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

work with an officer to direct, and you
can understand what mess we made
of it with nobody to give orders and the
crazy captain walking to and fro with q
gun in his hands. 1t took us two full
hours, and we were for piling into her
and showing off at once when the skip.
per called:
] Delay therel I'm not going to send
you adrift to perish of hunger and
thirst. Provision the boat"
We got two breakers of fresh water.
lot of biscuit, big lump of salt horse
and some raw potatoes. BY order of the
captain the steward brought us some
canned fruits from the cabin stores, a
spare compass and lantern Just as
we were ready to shove off he brought
us gallon of rum and two pounds of
tobacco and said:
when you reach Liverpool. | want
you to tell the truth about this affair.
Your course is due south"
He leaned over the rail and watched
us as we rowed away. The quarter boat
had drifted away about half mile, and
we headed directly for it. Mr.. Watson
was still lying concealed, though he had
taken sly peep now and then and in
formed himself of what was going on.
The body of Mr. Hope was already grow
ing cold. Under the circumstances every
man was for getting rid of it at once,
and it was lifted over the rail without
much ceremony or loss of time. Mr..
Watson then explained that he had su =
pected the captains unsoundness cf
mind ever since the day of sailing, and
that our plan would be to get back on
board, overcome him and take the bark
back to Liverpool. But how to get
aboard was the great question. The cap
tain was no longer to be seen, but we
did not doubt that he would be on the
alert, and it was sure thing that he
would kill three or four men if he fired
into us with the double barreled gun.
During the rest of the afternoon we
maintained our position, and the calm
was unbroken. Just at dark steam
freighter from New York for Liverpool
was sighted from the west, and after a
pull of two miles we intercepted her and
told our story and asked for help. 1t was
promptly refused, the captain saying he
would not be justified in pcriling the
lives of his men. We then rowed back to
the bark and made use of the two boats
to approach her from opposite sides.
was in the longboat with Mr.. Watson
and others. We were sneabing up on
the port bow very quietly when there
was flash and a report from the rail,
cff /, ,rl,..
The distance was so great, however. that
no one was seriously hurt. We were
compelled to row away and evolve some
other plan. No one had thought of de-
serting the bark and her mad skipper.
AT midnight we got breeze from the
north, and the bark drove off with her
broadside to it. AT daylight the wind
shifted to the northeast and blew harder,
but all we could do was to follow after
the craft. AT noon a brig out of St.
Johns came up with u.s. and we boarded
her and told our story. Her captain de-
clined to take any risks. the more es-
pecially as Captain Lucas could now be
seen walking the quarter deck of the
bark. You will find it on record at
Lloyd's that we followed the Storm King
for six nights and five days during which
time she drifted almost down to the
Azores. We encountered and appealed
to five different vessels, but got no help
from any Of them. Toward night of the
fifth day, not having seen anything of
Captain Lucas for "a hours, we nervcd
ourselves up and boarded the bark. At
ter the whole lot of us were ON her deck
four men skulked aft to surprise and
bind the captain, but he was nowhere to
be found. We searched high and low
before we gave up, but were forced at
last to realize that he had ended his life
by jumping overheard. 1t was probably
deliberate thing with him. as he had
first undressed and carefully folded all
his garments, and the dishes he had eaten
from had been washed and returned to
the pantry. We ran the bark to the
/ Azores to wait for Instructions, and there
every man deserted her as soon as hei
anchor was down.