The morning times., 1897-02-21

| which we Were chartered he accepted it.
| The bark waSfittcd up with standing hunks
| between decks, and as soon we Were
| ready we dropped down to tie old MeiagS
wharf, and there took on oIu passengers
| with all thcirtraps and tedding From here
| a tug towed us 10 sea and left us after
| cTosSIngtac har Wcnow learnedthat the men
| we had taken OIL board were recruits for
thearmy OF the gray y-cycd nia n fdcStiny,"
Gen William Walker, w .. at that tiTte
was with a large command III the state of
Sonora, Mexico, eudeaNoTing To create =
revolution, with the iBtention OF adding
another slave state to the Union
The party we had on board was the
hardest set of men had ever Enct drinking
and fighting all the tine except when
/ sleeping off their debauch They took
command and ran the bark as we 0ld not
dare to interfere With them, and il was
a relief when the last one went over the
side in the harbor at Cape ST Lucas. From
this place we Went to san Bias and dis
charged the freight we bad on board We
then Went down the coast sixty miles 10
Apallo, to take on board our cargo of log
wood. The wood was as heavy as iron:
logwood The second day after we com
menCed to load l found we had about one
tenth OF the cargo aboard. therefore l
sounded the pumps and found twenty two
inches OF water / started the pumps and
pumped it clear. The next night l was
obliged to do the same. and AZ the cargo
was taken on board the ship sank deeper
in the water. so that it took longer each
t.,
down from san Francisco we had carried
a very light cargo, and as the sides OF the
bark had been high out of the water
thought that the leaking came from the
opening of the seams caused by the cx-
tremely hot weather, and concluded that
as she sank in the water by reason Of the
heavy cargo. the planks would swell and
stop the leak But when we had the
cargo on board l found she leaked 50 much
that it took one dog watch to Iiump her
dry. After we got to sea the bark rolled
and rocked and the leak gained so much
that each watch had to take a turn at
the pumps and each day it took longer to
keep the water down
The weather was pleasant with q good
northwest wind. From the day we left
Apallo we bad carried the starboard stun
sails set. How badly would she leak, was
my thought, if we encountered gale?
The same thought was in the minds of
others on board; the carpenter told me that
the men were afraid to continue the voyage
and wanted to put into some Mexican port
and have the bark calke1, and he asked me
if l would speak to the captain and state
their wishes. When went below to dinner
l asked the captain if he did not think
it unsafe to continue the voyage. and would
it not be better to run into some port and
have the upper works calked. He got angry
at my question and replied that she would
90 to Callao or go to -. Now, had not
been much of a biblical scholar, but |
knew that the latter place was not the port
/ had shipped for and had no intention of
goingon such vo yage If ICOuldhelnmyself
l told the carpenter what the captain had
said Shortly after the carpenter reported
to me that the crew wanted to know if
would take the bark into port. thought Of
this all night before l gave an answer. |
could see no chance for our lives il we CON
tinued the voyage, and l could not under
stand why the captain was so avcrse to
going into port unless it was owing to the
cost of recalking the sides. BY holding to
his purpose he stood a chance cf losing
everything, as well as his life and ours.
1 told the carpenter to tell the men that if
they would standbyme l would take charge
of the bark at 2 noon and takeher intoAca-
pulco. l wished to wait until the captain
and mate made it 2 o'clock, so that l
would have the latitude, which would give
me the course to steer for Acapulco While
waiting for this event prepared m yself by
taking possession Of the mates pistol and
dirk knife. These l gave to the carpenter,
while / went dow n into the captain S cabin
and took the captains holster and two
pistols and put it around my waist, under
my coat. When 8 bells struck told the
captain that the course of the bark was
going to be changed so as to go into Aca-
pulco and that he could retain corlfnand if
he would take the bark in, as that was the
nearest port; if not, would take her in
The captain and mate rushed down for
their arms, and got quite angry when they