Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-01-07

the discharge of seamans duty. But before c
nighttall of the second day, when, by the Or s
der of Musgrave, a majority of the loyal hands
were in the upper rigging, the villains pur- t
pose was revealed to Mr.. Beden like flash of
| lightning from cloudless sky.
AT given signal, man standing behind Mr..
Belden struck the latter blow with heavy
marlin spike which felled him to the deck. A
general melee ensued. Either party fought
desperately--one for the protection of life and
property the other for the preservation of life,
which they knew was forfeited by insurrection
on shipboard and each, with individual excep-
tions, supposing, in the outset, that Musgrave
was aiding them.
Mr. Belden, who was on the quarter deck,
1T a cartiderable dista'Fe from ,,xhef.xe con-
hict was then raging, having partially recover
ed, sprang on his feet, seized a cutlass from the
hand of wounded mntineer, and seeing Mus
grave standing little apart from the struggle,
apparently listless, yet with the fury of thou
sand demons in his eye, the truth flashed at
once on the mind of Mr.. Belden. Wife Child !!
Life All were thoughts that whirled in his
brain and made him for an instant giddy then
recovering, like maddened tiger at bay, he
rushed on Musgrave, seized him by the throat,
and exclaimed Villain command this strife
to cease " The words were scarcely uttered, ere
Musgrave drew pistol from his pocket, raised
it, and was on the point of discharging its con-
tents in the face of Beden, when q feeble hand
from behind, struck the sinewy arm of Mus
grave, and it fell, and the contents of the ps-
tol were discharged in the vessels deck. That
hand was the hand of Belden's wife All of
defence that she could do was done. She
swooned, and never after betrayed to mortal
eyes sign of life. Musgrave and Belden crap
, pied, each conscious that life and the fate of
the ship were staked on his success. Musgraye
, was much the stouter built, and more muscular
of the two, but affection and interest neryed
Belden's heart, and transformed his fieshly ten
dons to sinews of iron. Locked in each other s
} arms, hand to hand, hip to hip, they stroye =
: the strife was equal and unequal by turns-the
3 strength of each was oozing in crimson streams
} from their wounds, and a thought fitted across
r Belden's brain that he must yield. just then
e his adversary, stepping in pool of gore, slip
| ped, and the former by powerful effort, threw
S him on the deck Selling dirk knife, he was
G on the point of plunging it into the throat of
| Musgraye, when villain discharged blunder-
buss into the brain of Belden, and he fell life
: less by Musgraves side The carnage was en-
f ded The mutineers had triumphed. Not one
e of the faithful portion of that crew was living,
@ and but five Of the mutineers. Two of the
e latter were mortally hurt.
: Musgrave, followed by one ef the crew, pro-
: eeeded to the state room, B@ldenhad occupied to
a rife his luggage. Clovis, one of the three less
II injured mutineers was left on deck lie was
# about seventeen years of age; of slender and
}, agile frame, but endowed with surprising yigor
u of limbs, and capacity for endurance. His
r. garments were grievously tattered in the con-
/, hict, and besmeared with blood. His whole ap
s. pearance was that of one who gloated in the
le was human woe. Yet devout mother hat
I'd sown good seeds in Clovis heart, where there
I'd was some " deepness of earth," but thorn
~ sprung up and choked them" Oh, a mother
rs Were it not for the tender solicitude the con
G. stantly-watchful care of mothers, how painful
A, would life in this world be How many griefs d.
they assuage! How many burning tears thei
id hearts absorb How many pure and exquist
We joys their bosoms yield Oh, child if there b
p any living injunction you would heed, foreve
Sc. and ever, g Honor thy mother!'
ut In his early childhood the mother of Glow
rt. died, and the mind of his father was lost t
re paternal cares in the pursuits of bustlin
world. Thus berelt of mothers and a father
I'd care, and left to the impulse of his own childis
nd years, he indulged q thousand boyish vagarie
IS. and became froward and perverse. He was el
N ticed from, or in fit of passion, he left Il
1e- fathers house when but little more than
ok child and thenceforth, unheard from by h
to father, he pursued wayward current in Il
IS; world A few months after he had desertt
,ly the paternal roof he was indented as a sailo
Or Not wholly forgetful of his mothers counsel
yet mingling, sailors too often do, in Il
a worst society in commercial marts, and po
us sessing that tractable quality of mind whit
J disposed him, inconsiderately, to adapt his CO.
duct to that of the company in which he 1ou
lsh himself for the time being, his action was tt
I frequently determined by the barometrcal i
ese dications of the moral atmosphere which su
be- rounded him.
out He was left alone on the deck of that shi
ons stained with the blood of jovia messmates, al
s." in conflict in which he had been powerft
us and unsparing assailant As he stood surve
he ing the scene, a feeling of deep sorrow stole u
He on his heart, and as he cast his eye on the for
the of Mrs. Belden, a bitter consciousness of wh
his he had done seized on his mind "Oh, n
: of mother my mother! he exclaimed, and fl
to on his knees beside the lifeless form of one
'or- his mothers sex, and pressed the cold hands
civ his lips in agony. An overwhelming perce
the tion of the irreparabe wrong he had done stun
hip him to the heart Tears stole down his chez
leir and moistened the hand of Beden's wife. Ju
the then his brutal mesSmate, coming up tho cab
pre- gangway, bearing in his arms burden, al
spi- seeing Clovis in kneelng attitude, exclaimed
and "Clovis, ahoy What, shipmate are y
ent striving the woman?"
'ere Clovis arose with a Subdued air, and saw,
the the arms of his messmate, the sleeping for
of Belden's child "What will you do wi
was that boy, Pelet?" demanded he