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[page 75, continued:]
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CHAPTER VIII.
AS I viewed
myself in a fragment
of looking-glass which hung up in the cabin, and by the dim light of a
kind of battle-lantern, I was so impressed with a sense of vague awe at
my appearance, and at the recollection of the terrific reality which I
was thus representing, that I was seized with a violent tremour, and
could
scarcely summon resolution to go on with my part. It was necessary,
however,
to act with decision, and Peters and myself went upon deck.
We there found everything safe, and,
keeping close
to the bulwarks, the three of us crept to the cabin companion-way. It
was
only partially closed, precautions having been taken to prevent its
being
suddenly pushed to from without, by means of placing billets of wood on
the upper step so as to interfere with the shutting. We [page
76:] found no difficulty in getting a full view of the
interior
of the cabin through the cracks where the hinges were placed. It now
proved
to have been very fortunate for us that we had not attempted to take
them
by surprise, for they were evidently on the alert. Only one was asleep,
and he lying just at the foot of the companion-ladder, with a musket by
his side. The rest were seated on several mattresses, which had been
taken
from the berths and thrown on the floor. They were engaged in earnest
conversation;
and although they had been carousing, as appeared from two empty jugs,
with some tin tumblers which lay about, they were not as much
intoxicated
as usual. All had knives, one or two of them pistols, and a great many
muskets were lying in a berth close at hand.
We listened to their conversation for
some time before
we could make up our minds how to act, having as yet resolved on
nothing
determinate, except that we would attempt to paralyze their exertions,
when we should attack them, by means of the apparition of Rogers. They
were discussing their piratical plans, in which all we could hear
distinctly
was, that they would unite with the crew of a schooner Hornet, and, if
possible, get the schooner herself into their possession preparatory to
some attempt on a large scale, the particulars of which could not be
made
out by either of us.
One of the men spoke of Peters, when
the mate replied
to him in a low voice which could not be distinguished, and afterward
added
more loudly, that "he could not understand his being so much forward
with
the captain's brat in the forecastle, and he thought the sooner both of
them were overboard the better." To this no answer was made, but we
could
easily perceive that the hint was well received by the whole party, and
more particularly by Jones. At this period I was excessively agitated,
the more so as I could see that neither Augustus nor Peters could
determine
how to act. I made up my mind, however, to sell my life as dearly as
possible,
and not to suffer myself to be overcome by any feelings of trepidation.
[page
77:]
The tremendous noise made by the
roaring of the wind
in the rigging and the washing of the sea over the deck, prevented us
from
hearing what was said except during momentary lulls. In one of these we
all distinctly heard the mate tell one of the men to "go forward, and
order
the d—d lubbers to come into the cabin, where he could have an eye upon
them, for he wanted no such secret doings on board the brig." It was
well
for us that the pitching of the vessel at this moment was so violent as
to prevent this order from being carried into instant execution. The
cook
got up from his mattress to go for us, when a tremendous lurch, which I
thought would carry away the masts, threw him headlong against one of
the
larboard stateroom doors, bursting it open, and creating a good deal of
other confusion. Luckily, neither of our party was thrown from his
position,
and we had time to make a precipitate retreat to the forecastle, and
arrange
a hurried plan of action before the messenger made his appearance, or
rather
before he put his head out of the companion-hatch, for he did not come
on deck. From this station he could not notice the absence of Allen,
and
he accordingly bawled out, as if to him, repeating the orders of the
mate.
Peters cried out, "Ay, ay," in a disguised voice, and the cook
immediately
went below, without entertaining a suspicion that all was not right.
My two companions now proceeded
boldly aft and down
into the cabin, Peters closing the door after him in the same manner he
had found it. The mate received them with feigned cordiality, and told
Augustus that, since he had behaved himself so well of late, he might
take
up his quarters in the cabin, and be one of them for the future. He
then
poured him out a tumbler half full of rum, and made him drink it. All
this
I saw and heard, for I followed my friends to the cabin as soon as the
door was shut, and took up my old point of observation. I had brought
with
me the two pump-handles, one of which I secured near the companion-way,
to be ready for use when required.
I now steadied myself as well as
possible so as to [page
78:] have a good view of all that was passing within, and
endeavoured
to nerve myself to the task of descending among the mutineers when
Peters
should make a signal to me as agreed upon. Presently he contrived to
turn
the conversation upon the bloody deeds of the mutiny, and, by degrees,
led the men to talk of the thousand superstitions which are so
universally
current among seamen. I could not make out all that was said, but I
could
plainly see the effects of the conversation in the countenances of
those
present. The mate was evidently much agitated, and presently, when some
one mentioned the terrific appearance of Rogers' corpse, I thought he
was
upon the point of swooning. Peters now asked him if he did not think it
would be better to have the body thrown overboard at once, as it was
too
horrible a sight to see it floundering about in the scuppers. At this
the
villain absolutely gasped for breath, and turned his head slowly round
upon his companions, as if imploring some one to go up and perform the
task. No one, however, stirred, and it was quite evident that the whole
party were wound up to the highest pitch of nervous excitement. Peters
now made me the signal. I immediately threw open the door of the
companion-way,
and, descending without uttering a syllable, stood erect in the midst
of
the party.
