Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-08-03
Mutiny and
Piracy
by CLARA TAYLOR
Copyright. 1905. bp r. C. Mcclure

on seven voyages and had acted as
mate and second mate She could mend
q sail, steer her trick make or take In
sail and use quadrant as well as any
one. or ut least as well as any mate
that ever sailed with the Hannah Snow.
az the brig was named. Captain Snow
ran between Boston and the West In-
dia Islands. aud the shippers OF Bos-
ton came to know his wife and tie way
she could discipline crew and han
die the craft.
On d certain date the brig was load
ing I'm Boston for quick market. Ex-
ira help was put on to get the cargo
aboard, aud Captain Jabez signed a
bond TO get TINT cargo to It's destina-
ton withln Il certain number Of days,
barring hurricanes. waterspouts and
other acts OF Providence. The bond had
not been signed more than an hour
when he broke his leg. Nothing was
surer than that he could not carry out
his agreement. and great financial
loss as we'll as many weeks of vexa-
tious delay stared the couple in the
luce. lDtl INl~t tltIti l.iNi a. tolitbih
to take charge of the brig or forfeit
the charter and pay good ronnd sum.
and Captain JalcZ was wondering If
man could Ire found when his wife
broke In on him.
"Jnbez, you have broke your leg. and
| don't want to be cross With you, but
YOU seem to forgit that am still on
earth"
mo, DON'T he replied, bit don't
see what you can 60 in this case ex-
cept TO git me back home and nurse
me-"
"Well, see where | can do some
thing else, and I'm Goin' to do 1t too.
I'm gon' TO take the Hannah to the
West Indies and back and save our
charter"
"Have you lost your scnSesT
Not bit of it. If couldn't make
that voyage | wouldn't be worth my
salt know all the crew, and I'll have
Bill Henderson for mate. Wen slip
down there and be back ag'in before
your leg has begun to knit. There
needn't he any more talk about finding
a captain"
When Captain Jahez thought the
matter over he was inclined to think
that his wife could do all she said, but
the consignees had to be consulted.
When Aunt Hannah went to them and
stated the case they did not raise Il sim
gle objection. and it was settled that
she was to be Captain Hannah Snow
for the voyage. 1t was only after the
brig had left port that the mates
meanness came to the surface. He
had sailed with the craft on several
voyages and was a neighbor of the
Shows at home When the accident
happened to Captain Jabez the mate
naturally hoped to get command for
the voyage. He would have been dis
tressed If any other captain had come
aboard, but to oe walked over by
woman, even though she was the cap
tains wife and neighbor, was too
much.
Aunt Hannah saw that he was In the
sulks. Look here, Bill Henderson"
she said. lit won't do you the least
mite of good to go on biting your
tongue over this. / can captain this
brig as well as Jabez, and I'm going to
take her out and back"
You'll have her at the bottom be-
fore we strike the gulf stream" he re-
piled. !.
You never mind where I'll have her,
but tend to your knitting. We are to
crack on and make the best time we
can
a day later she found the mate carry
Ing too little sail, and an argument
ensued. Later on she came on deck
from her watch below to find him
cumming with the men. Two or
three other things happened to put her
out Of temper, and she exercised the
privilege OF a captain by breaking
the mate and sending him to the fo'-
castle. When she would replace him
with the next best man, the sailor re-
fused 10 take the place The crew was
with the mate. Aunt Hannah express
ed her mind freely, and rs Il conse-
quence the crew refused to obey. 1he
brig was brought TO the wind. sail TAX
en- Off and the woman was laughed at
She was told that not u man would do
duty until the mate was relns .ated
Then It's mutiny, Is it, she replied
Very well. III let you know that
you've got the wrong pig by the ear.
III lose brig, cargo and everything else
in the world before III give in"
For day and night the brig made
no progress, and as the weather was
falr she incurred no danger.
The crew saw that the woman did
not intend to give In, and 1t angered
them. There was one among them
~isc had read dozens OF pirate books
and always longed to sail under the
black flag Things had never come
right for him before, but now be took
advantage of the temper of the others
TO breach the subject He was a good
talker, and he held ont such an alluriug
picture that even the mate, who was
above the average man in intelligence,
agreed to - into the pirate business
with the others. This decision was
communicated TO Captain Hannah. who
was wandering about unconcerneGly.
WAL, Dill that's all right" she re
torted. There's n rum and sugar load
ed bark comm our way. aud YOU
might begin an har T,.a -. "a lio.t,