The Globe-republican., 1890-04-09

Survivor.
The other day 1 saw notice in Liver
pool paper to the effect that the court:
had decided to rehear the case of Mrs
Allan White, daughter of Captain
Thomas of the brig Countess. To the
general reader those lines meant moth
ing. l do not suppose there are fifty
people in all England to-day who can re-
call the case of the Countess, although
the particulars were published far and
wide, and finally appeared in book form
1t is thirty years since the circumstances
occurred, and as was the sole survivor
OF the crew, and the one who gave all
the particulars to the English press. per-
haps l can tell the adventure in a way
to interest you.
The Countess was a Bristol brig,
owned in part and commanded by Cap
tain Thomas, who was not only thor
'ough seaman, but a man of excellent
heart. We were bound out to George.
town, in British Guinea, with orders to
call at Jamaica. This was my third
voyage with Captain Thomas, the other
two extending only to ports in Spain
and return. l was an apprentice, or
ships boy, having nothing to do with
the cabin but living with the crew in
the focastle and learning to be sailor.
On the day we left Bristol l was four
teen years of age, and stout and robust
for boy of my size. We carried two
mates, 4 cook, and seven men before the
mast. This was very full-handed for a
brig of her size, but it was one of the
peculiarities of the Captain, never to put
to sea short-handed. Rather than do so
he would carry one hand extra. He was
often laughed at for this, but he con-
tended that it paid in the long run, and
SO it did.
After we left port and got things ship
shape ! had opportunity to look over
the crew and see what they were made
of. and l was not long in making up my
mind, boy that was, that we had ship
ped hard lot There is always a leader
in the fo'castle, and in those days it was
the best fighter. Seamanship and edu-
cation had to bow to brute strength. 1t
wasn't three days before burly big fell
low, who went by the name of Bristol
Bob, but whose real name was Havens.
had established himself as ''boss'' If
he had had the good of the brig in view
this would have been for her benefit,
but it soon transpired that he had plans
OF his own. At sea the first mate stands
his own watch, while the second mate
stands for the Captain. Our second
mate was named Miner, and l was in
his watch, as was also Bristol Bob and
couple of his chums. The first mate
was named Parker, and it soon trans
pired that he was q good seaman but
man of little tact or judgment. While
the captain was too lenient he was too
harsh, and we had not been at sea a
week before the second mate did not
seem to be clear as to whether he should
side with the men or the officers.
Before reaching Jamaica the crew had
been on the point of mutiny half dozen
times. There had been blows and kicks
and cuffs; the first mate had been knock
ed down; the captain had called the
crew aft and made them . speech; the
second mate had given the men to un-
stand that he sided with them; on reaca-
ing Jamaica every one of the crew would
have deserted but for the plans OF the
ring leader. He had already sowa seeds
which were taking root. Tn, captain
did expect the men to cut sticks, and
was surprised that none loft. heard
him say as much to Mr.. Ta-ker. When
the latter found that the men were to
stay by he threatened to 60 ashore him.
self. claiming that such men could only
be handled by enforcing the severest
discipline, but the captain somehow
smoothcd it over with him, and when
we left the island We still had every
man aboard who had shipped at Bristol
On several occasions had seen Bristol
Bob and his chums in close converse
tion. and ON several other occasions the
cook had slipped into the fo'castle.
where he had no business to be, to hold
eonfabs. l could see plain enough that
something suspicious was in the wind,
and think Mr.. Parker also suspected
the plotting, rs We had no sooner left
Kingston than saw him closely watch