He thinks back over the night of his escape with difficulty and during the telling of the events. he pauses in wonderment trying to account for his lucky escape, "AUT could see were the flashes of the rifles around me" he said, "I ould not tell whether they were from my friends or enemies, Westerheim was up ahead somewhere swith the larger: party of pirates..I shouted: to-him and the crowd around me struck me androld me.to keep quiet. 'T'thought would whicl the bullets were coming, killed sure. T-didn't know from
Dut everyone was firing and I seemed to bonn the: middle of it, shouted again to Westerheim and one of the men near-me'tried to choke me. Iwas in my underwear swith no shoes and it was raining heavily. T was tired after five days of little sleep but T tried to fight him back. 'T shouted again and'most of them grew afraid we should be detected "and they left me to run up' ahead with the others. But one stayed'and: he tried to throttle.me. 'T.tried to.fight.him. back, but T.was. no match: and I fell.to.the ground.
"Then. he picked.up a big rock and crashed it down on my head. 'I don't know "much -about what "happened after that. I came: to some time ater. and found T was ina' pool blood from two holes in-my "head. How Iihad eseaped: the full force of the Wow I'don't know, but T found bad gash on my left thumb sind I think I must have putrmy hands up -when2I fell down.
"Tt was morning then. T was.all alone. I found a.path leading: down off the small hill on which we were and I got down as best. T could toward a house I saw in the distance. Then I saw a woman shouted tovher but Twas 80 she didn't hear me. T had to sit down every few fect and I knew T swas badly: hurt. I kept shouting to ther and finally attracted her attention, The Kindly Country-folk "she led me to a house ina small village and went to call some men. When they came they laid me down and gave me food and attention. They were fine to me. They did everything they could and I am very ful to them. when T got down to Haichow and in the Presbyte Hospital and was treated. But I would like to Know where Westerheim is, T hear he is in a-temple on hill and the gang is surrounded. I hope he gets out all right."
"Phe rock he hit me with was just a little smaller than a football and T think it is a miracle that I was not Killed outright. He thought T was and he lott me for dead."
Thus does Capt. Haarland go over the events and his blue eyes shine out from the mass of bandages with a fervour that leaves him exhausted after the telling.
He has been told that he can leave the hospital after.a week or two but for some time he will be unable to-do any continuous -work. Such heavy injuries as'he received take their greater toll-on a man-past 60 than one of fewer years.
Chief Officer Westerheim is 34 and Capt, Haarland describes him "young auf well built, he could give them a fight out'we were two against 21 and we hadn't had any decent food for five days."
Capt. Haarland supplies the details of the piracy as follows:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.