The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-04
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII
THE FATE OF THE ALBATRoss.
When we had been few weeks ut
sea, there was much to commend and
very little to End fault with. i stated
in q previous chapter that no batch OF
convicts had ever mutinied until after
leaving the cape of Good Hope. The
reason for this will be apparent if you
consult your map. In running to the
south every craft was in the great high
way. Had the convicts got possession
of ship there were no uninhabited
islands for refuge. Had they landed
anywhere ON the west coast of Africa,
the savage natives would have snapped
them up. The hour. of peril had come
when craft was Approaching the, Aus
tralian coast. If the convicts got posses
sion, they could either land on the great
| island or sail to the north and find in
Vulnerable small islands to offer them
shelter.
While we took every precaution from
the very beginning of the voyage, we
nevertheless depended in a measure ON
the facts above stated. After awhile
the convicts appeared to steady down
and be DESTROYS Of making good records,
and the behavior of the guards was all
that could be asked for. For month or
more had kept close watch of the four
men previously alluded to, but nothing
had occurred to make me doubt their
loyalty. Haskell had been allowed to
saunter about as he pleased, and when
ever an extra guard as wanted he was
always on hand, but none of his reports
as to the conduct of guards or prisoners
was calculated to cause any particular
anxiety.
One morning, as we were holding
our course with fair wind, we rose an
Indiaman coming up from the south,
and two hours later she signaled that
she wished to speak us The Hindu was
living to when she came up. The gang
of conyicts on deck was ordered below,
, but we were flying the flag which told
! every beholder what sort of a cargo we
carried. The Indiaman proved to be the
8 Black Prince, q regular liner, homeward
bound, and she dropped boat and sent
q her mate aboard. His errand was to see
: il we could give passage to the Cape to
e a man named Thomas, who had been
q picked MP at sea two days before while
i drifting ON raft He said that Thomas
d was an Englishman who had been
II wrecked ON a voyage to the Cape and
l. was very de'irous of continuing the run
in that direction. The mate was III
10 great hurry, as his ship had been de-
a layed by head winds, and he did not go
10 into particulars. Captain Clark decided
le that we would take Thomas, and q
u quarter of an hour later he was on board
and the respective crafts swinging their
80 yards to resume their voyage.
u It was midafternoon before we got
~ Thomas story, and it was one TO deeply
y interest us. Only few days before oul
T. sailing q ship called the Albatross had
~ taken out batch Of about 200 convicts,
CT half of whom were females. None OF
= them was above common criminals
10 and for this reason they were not al
10 carefully watched as they should have
been. The ship carried only four pas
III sengers, all men, and of these Thomas
a. was one. He had an uncle at the Cape
III and was going out in search of adven
ture. He felt certain there would have
80 been no trouble with the prisoners bu
for the uncalled for measures enforced
~ by the doctor. He overworked and un
~ derfed them ard fogged men on tn
ID slightest prete2t. BY the time the Al
u batross had left the Cape Verde island
'ir behind her two thirds of the men ha'
o' been fiogged and half the females ha'
et been punished IN some other manner.
Vi When the crew of convict ship be
trays open sympathy for the prisoner
ID because of the cruel treatment accorded
nS them, one must be satisfied that thos
III in authority exceed the limits. Evel
Us the guards ON the Albatross condemne
oe the tyrannical conduct of the doctor. A
/ have told you, they were offender
ny rather than criminals, and all had re
Ell ceived short sentences. They were sen
y" out more as colonists, and each on
ke would receive ticket of leave afte
NV serving for six months or year. 1t wa
i's not until the doctor had repeatedly ar
nu nounced that he would break the spiri
u, of every one in the gang or fog him
'a' death that the spirit Of mutiny croppe
" out. The position of the ship was TO tn
en south of ST. Helena when the china
Ia came. One of the women convicts Ia
eh transgressed some rule. and the doctC
DW ordered that she receive dozen lashe
an While he was making preparations I'll
~ convicts roso as one man and had pc
W session of the ship in five minutes.
gu (To DE coNTINUED.)
)n- "
)rd Hard on Mothers-in-Iaw.