The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-08-12
A Strange Mutiny.

ship Jasper, cruising for sperm whales,
the Indian Ocean, our men nearly all ra
away, and their places were supplied b
sailors who had deserted from other vessel
We had not been fortunate. Whales wei
scarce and wild, and the Jasper had stowe
down oil very slowly.
Taking new departure from the Comor
Islands, we hoped for better luck; but tn
tediousness and want of success continue
as before, until every one was fretful an
discontented. --..-- i
In addition to other discouragements,
was discovered that the hands last engaged
seeing that the ship would make poor voy
age, at the very best, and resolving to leav
her at the next port, had determined amon
themselves not to "sing OUT" even shoul
whales be raised by any of them, since the
did not wish the trouble of helping to secur
oil when they had no intention of remainin,
to claim their share of it. st-
There were nineteen of these malcontents
including the cook, steward and third mate
the last having been shipped for the ofic'
because the captain had reason to suppos,
him a good whalenan, although dissipatet
and reckless. AsA ~ S'-ifai42 2l
Captain Gale, the first and second mates
the shipkeeper, five green hands and myself
ten in an-made up what was left of tn.
Jasper's original company, and were the
only ones on board who took any interest il
the voyage. ---...-- ..--..---.-
The captain was good man to sail with
but he had will of his own, and was moi
to be imposed upon. Finding that the sail.
ors had concluded to catch no more whales
if they could help it, and were waiting only
for a chance to get on shore, he told. them
in a decided manner that the ship should moi
go into port until she should have taken
six hundred barrels of oil in addition to that
already in the hold.
The grumbing at this decree from the
quarterback was very great; but the man
date had the effect of putting the men sharp
ly on the watch, as the vagabonds did not
relish the thought of remaining at sea until
they should all ne coated with yellow moss,
like the crew of the Flying Dutchman. %
Some of them were English, some Portu-
guese, and some Americans; and there was
not a man of the whole who had not tales to
relateof i'll usage, which he had received ON
beard other ships. -
A half dozen OF them, who had run away
from the ship Zelra, were especially severe
on the captain of that vessel regretting that
they had not throEn him overheard, and de-
claring that they would yet be even with
him for his brutality.
had heard of Captain Chapman. of the
Zebra, and did not much wonder at the
hatred with which these rude sons of the sea
regarded him. He was in the habit of head
ing up his men in casks, and feeding them
on bread and water through the bung- holes.
Our own ship had by no means become
as intolerable as the Zebm, vet week by
week it grew more and more apparent that
there might be trouble.
1t seemed as if the men began to regard
few days imprisonment in an oil-cask as q
lighter infiiction than the indefinite pro-
ongation of a cruise from which they could
hope nothing.
Now and then we would get small whale,
but the imprecations of the hands would then
Do deeper than ever, as they realized the
disparity between the quantity of oil obtain
I'd and the amount required, and felt that.
although the labor of cutting in and boiling
'ut was comparatively small, it was labor in
7ain as far as they were concerned.
Had the captain heard all that was said by
hese men, he might have felt uneasy for
ome of their conversation took a very
threatening turn. ~ Its5 = =.
" wish," said one fellow who had suf-
cred on board the Zebra, !" that all such
neaks as old Chapman and old Gale could
'e stood up in a row, with cannon brought
o bear on 'em as long as the island of
Madagascar. I would wade ten thousand
niles through boiling hot tar to touch it of. f"
More and more surly grew looks and
words; but, although the captain was pun
shing himself as well as the crew, he still
dhered to his resolution.
Nine months had passed, and we had
AIKEN only one hundred and fifty of the six
undred barrels demanded by his terms.
To make matters worse, our first and Sec
nd mates, having become extremely irri-
able through our ll-luck, had taken, be-
ides, great aversion to the men, whose
grumblings they sometimes over
card, acd had begun to shamefully abuse j
hem, msking free use of Delaying pins and
opes' eras, while the captain, whose antip- |
thies were in the same direction, offered |
o interference.
And this it happened that, coming more |
irectly il contact with the mates than with
aptain Gale, the crew hated the former |
ven wone than they did the latter.
AT lass. one day off Madagascar, all our
oats wels down in pursuit of whales that
ere aln.,st as difficult to approach as SO
ANY wild horses.
The cs plain had with him five men of our
riginsl srew; but, with the exception of
he first and second mates and myself, the
rews of the other three boats were COM
osed wholly of the men we had last
hipped- L was with the third mate, and
eaded his boat
Our little fleet was considerably scattered,
ie captain getting furthest from the ship.
he third mate showed no desire of coming
p with the whales, but would occasionally
lake remarks to his crew of which I could
OF readily comprehend the meaning
. If the old man gets FAST" said he, lit
i'll be all the better for us. We must keep
etween him and the ship, anyhow. Idon't
nlieve the mates crew will hurt themselves
ith pulling, or the second mates, either"
Isn't it about time, sir?" asked one of
10 hands.
No, not yet" was the reply; 'twait and
e if the old man gets fast. Ifhe does, the
hale will take him to windward, of course
right away from the ship"
Well,' said the other, that will be SO
uch the better. We shall have the less to
luck overheard. It's best to have as little
ouble as possible"