RESCUE OF A CREW.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1031, 2 February 1882, Page 2

RESCUE OF A CREW.

A correspondent of the London Timet writes“ We expected to pass Capo Guardafui at midnight on October 3. It is a very dangerous place, especially at night, as it is quite unmarked by. lights, and the inhabitants are savage. We had an example of its dangers at the same time that we were happily

instrumental in saving the lives of 27 of Her Majesty’s subjects. Our captain, being well acquainted with the character of the place (in fact it is the only place at which one of the Messageries boats has come to grief, and that in a great storm four or five years ago), gave strict orders for a good look-out for signals of distress from the shore. I was awakened shortly before we got there by some of the crew coming to close my cabid portholes, as it is generally rough when rounding the Cape, and was just dropping off to sleep again, when I was aroused once more by hearing the order given ‘ Stop her,’ nothing unusual, as it had frequently been heard before in order to adjust a screw, &c., and it was soon followed by the reassuring cry, ‘Go ahead.’ A repetition of the first order, however, followed by * Back her,’ was sufficiently alarming, consithe neighborhood we were in, to induce me to dress hurriedly and ascend to the deck, where most of the passengers had assembled, and were already circulating half-a-dozen stories as to the cause of the commotion; but, disregarding them all, I made at once for the captain, and he informed me that, having descried signals, he was standing in as close a possible to see if he could render any assistance. While we were talking we observed a boat approaching from the rocks, which we found contained ten men and the mate of the of the steamship Matthew Curtis, from Calcutta for Cardiff. The mate informed me that their ship had gone ■on shore the previous morning in a fog, and a few hours afterwards they were attacked by several hundred savages, armed with long spears. Having no firearms on board, they were unable to make a prolonged defence, and, therefore, at nightfall took to the boats—four well-stocked with provisions and water —and abandoned their vessel to her fate and the savages. It was very fortunate for the poor fellows that we came by at this time, as few vessels care to come as close as we did, and had they missed signalling us, it might have been many a long ■day before they got another chanee, and what with the heat of the place and scarcely of water, all or many of them might have perished. Our captian at once took them all on board (27), with their boats and what they had saved, and will land them at Mahe, whence they will be able to get to England.”