Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/195

Rh off, a new delay occurred. The Pelews declared that they must wait until nightfall. "The Karacoa people,they said, "will come out and capture us; we shall be taken for King George men.' It would in fact have been best if the attempt had not been made, as the three sailors left as hostages reached America precisely the same time as Holden and his one surviving comrade. However, the future could not be foreseen, and even a forlorn hope of rescue seemed preferable to an indefinite stop on the island of Pelew. As night fell, as it always falls suddenly in the tropics, all was made ready for the departure. The provisions were placed on board; two green bamboo joints of water were allowed for drink, each holding two to three gallons of water, or more, being about as large as stovepipes and about two feet long. All was ready, and the eleven Americans and three Pelews lifted the anchors and made a start. Besides the canoe, in which there were seven, the sailors still had the old whale boat, which had been repaired, and four, among whom was Holden, occupied this. As the tide was low, the crafts were drawn down the bayou and out over the flats into deep water of the lagoon. They then began a circuitous movement, intending to find the opening of the reef on the outer side of the lagoon, out of which to drop off into the main ocean. But the men in the boat were soon startled by the cry from a native in the canoe "We are filling with water!' Coming along side they found this was even so, and Holden said "We shall go back.' The boat was also leaking considerably.

The natives objected strongly, believing that once on the sea they could manage to drift, as water had very little terror for them. Their minds were so much made up for the guns and ammunition promised that they overlooked such little impediments as a sinking boat. However, Holden insisted that they must return and repair