The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-03
The Story Of a Wreck.
Thrilling and Romantic Account OF
o Mutiny at Sea.
BY w. CLARK RUSSELL.
CHATTER vI.-CoxrrsuEp.

CHATTER vL-CoSrrNuEn.
Had / been on friendly terms with
Coxon or Duckling, l should have made
no delay in going to one or the Other
of them and communicating my mis-
givings, for really apprehended that
there was something serious in the at.
&itude of the men. But knew both OF
them disliked me SO thoroughly that
they were likely to convert my warn
ing into direct charge against me.
and if the mutiny which / foreboded
broke out l would be treated as the
ring-,eader. Besides, there was another
consideration that influenced me; my
misgivings might be unfOunded.
might make report which would not
only imperil my own position, but PRO-
woke him into assuming an attitude
toward the men which would produce
in reality the mutiny that might, as
things went, never come to pass. This
consideration more than any thing else
decided me to hold my tongue. to let
matt'rs take their course. and to leave
the captain and his chief mate to use
their own eyesight. instead of obtrud-
ing mine upon them.
When left the deck at four o'clock
on the Wednesday afternoon, there
was pleasant breeze blowing directly
from astern, and the ship was carrying
all the canvas that would draw. The
sky was clear, but pale, like a winter
sky. and there was very heavy swell
rolling up from the southwark. The
weather. on the whole, looked promis-
ing, and. despite the northeasteriy
wind, the temperature was SO mild
that could have very well dispensed
with my pilot jacket.
Through the dog-watches the
weather still held fair; but the glass
had fallen and the wind was dropping.
Captain Coxon had very little to say to
me now. and / to him. l was Just
civil, and he was barely so; but when
i was taking glass in the cuddy pre-
paratory to turning in for three hours
he asked me what l thought of the
weather.
Its difficult to know what this
swell means, SIR" / answered. Either
it comes in advance of gale or it fol-
lows gale"
''In advance" he said. '.lf You are
going TO turn in, keep your clothes on.
There was a laundering gale in the sun
this afternoon, and if you clap your
nose over the ships side you'll smell it
coming
The captain went on deck and laid
down to get little sleep before the
storm, which felt was approaching,
should arrive. Twas awakened by one
of the hands striking eight bells, and
at once tumDied up and got on deck
The night was darker than it was
when had gone to my cabin: no star
was now visible; an inky b!ackneSs
Oversprcad the confines of the deep,
and inspired a sense of calm that was
GREATNESS. suifocating. insupportable.
The heavy swell still rose ana sunk the
vessel, washing her sides to the height
of the buiwarks, and making the rud-
der kick furiously.
The moment Coxon saw me he told
me to 90 forward and Set all hands to
closc-reef the fore-top-sail. l did his
bidding, calling out the order as Invent
stumbling and sprawiing along the
main-deck. and letting so the halliaris
to wake up the men, after
cropping for them. Indeed, it was
pitch dark forward. l might have
been store-biind for any thing could
see, barring the thin rays of the fore
castle lamp glimmering family upon a
few objects amidships.
Owing TO tins darkness. it was a
worse job to reef the top-sails than had
it been blowing hurricane in day
light. 1t was quarter to one before
both sails were reefed, and then the
watch that had been on deck since
eight o clock turned in.
Here were we now under almost bare
poles, in a dead calm: and vet. had the
skipper ordered both the fore and miz-
zen top-sai.s to be fLrled. he would
not have been doing more than was
justified by the extraordinary charac-
ter OF the night-the strange and mon
strous sub-sweil of the ocean, the
opacity of the heavens. the sinister and
phenomenal breathlessness and heat OF
the atmosphere.
The captain, who was on the star
board side of tie wheel. called me over
tp him.
'.Are the decks clear:"
-.All clear, SIR
-'Foretop-sa,l shee:s?"
s.Ready for running. sir"
Flows her head, now?' to the man
at the helm.
Nor west half nortn."
Keep brisk lookout to the south.
ard. sir" lie said to me; '.and sing Out
If you see the sky clearing"
] saw him, by the b nnacie-light, put
fiis finger in his mouth and hold it up
But there was no other air to be fell
than the short rush first one way, then
another, as the ship rolled.
.'Stand by the starooard braces!'
suddenly rosred the skipper; and the
M n, awake to a sense of a great and
perhaps perilous change close at hand,
came shambling and stumbling along
the deck.
A wonderful panorama was now be-
Ing rapidly unfolded in the south.
All down there the sky WAS clearing
rs if by magic. and the stars shining
but as watched, great flying wreatns.
like mighty volumes of smoke pouring
ont of gigantic factory chmneys. came
rushing over and obscuring them.
though always leaving few brightly
burning in a foreground which adj
vanced with astonishing rapidity to.
ward the ship. To right and # of this
point of the HORIZON the sky cleared
only to be cbscured afresh by the fiying
clouds. Soon, amid the solemn pauses
falling upon the ship between the in
tervals of her pitching. for sh. had now