Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-03-17

way he kept his feet. He showed no in.
terest in things going on around him,
but as long as he was ON deck he walked
to and fro, like tiger out for exercise,
and seemed to be wholly wrapped up in
his own thoughts. Every man who had
the wheel when the captain was on deck
came forward to declare that it gave him
the shivers to have him come near.
We had been out II days and had
logged off fair run most of the time
when it fell dead calm. The last of the
breeze left us at about o'clock in the
morning. The weather was very hot and
the sky without q cloud and about 10
o'clock, as the bark was rolling heavily
on ground swell and the sails SCATTERING
like the reports of feldpieces, everything
was made snug. On board every sailing
ship both captain and mate take the noon
observation at the same time, and both
work it out afterward. The two are then
compared. The only thing we had seen
Captain Lucas put his hand to was to
take this observation. At noon of this
day both men "shot the sum-" as usual
and retired to the cabin. Some of the
watch off duty were below and asleep
while others were on deck washing their
clothes. The watch ON deck had knocked
off work and were ready for dinner when
Mr.. Watkins emerged from the cabin
with a wild, scared look on his face and
came forward almost to the mainmast.
! When he halted, he glanced this way and
that, like man who wanted to run, but
he pulled himself together after bit
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quarter and began to talk in an excited
way. The cook now called to dinner, but
while we were yet staring and wondering
Captain Lucas appeared and roared out
at the top of his voice:
Lay aft, the crewl Every man in the
bark, lay afr
He had a double barreled fowling
piece in his hands, and while his face
was as pale as death his eyes had the
shine and the CLINT of wild beasts.
Some of the men hung back bit, whis-
pering to each other that the skipper was
crazy, but presently all of us had gath
cred around him. | took notice that
both mates seemed to be badly upset,
and that Mr.. Watson did not look the
captain in the face.
"Men," began the skipper as we waited
for him to speak, you have all conspired
to deceive me. My observation just now
proves that the bark is Coo miles to the
north of her true course. There is a con-
spiracy here to murder me and run away
with the craft, but have discovered it
in time to defeat it. My mates are more
guilty than the rest of you, and they
must leave the ship. Put breaker of
water and bag of biscuits in the star
board quarter boat and lower her away"
We stood for moment like men
turned to stone, each wondering if his
ears deceived him. The captain looked
from man to man and then cooked the
gun and lifted it to his face and said:
Mr. Watson, provision the boat and
lower her away.
Now the entire crew moved as one
man. You couldn't fail to understand
that the captain was out of his head and
ready to do some terrible thing. We
were not over 10 minutes getting the
boat into the water, and as we worked
away think every man hoped to go in
her. Four or five of us were slipping
over the rail when the skipper shouted:
Back with you, there! Now, Mr..
Watson, you and Mr.. Hope get into the
boat"
Had there been any show for it we
should have made the captain prisoner,
as it was clear to every man that he had
lost his mind, but he was on his guard
and would have fired into us at the first
move. The mates smartly obeyed the
order. and each takingan oar they pulled
right away until out of gunshot. The
captain lost much of his ferocity as they
rowed away, and after bit he lowered
the hammers of his gun. smiled to the
right and left of him and very quietly
said:
$50 forward and get your dinners, and
the watch below will turn in. | will Sc
lect new mates later on.
He entered his cabin, and 10 minutes
later the steward told us he was sound
asleep. AS soon as we learned this we
began to signal to the mates to return.
The becalmed bark was going all around
the compass as she rolled, and the boat
approached her from the bows. She was
within half pistol shot when Captain Luz
cas- suddenly appeared among us holding
revolver i'll his hand. He had doubtless
feigned sleep in hopes to trap us. AS
soon as the mates caught sight of hin
they sheered off and rowed with all their
might, but they had come too near. He
lifted his pistol, held his arm as rigid as
bar of iron for 10 seconds. and the bull
let he sent struck Mr. Hope at the corner
of the left eye and tumbled him over
dead. Mr.. W atson at once threw himself
fiat down, and though the captain fired
/, at him five times he was not hit. When
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