The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-08
CHAPTER XIII.
THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS.


Whatever our position in the cabin,
that OF the mutineers was infinitely
worse. They had captured the ship and
made Us prisoners, and yet we actually
controlled the craft and they were pris-
oners to us. No man could take the
wheel or toucha rope without being a
fair target for our weapons That the
fellows realized the situation was evil
dent from the quarreling among them.
We looked for them to make some
move during the night, and about mid
night we discovered that they were
erecting a barricade across the deck he
tween the fore and the main mast. They
were Using casks and bales to do this,
and, though we could have opened fire
and driven them off, Captain Clark de-
cided that barricade would be no
menace to US. They had no ammunition
for the muskets and were probably erect
ing it to cover themselves while getting
breath of fresh air on deck.
"I'll tell you what, Ralph" said the
captain to me as we stood alone on
watch after midnight while the others
slept, I've got hopes Of not only get
ting the Hindu back into our own
hands, but believe we shall carry our
cargo to Botany Bay. They can't sail
the ship nor take to the boats, and what
are they to do?"
But if it comes on to blow a gale?"
queried.
''Let US hope it won't In that event
we may all go down together.
At oclocl; III the morning a breeze
sprang up but it was nothing to cause
anxiety. The mutineers were pretty
quiet during the last hours of the night,
but when day fairly broke the whole
gang of them were suddenly astir and
betray<ng great excitement. After puz-
zling over it for bit, we decided that q
sail must be i'll sight TO the eastward.
How far off or how near she would pass
us we had no means of knowing, as the
bark's head was to the south. Over the
top of the barricade we could see the
heads of the mutineers and make out
that the object of interest was on the
port bow. 1t wasn't ten minutes before
there was furious quarrel among
them, and from such words as we could
catch we knew they were divided ON the
course of action to be taken. They had
no signal of distress to set, even though
they wanted to bring the strange vessel
down to US, but it was more than prob
able that she would alter her course to
ascertain why we were drifting away
with all sail carefully slowed instead of
having everything spread to the breeze.
In the course of half an hour flag OF
truce was displayed above the barricade,
and few seconds later York revealed
himself and shouted:
Captain Clark, will you give us the
boats and allow us to leave the bark?'
AYE, that won'tl'' replied the cap
tain, whose quick wit OWNED what
was in the wind. 1.-THE first one of you
on this side of that barricade gets bull
let into him. +"
1t was likely merchantmen bearing
down on us, and the fellows wanted
the boats to go off and capture her. In
another half hour we heard them shout
ing to somebody to keep of, as we had
pestilence aboard. That was in revenge,
you know. We knew, however. that
the sight Of the barricade and of so
many men crowded together ON the fo'- |
castle, even If they got no sight Of the |
convict uniforms. would hold the |
stranger by us until she had solved the |
While the mutineers were |
still shouting. she passed astern Of us /
and we signaled her from the cabin
windows. She proved to be the English
brig Vixen, London, bound from Port
The two men in her rigging |
figured out the situation pretty prompt
ly, and the brig was thrown into the
wind and her boat lowered, and present.
ly her captain was pulled under the
stern of the Hindu. While the rest of |
as kept watch ON the mutineers and |