The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-03-27
THE CAPTAINS WIFE AT THE WHEEL.

THE CAPTAINS WIFE AT THE WHEEL.
States. Within an hour they were suf-
fering as much as if they had been
stung by an asp.
The captains wife was aboard and
of course she did all in her power but
1t was three or four days before the
men could move about again, and then
only the mate could return to duty
The captain had what seemed to be
carbuncle appear under his right eye,
and for ten days he suffered so acutely
that at times he was out of his senses.
We should have run into Demerara had
he not begun to improve, but it would
have been better had we done so any
how. The two fellows we picked up at
the Windward islands proved to be
worthless sailors and bad men. and
they worked the bark an evil turn
One night as we lay becalmed, with the
captain and mate still suffering from
the poisonous bites, they overpowered
and bound the second mate, provision
ed and lowered boat and induced four
of the original crew to embark with
them. We afterward came to know
that they had been talking a great deal
about a treasure buried on the Dutch
Guiana coast, from which we were dis
tant about IS miles. We were thus left
with only three able hands aboard. and
the captains wife had to take her
trick at the wheel while we headed for
Cayenne to get relief. We had crawled
along to within 80 miles off the French
penal port when the wind headed us.
and we could do no better than drift
off to the eastward and wait for
change.
After about 30 hours of drifting the
wind changed in our favor. and one
morning at sunrise we were making
shift to get on our course again when
we espied a raft with II men on ii
close at hand. With the naked eye one
could make out that they were clothed
in convict garb, and of course the de-
duction was that they had escaped
from the coast. There were two rude
sails on the raft, and the clumsy struc-
ture had had fair breeze behind her
for day and half. AS the raft was
not easily managed, we could have
evaded 1t by putting up our helm. We
were for doing this at once, all but the
captains wife. She knew they were
convicts and desperate men and that
once aboard of us we should be at
their mercy, but she nevertheless in
sisted that we should pick them up.
They were 80 miles off the coast with
the signs of a storm coming on, and she
declared that 1t would be cruel act
to leave them to perish. ! was of a
mind to lock her up in her stateroom
and dodge the raft. but the other two
men were against me, and ten minutes
later the float was alongside and the
convicts were climbing aboard. ! ex
pected nothing less than an immediate
attack from them, for II tougher look
ing men never set eyes on; but, to my
surprise, they halted at the rail while
their leader advanced doffed his cap
with a scrape of his foot. and in pas.
sable English inquired for the captain.
He was told of the captains illness
and of our being short handed. and he
bowed and scraped again and said to
the woman:
MADAM. have no fears. You prob
ably know that we are escaped con-
victs from Cayenne. but no man will
offer harm to any one aboard. We
may be robbers and murderers, but
we are also gentlemen in way. There
is bad weather coming on. We have
arrived at an opportune moment.
Most Of us are sailors. and all of us
are at your orders"
When l looked into their vicious
faces, l could not help but suspect that
they had game to play and were only
delaying it, but it was policy to take
them at their word. AS soon as the
captain and mate heard Of the arrival
of the gang they became almost panic
stricken and advised this and that, and