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ing the forecastle, and depriving them of it. An order to this effect was given to the mates, and they were directed to go about its execution mildly but firmly, taking no arms with them, as they seemed inclined to do, but to give every chest, berth, and locker in the forecastle a thorough examination, and bring aft to the cabin any spirits they might find.

It was not without much anxiety that I sent them forward upon this duty. I remained upon the quarter-deck myself, ready to go to their aid should it be necessary. In a few moments, a loud and angry dispute was succeeded by a sharp scuffle around the forecastle companion - way. The steward, at my call, handed my loaded pistols from the cabin, and with_them I hastened forward. The Frenchman had grappled the second mate, who was a mere lad, by the throat, thrown him across the heel of the bowsprit, and was apparently determined to strangle him to death. The chief mate was calling for assistance from below, where he was struggling with the Guernsey man. The rest of the crew were indifferent spectators, but rather encouraging the foreigners than otherwise.

I presented a pistol at the head of the Frenchman, and ordered him to release the second mate, which he instantly did. I then ordered him into the foretop, and the others, who were near, into the maintop,

none to come down, under pain of death, until ordered. The steward had by this time brought another pair of pistols, with which I armed the second mate, directing him to remain on deck, and went below into the forecastle myself. I found that the chief mate had been slightly wounded in two places by the knife of his antagonist, who, however, ceased to resist as I made my appearance, and we immediately secured him in irons. The search was now made, and a quantity of liquor found and taken to the cabin. The rest of the men were then called down from the tops, and the Frenchman was made the companion of his coadjutor's confinement. I then expostulated at some length with the others upon their improper and insubordinate conduct, and upon the readiness with which they had suffered themselves to be drawn into such courses by two rascally foreigners, and expressed hopes that I should have no reason for further complaint during the rest of the voyage. This remonstrance I thought had effect, as they appeared contrite, and promised amendment. They were then dismissed, and order was restored. The next day, the foreigners strongly solicited pardon, with the most solemn promises of future good conduct; and as the rest of the crew joined in their request, I ordered that their irons should be taken off. For several days the duties

of the ship were performed to my entire satisfaction; but I could discover in the countenances of the foreigners, expressions of deep and rancorous animosity to the chief mate, who was a prompt, energetic seaman, requiring from the sailors at all times a ready and implicit obedience to his orders. 'A week perhaps had passed over in this way, when one night, in the mid-watch, all hands were called to shorten sail. Ordinarily, upon occasions of this kind, the duty was conducted by the mate, but I now went upon deck myself and gave orders, sending him upon the forecastle. The night was dark and squally, but the sea was not high, and the ship was running off about nine knots, with the wind upon the starboard quarter. The weather being very unpromising, the second reef was taken in the fore and main topsails, the mizen handed, and the fore and mizen top-gallant yards sent down. This done, one watch was permitted to go below, and I prepared to betake myself to my berth again, directing the mate, to whom I wished to give some orders, should be sent to me. To my utter astonishment and consternation, word was brought me, after a short time, that he was nowhere to be found. I hastened upon deck, ordered all hands up again, and questioned every man in the ship upon the subject; but they with one accord declared that they had

not seen the mate forward. Lanterns were then brought, and every accessible part of the vessel was unavailingly searched. I then, in the hearing of the whole crew, declared my belief that he must have fallen overboard by accident, again dismissed one watch below, and repaired to the cabin in a state of mental agitation impossible to be described; for, notwithstanding the opinion I had expressed to the contrary, I could not but entertain strong suspicions that the unfortunate man had met a violent death.

'The second mate was a protegé of mine, and as I have before observed, was a very young man, of not much experience as a seaman. I therefore felt that, under critical circumstances, my main support had fallen from me. It is needless to add that a deep sense of forlornness and insecurity was the result of these reflections.