The intense effect produced by this
sudden apparition
is not at all to be wondered at when the various circumstances are
taken
into consideration. Usually, in cases of a similar nature, there is
left
in the mind of the spectator some glimmering of doubt as to the reality
of the vision before his eyes; a degree of hope, however feeble, that
he
is the victim of chicanery, and that the apparition is not actually a
visitant
from the world of shadows. It is not too much to say that such remnants
of doubt have been at the bottom of almost every such visitation, and
that
the appalling horror which has sometimes been brought about, is to be
attributed,
even in the cases most in point, and where most suffering has been
experienced,
more to a kind of anticipative horror, lest the apparition might
possibly
be real, than to an unwavering belief in [page 79:]
its reality. But, in the present instance, it will be seen immediately,
that in the minds of the mutineers there was not even the shadow of a
basis
upon which to rest a doubt that the apparition of Rogers was indeed a
revivification
of his disgusting corpse, or at least its spiritual image. The isolated
situation of the brig, with its entire inaccessibility on account of
the
gale, confined the apparently possible means of deception within such
narrow
and definite limits, that they must have thought themselves enabled to
survey them all at a glance. They had now been at sea twenty-four days,
without holding more than a speaking communication with any vessel
whatever.
The whole of the crew, too, at least all whom they had the most remote
reason for suspecting to be on board, were assembled in the cabin, with
the exception of Allen, the watch; and his gigantic stature (he was six
feet six inches high) was too familiar in their eyes to permit the
notion
that he was the apparition before them to enter their minds even for an
instant. Add to these considerations the awe-inspiring nature of the
tempest,
and that of the conversation brought about by Peters; the deep
impression
which the loathsomeness of the actual corpse had made in the morning
upon
the imaginations of the men; the excellence of the imitation in my
person;
and the uncertain and wavering light in which they beheld me, as the
glare
of the cabin lantern, swinging violently to and fro, fell dubiously and
fitfully upon my figure, and there will be no reason to wonder that the
deception had even more than the entire effect which we had
anticipated.
The mate sprang up from the mattress on which he was lying, and,
without
uttering a syllable, fell back, stone dead, upon the cabin floor, and
was
hurled to the leeward like a log by a heavy roll of the brig. Of the
remaining
seven there were but three who had at first any degree of presence of
mind.
The four others sat for some time rooted apparently to the floor, the
most
pitiable objects of horror and utter despair my eyes ever encountered.
The only opposition we experienced at all was from the cook, John Hunt,
and Richard Parker; [page 80:] but they made but
a
feeble and irresolute defence. The two former were shot instantly by
Peters,
and I felled Parker with a blow on the head from the pump-handle which
I had brought with me. In the mean time Augustus seized one of the
muskets
lying on the floor, and shot another mutineer (—— Wilson) through the
breast.
There were now but three remaining; but by this time they had become
aroused
from their lethargy, and perhaps began to see that a deception had been
practised upon them, for they fought with great resolution and fury,
and,
but for the immense muscular strength of Peters, might have ultimately
got the better of us. These three men were —— Jones, —— Greely, and
Absolom
Hicks. Jones had thrown Augustus oo the floor, stabbed him in several
places
along the right arm, and would no doubt have soon despatched him (as
neither
Peters nor myself could immediately get rid of our own antagonists),
had
it not been for the timely aid of a friend upon whose assistance we
surely
had never depended. This friend was no other than Tiger. With a low
growl
he bounded into the cabin, at a most critical moment for Augustus, and
throwing himself upon Jones, pinned him to the floor in an instant. My
friend, however, was now too much injured to render us any aid
whatever,
and I was so encumbered with my disguise that I could do but little.
The
dog would not leave his hold upon the throat of Jones — Peters,
nevertheless,
was far more than a match for the two men who remained, and would, no
doubt,
have despatched them sooner, had it not been for the narrow space in
which
he had to act, and the tremendous lurches of the vessel. Presently he
was
enabled to get hold of a heavy stool, several of which lay about the
floor.
With this he beat out the brains of Greely as he was in the act of
discharging
a musket at me, and immediately afterward a roll of the brig throwing
him
in contact with Hicks, he seized him by the throat, and, by dint of
sheer
strength, strangled him instantaneously. Thus, in far less time than I
have taken to tell it, we found ourselves masters of the brig. [page
81:]
The only person of our opponents who
was left alive
was Richard Parker. This man, it will be remembered, I had knocked down
with a blow from the pump-handle at the commencement of the attack. He
now lay motionless by the door of the shattered stateroom; but, upon
Peters
touching him with his foot, he spoke, and entreated for mercy. His head
was only slightly cut, and otherwise he had received no injury, having
been merely stunned by the blow. He now got up, and, for the present,
we
secured his hands behind his back. The dog was still growling over
Jones;
but, upon examination, we found him completely dead, the blood issuing
in a stream from a deep wound in the throat, inflicted, no doubt, by
the
sharp teeth of the animal.
