CANNIBALS BAFFLED.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17408, 20 March 1922, Page 9

CANNIBALS BAFFLED.

YACHTING PARTY'S ESCAPE. "We were informed subsequently that they were cannibals. They came out to our ship in their -war canoes, but they made no attack." •'Althoughithe craft, which is of OG motor yacht, Bronzewmg, which form-; erly belonged to Mr Anthony Hordern,' left Sydney for, Manila, the story of adventure of her crew remained untold until a few days ago, when Mr A. 0. Charles, the returned k> Sydney by the fit. Albans. \ "Although the craft, which is of 60 tons net, received a severe buffeting off Cage Moreton, it was nothing to the trying timo we had going across the Arafura Sea. For three days with a following sea, the weather' wap so bad that the cooks couldn't cOok, and we had to live on biscuits and beef, straight out of the cans. / "We sought a landing place on Cape Van Den Bosch, in Dutch New Guinea, in order that we could recondition the ship. The 400 cases of petrol had shifted, olid in the bad weather, on such a small craft it was impossible to put them in a position without the danger of being jerked overboard. "We sighted a beach suitable for our purpose, but thereon, we imagined we saw, through the glasses, natives clad in natives clothes, executing a ferocious war dance. We headed west to the Dutch island of Ceram.

"There natives in war canoes paddled out to 'us, and we le&rnt subsequently that they were cannibals. They made no attacks on us, however, and the theory is that the ship beat them. Of course, with us there was no funnel on the ship. We had a small spread of canvas, but it b6at the warriors completely that in only a light breeze we were able to make eight knots. "Later on European houses were sighted,, and the entire white population of the island^—l3 —gav© us a rousing welcome. ''Manila was reached in quick time." The Bronzewing was purchased for pleasure purposes by Mr Burke, an American trader there. She is still idle there, however. Business is so bad.' 1