JACK" AND THE SLAVE DHOW

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2152, 23 November 1885, Page 2

JACK" AND THE SLAVE DHOW

Letterß from Zanibar, dated August 25, state that the slave trade is brisk, The vessels Kingfisher and Dragon have made captures. The Kingfisher's capture was 'cleverly effected. The steam cutter, short of coal, left a sailor and an interpcter on the look-out—with orders to mark any dhows arriving, but not to get into danger—whilst she ran to the depot for coal. Scarcely was she out of sight when a dhow arrived. The captain and crew of the dhow scanned the bays and islands for man-bf-war boats, and then dropped their anchor. As she was a suspicious vessel, the interpreter obtained a canoe, placed the sailor in the bottom, with injunctions -not to show himself, and pulled to the stranger. When within a few hundred yards of the dhow, the captain espied the sailor, and with his crew of Arabs, five in number, loaded their guns and flourished their swords. The blue-jacket, sailor-like wanted to dash at the dhow, The interpreter, with Captain Brownngg's fate freshin his memory, was wary. "Waita bit, Jack," said he, " we'll get 'em all right," Pulling tho canoo oil shore, he ran along the beach to a bay where the boats lie hid, and shouted to two imaginary boats, telling them to be quick. He exclaimed, "They are going to jump overboard and swim ashore," Sure enough the Arabs sprang overboard and swam ashore, Four bolted into thebushand were'not seen again. The captain of the dhow, finding that the boats did not come, made towards the sailor with, his gun. Jack was equal to the occasion. Every time the Arab attempted to aim, Jack threw himself down in the sand ; and the' Arab, up to bis waist in water, ducked underneath, Jack did not realise the danger of letting the Arab come within range of his gun until the interpreter had urged him that if he did not " pink" the Arab the Arab would pink him. The next chance Jack got he fired, and struck the Arab, who shrieked "Allah," threw up his arms, and sank. When tile officer returned he found his man and the interpreter in possession of a 57-ton dhow, with thirty-five slaves. The dhow was condemed, the slaves liberated, and the Court was of opinion that the Arab's death was justifiable. The story reminds us of the feats of our sailors in the olden time, and is characteristic of the bluejackets.