, 1870-05-15
AN OLD MAN OF TIE SEA.
A story OF Mntfny and Murder
FROM THE nEMIN1scEhcEs or An OLD aALr-
u;fesn n,r The Chfodaa Tff1ttas

FROM THE "REMINISCENCES or An OLD aALr-
Nrinen ,for The Chicago Triotr's.
The story that am about to relatc, al-
though enye1oped somewhat in the veil Of
romance, is true, word for word, snd is the
experience Of the writer; md, although the
Incidents occurred many years ago, and most
Of the actors in tho drama ato no longer iV-
ing. still vivid recollection remaina With the
narrator Of the scenes described.
In tho year 1873, and in the month Of Octo-
Dor. I sailed from New Bedford. Mass, as
second officer Of the Whaling ship p" Neptune"
Captain Catron, bound TO the Pacific and In
diArs Oceans ii search Of the sperm whale.
After doubling Cape Horn and cruising on the
Chill ground" for three or four months, our
water becoming nearly exhausted, our Captain
GANG to the conclusion that he would touch at
some one Of the many small islands composing
= H' s1nss dsnd 4, seap goass to1 saa ono es
- Neon" lying In latitude q deg. % min,
well supplied With water, although supposed
to be unntnhabited At tho distance Of fifteen
OF twenty miles, this iAland presents the Ap-
| pea1znce Of an htiAn wigFsm, whom Ap-
! preached from tho southHnfd7 and Of ship
under full CANVAS when approached from the
seen from ths eastward, and Of square
tower when viewed from tho westward.
So much :, for the appearance Of
the island, tho name Of which signifies
ony w.. snopess att, is sooas seoth ton nd miles e
its brosdest pa1t probably, seven or eight
| miles wide On nearing It, one can discern
almost ianume1able little rills descending tho
| the p1tcipitous rocks which form the bulwA1ks
OF the island, and wonders from whence such
sparkling, tnmhling, noisy little army OF
waterfalls hase their source. At Ill events,
such :Eera my first Impressions as scanned
The Little rock-bound hillocks On cur approach.
~ length, having discovered landing place,
the ID ha Of GaE ths S1 order a x.s Sysn
thewalss andbov-boats: there behgno anchor
ago, the Captain had thought proper to stand
"off and On" during tbs t1ns occupied IN
watering ship: Ghr boats wore lowered, aud
Cbeing seoond etHeez, having the. supefizs-
part Of the duty to perform, ! WIS about going
over the eide into my boat, when the Captain,
who had been clrnesty surveying tho shore
through his g1asa for the laat honr OF two,
exclaimed "Hold on, Nj stoadsEd. l.. there
away there" pointing at the sa1ne time in the
direction hsd boen ordered to pnsl in order
TO land my casks. Sure enough, IN looking
toward the quarter indicated, saw small
canoe, containing one pe5so1t hloT!y stealing M
, the ship. The distance being too great to dis.
tinguish clearly, ! dove below for my glass,
| aud, on again looking. I discovered the
stranger to be q white nan. Eve!y'
boz to tho chief officer Was one Of the es
5 use" to aseertaiu who and what the stranger
i | could be. At length, after eor,o 1aborioui
padding, little breeze having sprung NJ
. with the morning sun, rendering pull tt
/ | windward rather ! sovern tssk, the canoe can't
0 stranger Curiosity was now about to bt
q g1ahAed. and. indeed, there il no wonder thai
q It Ind been excited and intensified by tht
e etrange and unoouth appearance Of this har
+ NIT. C1usoe, who came upon Us 80 suddenl.
