Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-01-12
ABOARD THE
COUNTESS
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1916. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

of the brig Countess. To the genera
reader these lines meant nothing.
do not suppose there are fifty people ir
all England today who can recall the
case of the Countess, although the par
tculars were published far and wide
and finally appeared in book form.
The Countess was a Bristol brig
owned In part and commanded by
! Captain Thomas, who was not only q
thorough seaman. but a man OF excel.
lent heart We were bound out to
Georgetown, in British Guiana, with
orders to call at Jamaica This was
my third voyage with Captain Thomas,
the other two extending only to ports
in Spain and return. was an appren-
| tice, or ships boy. having nothing to
do with the cabin. but living with the
crew In the fo'castle and learning to be
a sailor.
After we left port and got things
shipshape l had opportunity to look
over the crew and see what they were
made OF, and I was not long In making
up my mind, boy as was, that we had
shipped a hard lot. There is always a
leader In the fo'castle and In those
days IL was the best fighter Seaman
ship and education had to bow to brute
strength. 1t wasn't three days before
q big. burly fellow, who went by the
name Of Bristol Bob. but whose real
name was Ravens. had established
himself as boss" II he had had the
good Of the brig In view this would
have been for her benefit. but it soon
transpired that he had plans OF his
own.
Before reaching Jamaica the crew
had been on the point of mutiny half
a dozen times.
One afternoOn-it was on the fourth
day, believe was aroused from my
sleep by a conversation between Bob
and a man named Jackson. They
knew l was in the bunk, but believed
me to be sleeping soundly.
This is the plan as | have thought
it out" Bob was saying. after we
eastward for a spell. The island l am
after is not down on the chart. 1t is
northeast of Trinidad and maybe 200
miles away from here"
Don't Miner know" asked the
other.
"Never heard of it. but this is his
first trip this way"
The men presently went about their
business. but l made the pretense Of
sleeping sOundly until called to relieve
the other watch. l was all in trent
bic over what | had heard and had no
idea of what course | should take.
While it seemed proper for me to go
to the captain or mate with my infor-
nation. the reader must not overlook
the difficulties in The way l planned
a dozen different ways to reach head
quarters. and that | didn't put the cap
ain on his guard was his OWL fault.
One night during our watch he call
ID to me to bring something from his
'oom. Bob and his friends were for /
ward at the heel of the bowsprit, and !
Is | came out of the cabin the mate /
vas at the water cask. As l reached I
lin l whispered:
Il should very much like TO speak
o you or the captain, sir
"If you don't get forward III speak
o you in way you'll remember for
ear to Gomez he growled.
No doubt he imagined l had some
to make. but if he had per
nitted me TO speak it might have pre-
ented the tragedy which followed.
A few nights later Bristol Bob called
he mate forward, and shortly after
yard he came to me and said:
"Boy. run down and tell the captain
hat the first mate is Ill.,"
I found the captain sound asleep
ut as soon as l had told him what l
ad overheard in the fO'castle and
that l suspected had just happened
n deck Il was wonderful how coolly
G took the exciting news. AS he
cached for his pistols he ordered me
} bolt the doors of the companion
AK The men stood at the entrance,
nd as they caught sight of me they
epped back supposing the captain
as following | slammed and bolted
lie swinging doors.
The fellows cursed and yelled. and,
lOugh we could hear them moving
round the decks from that time until
iylight. they made no attack. Final I
we heard some one working with
/ AK on the cabin door, and the cap
in made ready TO fire bullet through
BY some carelessness the weapon
as prematurely discharged, and he
ceived the bullet in his thros t. dying
few moments later. | was so over
me and frightened now that the cap
in was gone that | hid in his state
ON. and the mutineers no longer had
" one TO resist them.
The first thing | knew il was night
ID il was so very quiet that | knew
ere could be no wind outside. l
ept out into the cabin, but every
ing remained as | had left it, For
% hours l listened for sounds from