiti and during this war Kronen cruisers wil be very much on the alert. (The Franco Prussian war was raging at the time.) "Then there's lloppeostedt," suggested the mate. "What about him?" "Hoppcnstcdt may yet give us some trouble," observed the captain, gloomily. "He id as deep as they make 'em." During tlie silence that followed both men thought hard. Danger lay in many quarters, and it was for them to devise a way out, and that was so far by no means clear. "I am for letting Hoppenatedt go free,"' said Fisher, at last. "Give him a share, or, bettor still, promise him a share." I "But Hoppenstedt ie the chief offender," remonstrated the skipper, "the one and only murderer on boarJ." "True," returned Fisher, "but do you suppose for a moment that th« villain is goin' to own up? And is it likely that in a court of law they would take our word for it that one man did all the killing , ;" "1 am afraid we shall have to see the fellow," said Young, reluctantly, and rising from hid chair he went to the cabin in which the German was confined, unlocked the door, and told him to enter the saloon. "This is a nice mess that you have brought us all into," said Young. "I vas mad," repeated Iloppenstcdt, "mid yen dot captain takes our money 1 forgets myself." "And suppose," said Young, diplomatically, "I should hand you over to the authorities at San Francisco on a charge of murder, what then?" "They would not pelieve you," was the German's cool rejoinder. "Mem vort vac as goot as yours, und ye vould schooet hang altogether. But," he added, emphatically, "ye are not going to San Francisco.' , "An/I why not, pray?" asked Young. "We, at any rate, have committed no crime." "How apout der box of gold!" sneered the German, "und hiding it in her eand, und changing der course of der brig? I dinks it petter," he went on sullenly, "as vc talks sense." "Now, look here, Hoppenstedt," eaid the skipper, with questionable tact, "I am prepared to make allowances for your temper, and permit you to come in on the old terms, provided you do exactly as you are told, and keep a tongue in your head." i

"I t ought dings vouUl gome out all right." responded the «■ German complacently, "pecauee r< vo arc all in der same poat, und must a i-tiik together." tl "No more shooting!" 6aid Young, " threateningly. "For why should 1 shoot?" rejoined the man. "Vo U all friento apoard der ship w now." "Friends or no friends," returned the * kkipper. "you will in future occupy a icrth in the deckhouse apart from the men's quarters." h "1 think, sir." suggested the mate.; 1 "that it would he m well to inform the!" hands that Hoppenstedt is to resume hisjj' duties."' ] "That is true." rejoined Young. "Wtj don't want trouhlo in that quarter." "All hands aft." ordered the mate, * after the Gorman had taken his departure. J " "Men," eaid Young, addressing the t r crowd from the hreak of the poop. "I ' I'ave to tell you that we are shorthanded in this ship, and I have decided to make y Hoppenstodt work. Hie madness seems > to have passed, and he will give no '' further trouble." ' "We don't want that man in the ' foY'sle," objected one of the men. • "Them" Dutchmen ain't to be trusted." x "He will occupy the deck-house," rclurnei the skipper, "and will not enter I the fo'c'sle. If there should be any 1 trouble, let mc know." The men returned, grumbingly, to i their duties, and the Werman took up his quartern in a small deck-house abaft the \ galley, where he remained keeping to himself, and making no attempt at doing 1 any work. j ' "So far so good," remarked Young, < after dispersing the sailors. "[ do noti think that the Dutchman is likely to|< come into conflict with the men. Thei; next thing to decide upon is a destinn- f tion. San Francisco, of course, is out of , the question." "It's no easy matter to decide, sir," , rejoined the mate, scratching his head. "Seems to mc that nil ports are closed , to us, and I suggest some out-of-the-way place on the South American coast. Itj is all Spanish down that way." "The very thing!" eagerly assented thel skipper. "Those Dagoes are always open] I for a deal, ant] a little crooked business! suite them down to the ground." I "One more tiling," added the mate. "There's the crew to lie considered. They are already talking about their wages." 1 "Hang the crow!" cried Young, testily. ' "Troubles eecni to crop up on all sidee. We shall have to open that infernal box : and give the men an advance. Money is the greatest power on earth, and notli- ! ing will make them more satisfied than a fist full of sovereigns. ! As things turned out, the question of ' paying the men or shaping a course for • the South American coast was soon to be lost eight of, for complications of an- ! other, and somewhat more serious, character upset all the skipper's calculations. ' When daylight broke the following "■ morning the mate was startled to find » eail appear on their starboard beam, barque-rigged, and running parallel with 2 themselves. The stranger, the mate at 2 once recognised, was no ordinary trader. Between her main and mizzen masts-was ' a steamer's funnel, and, from the cut ot 3 her sails, Fisher came to the conclusion fc that they had blundered against a war- ' ship, and French at that. Presently a 1 dark speck soared to the mizzen peak of the etrnnge 6hip, and a moment later the '■ tricolour of France fluttered gaily there--0 from. As an old sailor, Fisher knew what 1 was expected, and with all speed he l > rummaged' the flag-locker in the wheelI house, bent the Stars and Stripes to the 9 signal halliards, and ran it up to the mizzen peak. For a space, the two vee<l sels continued their respective courses; I then the cruiser shifted her helm, and| r edged towards the barquentine. This n action on the part of the warship filled '•• the mate with apprehension, and, etickt ing his head down, the skylight, he called i the skipper.

