News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-05-20

| eHecC tnat L had n0lnIHS- TO 90 Win
bringing about this mutiny, and that
navigated the bark under duress2"
"We will thatr' they shouted in
/ chorus.
every well, will remain; but why
not keep the Captain prisoner instead
of sending him adrift.
''He must be punished, sir" replied
Johnson.
l argued with lem together and sep
arately, but it was no use. They had
decided on a course and could not be
swerved from 1t. Capt Burrows was a
cringing coward. He begged, entreated,
and sought to bribe, and when day fully
| broke he hadn' It the heart of of woman,
A man was sent aloft with a glass to
survey the sea, and when he-came down
and reported the waters clear of sail the
yawl was lowered, keg of water, some
of the spoiled meat, and lot of wormy
biscuits were placed i. It, and they were
reIdy to send the captain adrift. His
cowardice was so great that one could
not pity him. He had to be lowered
over the side like bale of rags, and as
his boat foated away he covered down
on the bottom, and seemed to fall into a
stupor. When he was half mile astern
johnson called every man aft and said:
"Now, men, Mr.. Carling is to be our
Captain and he is to be promptly obey
ed, l shall be first mate, Peterson second
and though we berth in the cabin, you
shall have just as good food as we do.
We will now name the watches, and
things will go on as if there had been no
trouble"
His word was not questioned. There
was no exultation, no lawlessness, no
boasting. Every man was quiet and
thoughtful. They had been wronged
They had righted that wrong in their
own way, and were now simply seeking
a safe escape. In twenty minutes after
the Captain was set aHoat you could
not have told that anything out of the
routine had happened. The decks were
washed down, breakfast prepared, and
when things mad been cleared away
johnson came down into the cabin and
said:
''Mr. Carling, how far are we out from
the Sandwich Islands?"
"Not to exceed seventy miles"
Very we'll; you will please give US
tie course for the Paumotu Islands2"
'But 1 was going to alter the course
to run for South America"
"We don't want to go there What
said was to deceive the Captain, for It's
likely he'll soon be picked up. We
want to run down to the Paumotu
Islands,"
got out the charts, gave him the
course, and followed him on deck.
Everything was ship shape, the men as
respectful as you please, and it was hard
to realize that anything like mutiny and
murder had occurred. 1t seemed as if
the very winds looked upon the reVolu-
tion with favor, for the breeze hauled to
our best sailing point and sent us along
hour after hour and day after day until
we were far to the south of the Sand
wich Islands.
l am telling you now what afterward
swore to. that better crew never trod
deck. There was no wrangling, no
drinking, and not the least indication of
lnsubordination. When we came to
overhaul the ships stores we found four
sailor could ask K ff 5sh e | other portioHH m
must have been put inby the Captain on
some speculation.
Near the line of the equator we had
light winds and calms for several days,
but finally got slant which carried us
to the south until we got holding
breeze, and one afternoon we sighted
the islands for which we had long been
headed. The group comprises fifty or
more islands, with those of the Society,
Cook, and Tabna lying just to the south.
At this day most of the islands are in
habited. At that date only few of
them were, and there were not above
three or four ports of call, mainly for the
convenience of whalers in want of yege-
tables and water. The bark had plan
ned to visit the Marshall, Gilbert, and
Phoenix Islands, lying near the equator,
and much nearer Honolulu. The Pau
motu Islands had been selected by the
mutineers because two of them had once
been wrecked among them, and spent a
year or more in leading a half-civilized
life
Before dark we had made a safe an
chorage, and, though the voyage was
now ended, discipline still remained as
strict as ever. That evening johnson
came down to me and said:
''Mr. CARING, the voyage is ended.
You have done as you agreed, and you
must admit that the men have been
well behaved. Will you go with us to-
morrow or stick by the bark ~
Il must stand by the craft
''Just as you say, sir. This is shell
tered spot, and we will leave you in
good shape. We shall ia e the long
boat, some spare sails, few stores and
other things, but nothing to cripple the
bark. Goodnight, Mr.. Carling.'
The next day the longboat was hoist
ed out, and the men took some muskets,
few hatchets, kettles to cook in, fish
ing tackle, tobacco, pipes, and finished
off with shipstOres enough to last 'em for
a couple of weeks. There was over
50, 900 in gold in the cabin, and as
Johnson knew it the others must have
known it as well, but not man asked
for dollar. 1t was o'clock in the af-
ternoon before they were ready to go,
and the last two hours were spent in
making everything snug. All the light
sails were sent down and put into the
the sail room, and the others were care
fully slowed. The second anchor was
dropped, and the Captains dingey was
hoisted out and made fast alongside for
my use if l wanted to go ashore. Then
every man signed the paper had drawn
up, and as they went over the side each
one took my hand and bado me good
by. l never saw one of them again.
Six weeks later q Massachusetts
whaler discovered the Midway in her
snug berth, and, as she happened to
have the crew of a wrecked vessel
aboard, had no trouble in securing a
complement of men to return the bark
to San Francisco. The Captain, as was
afterward learned, had drifted two days
before he was picked up by trading
steamer, but he died several days after
his rescue So far as / know no steps |
were ever taken to overhaul the mutt
neers, as after my statement in the
courts public sympathy was altogether
in their favor.