The Mystery of a Mutiny.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXVLL, Issue 4275, 14 September 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Mystery of a Mutiny.

A Lieutenant's Narrative.

BY BT7FTJS BALE.

We were about fifty miles to the Boutb and west of tue Harvey Islands, Pacific Ocean, said Li< utenant Gresbam, of the war-sloop Enterprise, when we picked up a sealed bottle, in which wua a roil of white paper. Ou the lnUor,sciawled with a pencil, by a captain signing himself •' Henry Coltcn, matter and owner of the sliip Ariel, containing 'nuu-hanrMse and a larye amount of gold uust liuiu Sydney, Australia," we louud the bUtement of a mutiny among his nieu, headed by Ins second mate, John Hard, on the evening of the day befoie. Tne men bad fust killed the thiid and chief ofiioeis, throwing their bodies overboard ; then one had dealt the ship's carpenter a fearful gash with an axe, when he got over the rail and slid down to the inizzen starboard chainplates, on the outside of the vessel, where he bung, begging for his liie. But the second mate had climbed over into the chain? with a hatchet, and compelled him to let go his hold by chopping off his fingers, whereupon the man dropped into the sea and sank. Next Captain Colton and his young wile —the only woman aboaid the ship — were also about to be butchered, together with their child, eighteen months old, when Hard proposed sparing their lives, if the captain would consent to navigate the ship to where the mutineers wanted to go. He Baid be would; but he overheard the scoundrel Hard whieper to one of the men that the three would only be spared for some twenty-four hours, until they couW make sute of safely reaching an uninhabited island which bad been visible just before night had settled about the craft. Early next morning, under pretence of wanting to examine his chart, the captain got permission to go below, when he wrote this statement and threw it, bottled and sealed, out of the cabin window, praying Heaven that it might be picked up by a vessel which had just hove in sight to windward, and which, if he was not mistaken, wits a man-of-war. When the bottle was picked up and the contents read, something of a stir was created aboard the man-of-war, especially as what we thought might be the very craft from which the bottle had been thrown was now faintly visible— a dim speck far to leeward. We crowded all sail to overtake her, and noticed that she commenced to pile on everything she could carry when we arrived within about two miles of her ; but, finally, a shot which we fired across hei bow brought her up into the wind with hei canvas rattling. Soon, however, the breeze having died away, and both vessels being becalmed, a cutter with an armed crew, oi which I had the charge, was sent of! to the ship. That she was the one mentioned in the writing we saw as we glided past her stern, on which was her name, Ariel, in large, gill letters. A dark young man, having a full face, and very white teeth, which he showed with a pleasant smile, watched us over the rail. He politely lowered the man-ropes foi us, when we were alongside, and I stepped aboard, with Midshipman Dale, who had accompanied me, ordering some of the crew to follow. A sharp glance about me showed nothing to indicate a late mutiny, The decks were as clean aa wax, and the men were the common mixture of weather* beaten fellows of different nationalities. Perceiving I Baid nothing, the dark man who had lowered the ropes to me remarked that he thought I bad made some mistake about his ship, as I hau fired across his bows, and would I be kind enough to explain ? •• First " I said, " tell me nho you are. 1 ' •' Captain Henry Colton, Bir, master and owner of this ship 1" I looked at him keenly, and probably suspiciously, for he stared jft me with eyes wide open, apparently with surpiiße. I was about asking him to 9how his papers, and to say that I would take a look through his cabin, when all my doubts about him was set at rest by the appearance of a cheerful and pleasant woman with a child in her arms, and his telling me that the lady was Mrs. Celton, his wife. I gave my name,and was introduced to the woman. She wore a long, loose wrapper, was dark complexioned, with straight black hair, just reaching to her shoulders ; and, though pretty and apparently very happy, was, I thought, rather "dowdy-looking." I also noticed that she held her child ungracefully, standing bolt upright, instead of leaning backward, as a woman usually does when an infant is in her arms. The child kept crying; and when the captain was trying to soothe the little creature, three other men to leeward looked on, smiling. Seeing me glance at them, Colton told me they were his first, second and tnird mates. "My second mate has a hard name," he jokingly remarked ; " in fact, hia name is John Hakd. but he would nob harm a fly." This was the man who, according to