Man Overboard!

By J. Rolley.

11THEN the 45-ton schooner “Vaitere,” ff belonging to Etablissments Donald, Tahiti, left Papeete on July 4, for Hiva’oa, in the Marquesas Group, she encountered rough weather right from the start.

The second day out, conditions on board were pretty uncomfortable and although there was not a very strong wind, there was quite a current and the waves were big and boisterous. The “Vaitere” was making some tremendous lurches at times, and nearly all the passengers, who had begun to feel sea sick the day before, were decidedly worse.

One extra bad roll sent almost every movable object hurtling over to the port bulkheads. The chair in which I was sit ting skated across the deck and smashed in three pieces as it banged me into the handrail, which I grabbed to save my self from going over the side. At the same time a young seaman, aged years, whose name was Snopy Teriiero, who was lying asleep on the cabin top was hurled clean overboard and I saw him pass astern as I was clutching tight to the rail.

Forgetting that I was amongst French speaking people, I yelled out, “Man Over board.”

One or two looked at me in mild astonishment for a few seconds, but soon understood when I began shouting in French and pointing overboard at Snopy, who was bobbing up and down in the angry-looking waves like the proverbial cork.

The captain immediately gave orders to the Tahitian helmsman to swing the schooner around and a life-buoy was thrown out. But we had gone too far for it to be of any use.

Several of us stood on the hand rail as the “Vaitere” curved round in a big circle, on the look out, and soon we spotted the young fellow, appearing and disappearing in the waves as he swam with determined strokes towards the “Vaitere.”

The captain, who was at the telegraph, shouted out and told the young chap not to swim, and the cry was taken up by others: “Ne nage pas!”

Nevertheless the boy kept on swim ming. Perhaps he could not hear or per haps fear urged him on.

The captain skilfully manoeuvred the schooner’s lumbering bulk near enough for one of the crew to throw out another life-buoy, tied to a rope this time.

Snopy was hauled aboard after what must have been a frightening experience.

However, except for a bruise on his shoulder where he had hit the rail as he was shot overboard, he seemed none the worse for his involuntaiy deep sea dip.

The whole incident lasted only about fifteen minutes and was soon, apparently, forgotten by all. Except, perhaps, by Snopy.