Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-09-24
NUMBER 3.

who tries to force it will have his brains
blown out | will tell you whatI propose
to do, if you agree. There are some
islands near where we are with the best
climate, the finest fruit and plenty of food
without working for it. We will make
for one of these, land everything out of
this rotten old ship, and then scuttle her.
You have made me your captain, and
appoint Lloyd my chief officer. He is q
! sailor and knows where these islands are,
and how to reach them, so he will st.il the
| ship"
Loud acclamations greeted this address,
and the assembly adjourned to the grog
| tubs.
| | was not long left unmolested; knot
of fellows gathered around me and dis
cussed what they should do with me, and
one at last suggested that should be made
| to swallow the contents of my medicine
chest, which was forthwith brought up for
the purpose, and some calomel pills were
actually forced into my mouth. How L
wished that had been q homeopathy!
While was struggling a man came up.
"What are you doing with the doctor?"
| he asked excitedly; : didn't the Captain
say he wasn't to be touched9 He wants
| to see you, sir, down in the cabin,'' he
added civilly to me. My prosecutors
skunk off, grumbling, and my deliverer
cut my bonds and led me to Williams,
who had been shot in the shoulder and
wanted his wound attended to. | man.
aged to extract the bullet, and when he
was easier he said:
81 am sorry for all these horrors, doc
tor, swear / am. But you know the men
I have to deal with and how slight my
hold is upon them You have been kind
to many of them and are useful besides,
so managed to save your life, but when
I said word for the others they would not
listen. AS for MacNab, he fired at me
first, or he would never have fallen by my
hand.'
"You are responsible to God and the
law, not to me, ] replied.
Ought I to have refused to tend his
wound? Was it my duty to beard and
upbraid him? | do not know; life is
sweet, and l wished and tried to preserve
it, excusing my pusillanimity at the time
by the thought that my testimony, if sur
vived, might bring the whole body OF ras-
Gals to justice.
quite understood the tenure upon which
my life was held, in spite of Williams
plausible speeches. There were many
sick and several wounded both by the
storm and in the fight when the vessel
was seized, and they needed my services.
When they thought they could without do
me I should be silenced forever, together
with every other probable witness against
them. Meanwhile the ship was kept on
her course toward the Friendly Islands
under Lloyd's management, and on the
third day land was sighted.
That evening, a sailor who had joined
the mutineers on compulsion and had
been hurt came to me and said:
81 beg pardon, sir, but would you dress
my wound on deck where every one can
see us?"
saw he had a reason and consented.
GIVE something to say, sir, and don't
want to be seen talking to you in private
way for fear Of making them suspicious.
Bill Hicks was at the masthead on the
look out last watch, and he saw some
thing he did not report and that's Brit
ish frgate, round the headland of that
there island Don't start, sir. There's
only us of the old crew knows it; and
we've had a boat ready to lower for some
days It's that one on the port side, next
the mizzen-mast. We mean to lower that
quickly at nightfall and let it tow be-
hind and then later such as can will get
into it, cast off and row for the frigate. If
you like, sir, you had better lie down in
the boat and be lowered with it. Say you
want quiet read or sleep or something if
you're seen. There's risk, of course,
but not big one Lloyds half drunk
now and will be quite after bit, and so
will most of the others, for now they have
got to the islands they think it's all right.
There's only that Williams
+" ] can manage him." said |, and we
parted.
Williams wound was painful and his
pulse feverish; so he gladly swallowed a
soporifc which would keep him quiet for
some hours.
At the proper time got into the boat
indicated, the only men who could posi-
bly, see me being those at the wheel, who
were both old members of the crew and
were prepared when they knew that Lloyd
was quite overpowered by drink to alter
the course Of the ship and steer for the
headland, where the frigate had been
seen. All went easier than had even been
anticipated. When | had been slowed
away half an hour the boat was lowered,
and in very little while three men stole
into it, cut the rope by which we were
towing, and when the ship had forged far
enough ahead to prevent the phosphores-
cence of the oar-dips attracting attention
began to row in the direction of the head
land.
In two hours time we turned it, and
saw the lights of the frigate, against the
sides of which in another hour the boat
grated.
''Who goes there?' challengeda sentry.
Medical officer escaped from convict
ship which has mutinied."
] will not dwell upon the joy with
which stood upon the deck or on the
heartiness of my reception when I had
made my report.
The frigate weighed, and stood out to
sea at once, and in the early morning
came up with the convict ship, boarded,
and took her without resistance.
My evidence sufficed to clear the sea-
men and marines who had been forced
into pretended compliance with the pro-
jects Of the mutineers, as also, some
months afterward, to secure the execution
of all those who had taken prominent part
in the murder of my poor friends, Mac
Nab and Phipps, seventeen OF whom sui
fered the extreme penalty OF the law at
Sydney-LepSs Hougt, IN CasSeJps Maya
zine.
A SALE is announced to take place next
November at Rome which is interesting,
not simply on account Of the intrinsic
value of the objects to be sold, but still
more from the circumstances to which the
collection owes its ORIGIN Soon after the