The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-11-21
CHAPTER XXXII.
ON THE EVE.

As the time approa he'd for the execution
of my scheme, my anxiety was correspond
ingly heavy. All through that afternoon,
and In the dog watches until the night fell,
the men were constantly throwing their
glances ahead, and sometimes going alost,
exhibiting much restlessness i'll their man
ner, and conyersing in low tones. There
was an entire absence of the familiar bois-
ferrous laugh and 'Skylarking' among
| them.
| had only TO put myself in their place
| to understand the state of mind they were
| il. The voyage, in one sense, was nearly
| at an end it was no longer possible for
| them, on this eve of the day that was to
terminate one essential portion of their
| Journey, and fulfill in some shape or other
one particulaG object of the mutiny, to pos
| sess the feelings of reckless indifference
| that had animated them so far. Ihey
| were fully sensible Of the magnitude OF
| the crime they had committed, and tho
| thought of it, stifed heretofore by the
feeling of security bred in them by the i'm
J mensity of the seas they had traversed,
desert on which crime might wander for
| ever undetected. was now power, strong
| as conscience, to keep them subdued. to
hold them anxiousiy watchful and to fill
them with fretful speculations as to the is
sue of the adventure,
The night passed quietly. twas a night
of surprising beauty, the stars so thick that
the sky was space of throbbing light 80
peaceful was tho motion of the brig that
she seemed to sleep upon the placid sea; yet,
gentle as was the wind, each time the log
was hove we were found to be gliding
through the water at the rate of several
miles an hour
1t was my intention to regain, If possible,
possession of the brig without bloodshed.
This would be practicable if the men did
not alter the programme / myself had
sbetched out to them. I will own this,
that underlying all my honest detestation
OF their pratical and murderous actions
was sneaking kindness for the crew.
They had been my messmates. 1 had
shared in their jokes, laughed over
their yarns; we had gone through
much rough work and rough weather to-
gothar, and 1 had suffered equally with
themselves under an oiious and iusup?ort-
able tyranny. The way in which they had
reYenged themselves upon the captain ana
mate had been inhuman-altogether too
barbarous, yet, even here, consideration OF
their rough, uncultured natures, their igno-
rance, ana DasSiOuS tplIiiSi CJ eA't-
ness. their lives a series of beggarly hard
ships hard words, and poor pay, wouid in,
cline the most rigid to view their mode of
recrinlination with mercy, if the waaton
and cruel provocation they received were
taken into consideration.
Is it not as criminal to provoke crime in
others as to perpetrate it yourself9 Tho
captain might have kept his men honest
To Iar-
ers. and surely the sin was as much on his
shoulders rs ON theirs.
When Banyard came on deck at mid
night to relieve me, sUayed talking with
him for half an hour. Planting myself
where no syllable of our whispered CONVEX
sation could be overheard, laid before
him my plans, and represented the share /
required him to taks in Them The ingenu-
ity of the scheme awoke small glow Of
enthusiasm 10 the old fellow.
ITO Re coNTINUED.)