The Somerset reporter., 1885-05-27
Selected.
QGELLING Il MUTINY.

Capt Morrison, who told me the story
last summer, as We were sitting by the
seaside, shall repeat it to you Ia his own
! words. had asacd him whether he had
s'er encountered 3 .aat!ay Ia his expert.
| ehce as captain OF whaler. lie said
No. Then, after pause, he added,
"1es, come TO think of ii, | did have Il lit
lie trouble once, up in the Aric. We
were just above Behring's Straits. The
ship was lying at anchor. There was
big field o ice little north of Us, and
great pieces OF ice began TO break of, and
come crashing down ON us. II I'd had the
ship headed towards the floating ice, these
pieces would "a glanced off the PROV, and
| done no damage, hut rs it was, they come
| down SO hard amidships that no ship could
a stood it long. | saw that we must get
| out o that at once, and as we were pretty
| full Of oil, anyway, | decided to heaye
| anchor, and return To San Francisco right
| oil. 50 | ordered the mate to 20 forward
ana tell the men to get out the boat and
| take up the anchors. lii about "A minute he
came hack looking pretty fustcred and
says he, The men refuse to CO.. What's
taatT says |, bringing my foot down hard
on the deck. 'The men refuse to obey or
deTS, SAYS he.
"Then | went forward myself What
les his meanr' said
"IDe mutineers were led by a burly
Englishman, who had been sort o sulien
Tor several days. Tuey had all gone be-
low, leaving their posts. They had taken
all the provisions with them, and it was
PLAIN they were really for Il long tight In
answ r 10 my question, the big English
man stepped to the foot of the hatchway,
and began parley. We hant cot moth
in against you, says he. Thinks | Il
guess ii don't make any difference whether
you have or not, that anchors got TO come
up IF you Will land us al the Sandwich
Islands, continued he, 'ipstead o San
Francisco, we'll 90 right to work. III
give you inst ten minutes 10 start for Tat
anchor, SAID |, and turning ON my heel, |
walked back aft knew they meant fight,
so says to the steward, who had remained
faithful, Go down to he cabin, and fetch
me about Two pounds o powder, half
pound o them biz nails, battle-ground o
brimSlone, and all the red pepper we can
spare from the cooking
"lie was gone about minute. | took
the powder aud pepper and birthstone, al 4
mixed 'em all up with u little water, ju-
enough to kind o. dampen EN-, same,
you've seen boys wet tire-cracker, so : /
won't crack, but kind o'siZzle. Then |
made it up into two balls sharpeued at one
end like pine apple cheese. | gave one To
the mate, and taking some matches |
walked with I other back to the hatchway.
Ia ought to "a said that | buckled ON a
belt with couple o pistols in it, and slip
ped on pair o brass knuckles. Well
said |, ARE you ready to come up now and
get them boatSY
"Ihey wasn't no answer to this but a
loud laugh o scprn, aud volley % swear
words. Then an ola dirty broom, soaked
with the nasty sweepngs of the hold,
come flying up the hatchway, and took me
right on my clean shirt Dos ON; and | al
ways WAS rather particular about my per
sonal appearance. Says | to the mate,
Nail her Gown. In an instant he had IT,,
we'll, what yoa'd call tie trap-door,
nailed down on the mutinecrs and for
minute or two he kept a-lutting temper s
nails into ii as fast AS he could drive. The
men only jeered at this, saying, Nail away,
yon old down-past land-lubber We kin
stand it. We've got the pervisons'. I'd
noticed, as | had come aft the first time,
that they was just putting fresh hod o
coal on the fire at was pre- ty cold wealth.
er up there), and now | was standing right
by the StoNc-pipc that come up through the
deck. With sudden kick | sent that
stovtpipe flying down amongst EN-, aud
while they were considering the taste o.
coal gas, lit one o those powder au'-pep-
per pills told you of, and chucked it right
down through the pipe-hole. | had told
the steward to stand by with the other, and
As soon as mine had got out o my hand, he
had his aSizzing, and chucked i, in for
company. Well, sir, sne,zing! Lordy
Massey! Yon never heard such a Wheeling
and snorliug in your life They couldn't
no living man stand it minute. In less'n
ten seconds, that hatch came nying up
nais and all. Desperation don't care any
thing about ten-peuny nails The-English-
man wasn't long coming up after the hatch
The devil was a-lOoking right out o. his
oyen. There wasn't room for only one to
tine, and was ready for him. | stood at
the hatchway, and the minute his head
showed above the deck, | let him have the
iull benefit o the brass knuckes between
his eyes. You've seen u butcher strike a
crtter: well, that's the way that fellow
dropped. | reckoned I'd killed aim. |
leaned over the hatchway, and says |. ad-
dressing the next meanest man Of EN-,
says |, Williams, you come up. If two
of you come, you're both dead men.
There wasn't much hesitation. Up he
come, a-wheczlng and a-sne, ziug. Put
your hands Out, says |, as he got even
with the deck, put EN- right out The
mate clappcd The irons on bis wrists, and
sent him forward to take his seat on long
boom they was laying a opg the deck.
Then | called five more of 'em up the same
way, aud set EN- along in row on the
Loom.
Now, said |, leaning over the hate
way, the rest of you come up on the ruu.
Up they come. without waiting for "A sec
ond invitation. As they come to the fresh
air, each OF of EN- took long pull at il.
same's ii it had been a whskev bottle.
rney hndu't tasted any hing 50 good on
that voyage. | set EN- ali along on the
boom, aud there they sat, easpiug, and
looking as foolish aud 'shamei as row o
wet chickens. | forgot to say that we had
been Obliged To send down and have the
b Z Eugli>hman hoirted up by rope. He
couldn't "A got up alone. Then laid aside
my pistols, and placing my hand quietly in
the breast o my coat says | To the mate,
Take the irons OF ~ them men. This
surprised EN-, | can tell you. But | want
ed to show 'em that wast't afraid of EN-.
The mate, he undid the irons, aud rs soon
all the men were free, stepped right up
close to EN-, and looking EN- right in the
eyes, says |, 'No,c--get into your boats,
and take up that anchor.
"Dii they do it r asked.
"Do 7" said the captain. 'Well. sir,
you've seen flDck u sheep 20 over wall.
Tha s the way those fellows went over
the side a. The shin