The Republican journal., 1871-07-27

! llSHl. IN the morning noticed tnat III
had whispered conference with the cook
and that afterwards he was more thai
usually silent and unapproachable. Ht
had moreover a dangerous look in hi
face. One would have said that the MAJ
was meditating some desperate enterprise
It is doubtful if at this time he had formed
the wild scheme which he afterward at
tempted to execute. He was, however, {
desperate man. who might at any mo
ment throw off the mask of quiet obedi
ence, if the motive and opportunity were
at hand.
Once | fancied that | saw him talk
ing with the stewardess in the shadow ol
the house amidships; but when | ap-
preached him q little while afterward he
was quite alone. He AFFECTED complete
relation to Bloody Dick" was evident,
and could moi be drawn into conversation
about her. She rarely came on deck, and
Bill and |, who were in the same watch,
scarcely ever caught a glimpse of her AT
last, however, an afternoon arrived when
we two We're sitting on the lee side of the
quarterback mending u split sail; we
were working rapidly and silently when
''Bloody Dick" appeared, followed with
evident reluctance by the woman. They
stood near the companionway, and the
captain plainly spoke to her of Bill,
for he pointed toward him as he was
questioning her. We could not hear his
questions nor her answers, but the latter
threw Bloody Dick" into one Of his quiet,
devilish RACES. He turned on her with 4
torrent of the foulest language spoken in
soft and measured accents. and ordered
her below. Then he approached Bill, and
kicked him till he grew weary of the eX-
erciSe. Neither of us said word, as re-
monstrance would only have made mat
ters worse. The sailor that is in the
power of brutal captain has no possible
redress at sea No one dare lift a finger
to protect him, and there are no police to
answer his cry for help.
A few nights alterward Bill came to
me in the first watch, and drawing me
apart from the other men said to me-:
you're my friend. and I'm proud of
it, for you've been something a-sight
better than q sailor before you came to
this. | was q decent man too, once, but
| was ruined by a woman. | wasn't 4
gentleman you understand, but my dad
was q respectable man, and my mother
was as nice woman as there was in Lon
don. l grew up at home, and was in
dads shop selling groceries and keeping
myself pretty straight. l didn't drink in
them days you understand, and | was q
quiet, working young fellow, only l
was - fool enough to get married.
| wam't twenty years old, mind you, and
she was three years younger than me-
the prettest girl in the Tower Hamlets.
And by - she was innocent and good
when knew her, and she was fond Of me
too, till she got her head filled with notions
Of being q fine lady 1t was an Injee
mate, one of Green's fellows-them chaps
hat wears uniforms and gold lace. He
ruined her. He made her think | warn't
enough of a swell for her, and - Well
body knew she went off with the Injec
fellow. Give me some tobacco, will you
can't think of her without chewing like
-. Well. | went Just mad about that
woman took to drinking day and night
till | see that my folks was as miserable
about me as | wasl about her. 50 | says
one day, Dad, I'll never disgrace you as
she has me. Pm a-going to sea, and
You'll never hear of me till | can tell You
I've cholled the villain that ruined
her. 50 | went TO sea. That's three
years ago, and I've been knocking rounC
ever since"
;;'TIave YOU ever found the man ?"
asked.
"Not yet" he answered; "but-- but
and he seemed unable to speak
but what, Bill 9N said L. "Speal.
out, old man; You know You can trust
me-
''Tve found her. he answered; ''she's
aboard this ship. The girl the old MAJ
licks when he's tired OF licking us is my
little Nell" Here he walked suddenly
away from me, and stood alone by the
fore rigging, his head bent upon his arm
BY and by he came back to me, and wen
on with the story. ''She knows me, an(
she amt afraid of me. | couldn't hur
her, you know. I've had . talk with her
and she hates Bloody Dick worse thar
we do, lie won't beat her again, though.
GLOW do you know that ?" | asked.
Because" he replied fcrcely, he's
dead man before twenty -four hours is over
Eve got the whole thing fixed. The mel
are all in it but you. | warn't going t.
all right if we failed. But we amt gon.
to fail Tomorrow night We'll take thi
ship, or there won't be men enough let
to sail her.
''But, Billm | urged you've lost you
senses, man, You'll ruin the whole of Us
If YOU can trust the men to follow, whic
| don't believe YOU can, for they've NJ
heart left in them, what could you do
You'd he hung if you took the ship int,
port; besides, none of us can navigat
her"
sBurn her" he replied land take t
the boats We're on the Pacific now. an
YOU can cruise all over it in small boat
When we're picked up and swear tn
officers went down with the ship, who's t
prove the contrary" ?"
BILL" said |, earnestly, "dont do thi
mad thing. | won't betray you, thoug
| won't Join you. Whether YOU fail 0
not, we shall be worse off than we AZ
now"
"And the woman, "he demanded hoarsl
ly-.' what's to become of hcr?'
| was silent, for after what he had saiC
how could | tell him that she was nc
worth the danger and crime OF mutin
and murder!
II love her yet,' Bill continued; Ssh
was such q young bit Of o thing that
can't help forgiving her. And she's ha
such q hell of u life since the Injee mat
was drowned in the IIoogly. Do you SUI
pose I'm going to stand still and lt
'Bloody Dick hammer her whenever h
pleases ?"
Here we were called to shorten sal
and our conversation came to an enc
Bill did not speak to me again that nigh
nor the next day. | anXiously awaite
the approach Of the following night. S
far as "Bloody Dick" was concerned,
would not have lifted a finger to say
him; but | knew how mad and hopele
any attempt ut mutiny must necessari
be.
The next day, soon after one o'clocl
when all hands were on deck-tor on IL
Golden Arrow, whether the weather W;
fair or foul, all hands were kept at wol
in the atternoon-I was alott reeving
new leech-line to the mizzcn-topsail.
was not looking for any demonstration
the part Of the mutineers until nightfal
and therefore, Though saw Bill and Il
rest Of the crew gathered together on tt
forecastle, l did not suspect that any ou
break was at hand. Presently, howeve
the group separated, and five men, ii