The appearance of the French ship naii not reassuring to Young's mind, and, lii remembering that a war between France and Germany was in progress, lie knew „. that a strict search of the Paloma would m doubtless be made, no matter what flag sbc carried. b, "That chap will want to communicate H with us," he said. "I hope the papers are all in order," a suggested the mate. "Got the Hong- s l Kong clearance? ,, ti Young nodded, but at the same tim« e< he did not feel at caee. The last thing that Young wished to see was a war- n ship, no matter of what nationality. Moreover, the Frenchman might havej<l j been recently at Tahiti, where the Moa s I would be long overdue. Whilst thus thinking, he suddenly remembered the I ship's papers mentioned by the mate. On the articles and Hong-Kong clear- V I ance would be Captain Perkins' name. I and the names of the murdered Bhip'a F company would also be recorded. Had F he thought of these things earlier, the t men might have been given new names s in order to correspond with the I articles. If by chance the Frenchman inquired too closely into these t matters, Young scented trouble ahead, t No, unfortunately, it was too late to t take precautions. * "Sheep ahoy!" came the call in Ena- - lish from the Frenchman when within bail. "What ship's that?" "American barque Faloma. Hong-Kong ( to San Francisco," shouted Young. '•Heave to. Will send a boat," came i the next hail from the cruiser. The crew came tumbling out of tie fo'c'slc, and while backing the fore yard, I looke of fear and apprehension were jtiirected towards the warship, from 1 whose sides many guns protruded. The I cruiser had also by this time backed her i main yard, and bluejackets might be seen making their way to one of the quarter-boats, then being lowered into the water, which, with an officer v in the stern, presently pulled towards them. "All hands aft," softly called Young, > an order that was silently obeyed. "Remember, men," Young whispered, ■! "that we are from Hong-Kong, and that Iyou are American seamen." There was no time for further parley, iland Yonng hoped that the crew would • (accept the gentle hint in case questions I were asked. The hands slouched for- • ward, making a pretence of doing some ' fort of work, while the skipper stood at ' the gangway to receive his visitor. The officer's formal salute was re- • turned by Captain Young, who escorted c the former to the poop deck. i "Your chips is?" questioned the officer. "The Palmna. Forty daye from Hongi Kong, bound for San Francisco." "And your name, monsieur?" politely f inquired the Frenchman, r "Perkins, sir. Obadiah Perkins," ) mendaciously responded the skipper. "I - am the captain." "We will now, if you please, see your i. papers." ,' "Certainly, eir," replied Young, bowi ing to the officer. "Would you have the i. goodness to step down into ttte saloon?" li Together they descended the compant ion. when Young produced from hie room ■. a tin box containing the Paloma's regiss ter, articles, and Hong-Kong Cuetomt house clearance, dated forty days proa viouely. The officer carefully scanned the docua mente, first one and then the other, findf ing them apparently satisfactory. o "We will now proceed, if you do not i- mind," went on the Frenchman, "to examine some of your crew." t "Is that quite necessary?" aske< c Young, apprehensively. I- "Monsieur," returned the officer, c eternly, "we are at war, and must take c every precaution." !- "All hands ait," ordered Young, etick- ; ing hie head out of the companion. "Mr. d Wilkins," he added, addressing Fieher, is "ccc that the men come down below d singly. They are wanted by the officer ;■ fronj the cruiser." d Hoppenetedt, as it happened, wae the firet man called. . i

"What is your name?" demanded the lieutenant. "My name vas Chonson, eir. My fir6t name vac Hcinrich," answered the German, sheepishly. The officer started as though he had been shot, fixing his eye piercingly on • Hoppenstedt. "Repeat your name," said the officer, ' at the same time closely examining the ■ ship's articles, on which there happened to be ; curiously, enough, one "H. Johrii eon." ; That man, of course, was one of the - murdered crew. "A pen and ink, captain, please," re- ; quested the lieutenant, "and also a \ sheet of paper." a "Sign your name here," ordered the a Frenchman, sternly. With trembling fingere Hoppenstedt - wrote with difficulty "Henery Johnson." Almost snatching the paper from Hopa penstedt's hand, the French officer comil pared the newly-written signature with c that on the articles which had been s signed by the real Simon Pure at Hongc Kong. i- Arising from his seat without a word, p the officer ascended the companion to 1. the deck, and spoke rapidly in French to ojthe crew of the boat that lay alongside. I Four bluejackets promptly sprang up the ~ side ladder and followed the officer to ' the saloon. "Arrest that man!" cried the officer, pointing to Hoppenstedt, whose face sud- " denly blanched with fear. c (To be continued on Wednesday next.)