It was now about one o'clock in the
morning, and
the wind was still blowing tremendously. The brig evidently laboured
much
more than usual, and it became absolutely necessary that something
should
be done with a view of easing her in some measure. At almost every roll
to leeward she shipped a sea, several of which came partially down into
the cabin during our scuffle, the hatchway having been left open by
myself
when I descended. The entire range of bulwarks to larboard had been
swept
away, as well as the caboose, together with the jollyboat from the
counter.
The creaking and working of the mainmast, too, gave indication that it
was nearly sprung. To make room for more stowage in the after hold, the
heel of this mast had been stepped between decks (a very reprehensible
practice, occasionally resorted to by ignorant ship-builders), so that
it was in imminent danger of working from its step. But, to crown all
our
difficulties, we plummed the well, and found no less than seven feet of
water.
Leaving the bodies of the crew lying
in the cabin,
we got to work immediately at the pumps — Parker, of course, being set
at liberty to assist us in the labour. Augustus's arm was bound up as
well
as we could effect it, and he did what he could, but that was not much.
However, we found that we could just manage to keep the leak from
gaining
upon us by having one pump constantly [page 82:]
going.
As there were only four of us, this was severe labour; but we
endeavoured
to keep up our spirits, and looked anxiously for daybreak, when we
hoped
to lighten the brig by cutting away the mainmast.
In this manner we passed a night of
terrible anxiety
and fatigue, and, when the day at length broke, the gale had neither
abated
in the least, nor were there any signs of its abating. We now dragged
the
bodies on deck and threw them overboard. Our next care was to get rid
of
the mainmast. The necessary preparations having been made, Peters cut
away
at the mast (having found axes in the cabin), while the rest of us
stood
by the stays and lanyards. As the brig gave a tremendous lee-lurch, the
word was given to cut away the weather-lanyards, which being done, the
whole mass of wood and rigging plunged into the sea, clear of the brig,
and without doing any material injury. We now found that the vessel did
not labour quite as much as before, but our situation was still
exceedingly
precarious, and in spite of the utmost exertions, we could not gain
upon
the leak without the aid of both pumps. The little assistance which
Augustus
could render us was not really of any importance. To add to our
distress,
a heavy sea, striking the brig to the windward, threw her off several
points
from the wind, and, before she could regain her position, another broke
completely over her, and hurled her full upon her beam-ends. The
ballast
now shifted in a mass to leeward (the stowage had been knocking about
perfectly
at random for some time), and for a few moments we thought nothing
could
save us from capsizing. Presently, however, we partially righted; but
the
ballast still retaining its place to larboard, we lay so much along
that
it was useless to think of working the pumps, which indeed we could not
have done much longer in any case, as our hands were entirely raw with
the excessive labour we had undergone, and were bleeding in the most
horrible
manner.
Contrary to Parker's advice, we now
proceeded to
cut away the foremast, and at length accomplished it after much
difficulty,
owing to the position in which we lay. [page 83:]
In
going overboard the wreck took with it the bowsprit, and left us a
complete
hulk.
So far we had had reason to rejoice
in the escape
of our longboat, which had received no damage from any of the huge seas
which had come on board. But we had not long to congratulate ourselves;
for the foremast having gone, and, of course, the foresail with it, by
which the brig had been steadied, every sea now made a complete breach
over us, and in five minutes our deck was swept from stern to stern,
the
longboat and starboard bulwarks torn off, and even the windlass
shattered
into fragments. It was, indeed, hardly possible for us to be in a more
pitiable condition.
At noon there seemed to be some
slight appearance
of the gale's abating, but in this we were sadly disappointed, for it
only
lulled for a few minutes to blow with redoubled fury. About four in the
afternoon it was utterly impossible to stand up against the violence of
the blast; and, as the night closed in upon us, I had not a shadow of
hope
that the vessel would hold together until morning.
By midnight we had settled very deep
in the water,
which was now up to the orlop deck. The rudder went soon afterward, the
sea which tore it away lifting the after portion of the brig entirely
from
the water, against which she thumped in her descent with such a
concussion
as would be occasioned by going ashore. We had all calculated that the
rudder would hold its own to the last, as it was unusually strong,
being
rigged as I have never seen one rigged either before or since. Down its
main timber there ran a succession of stout iron hooks, and others in
the
same manner down the stern-post. Through these hooks there extended a
very
thick wrought-iron rod, the rudder being thus held to the stern-post,
and
swinging freely on the rod. The tremendous force of the sea which tore
it off may be estimated by the fact, that the hooks in the stern-post,
which ran entirely through it, being clinched on the inside, were drawn
every one of them completely out of the solid wood. [page 84:]
We had scarcely time to draw breath
after the violence
of this shock, when one of the most tremendous waves I had then ever
known
broke right on board of us, sweeping the companion-way clear off,
bursting
in the hatchways, and filling every inch of the vessel with water. |
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