Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-01-20

can whaler. As she drew near she few
a signal that she wished to. speak us,
and an hour later her captain was pull
ed to the Hindu's side in his own boat
I met him at the rail and conducted
him to the cabin for an interview with
Captain Clark. He introduced himself
as Captain Lewis Holt Of the New Bed
ford whaler Good Luck, which had
then been cruising for year and half.
| His errand aboard of us was to replen-
ish his medicine chest. and as this was
his first visit to convict ship he was
naturally curious. He witnessed the op-
erations of gang taking their morning
wash up, and almost by accident heard
some one speak the name of York. He
Instantly turned to me and asked:
"Have you got mate aboard by that
name?'
"No, I picked up man by that name
at Cape Town, who claimed to hay :
been third mate Of q whaler, but he is
acting as a guard over the convicts."
"Light hair, blue eyes, large nose,
two front teeth gone, great talker?"
"That fits him."
"It's the same burned skunk left
there six weeks ago." he hotly ex-
claimed, land I've been mad ever since
that I didn't break his neck before
dumping him ashore. If that chap is
with you, look out.
"What's wrong with him?"
Everything. He's not only the
greatest liar on land or sea, but has a
heart as black as a pirates. Why, the
internal scoundrel had talked half my
crew into a state Of mutiny before I
got on to his little game. A guard, is
he2 Well, he isn't any better than those
he looks after, and it's my opinion you
can't watch him too closely"
Here was confirmation of my darkest
suspicious, and it will be a lifelong re-
gret that I did not take advantage of
the opening presented. Captain Holt
could have been hired to take York
away by force, and with him out Of the
ship the oonvicts would have probably
given up their plan. l think it would
have been an easy matter to exchange
six or eight meu with him for cash
consideration, and that would have re-
moved all anxiety and insured a safe
voyage.
You ask why didn't take these steps.
First, because Captain Clark opposed
them, aud, secondly, because the result
would have been all official investiga-
ton. Had we encountered all English
man-of. war the case would have been
far different. 1 had suspicious, but no
positive proofs To have forced York or
any of the sailors to exchange into the
whaler would have been an arbitrary
act which would have cost US dear with
out we could prove justification. Again,
Mary Williams and Haskell were the
only two people aft who had "a suspicion
of anything wrong, and all others, in
Guiding the doctor. would have protested
and could have been used as witnesses
against us.
Twas, however, ON the point Of ask
ing the American to keep US in sight
for a couple of days, on pretense that
we were making some alterations in the
quarters of the convicts, when he stated
that he should run to the east for new
cruising ground. 1t turned out even
better than that At noon, when he
was about three miles in our wake, the
wind fell and a dead calm came on
which lasted that afternoon and night,
all the next day and up to midnight of
the second night. During this calm.
with the whaler in plain view, no.
ticed that almost every man of our crew
carried an anxious, excited look, but
they were unusually humble in their
demeanor.
York was asleep when the whaler's S
captain visited u.s. but took care to drop
Holt's name so that it would be carried
forward to him. He also doubtless iden-
titled the whaler as soon as he set eyes
on her, and it was plain enough that he
was greatly disturbed. After bit he
made opportunity to speak with me,
and when / did not tell him that his
name had been mentioned he was evil
IDENTIFY much relieved.
On the second day Of the calm I had
another talk with Mary Williams She
| had been closely watching the two
young women, but they evidently sus-
pected the espionage and had been on
their guard She had caught on to but
one suspicious circumstance. That very
morning, while my mate had the deck,
she had seen Miss Foster pass some
thing to York in q sly manner as she
promenaded the deck. AS the young
woman had just come Get Of the dis
pensary it was natural to believe that
the object was something carried from
that room. The idea Of poison flashed
through my mind, but was discarded
when ! remembered hearing the doc.
tor say he had nothing of the sort among
his stores. Whatever it was York had
had ample time to secrete it, and it was
useless for me to cudgel my brains.
At about midnight of tho second
night the calm was broken, though the
breeze was very light. When morning
came, we saw that the whalcr had al
tered her plans and was bearing up for
the north, and it was with q heavy heart
I bid her goodby. Things ran smoothly
up to noon, and then it was Haskell
who came aft and reported to the doctor
that at least three different men in Ben
Johnson's cage had developed cases of
the smallpox DR.. Haxton at once went
down to vcs:igate, and quarter OF
an hour later no reported that the pesti-
lence was present in virulent fern.
In such al. emergency as this it would
have been everything to US to feel that
we had competent physician aboard.