the writing in the sealed bottle, bad murdered the first and third mates, and thrown their bodies overboard. What, then, was the meaning of that writing? If it was all a hoax on the part of some Bailor, I had certainly never heard of one like it. The proof that no mutiny had happened, that everything was right aboard the ship, now seemed to me as clear as daylight, and I said to Mr. Dale, who Btood carelessly leaning against the starboard bulwarks : II Come, we may as well get back aboard the Bloop," when, all at once, while^ the others were gazing another way, I saw such a look of horror in his eyes as I shall never forget. I walked over to where he was, and following the direction of his gaze, whioh was toward the mizzen chains (on the outside of the ship), I beheld lyin? juat behind one of the chain plates th&Jinger of a man's hand, the nail on it catching the tint of the rusty iron and a glint of the sunshine, gleaming ' like an angry eye. | A bunch of oakum lying on one side of it had probably been adhering to the plate.and thus hidden the ghastly object from the I crew, but it was now revealed to me plainly enough. Quickly drawing the midshipman aside, I Walked with him toward the gang- ' way. II Well, sir, what do you think of it r" he •DfiweredU in • low voice. j " There is something wrong here," I an. swered, " and yet wo have seen for ourselves tbat the captain, his wife, his child and bis officers are all alive, contented and Bafe. Take most of the men, Mr. Dale, and go back to the sloop, where you will tell our I captain exactly how things are, and ' get his instructions as to what I am to dfc." i The midshipman waß soon on his way, ' and, with ten men, 1 was left aboard the ship. | The latter's captain now approached me. " You stay aboard, sir !" he said, inquiringly. " May I now ask what the trouble 18?" " Oh, yes, do tell üb," said his wife, coaxingly, also coming up, with the child still in her arms." " I cannot tell you yet," was my reply. At that moment the infant became more restive, kicking and screaming wildly. "/ want my mamma T he suddenly yelled. I started with surprise. "He is ailing, and is a little out of his head— don't know what he says J" cried the ' woman ; though it struck me that both she ' j V 4 tltSlrgptiig togfcgg cool Oßgq aad aoewy, j ,

•' To think of bis asking for bis mother, when he is already with her." Just tben tbe captain shouted out an order for shortening sail, and looking to windward I saw a squall coming down upon us. The sloop's boatswain was piping, too, and soon her yards were alive with, nimble fellows rolling up the canvas. By the time Midshipman Dale bad reached her tbe storm was close aboard. There could be no lying-to under the furious gale tbat came a moment later, as this would bare caused tbe vessel to drift down upon the island to leeward. Away went the Ariel, and soon the sloop and this craft were far apart, bidden from each other by the driving rack and mist of the storm. Looking over the weather rail, < I now perceived that the man's nnger,which Dale and I bad seen behind the chain- plate,' I was no longer there — bad probably been swept away by the seas. Leaning against the rail, l fell to thinking about the strange mystery of tbe affair, while, in the meantime, to puzzle me still more, there was that child now with Mrs. Coiton in the cabin, | still uneasy, and still occasionally uttering its weird, shrieking demand to be taken to j its motffer. , Night now was come, with the gale abating, and, having declined the captain's in- j 1 vitation to supper, for which I had no ap- I petite, I summoned my men and told them to take turns at watching for our sloop. The captain finally came up to take the deck i and sent his officers into the steerage to turn ' is. I Seating myself on the carpenter's chest, 1 , resolved, with the exception of an occasional nap, to -keep awake until the next morning. Hours passed, and having vainly watched" for tbe sloop's light, I finally fell asleep. 1 was awakened— l think it must have been i four hours later, as the full moon's position I was high in the clearad sky — by that little child below, screaming oat louder than evei for his mother. I heard someone near me say : II The troublesome young one will awake the lieutenant." I recognised the voice of Mrs. Colton. though it struck me that it was harsher than usual. I lay still, keeping my eyes closed, and then came the voice of the captain : II No, he is still asleep. Take a pull on those mizzen too gallant halliards, won you ?" I opened my eyes a little, and, to my in. tense surprise, I saw Mrs. Colton move ovei to the halliards, dexterously loosen their from tbe pin, and give them a most power f ul, sailorly pull. When she was through, Bhe descends into the cabin, saying she would try t< quiet " tbat ugly child," I imagined I heard the sound of blaws and the little one continued to scream louder now than before, when, all at once I was startled on hearing a smothered voice cry out : "Oh 1 dear ! I must speak ! I can keep in no longer 1 They are killing mj child r This was followed by the voice of Mrs. Colton. " Hush ! I v ill kill him if you speak again 1" she said. Then she came up from below. " I hope the lieutenant did not hear," she whispered to the captain. 