The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-11-10

until the guard turned out. before which the
captains revolver spoke from the poop. The
captain, it seems on reaching the deck, could
just discern that the convicts were making
their way aft. They had advanced as far as
the stern of the long-boat when he fired into
them. Still they came on, tumutuous rush,
yelling like fiends, and having before them
blocks, handspihes, holystoneS frewood,
curly stuff grndcrs-anything in fact, they
could lay hands on. Captain Correya was
severely struck by some of these missiles,
as were also several of the guard who had
by this time joined the captain (the crew,
Lascars and Spaniards, being altogether un-
supplied with arms, having made their way
into the rigging) on the poop. The gallant
party had no thought, however, of acting on
the defensive, but jumped to the quarter
deck, commenced hand-to- hand fight with
the sc ,undrels. Both the captain and guard
fred into them as fast as they could load,
using also their culasses and bayone.s to
keep them at bay. They had desperate men
to deal with. No sooner was musket fred
than rush was made upon it before it could
be reloaded, but in no one instance did they
succeed in wrenching it from the grip that
held it for life or death. One bayonet was
their only spoil. During the whole time they
kept up shower of missiles described above,
and it is only wonderful that more mischief
was not done by them. Inch by inch, how
ever, the captain and his party gained ground,
purposely with caution, lest from behind the
water casks, rush might be made upon
them, and their arms-their salvation-be
seized. And here we have to record an in
stance of courage as rare as heroic. Some
ten minutes or so after the outbreak, amid
an uproar as if Of hell let loose arising from
men who were thirsting for blood, the cap.
tdin's wife took her part in the fray, by load
ing and continuing to reload her husbands s
pistols, passing them up from the scGddy
skylight, As each hatch was gained it was
seized by the guard and fastened down. AZ
w al hohi ii'liu uSiitiiss Tue ConFiClS were
driven on to the topgallant forecastle where
they were charged with the bayonet, and
several run through, or driven over the bows.
Two or three were seen to lay hold of the
fore topgallant studding sail, which was w.
ing on the forecastle, and jump overheard
with it. They were shot from the poop and
quarter deck, as well as the darkness per-
mitted their being made out.
The deck now being clear, lights were
brought-many attempts had been made to
get lights during the fight, but as soon as
one appeared it was knocked over by the
convicts, and the whole work was done in
the most solid darkness. The sights which
the lights revealed were of the horridest-
Here man with gashed face, there another
cut almost in two, there another riddled with
the bayonet, there one-yes, yet living with
four bullets through him. The aspect of the
place was that of a slaughter house. Eight
dead bodies were found on the forecastIe. and
three on the main deck, including the Eu-
ropean sentry and the Portuguese cook. 1t
was now apparent why the sentry had not
answered the hail Of the mate-the poor fel-
low was found to have been stabbed to the
heart. There seems, unfortunately, no doubt
that ne had left his post below, and came on
deck, where he is supposed to have fallen
asleep, being stabbed without awakening
even to fire his pistol, which was in his hand
as he lay. Had he been at his post, or even
awake on deck, alarm might in all probabili-
ty have been given sufficiently early to have
prevented the convicts gaining the deck at all.
The poor cook was shot by accident, being
mixed up with the convicts. The carpenter
and an Arab passenger jumped overheard. -
The former fell into the blight of the lee fore
sheet, got into the fore Grains, and made his
way aft The Arab was never seen again.
At daybreak man was found hanging on
to the rudder. A rope being let down he
waShauled up, and was found to have been
not through the leg. On search being made
below, five more bodies were found of men
who, on receiving enough, had gone below
to die. 1t was found that the convicts had
escaped by cutting through with a knife, of
which they had somehow gained possession,
bar of aprison door forward, then partly
cutting through the inside partition bar on
the port side, which enabled them to burst
the door in altogether. They then shouted
to the rest in the other cells to follow them,
which, with the exception Of fourteen, whom
the guard were enabled to keep down, they
did. AT six the convicts were mustered.
when it was found that twenty-eight were
dead or missing, twenty-eight out of sixty
that came on deck. The remairing thirty
two, with the exception of three wounded,
were treated to three dozen each. AT half
past nine the sentries gave the alarm that
some of the convicts had slipped their leg
irons. TIE guard was called and secured
them. On overhauling the remainder, it was
found that many of the irons were too large
and they were accordingly reduced. A well
come sight must Bombay have been to the
Ararat. Ie-v et
The captain speaks inhigh terms Of the
IN