The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-12-10
"We've come to the parting of the

"We've come to the parting Of the
ways, brothers," he said. "We've all
become liable to death for mutiny. The
pardon offered by the king has been
refused, and fresh demands are made.
There, think, real wrong has been
committed by our people. The Ariadne
is we'll supplied with food and water.
It is the only ship with sufficiency.
And why? Because at the beginning
we got provisions from the shore In
time; also we got permission from
Richard Parker to fill our holds from
two stopped merchant ships. Well,
the rest of the fleet know what our
food and drink fitment is. They know
how safe we are, and today. orders
have come to yield our provisions to
the rest Of the fleet. That Is, we. who
have taken time by the forelock, must
yield up our good gettings to bad re-
ceivers. l am not prepared to do 1t.
"The fleet could not sail now II 1t
wished; but one ship can sail, and 1t Is
ours. The feet hasn't the food to sail.
On Richard Parker's ship. the Sand
witch, there is food only for a week.
The others are almost as bad. We are
in danger of being attacked. Sir Eras-
mus Cover, Of the Neptune, has fleet
of warships, gunboats, and amateur
armed vessels getting ready to attack
us. The North sea fleet has come to
help us, but that doesn't save US. I'll
say this-we are loyal men In this
feet, otherwise our ships would have
Joined the enemy in the waters Of
France or Holland. They can't 60 now.
In any case. The men have lost heart.
"For the moment we have a ma
jority in men and ships: but We can't
renew our food or drink, or ammuni-
ton. The end Is sure against us. Our
original agitation was just; our pres
ent obduracy is madness. The ship is
suspected. 1t Is believed by the rest
Of the fleet-by ships like the Invinci-
ble-that we're weakened, selfish
and lacking in fidelity to the cause.
That's not true; but we are in this pO-
sition-we have either to fight or to
run, and perhaps to do both.
make no mistake. The government
are not towards; the admiralty are
gentlemen Of determination. II men
like Admiral Howe support the admir-
alty-Howe, one Of the best friends
the seaman ever had-what do you
think the end will be? Hive you heard
what happened at Spithead7 The sea-
men chivvied Admiral Alan Gardner
and his colleagues aboard ship. He
caught hold of q seaman Delegate by
the collar and shook him. They closed
in on him. They handled him roughly.
He sprang on the hammock. MEETINGS.
put the moose of the hanging-rOpe
round his neck, and said to the men
who advanced menacingly:
"If you will return to your duty,
you may hang me at the yard-arm!
"That's the kind Of stuff our ad-
mirals are made Of. We have no quar-
rel with the majority Of our officers.
They're straight, they're honest, and
they're true to their game. Our quar-
rel is with parliament and the admir-
atty; our struggle is with the people
of the kingdom, who have not seen to
It that our wrongs are put right, that
we have food to eat, water to drink
and money to spend"
He waved a hand, as though to
sweep away the criticisms he felt must
be rising against him.
Don't think because I've spent four
years in prison under the sternest dis
cipline the world offers. and have
never been q seaman before. that I'm
not fitted to esp0use your cause. BY
Heaven, / AMI AMI am! / know
the wrongs you've suffered. I've
smelled the water you drink. I've
tasted the rotten meat.> I've seen the
honest seaman who has been for years
upon the main-Pve seen the scars
upon his back got from brutal officer
who gave him too big Job to do, and
logged him for not doing II. l know
Of men who, feyered with bad food,
have fallen, from the main masthead,
or have slipped overheard, glad to go,
because Of the wrongs they've suffered
.ITl tell you what our fate viii be-
and then I'll put q question to you. We
must either give up our stock OF pro.
visions or run for It. Parker and the
other Delegates proclaim their com
radeship; yet they have hidden from
us the kings proclamation and the
friendly resolutions Of the London mer
chants. I say our only hope is to es
cane from the. Thames. know that
skill will be needed, but II we escape
what then? say, IL we escape, be
cause, as we sail out, orders will bt
given for the other mutiny ships to at
tack us. We shall be fired on; VIC
shall risk our lives. You've done thai
before, however, and will do 1t again.
arm not inclined to surrender. or K
stand by men who have botched oul
| business for us. I'm for making fol
| the sea, and, when / get there, I'm fol-
striking for the West Indies, wher'
| there's a British feet fighting Britain,
enemies, and for Joining in and fight
| ing with them. I'm for getting out O
| this river and away from England. III
a bold plan. but It's good one.
want to know II you're with me. Re
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