41 No, he is still asleep ; but I shook when she and you spoke, fearing he might awake and hear you. He suspects nothing as yet. and I hope he may be back aboard his sloop soon, as she is in sight, ahead. Then, I trust, we will no longer be in danger. What brought him aboard here is a mystery to me, as be could have known nothing about—" " S'sh I" interrupted tbe other, warn. ingly. Both now went into the cabin, I arose, and putting a hand on the hilt of my sword, slipped into the companionway. Peering down into the lighted cabin, I caw the cap. tain cautiously raise the run-hatch, and shake his fist at some person or persons beneath him, whom he also addressed in a low, threatening voice, though I could not heai . what he said. Instantly I sprang into the room, and ere the trap could be closed, I saw a man and woman lying, bound hand and foot, in the run, under the open hatchway 1 The truth broke upon my mind in a moment—these were the real Captain Colton ana his wife ! The others— the pretended Mr. and Mrs. Colton— now dropped the trap, and stood » moment staring at me, as if stupefied at my sudden appearance and discovery of the prisoners 1 •'Your villain»y is known," I said, sternly to the man. "If I mistake not, you are John Hard, the second mate, who headed the late bloody mutiny, and the three persons whom you told me were your officers are frauds, not officers at all, bnt merely assuming that position to c eceive me. Who this woman may be, though, I cannot imagine," looking, as I spoke, toward his companion. The man turned ghastly ; his kness shook under him ; horror and surprise at my knowledge of the mutiny seemed to hold him dumbfounded. The other, however, the woman, acted very differently, 41 All is discovered I" she cried " bet there is a chance for us yet, Mr. Hard, in the death of the lieutenant and his party I His blood first, his men's afterwards, and we may yet escape Il'I 1 ' Hard, as if roused to action by the words, pulled a pistol from his jacket, but, as be fired, I dashed it downward with my sword, and the bullet passed through the cabinfloor. At the same moment the woman, drawing a sharp sheath-knife from her pocket, sprang forward to bury the blade in my throat. I stepped back, and she fell flat upon the floor. Hard ran into another room, and quickly reapp.eared with an axe, while he roared out for bis men. I also called mine, and at the same instant the mutineer hurled the axe at me, blade foremost. Instead, of striking me.it was buried in the side of the woman, who was springing to her feet as he threw it. She uttered a loud shriek of pain, and tearing the wrapper she wore from about her breast and shoulders, pressed it to tbe gnastly wound, as if to atop tne flow ol blood. I Then another mystery was explained. A I jacket, a blue shirt, a masculine throat and a square, broad cheet were revealed. The ' I pretended woman was a youDg man of 20— ! the steward, a half-bred Spaniard, as I aftewards learned. | All my men, and also Hard's, came swarming into the cabin. The mutineers outnumbered us a little, bat my crew were well armed, while the others, not knowing what was going on, bad come without a single weapon except the sheath-knives in their belts — puny instruments against cutlasses and pistols. They, therefore, knew better ; than to resist, and we soon had them all, together with Hard, their leader, shut up in tbe hold. As to the steward who bad personated Mrs. Colton, his wound was a mortal one, and he died in a few hours — just as we arrived abreast of our sloop. j Great was the joy of young Captain Col* , con and his wife on being liberated from the ran. While the mother hugged her child to her oreast, her husband informed us that the I mutineers had shut them up there the mo- • ment they saw the man-of-war in chase of them, and had threatened to kill their child I they made the least noise. Their design, in the deception they had practiced, was that their visitors might report everything is having been "all light" in the rtssel when they boarded her, so that her destruction—which the rascals intended to bring ibout, after plundering her— might excite no mspiciona, but seem merely the result of ac« Jident. They certainly would have deceived us, md have succeeded in their fiendish plan, aad not Dale and I seen behind the chainjlate that human finger, which, like the ♦ Finger op Fate " itself, seeming to point . straight at the direful truth, had induced , joe to remain aboard the Ariel, and bftd thus . ted to the solution ol the mystery ot the lautioyyhjob h^diopmrte^Bfc * .