The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-10
CHAPTER XVII.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END.


It was broad daylight before we heard
from the mutineers. Then the whole
crowd of them swarmed out of the for
est and down on the beach, and in their
madness and desperation they were no
longer men. Their cursing was some
thing awful to hear, and but for the SIX
or eight great sharks cruising around in
the bay they would certainly have tried
to board the bark in the face of our ire
arms. They showered us with pebbles,
and some of them even picked up hand
fuls of sand and flung them in our di-
rection. 1t was long quarter OF an
hour before they cooled down, and then
Ben Johnson stepped to the front and
said:
faye, Captain Clark. you gave us the
slip last night, but we count ourselves
no worse off. Within week We'll have
the Hindu and the life OF every man,
woman and child aboard!'
Having exhausted their rage, they re-
tired to the shelter of the forest ana
their camp. 1t was raining that morn
ing, and i cannot tell you how thankful
Twas. Those men had been worked up
to that pitch that they would have fired
the bushes without an hours delay III
hopes to encompass the death OF all
aboard the bark. They would ten times
rather have destroyed her than TO see us
sail away. The last threat of Johnson's
could not make us any more vigilant,
! for there was never q minute we were
| off our guard. Even the children were
put ON watch during the day.
So far as could observe from aloft,
the mutineers stuck pretty closely to
their camp, while the quarrels among
them were frequent and violent In one
| of the alterations one of the sailors
was killed, and through the glass
could plainly see them dig shallow
grave and roll him into it as If his body
had been the carcass of dog.
On the morning of the twenty-second
day of our anchorage in the bay the sun
came up in q cloudless sky. The bad
weather was not yet over, but this was
lull or break in it. came on duty at
2 O'Clock that morning, and as soon as
reaching my accustomed perch aloft
made out a brig, with her sails aback
and only about mile away to the west.
The signal flag which the mutineers had
kept flying had evidently attracted at
tention. From the number of boats on
the davits believed the brig to be a
whaler; but, if so, she must have blown
inshore or had some business l could
not we'll reason out. She showed nc
colors, but took her to lie a German
or Dane.
turned my glass Oh the camp OF the
mutineers and saw them all running
down to the west shore in great haste.
I hailed the deck and told Captain Clark
what was going on. and he at once came
up to me, bringing the British ensign
and rifle. Just as he got up small
boat with four men in her pulled away
from the brig toward the shore. AT the
same moment we saw such OF the mu'
tineers as wore the uniforms OF convicts
secrete themselves in the thicket, while
the sailors were pushed to the front.
Ralph, we must block that game, :
said the captain after look through
. the glass. "If they take of those men
the brig wiSco seized, her crew muir
dered, and Ine mutineers will make ON
I'll set the ensign flying, and do yor
load and fire the rifle as fast a. yo'
! CAR /"