The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1883-02-17
.1Bist<nu'e!x.
THE MUTINEERS' SHIP.

THE mUTlNEE6o DILL
1h.d command Of the old "Evershot' .
....d .hin and one which had put mucn
e,onev into the hands Of her owners one
Id been built for the India trade, ana,
with the exception Of one voyage 20 omyl nS
she stuck to the purpose Tor WINCH sn1 !. ~ -
been put together. On the OCCASION ~. =. Gae
present adventure was bouno 1oF nun u
with an assorted and valuable cargo. t na1
a few passengers, among whom were en11o
officers going out to join their 1eg'"en''
after long furlough in England =.
We had doubled the southern capes %
Africa. and were working well INTO the
Indian Ocean, when a lookout IN the 1oie-
ton led sail directly ahead, IN tne
line of our course. So.
"Some homeward bound 1ndlaman'
probably" remarked Mr.. Lee, my mate.
The wind was now little south OF east,
80 that we stood upon our course no1cneass
with freedom. The coming ship nao oeen
heading directly towards US, out as We
came nearer she seemed inclined 10 Keep
away to the westward.
lis it an English ship?" asked one OF
my passengers gray-haired old man. !,
1 told him l thought it was. just as
answered, my second mate came down from
the foretop, where he had been with glass;
I observed that his face wore troubled
look. and that he was anxious to speak, and
his glance at the aged passenger gave me
to understand that he cared not to speak IN
his presence. took the hint, and walked
forward At the gangway Mr.. Beckett, the
mate in question, stopped me.
What is it ?" asked.
"Captain." he replied, trembling, the
shin ahead of us is the Dorret!' There's
not another chip from England with
ficure-head like hers Those three Graces,
with their flowing drapery, are not to be
mistaken"
Are you sure the ship in the distance
has that fgure-head ?"
"Yes, sir -; you'll be able to see it from
here pretty SOON"
But" said I, the Dorset has not
yet had time to reach Sydney, let alone
getting back as far as this"
"Of course she HASN'T" acknowledged
Beckett; but" he ided, casting quick
glance around. "didn't you ever hear OF
ships being turned from their true course
without the orders of their proper comman-
ders?"
'Ah!" uttered thus much, and then
bowed my head beneath the stroke of my
mates intimation.
You remember what sort of q cargo
the Dorset took out ?" Beckett suggested.
l remembered very well; for | had met
her captain on the very day before he sailed,
and dined with him. He was one of my
Oldest and best friends Harry Bumstead
l., on1 nroo6 sailor n q over
trod the deck. The facts, as knew them.
were these: The dorset" had sailed
two weeks before did, taking out twenty
three convicts, who had been sentenced to
transportation These, of course, he was
to drop at Sydney. or Port jackson and
as he lad part of cargo for that place, he
was to make that his first port So knew
that the Dorset" had no business to be
running out from tie Indian Ocean at this
time
"What do you think about it ?" asked
Beckett, who had been watching me mar
rowly.
I.sked him to let me take the glass, and
with it went upon the horse block, and
set the focus The coming ship was now
so near that her hull was up, with her
6gure-head entirely upon the water-line l
turned the glass in that direction, and a
moments scrutiny told me that my mate
was right. There &C i I've no mistaking
the three graceful int:,tvlned figures that
adorned the '~a7 of the g Dorset's" cut
water. They were beautiful in appear
ance.
"Mr. Beckett" said. stepping back to
his side, ''that is the Dorset, and no mis-
take"
$50 am sure. And what do you make
of her present course ?"
What do you make of it?" asked,
not for want of information, but from a
shrinking from being the first to give words
to terrible truth.
He answered promptly, 81 think tie
convicts have taken the ship"
80 do II" And having thus spoken, I
walked aft to where my first mate stood by
the wheel, and taking him aside told him
my fears. He leaped upon the rail and
gazed off upon our neighbor, and was soon
| by my side again and greatly agitated.
cit is certainly as you say, captain.
! What shall we do"
Aye-what could we do? The ship
was now within half mile of us and all
| questions as to her identity was at an end.
| We knew her to be the Dorset" and il
was equally evident that the convicts had
| by some means gained possession.
''She has not only convicts," said Lee,
"but there we're men amorg her crew not
! fit to be trusted One or two of them, at
least, knew for as precious scamps as
ever went unhung.'
This made the matter still worse. OF
my whole available force I could muster
but thirty men, counting the three able
bodied passengers. I had set five Of my
crew on shore at ST. Helena, ill with fever
and had been unaole at the time to make
their places good On board the Dorset,
in all probability, there would be the Tire:
and twenty convicts, and very likely a par
of the crew. From Mr.. Lees representa-
ton, it would be safe to conclude that
majority of her crew might be found il
mutiny What should we do? TO allow
the ship to pass on under such circum
stances seemed hardly the thing for an Eng
lish officer, and to openly engage such
force would be sheer madness l asked my
officers what they thought, and they couli
only answer that must think, and they
would stand by me. And the three military
officers said the same.
During this time the ship in question hai
been nearing us, we having steered so as t.
speak to her, and when she was neal
enough under our lee bow, hailed her:
| Sc Shin ohnv1 ~