Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/180

170 around the waist, and as he was thrown into the waves the boys aboard saw the line spin out through the scupper hole. They made an effort to snub this in, but not until all but the last reel or so had been paid out did they succeed. Then it slacked, and they towed the "old man" aboard.

All that now remained was to wait upon the wreck until morning, though passing the longest night he ever remembers, says Holden. At daybreak the hulk was still intact, and an old whale boat was gotten out on the deck, and after considerable work made ready for launching. At a distance of about two miles and a half, over the misty lagoon, there appeared something whitish, which imagination led them to think might be the mate's boat, with the oars. Towards this, after launching their old boat and filling with what provisions they could carry, they pulled away. But they found the object not a boat, but a little sand beach, on a very low island. Their situation was certainly far worse for the effort of the mate and captain to leave the wreck, as in many and many an instance of the kind has proved. With the two boats intact, and a full crew their situation would not have been hopeless. As it was they were comparatively helpless; for they were in the very midst of the islanders that are the fear of all castaway sailors; men of the same habits as the Fijis and some of the African tribes, in whom the taste of human flesh has destroyed all sentiment of humanity. However, the eleven men in the old whale boat had nothing to do but wait on the little sand beach until the sea should calm down, when they might return to the wreck and see what they might do to patch up a boat or raft that would take them to some place of refuge. In the distance they could see Ahkee Angle [Kajangle?], of the Pelew group of islands.