Demoine courier., 1854-10-12
SCENES IN THE LIFE OF A SLAYER.
oUELLING A MUTINY.

In looking over Biantz Mayors popu.
lar work. entitled "Captain Canot. or
Twenty Years of an African slaver," to
which allusion was made las, week, we
learn tina, The adventurous Italian sailed
from Havana on his first voyage to the
coast on the ID Of September, 1885,
The schooner was commanded by a Nj
norcan, and the crew was composed Of
twen.y.one scamps-the refuse OF the
press gang and Jail b.rds-Spaniards,
Portuguese, French and mongrels. or
this motley crowd Cano, was third off.
Ger. After various fortunes they reach.
ed the mouth of the Rio Pongo, and the
Captain and four hands wen, ashore for
a pilot, bu, did not return. In the even.
ing Canot learned tina, an attempt had
been made to shoe, the Captain by those
who accompanied him, and that a con-
spiracy had been formed among the crew
TO seize the schooner. Having ascer.
tanned that the armory lad been forced,
and several pistols and cullasses abstract
ed, he took measures 10 counteract their
plans. The following ex,rac. will show
how he succeeded: q
Preparations had undoubtedly been
made TO assassina.e US. As nigh. drew
on, my judgment as well as nervousness.
convinced me that The darkness would
not pass without a murderous attempt.
There was an unusual silence. When
reaching port, there is com monty fun
and merriment among crews; bu. the
usual song and invarable guitar were
omitted from the evenings entertainment.
searched the deck carefully, vet bu.
two men were found above The matches,
apparently asleep lnasmuch as | was
ouly a subordinate officer, | could no,
command. nor had | any confidence in
the nerve or judgment of the chief mate
if trusted ny information to him. Sill
deemed il my duty to tell him the slo
ry as well as my discovery about the
missing arms. Accordingly. | called
the first officer, boatswain and cook, as
quietly as possible, into the cabin; leay-
ing our English cabin boy to watch In
the companion way. Here impaired
our danger, and asked their assistance
in striking the first 6lom. My plan
was 10 secure the crew and give them
battle. The mate, as | expected, shrank
like a girl. declining any step ill the
captain returned. The cook and boat
swain, however. silently approved my
movement; so that we counseled our
coward!y comrade to remain below,
while We assumed the responsibility and
risk Of he enterprise.
Ii may have been rather rash, but /
resolved to begin the rescue oy shooting
down like a dog, and without a word, The
notorious Cuban convict who had at
tempted tho Captains life. l thought
This would strike panic into the muffin
GERS and end the mu,iny in the mos.
bloodless way. Drawing a pair of large
horse pistols from beneath the Captains
pillow, aud examining The load, l order.
ed the cook and boalswain to follow me
10 the deck. But the raven officer would
not quit his hold on my person. He be-
sought me not TO commit murder. He
chung TO me with the painting fear and
grasp of a woman He begged me, with
every term Of endearment, 10 desist: aud
in the midst of my scutfls to throw him
off, one of the pistols accidentally went
of. A moment after, my yigilan. watch
boy screamed from the starSoarG a warn
log ''look ou,!" and, peering forward N
the binding darkness as | emerged from
the lighted cabin, | beheld the stall ar,
form Of the ringleader brandishing a cut.
lass within a stride Of me. aimed and
fired. We both fell; the mu,ineer with
two balls in his abdomen, and ! from the
recoil of an overcharged pistol.
My face was cut, and my eye injured
by the concussion; but as neither con
batant was deprived OF consciousness, in
a monen we were both on our feet
The Spanish felon. however. pressed his
hand on his bowels and rushed forward,
excIaiming he was slain; but, in his de-
scent to the forecas,le, he was stabbed in
the shoulder with a bayonen. by the boat
swain, whose vigorous blow drove the
weapon with such tremendous force tina.
it could hardly be Withdrawn from The
sc~oundrel's carcass.
/ said was up in a U.-s.e; and, feel
ing my face with my perceived
a quantity Of blood on eek, afound
which hastily tied a handkerchief be.
low my eyes. l then rushed to the arm.
chest. Al that moment the crack Of a
pis'ol. and sharp. boyish cry, told me
that my pet was wounded beside me. /
laid him behind the ha;chway and re-
turned TO the charge. By this time | was
blinded with rage, and fought, j, SCENE,
like a mailman. | confess that have
no personal recollection whatever of the
following events, and only learned them
from he subsequent report Of the cook
and boalswain.
l stood. they said. over the arm -ches.
like q spell-bound. My eyes were
fixed on the forecss,le, and. as head at
ter head doomed GU, of the darkness
above the hatch, discharged carabiue
after carabine al the mark. Everything
that moved fell by my arm. As / fred
the weapons. ! flung them away 10 grasp
fresh ones; and. when the battle was
over, the cook aroused me from my mad
stupor. still cropping wildly for arms in
the emptied chest.