Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-03-01
CHAPTER X.-MUTTNY.

and the scenes they had witnessed and the
anxiety they had endured had made deep
impression on the remnant of the ''Dfana's'
crew, and wound them up TO high pitch
of excitement. AS our misfortunes had
begun with the Lady Jane" the poor
fellows thought they would end with her.
Having, moreover, come to regard Captain
Peyton as Jonah, they looked on his
tragic death as at once Judgment and an
expiration, and made sure that now he was
gone the luck would change.
Even Bucklow, educated man as he was,
couS not help sharing in this hallucina-
tin; and the alacrity with which he
changed the ships course, and the ener-
getic and almost CHEEKY manner in which
he gave his orders, showed how greatly
his mind was relieved.
81, too, was glad we had got rid of the
brig-like Bucklow, hated The very sight
of her-but l could ntithe- share in the
general confidence, nor believe that in get
ting nd of the fever ship we had got rid of
the fever l was too much depressed to
be hopeful, and had read in one of the
medical books which formed part of Pey-
toms library that a high temperature fav-
ored the development of yellow fever; that
the most certain cure for it Is cold weather.
But during the last day or two the tenn
perature had risen and the wind fallen off,
and as we were now making direct for the
equator, there was every likelihood of our
! having it still warmer. The brig, more
over had done her worst, so to speak; her
cOntiguity ceased to be a danger, and the
chief advantage of her disappearance was
that it encouraged the men, and enabled
US to make better speed; although as our
coal was nearly done, Bucklow thought it
better to stop the engine and unship the
screw.
Great gains, so far as they went; but l
| could not believe that they We're sufficient
TO stay the plague. Bucklow was more
sanguine and superstitious.
THE omens are all good, Erie" he ex-
claimed, clapping me on the back. There
has not been a fresh case since yesterday,
except poor Peyton's; the wind is freshing
we shall be doing six knots soon if this
| goes on-and look there. those white-bel-
| lied devils have left us"
So they had Not a shark was to be seen.
confess that at first this rather stag
gered me: one cannot help believing just
| little in omens; and dumb creatures have
very subtle instincts-stilI, how on earth
can sharks have any ideas about yellow
fever? There must be some other cause.
| All! think | have it.
YES. they are gone, sure enough" l
said But l am afraid Don't you think
the burning of the brig has something to
do with it? have heard that sharks are
easily scared, and the blaze and the heat,
and the fall of burning embers into the
water, might easily brighten much holder
animals"
what n crOaker you are, Erlel Why
cannot you let fellow cherish a pleasing
illusion!-if it be an illusion-and really,
you know, | don't think it is. These crea-
lures senses are very acute, and it is quite
conceivable that their leaving us is good
sign"
II should be glad to think so. But what
| do you call that?' asked. pointing to the
| dorsal fin of a shark which just then ap
| peared above the water.
Heaven help us! they are coming back
| And what u monster! Fiye-and-thirty feet
If 1t is an inchl And there is another.
! How will it all end, Erle?"
THAT is more than can say; but I am
| quite sure that it will end neither better
nor worse because those sharks have come
! back. / suppose it is their nature TO fol-
! low in n ships wake"
But Bucklow shook his hea d; the Incl
| dent had made deep impress sion on him,
| and he evidently put more faith in omens
! than he was willing to admit.
For the next two days, however, things
| did 90 better with us; there was no fresh
! cases, and two sailors who had been taken
! i'll before the captain died seemed as if
! they might recover. At any rate, it was
| past the third day, and they were still
! alive, which showed, | thought, that the
! malady was losing something of its viru-
| leuCe.
But the improvement was short-lived.
| The breeze did not take US very far, and
when it fell off the heat became intense,
and two patients died, and we had several
| fresh cases. In several instances men
! died without being laid up. There was a
| suppression of some of the secretiOns, in
| tense pain in the limbs lasting for few
| hours, and the sufferers were struck down
| on the deck 1t was probably in this way
; that the poor creatures whose bodies we
| found on the Lady Jane" came by their
| end.
The crew, now reduced to less than a
! score, were sOrely discouraged by this
! change for the worse. Sick of disappont-
! ed hope, they became desperate and de-
| moralized the bonds of discipline were
| loosened, and Bucklow could hardly pre-
] vail on JlleIn To Work the snip.
| And no wonder Let the reader mag
| inc, if he can, what his own feelings would
| be if he were shut mp in house where a
deadly and frightfully contagious disease
was rife, where people were dying every
! day, and from which there was no possi-
bility of escape
1--WE shall have trouble" said BuckIow;
"the men are in a very evil humOr. l
doubt if shall ever get this ship to Monte
video. However, l will try my best, and
more than that can no man do"
He kept the deck almost continually
and when he turned in for an hours sleep,
BOlsover (whO now acted rs mate) took the
command. These two were the only Off
GERS left alive, and it was no longer posi-
BILE to arrange the watches in the regular
way. We had to do as we'll as we could,
and gave all.the help in my power, which
was not much, fear for l am no seaman.
But could keep them company, and now
and then took a turn at the wheel, for,
short-handed as we were becoming, ability
to steer might stand us in good stead
was getting up one morning rather
past my usual time, for l had turned in
late the night before, when Bucklow came
to me in a state of suppressed excitement.
II want you on deck" he said. There
is going to be a row. The men have got to
the spirits and are nearly all drunk and
getting obstreperous-won't obey orders.
The wind is fresneninG, too, and unless we
take in sail we shall be in a mess"
| made haste with my dressing, and fol-
lowed him on deck forthwith, first putting
q revolver in my trousers pocket, by way
of being ready for all emergencies.
Except the quarter master at the wheel
and Swede, called Oscar, decent, God
fHo-ing MO-" all tie Lands were in the
waist OF the Snip. lacy Ldd preached a
cask Of rum, and were nearly all more or
less drunk. Bucklow and Bolsover were
demonstrating with them, and trying to
persuade them to return to their duty and
do as tn were bid.
The answer was laugh OF defiance and
a torrent of abuse.
"We'll work no more on this ship"
shouted one fellow. Let her 90 to the
bottom. and be ID to her"
Come, come, men, be reasonable" re-
moustrated Bucklow. at is very rough
on you. l know: it is rough on all of us.
But this sort of thing will do no good
The more you drink, the more likely you
are to die"
THAT'S what we want. We want to
die" hiCCoughed a sailor. filing himself a
glass Of rum. What's the use of living,
Tell me that. What's the use Of living on
n fever shin like this faras Rarrar die Of