from what WAS supposed to be IN un'nhaoiet
!, is,ard,
i Picture to yourself an old man, bont to
o | c1eeccnt by age and infrmity. hair white a
n snow and hanging in elf locks from hts hea
J. half way TO his heels; 6c.fd Of the Sam
:: bleached appearance, tangled and s,,agslng
:. PATCHED and patched again; trousers Of i
J, undistinguishahle color and texture. an
ts An old, battered, tar1ed bat, with feet coycl
T. ines of sornc kind, resembling neitht
r boot, shoe, nor sandal J. and you have tho to-
;" ensemble Of the apparation who Ascended tn
X side With the feeble and uncertain step at Q,
b treus decrrPitude, perhspa OF Illness. Cal
D. tain Carroll haa stated forward to the sanl
"a way to receive the old man when he SAW th
10 canoe approach tho ship, and as he came ors
e the stde, took him By the hand md led ii n,
Il. .th h hs .s''ass fsa !eatss Seass'''a =
t then turning to Mr: Coffin, T 7
: fret officer, gave tho orler to run up q
Of bosts" and : brAec forward the main ysrd
n this order, Of course, annnllinS nJ own 70
he the cabin, and as soon a. the buasle on det
81. l1aa somewhat sabsided, consequent npe
Ill our movements in hlling away, the steEN
he came to Nj. Coffin md myself, And told !
ch that capt&n Carroll desired our presencs,
A6a- ~hYr ,t ef1n n7 f4h 0%x7d
en- And, now comes 4 ta1e a startling perhaF
ar- was ever pepned By any q our sensation
IN norclists. It oven now makes ms deah cree
he md my nerves contract, IL think OF the q
|, ,s he raannes il which be told it. Twas told
,ed low, but distinct, voice, sometimes quav'
ish ing with the voice OF old age, perhaps Of
nd norpc, for \ genuine repentance may ha
m stirred the innoss zeeesseA OF the Old ma
ol- heart
he He VIA IN American, bonn in New Heu
,1e D shire. At the age Of is be hAd ahipped
IT, boa1t tnAn-of-wEr, apd hAd se1ved aa
seven or eight xcare, but, being On hhose
tho ono time = patt., Pen, I'D. I'D deserted e
IS - Talcoho.no, IN Chili. Theso he had ehipE
III "a = sSip o'@ c.llea tSs Ss Sold M.r.h
his After leaving the port OF Taleohuano, the st
let, hid cruisea down tho coast and Around :.
ID be hsd noticed many times : sinEuist find
itu. reserve on the part Of some of his shipma
the towards himself, he belng the only Aneri
The beadea tho Captain and officers on board
not bad not suspected that the terrible deed
which he WAS shout to become witness, :
for in contemplation. One dark and stormy NJ
tly. (dt eeason for cxe~ Of pirates 70
2 of forn their bloody work, } and when Ill hi
pch were called to reef topaaila, tho earn
orn- began. The second and third oshccrs =
,.ya NV It Tho main aferzil, md ihs Captain At
w" binnsclo The steward, AslAy, came on
sn. tho cabin, approached the Captain from
eTer bind. and dsAlt him > blow with = q
;t t,atchet that would h1ve Killed bull.
Eng Be fell without groan and expl
The cook, At the same time. made like
;ood t.ci upop tho mate, in almost the sarne r
!, ~ ner. The remainder Of the odacezs lshe
and md and third rnatss) were killed -
"a n reached the deck; three Of the boa&-stet
mr. .ha1iug the same fate. He alone ~as sp
i of in consequence Of bis having SnoHieds'
,;aIs The decd OF fho1orconsummatsd, the X
isdv | thrnHn overheard, the blood washed frou
Iia1 / d,ippiur dccla, the Carnival OF baect
~. rc;cned 10, two or three days. 1t h1naa
aea- being none bat hirnsalf sober enough 70
his The ship, AZ length their drunken org3e
oarp. minated. and then csnne tho qnesao.
10 IN s,Whare shan vo 70 ?" News travelled 81
= the in thoee days, and ~ : matter Of oo1tse
,.1in- rnutineezs felt themselves mora secure
ut?fnl detection than would nuch be possible no.
" ard length it VIA decided to eteer Tor notoe .
sople out Of tha Hsck uf ehipEinS, BEACH
Ia ahip md establish ! piraticsl colony. !
dy In they were To rs1y upon, and how tho bus
UIsida | was 10 10 prosecuted, forever FenAuad
light cret, - On night similar 70 tbs ono On
noon. the mntiny WA consurnrnAted. the ahaF