The morning times., 1897-02-28

was Co abandon the wreck toher fate, and
as soon as we realized it the ten OF US went
AFT in body and assured him th at unless he
bore up and furnished relief we should
refuse duty and take the consequences
He clustered and threatened and brought
out his pistols, but we were firm, and at
length he gave orders to put the ship about.
We had to beat up to the wreck, and by
the time we reached her there was half q
gale blowing and the sea so heavy that we
could not transfer the provisions. At the
end of an hour the HoIlander was for max
ing sail again, but we refused to touch u
rope. He and his mate. both armed with
Delaying pins, sought to drive us aloft, but
we disarmed them and locked them n their
staterooms. Among Us was man who
had made several voyages as mate. and
was competent to handle ship, and he
was installed as captain and given an able
seaman as mate. We had hoped To get
the provisions to the wreck before night,
but the gale continued. and we had to stan Il
by her for thirty hours before it was safe
TO launch boat. We had mutinied and
taken possession of the ship. but we felt
that circumstances justified il. Neither
After few hours they were allowed full
liberty. and not one OF US entered the
cabin There were many threats as TO the
punishment We should receive when the
ship arrived in port, but we stood firm and
kept clear of any further quarels.
When wind and sea finally subsided we
boarded the wreck to find that one woman
and four children had died in the last
twenty-four hours, and that the living
were entirely out of food and water There
was no doctor aboard, the leak was hardly
to be kept under, and it was plain that
another twentyfour hours would send
all souls to the bottom Of the sea. 1t was,
therefore, resolved to transfer everybody
to the ship. Our captain and mate rayed
like Inadmen when they heard of this de-
cision, and the last named became so vio-
lent that we had to bind him hand and
foot. The wreck had lost ali her boats,
but the ship had three, and when the work
Of transferring began 1t was not interrupted
until every person had been brought safely
off. Then we secured most of the personal
baggage of crew and passengers, and by
the time the last boat was alongside the
Star the wreck rolled heavily to starboard
and port and went To the bottom of the
sea.
The ship had no accommodation what
ever for passengers, and you can imagine
the nuss We Were in when that crowd Of
people Were taken on board. The Iiol-
lander flatly refused to act as captain
or TO have anything to 90 with the cast
aways. He said we had deposed him hy
mutiny, and must now Iun things TO suit
ourselves and take the consequences.
Everybody had to be put ON quarter allow
ance at once, and shift was made up
whereby the women ard Childl en- were at
least sheltered After consultation il was
decided to make for the BeTmudas and
on the third day after taking the peo-
pie Off the wreck, we sighted the Ameri-
can ship Ocean Queen, and secured fl ON
her several hundred gallons Of water and
a quantity of flour and biscuit. 1t was
run of seven days to TIE islands, and
during the last four days no adult lad
food enough to keep down the pangs Of
hunger. The mate proved SO obstinate
and dangerous that his bonds were not re-
leased, but he shared the food and water
with the rest, and was treated as kindly
as ciTcum mstances would permit.
None of us believed that we could be
captain Stands tosaye humanlife, and am
sure we should not have been meddled with
butt for the presence Of a British man-of- war
in port. We had Informed the Hollander
of our readiness to work the ship to her
port OF destination, and he seemed to think
favorably of the matter, but no sooner
did he learn OF the presence OF the man
Of war than he appealed her commander.
As a result the ten OF US were at once ar
rested and flung into prison to await the
action of the law. l never found out Just
where they intended to send us for trial
but presume it was Holland. For some
reason or other there was a long delay,
ana at length matters were complicated by
our being claimed as deserters from an
American man-of-war. The people whom
we had saved We're grateful enough, God
knows, but all others looked upon US as n
lot of pirates, who ought to have been hung
as soon as captured.
When we had been In Jail for five months
we got word from an American who was
pretty thoroughly posted on the case that
we should soon be sent away for trial, and
that we might expect at least five years
Imprisonment apiece. This news decided us
to make an attempt to break Jail, and ore
night, week later, using tools which a
guard had been bribed to pass in to US, we
sawed away the bars of a window and
gained our liberty. Proceeding to the
| harbor, we found an American schooner
ready to sail and awaiting our coming,
and before our escape was discovered we
We're miles at sea. Five of us surrendered
to the naval authorities and took our
punishment and served out the remainder
of our enlistment, but what became of the
others l do not know. But for our action
two hundred people would nave been left
to go down with a wreck on which they
had drifted and suffered for days and
weeks, and yet that action was rank
mutiny, and had the ship been English
instead of Dutch our two leaders would
probably have been hung, and the rest of
US got long terms in prison.