The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-01-12
By John Fleming Wilson
Copyright 1910.

men OF US oh, it was a sweet plight
that we had got ourselves in!
The door opened-at last. We held
our breath and peered miserably at the
appeared. From outside came the
sound OF signs, of odd, choking groan-
ings. Some one hurried past, with firm,
heavy step. a voice from way for
lightsr
The order was obeyed and we caught
he reelection OF the rising glow of the
electric lamps outside as the current
poured into them. Then figure ap-
peared in the open doorway, the immac-
ulate. calm figure of Captain Myers. We
heaNed ourselves toward him, shouting
But he paid no attention TO us. His
crisp tones cut over our heads. Mr..
We surged back. peering over our
shoulders. We saw the old mission
airy rise from his seat far back in the
saloon and set down little girl from
his arms He walked forward quietly
and looked up at the captain. I am
" The purser and the chief omcer
have been killed. said Myers quietly. I
rely on you to look after the passen-
gers The steward will report TO YOU.
Please allow nobody on deck And ar
ter cool stare at us all the captain
stepped back and disappeared. '''''
Il wish / could narrate the small
events OF the night, but can only state
dehnlteness. a sureness, a silent i'm
periousneSs that baked any opposition
lie herded us to our cabins, listened to
the complaints of women, sOOthed with
crooked hands weeping children within
an hour had cleared the saloon and was
sitting placidly beside the steward
reading his Bible through large iron
trimmed spectacles, while the Chinese
boys slipped around cleaning up the
mess OF dirt, torn clothes and shredded
matIhS that marked the tumult and
conflict OF the mutiny Now and again
Hampstead would cease reading and
enunciate n Chinese sentence in a harsh
nasal voice. Each time the boys would
gather quickly and then separate on
their varied errands.
IN the morning we learned some
thing OF what had really happened we
saw splintered woodwork about the
decks strange. blush splotches on the
white planks. an uneasy and shame
raced alacrity in the movements of the
crew. In the shadow of the bridge four
D0dles lay under a tarpaulin. and we
understood that the chief officer, the
purser and two engineers Law there
awaiting burial. They had been on the
that dozen bodies had been thrown
oversize during the night, that down
IN the recesses of the ship mutineers
were dying of their wounds But no
one spoke openly of all this We were
IeIt TO surmise, to innuendo, to chances.
AZ noon Hampstead buried the four
them for the rest of us Myers stood
on the lower bridge, vigilant, spotIess
IN CARP. apparently undisturbed. And
went down to luncheon
me days after this are, to my re-
membrance dreamlike. I observe Hamp-
stead austerely vigilant, fulfilling his
duties without ardor or word of mouth
I recall that our food gave out slowly
neers. We came to the day when we
mad no fresh milk, the cows having
gone dry Babiss sufrsred. We1seed
III ,-O .ry powder failed. We
by the condensers. The dark Winter
of the North Pacific settled down on
us. We read much, sitting in the sa-
loon and warming ourselves over the
steam coils.
But we had one satisfaction. High
winds had been availed of to drive the
Parthta into the great Japanese cur
rent which flows In a huge arc from
the coast Of Asia to the northern coast
progress eastward. of fifty miles one
day, of one hundred miles another dav
The sails were filled with sleety winds
The ship wallowed along on a course
In time we would gain port
AS the horrors of the mutiny faded
we slowly picked up spirit enough to
sang at night over the saloon piano
We gave a concert to the second cabin
and that dark part OF the ship blazed
with nghts in honor of a grand re-
ception to the first cabin. But, after
all, our principal interest was in Jonas
Hampstead's nightly prayers. IN taking
charge or the passengers at the cap
tain's orders. he had taken over the
cure or our souls as we'll. He was In
Se91t III season ana out or season. He
sald grace at meals. He prayed over
the sick children. He labored earnestly
with the doubling. He preached fer
Vently to the sinners
Never, did ship drift across the
Ioggy' gloomy Pacific under such cir
cumstanoes as cid the old Parthia.
From daylight till midnight we were
under the spell OF the old missionary
zeal. True, he preached an outworn,
neglected doctrine, a harsh and forbid
ding creed. But he believed It, Some
how we perceived that his straDo~fl,
flowed from IT. He Numbered out
against all sin, making no distinction
between the veniai and the mortal He
held before us the prospect OF hell fire
he adJured us In the name OF an angry
and Jealous God to come to the mercy