Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-02-27

turn they killed seven OF the cOnvlctS.
had no hand IN the row. At the very first
go-of some one struck me In the neck and
knocked me fiat and unconscious. and
when came to the convictS had the shir.
had reason TO believe that | was placed
hors du combat that might not be hurt
during the row.
Well, as | said, til thing had been done
by the time got my senses back. and the
convict gang was wild with exultation.
The rougher portion demanded that every
one who was not with them should be
butchered. but Small and his three or four
lieutenants put them down, | think the
first idea of the convicts was to 90
ashore at St. Paul, having previously
scuttled the ship, but this gave place to
another p an. The third mate. or DO sun,
agreed to cast In his lot with the Convicts
The captain, carpenter, saiimaaer and six
or seven hanas got no choice The long
BOAT was lowered provided with sail.
oars, food and water, and the men have
named were sent adrift without being
harmed
b. pocket compass which one of them
carried they steered course for the island
and landed there two days later. bnt were
ON it six months before being taken off
wanted to go with them, but Small refused
me permissiom, saying that had been so
kind 20 him that he felt il his duty to re-
ward me- All the Others also spoke very
kindly to me, and had the modification
of realizing that was the cats paw by
which they had taken
POSSE EssIoS OF THE SHIP.
Before going away the captain sought
to argue with the mon, telling them what
the consequences of that act would be.
but he was hooted at. Indeed, but for
Small he would never have been allowed
to go off in the boat.
As soon as the loug-boat had left Us and
the dead had been thrown overheard,
Small called all the people together and
made speech. He appointed bis officers.
stated that he proposed to steer to the
north. and that everyone aboard could
to him. The men cheered him again and
again, and by an hour after meridian
everything was running smoothly. Small
enforced the strictest discipline, and the
two or three convicts who grOwled abolt
it were kicked down with promptness and
vigor. | was assigned to the cabin to
wait on the captain, and our cook and
steward had to do duty as before. Small
knew something of navigation, and he
hnd some smart sailors with him. He had
d whole ocean to himself, and the chart
showed him that the nearest land to the
north, after passing St Paul and Amster-
dam, was the Chagos archipelago, in the
Indian ocean.
For the next twelve days little happened
Of interest Then one day about noon we
sighted a Dutch brig on her way out from
Java. The saiImaker had made a very
fair piratIcal flag, and this was Immediate
ly run up and our course changed to cut
the stranger. When signaled TO heave to
he lost no time, being scared to death. He
had a crew of seven men and no resistance
was offered. Small sent a boat,load of
armed men to take possession and as it
happened to fail calm soon after the crafts
drifted together they were lIshed in that
position for the next thirty hours. The
brig was full Of c0tfees and spices Small
took what he wanted out of her and then
scuttied her, while her crew were set
adrift in their own yawl Had the brig
been new or a better saiIer part Of our
large force would have seized her as a
tender. Some of our men were for killing
all the Dutchmen, but Small decided other
wise He was man aver, e to bloodshed
when it could be avoided.
During the next two weeks we sighted
only two sails, and they were
FAR DISTANT.
think it was on the twenty day
after the capture of the shin and we,--7'reIe
made out Ui a port quarter. This was
about 8 0 clock in the morning. and man
went aloft declared her to be an Indiaman.
The regular tack of those vessels were to
the west of madagascar up the Mozam-
bique channel; but this one might be going
to call at some of the Eastern islands No
sooner Was her character made out than all
was rejoicing and excitement on board our
ship. The arms were got odr, grog
served to the men, aud everybody was i'm
patient for the indianmau to come on.
She came pacing along at Il good gait,
the wind being falr, and she was in half
mile of US when Small hoisted the black
flag and signalled her to heave to.
This was hardly accomplished when a
dozen men cried out In chorus that the
stranger was not an Indianman at all. but |
4 corvette, and a moment later she few
French colors and began to drop her gun
port c0lOrs
For the next FIVE minutes confusion
relgned supreme on the decks. Then Small
hauld down the black flag and hoisted the
English cOlors, and dipped them in COM
pIiment, but the Frenchman said he
could see over hundred men running
about on our decks. and he knew that
something was wrong He came racing
up. and passed US close enough to hail
and ask what was the trouble. Small an
swered him that we were an emigrant
ship, and that the black flag was joke.
The corvette ran ahead, lufed up and
fired a gun for Us to heive to. Small
ordered all sail to be set, but the the men
We're hardly aloft before the corvette
sent solid shot over US and brought
Small to his senses. As soon az our head
way was checked an armed boats crew
came aboard, and the fact that we were a
convict ship was at once apparent. Half
our number Were transferred to the cor
veJte, and twenty-five Frenchmen put
aboard the Queen, and thus conveyed the
latter returned to Cape Town. The cook,
steward and myself were exhonerated from
all blame when put on trial, but Small ann
five others were hanged, and every other
man whose sentence had been less than life
had If extended