The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-01-25
n FEMALE
SKIPPER


the brig Neptune, bound from Liver
pool to Charleston, and Captain Doyle
was married and brought his wife on
board on the day OF our sailing. He
was an easy going man. and from the
hour Of her coming aboard she took
matters into her own hands After we
had sailed she was all over the ship.
giving orders here and there and de-
handing obedience and 1t wasn't day
before everything was at loose ends
and the brig IN nobody's charge. She
had never been to sea, but she announc-
ed that she was boss and would have
things as she wished, and the week
that we put in before anybody dared
head mutiny was strange episode
In a sailors life.
We were eight days out when the eli
max came. Every man of us went aft
and demanded of the captain that his
wife be suppressed. He certainly real
lied that everything was at loose ends
and that never had peaceful ship had
greater confusion aboard, but he had
no promises to make. He was as clay
In the woman's hands. When we had
stated our case she let fly her temper.
land Of all the tongues possessed by wo-
men hers wagged the fastest and pour
ed forth the most bitterness. She even
went SO far as to bring the captains
pistols from the cabin and beg him TO
shoot us down
What we finally did, though the wo-
man threatened us with d revolver ev-
cry minute, was to lower away the
longboat, stock her with water and
provisions and abandon the craft. The
mates and the steward refused TO leave
the brig, and IL the weather held pleas
ant the four men left could work her
into port or hold on until some passing
craft lent them aid.
Twelve hours after our leaving the
ship and heading for the Azores 4 gale
came down on us from the south, ana
we had to turn and run before Ii. At
daylight next morning we found our
selves within a mile of the Neptune.
Short handed as she was, she had been
obliged to run before the same gale,
and she had lost topmast and been
otherwise banged about AS soon as
she made us out we were signaled to
close in and come aboard, and In the
course Of half an hour we found our
selves on her decks again. The cap
tain met us more than halfway, say
ing that his wife should have no more
to say and that he would not enter the
incident in his log book, and, though
the woman was on deck with him, she
had nothing to say, good or bad.
We turned to after breakfast and got
things shipshape and put the brig on
her course. For three days we made
fine runs and everything went well
aboard. On the morning Of the fourth
day, however, the captains wife broke
loose again She gave her husband a
long and vigorous blessing and then
turned on the mates, and before she
got through every one on board had
come In for bit of her tongue Her
language to the first mate was resent
ed, and what did she do but bring out |
a pistol and fire bullet into his leg
II was mutiny over again When we
saw that things were worse than be
fore and that there was no hope for |
betterment we took to the longboat |
again. The second mate and steward |
were with us this time, and the chief |
officer would have been but for his /
wound We got a piping gale from the
east and went drifting of before ii. /
Our drift continued for over fifty hours,
and at times we gave up all hope, but /
the gale broke at last. the sea went |
down, and after run of four hours /
what craft should we fall in with but
the brig we had twice abandoned. we
ran down to her, scarcely able to be-
lieve our eyes, and walking her quarter
deck as coolly as II nothing had hap
pened was the same termagant of a
woman. AS the captain was not In
sight we lay Off and on. not seeing our
way clear but presently the woman
came to the rail- and called
"Get aboard here. you villains, and
get to work The captain is iii and the
mate laid up with that bullet / gave
him, and, though I'm determined wo-
man, cannot sail this brig to Charles
ton by myself
The sea looked mighty wide and the
brig very inviting. and the result was
that we tumbled aboard We got the
brig on her course, cleared up the
decks, and then came the question Of
what was to happen when we had sail-
ed her into port We had twice been
guilty Of mntiny and abandonment. and
no matter what excuses we might urge
the lawyers and the courts might get
us into pretty pickle unless we had
some guarantee III advance,
A messenger was sent to the captain.
but the conduct Of his wife had not on