The Captains Daughter.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 2180, 4 July 1890, Page 6

The Captains Daughter.

For two years I had been mate of the .schooner Jessie, Captain Martin, plying regularly between Sydney, New South \ „Wales, and Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land. We had a trim craft, easily , . handled, and our crew never exoeoded six men. There was no second mate, and the captain stood his own watch. A year before I engaged with her she had been captured by convicts from the penal settlement, and when recovered after two or three days she had been supplied with an arsenal. The trip which gave rise to the incidents I am about to relate brought the captain's daughter on board for the first time, she having been away to school for a couple of years. The schooner was named after her, and if a vessel oould feel proud of anything, then the Jessie would have been puffed up over the good looks of the girl whose name she bore. Miss Martin was a typical English girl, and just as handsome as the best of them. She was then nineteen years old, in the best of health ana spirits, and it was as good as medicine for a sick perron to hear her sing and laugh. As our voyages were short, we had generally been able to keep the same crew for a long time ; but on this trip we were all broken up. Two of the old men had been taken ill while we were loading, a third had mysteriously absented himself, and on the day we were to sail the oook walked : ashore in a huff. There was no trouble, however, in filliDg the four vacancies. The cook was another coloured man with a good recommendation, while the three sailors were English speaking and of English nativity. When a crew is sent from a shipping office the master must not find fault with their personal appearance. If they are what they claim to be that musjb satisfy him, no matter if the whole lot are 'bowlegged, cross-eyed, bald-headed and humpbacked. It is the same when the mate engages men at the wharf. If they - satisfy him that they are sailors, he does ■ not find fault with' their looks. The three sailor-men I engaged for the trip were hard-looking fellows, and I would not have trusted them not to rob me ; but JE took them just the same. At sea they ■ would have their stations and their orders, and tne discipline of a vessel discourages all exhibitions of impudence towards 'officers. Our crew was now composed of six sailors, captain, mate and cook, and the "girl Jess brought the number on board up to ten. ' ' It is a run of over 500 miles almost due south from Sydney to Hobart Town ; - but until passing Cape Howe we bad thfe coast in view, and knew where shelter could be had in case of a storm. Our - crew set cheerfully to work, the weather - favoured us, and for three days everything went as smoothly as you please. I had two of the old men and one of the new ', in 'my watch, and on the fourth night, as we just held steerageway during my wafpb, the man at the wheel, whose name was Needham, and who had been with us several voyages, fussed about for a time, and finally said — ' Mr. Loring, I'd like to speak with you about a matter.' • Very well ; what is it ? ' ' I ; don't like them new men, sir.' ' For what reason ? ' • They've got their heads together too often, sir, and they've talked to Bill and Tom, my old mates, until they've quiet upset them.' • About what ?'

' Well, sir, about pirates, and islands, and treasure and such stuff. I didn't take to 'em and they didn't take to me, aad so they don't trust me ; but I can't help but think there's something wrong in the wind.'

I was not startled — not even worried. Sailors are always talking such nonsense among themselves, and aboard every oraft there is always a tale-bearer who wants to curry favour. Needham waß ' distant and peculiar, as I had heard the men say, and that was why tbe trio had not taken to him. I thought the matter over for some t'me, and then thanked the man for bis informotion and asked him to keep his eyes open. We had a light breeze all night, and the next day was very mild. t We got a st ff breeze from noon to midnight, and on the morning of

he sixth day were below tie Cape. Then the wind died out flat and dead, and all day long we hadn't sufficient to ruffle a feather.

. I had been watohing the new men closely since Needham stated his suspicions but not a thing could I disoover to confirm his Statements. They were cheerful, prompt and respectful, and I quite dismissed any thought of conspiracy. If Needbam had seen or heard anything further tie had not reported it, although invited to do so.

The captain's watoh that night was from eight to twelve. At nine o'clock I was asleep in my berth, the captain was lounging and smoking, and Jess was in the cabin after bo me articles of clothing. There was no wind yet, while the night was soft and starlight. There was a man at the wheel ; but this was mere form's sake, he having nothing to do. All of a sudden, as the captain paced the quarter, someone in the fo'oaetle shouted, • Murder ! ' There was a scramble and a rush, followed by a splash, and a choking voice from the water gasped out—

' It's mutiny, captain ; look out. ' It/vraß the voice of Needham, who had been stabbed and flung overboard. Next moment the captain saw every other man before the mast advancing aft, armed with capstan bars and belaying pins. The negro cook was with them, and the old man was not long in realizing that something worse than mutiny was on. Instead of ordering or arguing or waiting for explanations, he leaped down into the cabin and bolted the heavy doors behind him. I had heard the row, and was no iv dressed ; and so it came to pass that the captain, Jess and myself were together aft, and all made prisoners at once.

• It's mutiny, Mr. Loring ! ' shouted the captain as I entered the main cabin. ' Arm" yourself, and we'll teach the a lesson; not to be forgotten.' £te had s,barceiy ceased; speaking when a bullet struck him in the right shoulder and a shot fired at me grazed my head. One of the mutineers had fired through the open skylight. The captain etagger.ed to the sofa, and in a jiffy I nad the lights <mti Then I pulled the heavy sttsh down *W poured it { «na we were -Sf f» 'for the

moment. It needed no explanation t° satisfy me of what had happened. Th e crew had seized the schooner, and Needham had been murdered because he would not join the conspiracy. I had a revolver, and I started for the deck ; but the captain stopped me. • Come back, Mr. Loring. You have no chance ! They would kill you before you got on deok ! ' • But we must get the sohooner back 1 ' I said.

