The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-31
CHAPTER IN.

Shhfl In.
As the men had been up all night
recommended the carpenter 10 go to
them and tell them that the watches
would not be altered, and that the
watch whose spell it was below should
turn in.
Some, it appeared, asked that rum
should be served out to them, bat
the carpenter answered that none
should be given them until breakfast
time, and if they got talking too much
about the drink he'd run brad-awl
into the casks aud let the contents
drain ont: Cor il the men fell to drink
ing the ship was sure to get into mess,
in which case they might be boarded
by the crew of another vessel and car
ried to England, where nothing less
than hanging or transportation awaited
them.
This substantial advice from the lips
of the man who had been foremost in
planning the mutiny produced good
effect. and the fellows who had asked
for spirits were at once DANGEROUSLY
assaulted by their mates; so that, in their
temper. had the carpenter proposed to
of the hands would have consented and
the thing been done.
All this was told by the boatswain.
I took the opportunity OF being alone
with him to ask him some questions
about the mutiny. l found him to be
thoroughly honest man. He said he
only consented to join in the mutiny
when he saw it was useless to oppose
the men and took the coarse to save his
own life. questioned him as to the
intention of the carpenter referred 10
by the man named BILL" but he
knew nothing as 10 its nature. He was
what it was, as secret could not be
kept by so many men.
AT this point our conversation was
interrupted by the carpenter coming
aft to ask me to keep watch while he
and the boatswain turned in. He said
he was ''dead beat" and would BE- of
no service until he rested.
Left alone. l seriously considered my
situation. My principal anxiety was
TO foresee how the men would act when
l had brought them 10 the place they
wished to arrive ut. Would they give
such witness against their murderous
dealings rs | was chance TO save my
life? /. whose plain testimony could
set Justice on the hunt for every one of
them. l couid not place conf
dence in their assurances. The Oaths
OF such rufiians as many of them I'M
doubleday were, were worthless. They
would murder me without al instant's
scruple, ii by so doing they could i'm
prove their own chances OF escape: and
l was fully persuaded that l should
have shared the fate Of CoXon and
Duckling, in spite Of the sympathy l
had shown them, and their declaration
that they did not want my life, had
they not foresecn that they would stand
in need of some competent person to
navigate the ship for them, and that
was more likely to come into their
projects than either of the men they
had murdered.
BY agitation was greater than like
to admit. l turned over in my mind
various plans tor escape, none OF which
upon mature consideration seemed
practicable. To let the men see that l
stood to my work, never quilted the
deck until six o'clock.
On arousing the carpenter in the
cabin formerly occupied by me Il found
him in the bunk On my mattress with
his boots on and a pipe belonging to
me in his HANDY, l told him that the
ship could now carry all plain sail. and
advised him to make it. He got cut
of the bunk in pretty good temper,
and went along the cuddy: but rs he
was about to mount the companion
ladder called to know if he would see
the steward and speak to him about
serving out the cuddy stores. as l pre-
ferred that he should give the man in