The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-16

n
pants of the Cabin.
copyright. 1892. by Charles B. Lewis.1
The crew Of the brig Penguin when we
left the Cape Of Good Hope for Bombay
consisted of captain, two mates, steward
cook, ships boy and eight men before the
mast-fourteen in all. Captain Richarus'
who was part owner, was man of thirty
and was married to very handsome Eng
lish girl at the Cape only two weeks before
we left port. She rot only accompanies
him on the voyage, but her sister Emma
n girl of twenty was on board as We'll
though she did not intend to return WITH
the brig.
Our cargo was O curious one. IL hao
come from two or three derelicts when
had been picked up at sea and brought H.
and their cargoes sold at auction. Agents
for parties at Bombay had bid for enough
to load ship, and the Penguin had then
been chartered. Captain and mates and
one seaman were English. There were two
Spaniards, a Lascar, negro, two Norwe-
gians and n man who claimed to be an
American. Steward and cook were ne
groes. had run away from the Nantucket
whaler Opediah NJ. Jones' and there was
no question about my being Yankee. !
then lacked three months of being fifteen
years old. The crew was up TO the aver
age, and had the voyage been free from
disaster no complaint could have been
lodged against them. can remember that
some of the men growled and grumbled
because of the two ladies aboard, and 9th
ers declared that the mates were no sailors
because they did not knock the crew about.
Jack is sure TO grumble, no matter how
you put it, and his grumbles are seldom to
be taken in earnest.
We had fair run up the east coast ana
the Mozambique channel, and were well
clear of the northernmost point of NADIA
gascar, when we got a sudden and violent
squall one afternoon which carried away
the masts before an order had been issued.
Had the squall passed off as 1t came we
might have pulled through right enough
but it proved to be the forerunner OF
bowling gale. 1t was the chief mates
watch on deck, and he must have been
swept overheard as the brig lay on her
beam ends for a moment. When she right
ed everybody rushed to cut away the
wreckage alongside and while rushing
about and giving orders Captain Richards
was thrown to the deck, and had his right
leg broken Just above the ankle. He had
to be carried below at once, and the COM
mand of the brig devolved upon Mr..
Brooks. the second mate. We got the
wreckage clear after awhile, but all saw
that he was not the man for the place. In
deed he admitted it when he left the deck
10 Chips, the carpenter, and locked him
self up in his stateroom with bottle OF
brandy. He was good sailor, but no
man for pinch.
1t was Just at sunset that the squall
struck us, and as the gale followed so last
and the sea became so ugly, we could dc
nothing but let the brig drift off before H.
Chips and the steward got the captains
leg in splints and did whatever else they
could for him, and he sent us word that
we would probably drift ashore on some OF
the islands to the westward of us before
midnight. He suggested that we make
ready raft in addition to the yawl, which
had escaped being swept away, but the
men were demoralized by the cowardice of
the mate and refused TO raise hand.
About midnight we heard the breakers on
Magadova island. Chips and the steward
and | went to the cabin to get the captain
and the women on deck, while the rest of
the crew exhibited selfishness truly sur
prising. They would not even assist each
other, and they quarreled as to who should
go in the boat, though twas large enough
to hold all. The captain was truly brave
man and not at all unnerved, though suf-
fering great pain from his broken limb.
But for him we should have forgotten the
mate, who was lying in his bunk in a
drunken stupor, and who lay like log on
deck as we dragged him out Of the cabin.
Seeing how the brig lay the captain sent
Chips to the wheel in hopes to pay her
of, and as good luck would have it we
got her stern TO wind and sea and she
drove straight ahead for the shore. Half
mile from the beach she struck coral
reef with a great crash, but drove over it
and brought on sandy beach with her
nose almost among the mangroves.
We were wrecked. but we were saved.
The reef caught and broke the force of the
heavy seas, and they hadn't power enough
to break up the brig where she lay. She
lifted half dozen times after she struck.
and thus walowed out bed for herself in
the sands and settled down as firm as a
rock. We carried Captain Richards be-
low, hauled the drunken mate forward out
of the reach Of the water flying over us,
and there wns nothing else TO do but wait
for daylight and discover our exact situa-
ton. The captains wife and sister-in-law
had been pretty badly upset by events, but
yet they took heart as soon as 1t was known
that the moment of peril was passed The
crew, with the exception of Chips and my
self, retired to their quarters to sleep as
calmly as if nothing had occurred. We
were called to the cabin, and after bit
Captain Richards said:
Just what the men forward will do in
such an emergency as this can't say, but
/ want to be prepared for the worst. We
are in the track OF vessels, but it may be a
fortnight before we are taken of. Do you
know if any Of the men have pistolsr
answered that both Spaniards and the
negro had double barreled pistols and
volunteered to go forward and secure them.
While was on this errand Chips hunted
through the staterooms of the mates to see
what could be found While got the pis-
tolls, he found two revolvers and double
barreled fowling piece. The captain him
self had shotgun, and we found an album
dance Of ammunition for all the firearms.
A hunt was then made for liquors, and
three bottles were found in the staterooms.
When the search had been concluded
Chips got out his tools and fixed bar for