A Perilous Adventure.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 13, 9 February 1870, Page 3

A Perilous Adventure.

(From thf South Australian Advertiser.)

Captain Hoell, of tho Hvideorn, was some months ago tho hero of tho following .perilous adyenture :—When last here ho was in company with another Norwegian, named Valliero, of the ship Doore, and both the vessels met again shortly after, at tho Chincha Islands, whither they hail voyaged for a return cargo of guano. It was customary there for the masters to make up parties to hunt the sea-lions, which were very numerous on some rocky islands within a few miles of the roadstead? and shortly after the arrival of; tho two gentlemen alluded to, another master, belonging to the Evening Star, and a lad fitted out for a day's sport. They had weapons and provisions, and proceeded to the haunts of those gigantic creatures with the intention of a single day's sport; but on heading into a semicircular bay, tho .tidal eddies, conflicting ocean swell, capsized tho boat, and on recovering consciousness tiro captain found he had been washed into a cave at the base of an overhanging precipice, where another survivor of the oatastrophe also found footing. The entrance was filled by heavy'rollers, which broke in such a manner as to abolish all hope of getting out without some extraordinary aid, while an examination of the interior rendered the position more hopeless; and to add to their, grief and dismay, the bodies of Captain. Valliero and the lad, with some fragments of the boat, were washed up on a small shingle beach which occupied the extremity of the cavern. The time wore away wretchedly, for as the tide rose it was a matter of conjecture whether they would not be drowned by the cave filling; but at high water there was a bare space of throe feet, into which they had to crouch, 'embracing each other to sustain animal warmth. As night approached, a ■new peril was apparent: it was evident they were in the resort of sea-lions, numbers of which flocked into it, making the echoes resound with their deafening noise, which mingled with tho roar of the surf on the shingle beach. The presence of mind never deserted either of the men, and by great exertions they made the fragments of boat into a kind of barricade, which was improved by boulders of rock, while Captain Hoell cut the remaining leg of his pants off, and secured in it a stone, after the manner of a sling shot, and with this defended the barricade, only aided occasionally by a stono thrown by his companion in distress. Wearily the hours tied past—without food, watery or clothing. Had.the men not possessed iron frames, they must have sunk under the perils of the night, for with the morning there was no hope from without to buoy them up. The fact of their not returning to the ships the same evening being sufficient to indicate accident, there-was a general muster next morning, and three well-manned ships' lifeboats were despatched in search, with a native who knew tho locality well. For several hours their efforts were unavailing —not a vestige or fragment could be seen ; but finally one boat approached the mouth cave, where the roar of the surf entirely drowned any human voice. The inmates of the cave were perceived, however ; and an immediate attempt at rescue resulted in the boat's capsize, but being buoyant, the crew were enabled to recover her and make a second charge, aided by another boat's crew. This one proved successful, and tho prisoners were released. The dreadful excitement of that night had had such an effect on Captain Hoell, that the greater part of his hair fell off; and to the present CL&j ho suffers an occasional attack of faintness, such as he experienced when first thrown ashore. The native divers were subsidised handsomely for the recovery of the bodies of Captain Valliere and the lad, but even this was not accomplished without great difficulty.