• Certainly ; but we can't do it by throwing our lives away. We are safe for the present. Help me off with vny coat and attend to this wound. Jesa, you take my revolver and stand in the companion-way to guard the doors.' I got at the wound as soon and as carefully as I could, and was rejoiced to find that the bullet had struck the bone and glanced off. Indeed, it fell out of the flesh as I washed away the blood. It was thus a painful but not a dangerous wound. I soon bad it attended to, and the captain thought he would not be prevented from handling a revolver. I had just got him fixed up, when someone rapped at the doors, and a voioe exclaimed—

' Below there ! I want a word with you ! ' • What is it ? ' demanded the captain.

c The schooner is ours, as you of course know. We don't want your lives. You oan have a boat and start off aa soon as you please.' But we don't propose to go.' • Don't get riled, old man. We've got the sohooner, and we know enough to keep her. We don't want you here. If you accept our offer, all right. If you want to fight it out, then look out for yourselves 1 ' • That's what we propose to do/ replied the captain ; and then all was quiet. I crept to the head of the companion stairs and heard the mutineers conversing in low tones ; and while I sought to catch what they said a man ran aft to the wheel and the others began to make sail. The calm was broken. I knew the course they would make without seekiflg a sight of the cabin compass. They would head to the west, probably for King Island, and while between the south coaßt of Australia and the north coast of Van Diemen's Land, a Btretoh of over 20U miles, there would be no fear of meeting with any craft larger than a coaster, owing to the numerous shoals and shallows. The breeze came up strong, and the sohooner went dancing away as lively as if all had been at peace.

' They won't try to get at us for a time, and perhaps not until morning,' said the captain, • and we must make ready.' We first made a barricade at the door of the main cabin, using the sofa, table and chairs. Then we got out and loaded five muskets, placed three cutlasses handy, and, in addittion, each had a revolver. We worked in the dark ; but we knew where everything was to be found. You might have looked for the girl to break down, but there was never a Bignofit. Indeed, she expressed a hope, that the men would not give in too soon and seemed to desire an attack. When we had done all we could, we sat down and waited for the night to pass away.

The schooner reeled off the miles at a lively pace for the next four hours, and morning came without our having been disturbed. Then sail was shortened, the craft laid-to, and, as soon as the men had a bit to eat, the leader summoned us with— « • Below there ! ' • Well,' ans ;vered the captain. ' We will give you another obance to leave. You can have a boat, oars, sail, water and grub, and no one shall hinder your going.' 1 Suppose we refuse to go ? ' ' Then your blood be upon your own heads ! Bather than surrender the schooner we'll burn her and you with her ! I'll give you half an hour to think it over.'

We didn't want two minutes. We were determined not only not to leave the schooner but to recapture her. We expected to be attacked first by the skylight ; but this was a small affair, and only commanded a portion of the cabin. And, as we afterwards ascertained, the only firearm among the mutineers was a double-barrrlled pistol, which had already been discharged, and could not be reloaded for want of ammunition. They could also batter in the doors of the companion ; but we hoped to hold them at the barricade. They could not come at us by way of the hold, lor that wi full.

We got a bite to eat from the pantry, had a glass of wine, and by that time were hailed for our answer. The captain replied that We would not go, and defied them to do their worst. We heard them moving softly about, and at her own request Jess was allowed to pull away a portion of the barricade and creep up the stairs to listen, while the captain and I stood with our guns ready to repulse any attack by the skylight.

Jess was returning to report, when a battering ram drove in the doors bardly an arm's length away, and the men who had wielded the spar raised a yell at the sight of her. Not one person in ten thousand, man or woman, would have done as she did. Instead of springing over the barricade, she levelled her revolver and shot one of the men, the leader of the mutiny, through the head as he stood above her. As he threw up his arms and fell forward, she shouted to us to come up, rushed up the stairs, and we heard her fire twice more before we got over the barricade.

When we got on deok no one but Jess was to be seen ereot. Two dead men and one wounded unto death were lying on the deck, and the other three had fled to the fo'oastle. A few minutes later they were begging for there lives, and they crawled like curs as they came up to be bound. Jess had killed two of tbe new men and mortally wounded the negro cook, and the mutiny had been put down and the oraft retaken before you could count one hundred. Her movements had been so swift and her aim was so fortunate that everything bad to go before her.

It would have made your hair stand up to listen to the confessions of those rascals. The seizure of the schooner had long been contemplated. Had we accepted the offer of the boat we would have been killed as soon as we reached the deck. The leader was an ex-convict named Ika Reese, and he proposed to turn the eraffc into a regular pirate, strengthening hie orew from such email oxaft as be might overhaul,

The negro died within an hour, and we hove the threo bodies overboard without oeremony. During the forenoon we worked the schooner to the east, and about noon got a couple of hands from a British merchantman and put into Melbourne to report and deliver up our prisoners.