Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-07-29
CHAPTER VI.

S11AG LEN VI.
The weather mended next day, and
we made all sail with a fine breeze,
steering south-southwest. We had left
the Downs on Tuesday, the 22d of Au-
gust, and on the 25th we found by OBJ
servation that we had made a distance
of over nine hundred miles, which,
considering the heavy seas the ship had
encountered and the depth to which
she was loaded, was very good sailing.
Next day we were well upon the Bay
of Biscay Here it fell calm and the
ship made little progress. This put
CoXon IN ferocious temper and he
routed the crew out at all hours to
man first the port and then the star
board braces until all of us were worn
out. All this did no good and the ex-
ira work was put on us because the
skipper was in rage at the calm, and
not caring to rest himself was deter
mined the crew should not. Next
morning light breeze sprung up and
we ran before it. but did not make
more than six knots an hour.
And so till Thursday the 31st of
August, on which day we were, to the
best of memory, in latitude As degrees
an d longitude about 10 degrees.
The men during this time had been
pretty quiet. The boatswain told me
that grumbling among them was as
regular as mcal-times; but no murmurs
came aft, no fresh complaints were
! think, the crew believed that tho
skipper meant to touch at Madeira or
one of the more southerly Canary
Islands. That this was their notion
was put into my head by question
asked me by a hand at the wheel when
l was alone on deck; would l tell him
where the ship was?
gave him the results of the sights
at noon.
That's to the east ard of Madeery.
amt 1t, STRIP
Yes"
He bent his eyes on the compass
card, and seemed to be rejecting on
the ships course. The subject dropped;
but after he had been relieved and was
gone forward, saw him talking to the
watch; and one of them knelt down
and drew some kind of figure with a
piece of chalk upon the deck Gt looked
to me, and doubtless was, a rude
chart of the ships position), where
upon the cook began to jabber with
| great vehemence, extending his hands
in the widest way, and pulling one of
the men close TO him and whispering
! in his ear. They noticed me watching
them, presently, and broke up.
Had l been on friendly terms with
Coxon or Duckling, should have made
no delay in going to one or the other
of them and communicating my mis-
| givings, for l really apprehended that
titude of the men. But l knew both Of
| fhn31o 1ic1ilyoI fbNy.oncrn1v hot
they were likely to convert my warn
ing into a direct charge against me,
and if the mutiny which l foreboded
broke out 1 would be treated as the
ring-leader. Besides, there was another
consideration that influenced me; my
misgivings might be unfounded.
might make a report which would not
only imperil my own position, butpro-
woke him into assuming an attitude
toward the men which would produce
in reality the mutiny that might, as
things went, never come to pass. This
consideration more than any thing else
decided me to hold my tongue, to lei
matters take their course, and to leave
the captain and his chief mate to use
their own eyesight, instead of obtrud-
ing mine upon them.
| When | left the deck at four O'Clock
on the Wednesday afternoon, there
was pleasant breeze blowing directly
from astern, and the ship was carrying
all the canvas that would draw. The
sky was clear, but pale, like winter
sky, and there was very heavy swell
rolling up from the southwark. The
weather, on the whole, looked promis.
ing, and, despite the northeasterly
wind, the temperature was so mild
that could have very well dispensed
with my pilot-jacket.
Through the dog-watches the
weather stiI held fair; but the glass
had fallen and the wind was dropping.
Captain Coxop had very little to say to
| 49,, o,11 It,