Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-06-01

the focastle gangway reckoned that
he would kill anybody who tried to
release the crew, but when started
somebody would get hurt and that II
would likely be him, so he gave up
the axe and took no chances.
After releasing the crew I called
know what we could do to catch the
deserters. Catch them,' I answered.
We surely can't do any whaling with
half crew. The captain was kind
iof sceptical about catching the men,
but finally persuaded him to think
that we could and he wanted to know
what we would do with the men II
we got them, and told him we would
fog them. I told him we didn't
want to break up the voyage for
eight men.
1T was coming daylight and put
the bark in for the land to head the
boat off, as figured that the average
sailor is a fool when he runs away,
and that the first thing he would do
would be to make directly for the
land. This was just what the de-
serters did. At daylight we saw
them. The boat was making for the
land, some distance off, as fast as
sail and oars would take them. ]
stood the ship In for the land and
saw that 1t would not be. long before
the boat would. go into a line of
breakers which I could see aheao.
1--WE worked in a hurry, and I
manned the boat that was lowered
in a jiffy. took two whale guns
along with me, and when the ship
was pretty we'll up with the boat
lowered. I put our boat alongside
and demanded Of the mutineers that
they give themselves up, but they
paid no attention to me. They row.
ed in toward the breakers. Once
more called on the runaway crew
to stop, but they jeeringly kept on.
I raised the whale gun. How are
you going to get them?' asked Second
Mate Sparks, who was In the boat
along with me. Sink them,' I an
swered. I fired, trying to clip of the
bow Of the whaleboat.
"The bomb went true, and crashed
through the frail timbers Of the craft,
but did not hit any Of the men. The
boat sank down level with the sea
and I pulled up alongside Of the dis
abled craft. I told the men to keep
quiet, for IL they didn't would rake
them with a shot from the second. ]
kind Of kept my lamps trimmed, for
II didn't know but some Of them
might have a pistol or some other
firearm. took the boat in tow,
made the men cling to her the best
way they could, and when we reach
ed the ship stood over the men, who
were handcuffed as soon as they
stepped one by one on deck.
"As soon as all had been accounted
for the men were defiant, and want
ed to know what I could do. You
locked the officers in the cabin and
the crew down the fo'castle. Suppose
there had been a sudden squall after
you had left the ship; everybody
would have been drowned; all hands
would have been lost. Now I'm 60
Ing to trice you all up to the rig
ging and give you a thrashing, If
have to hang at the yard arm for it.
"Well, the captain didn't seem ia
enter into the spirit Of the affair al
all, and the second and third mates
didn't want to back me up and all
went below. But was determined
they should be punished severely and
taught that they could not run away
with the ship was on, and so went
at the job. I had them all triced UP
to the main rigging with their toes
just touching, got a stiff bit Of rat
ltling and gave the whole eight a
sound thrashing. The mutineers
were then put down below and kept
on bread and water for a month. We
had no further trouble with that
bunch while at sea.
Second Mate Sparks and Third Mate
Riley saw that had lost all respect
for them after their exhibition OF
weakened cowardice in leaving me
all alone with the men when they
might have turned on me and thrown
me overheard. One day when we
sent some Of the boats ashore to get
some water and provisions at one of
the islands in the Pacific ocean Mr..
Sparks, who had been given a book
by the captain to keep an account of
the stuff taken aboard, in looking
over the pages Of the book found
where the captain had written home
to get two officers to take the places
of the second and third mates.
"They laid it to me and shortly af-
terward Riley, who stood by the scut-
tie butt, remarked to me that I had
been telling lies about him to the
captain. AS 1 walked up to him to
have him explain his remark he
struck at me with billet Of wood.
I lodged the blow, and saying to him
that he was a great fellow to fight
asked him to stand up and fight
square. He came for me again with
the billet and I knocked him clean
off his feet against the lee bulwarks.
Just to show him how I despised him
I put my foot on his neck and rolled
his head on the deck. Mate Sparks
came up to me to take Riley's part,
but 1 knocked him away and told
him he wasn't fit to go out as cook OF
a fishing smack, let alone being on
whaler.
"Well we made our cruise to the
whaling grounds and the little un-
pleasantness seemed to be over, al
though I watched for something to
happen. We finally put into Yoko-
hama. 1t was one Friday and the
ex-convicts lost no time In getting
ashore and telling their story to the
American consul. He was a little
fellow named Greathouse, belonging
in Kentucky. He had been a lawyer
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