The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-10-16

.ney all grabbed for the jackstav.
Aitcr a great deal of exertion, the off.
GERS reefed the fore and main topsails.
with but little help from the seasjck
men. The mizzen topsail blew away
before it could be secured.
Inc snip was heavily loaded. and Ia
Dored badly in THE brisk sea, which soon
Followed the coming of the gale. The
captain preferred to drive her with sim
gle-reefed topsail, for he knew that If
he started his halliards the sails would
STAT to pieces before his clumsy crew
could smother them. Each heavy gust
pressed the lee rail down into the water,
and the spray flew ever the bows in a
continuous shower.
The discomfort among the ME grew
more violent as darkness increased.
and they began to feel the agonies of
sea sickness augmented by wet clothes
and the n autumnal wind. They
quickly made up their minds to mutiny;
and. while crouched in the lee of the
deck-house to escape the spray, ar
ranged for concerted action at the first
opportunity.
Before long a voice was heard CALI
ing: ''Stand by the weather main
bracesr'
i They went aft to the braces, and
when the second mate noticed all hands
were there, he advanced to ask why
the watch below were on deck. For
answer he was knocked down BY a
blow from a capstan-ba and quickly
bound. hand and foot, with ropes-ends.
They then rushed upon the captain,
who shot the foremost through the
shoulder; but the revolver was knocked
away and his throat clutched by the
fingers of a burly stevedore. whose 9TH
or hand was raised to stab him.
At this crisis there was heard a shrek
so loud and unexpected that the astons
ished r%utiians remained motionless for
an instant. A white form, with long
blonde hair streaming in the wind.
bounded through the cabin door, and
rushing upon the captains assailant,
caught the knife before it could de-
scend. Terror-stricken. the supersti-
tions men fell back. Before the sur
prise was over, the other officers ran
up from below. and the mutineers were
soon cowed and driven off the quarter
deck. The woman was the captains
wife. The men did not know that she
was on board; so her sudden appear
ance and brave defense of her husband
had made them waver at the time
when success depended upon imme-
date action.
After this there were no more open
acts of mutiny; but the crew worked
with a suilcnness which showed that
the fire Of discomfort was not quenched,
but smoldering. One trifiing cause
served to foment the bitter feeling be-
tween men and officers; which, under
different circumstances. would have
been considered only a joke.
The mate had a parrot, which was
given the freedom Of the decks when
the ship had run down into warm
weather. During the previous home
ward voyage this bird had learned to
some of the most common
orders. Until the new crew learned to
distinguish the officers voices from the
imitation, they were frequently sent
aloft to loose sail, or called aft to the
by the mischievous bird, much
to the annoyance of the mates and the
of the men. Finally. just as the
had made up his mind to have
the parrot kept below decks, it disap-
The mate never discovered
how, but, of course, he believed the
men had killed and thrown it over
The mar whom the captain wounded
recovered slowly from the wound.
for some time a high fever. He
vas taken aft and cared for, with great
kindness, by the captain and his wife.
the fact that he had been the
eader in the mutiny. When he re-
.urncd to his bunk in the %forecastle, he
lad been completely won by the treat.
ncnt received from the man he had
to kill. He therefore exerted
lis influence in the interests of peace;
,ut the breach between the men and
,ficers had been constantly widening
his illness, and was now too
treat to be closed by any ordinary
measures. ,
The master was we'll aware of the
nsubordination among the crew, and
,cgau to consider the wisdom Of aban-