'My first step was to load and deposit in my state-room all the fire-arms on board, amounting to several muskets and four pairs of pistols. The steward was a faithful mulatto man, who had sailed with me several voyages. To him I communicated my suspicions, and directed him to be constantly on the alert, and should any further difficulty with the crew occur, to repair immediately to my state-room and arm himself. His usual berth was in the steerage, but I further directed that he should on the following morning clear

out, and occupy one in the cabin near my own. The second mate occupied a small state-room opening into the passage which led from the steerage to the cabin. I called him from the deck, gave him a pair of loaded pistols, with orders to keep them in his berth, and during his night watches on deck never to go forward of the main - mast, but to continue as constantly as possible near the cabin companion-way, and call me upon the slightest occasion. After this, I lay down in my bed, ordering that I should be called at four o'clock for the morning watch. Only a few minutes had elapsed, when I heard three or four knocks under the counter of the ship, which is that part of the stern immediately under the cabin windows. In a minute or two they were distinctly repeated. I arose, opened the cabin window, and called. The mate answered! I gave him the end of a rope to assist him up, and never shall I forget the flood of gratitude which my delighted soul poured forth to that Being who had restored him to me uninjured. His story was soon told. He had gone forward upon being ordered by me, after the calling of all hands, and had barely reached the forecastle, when he was seized by the two foreigners, and before he could utter more than

one cry, which was drowned in the roaring of the winds and waves, was thrown over the bow. He was a powerful man, and an

excellent swimmer. The topsails of the ship were clewed down to reef, and her way, of course, considerably lessened; and in an instant he found the end of a rope which was accidentally towing overboard within his grasp, by which he dragged in the dead water or eddy that is always created under the stern of a vessel while sailing, particularly if she is full built and deeply laden, as was the case with this. By a desperate effort he caught one of the rudder chains, which was very low, and drew himself by it upon the step or jog of the rudder, where he had sufficient presence of mind to remain without calling out, until the light had ceased to shine through the cabin windows, when he concluded that the search for him was over. He then made the signal to me.

'No being in the ship but myself was apprised of his safety; for the gale had increased, and completely drowned the sounds of the knocking, opening the window, etc., before they could reach the quarter-deck; and there was no one in the cabin but ourselves, the steward having retired to his berth in the steerage. It was at once resolved that the second mate only should be informed of his existence. He immediately betook himself to a large vacant state-room, and for the remainder of the passage all his wants were attended to by me. Even the steward was allowed to enter the cabin as rarely as possible.

'Nothing of note occurred my latest breath. The warp during the remainder of the dropped from the paralyzed voyage, which was prosperous. hands of the horror-stricken It seemed that the foreigners sailors; and had it not been had only been actuated by re- taken up by some boatmen on venge in the violence they had board, I should have been committed, for nothing further compelled to anchor again and was attempted by them. In procure assistance from the due season we took a pilot in shore. Not a word was uttered, the Channel, and in a day or but the two guilty wretches two entered the port of Liver- staggered to the mainmast, where pool. As soon as the proper they remained petrified with arrangements were made, we horror, until the officer who had commenced warping the ship been sent for approached to into dock, and while engaged take them into custody. They in this operation, the mate ap- then seemed in a measure to be peared on deck, went forward, recalled to a sense of their apand attended to his duties as palling predicament, and uttered usual! A scene occurred which the most piercing expressions is beyond description; every fea- of lamentation and despair. ture of it is as vivid in my recol- They were soon tried, and upon lection as though it had occurred the testimony of the mate, capibut yesterday, and will be totally convicted and executed."

CHAPTER XIII.

A SUPERCARGO'S NARRATIVE OF THE LOSS OF A RUSSIAN SHIP ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST OF AMERICA, AND THE SUBSEQUENT ADVENTURES OF THE CREW.

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OUR ship was bound for the | We never allowed more than coast of New Albion. On the three at a time to come on 29th of September 1808, we board, a caution which seemed were opposite Vancouver's Cape the more necessary, as they Flattery, in 48° 25' N. lat. were all armed. Several of We then followed the coast them had muskets, others had during several days, for the pur- arrows pointed with stags pose of sketching it. The antlers, iron lances without natives came out in great num- handles, and bone forks fixed bers, and sometimes we were on long poles. Moreover, they surrounded by more than one had a species of arms made of hundred of their boats, which, whale ribs, of the shape of a although small, generally held Turkish sabre, two inches and from three or four to ten people. a half long, a quarter of an inch

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thick, and blunt on both edges; this weapon we understood they used in their night attacks, so common among these savages, killing their foes while asleep. They offered to us sea otters, reindeer skins, and fish for sale. For a large fish we paid them a string of blue beads a quarter of a yard long, and a few loose glass beads; but for beaver skins they would take nothing less valuable than broadcloth.

'A few days after this we had a violent storm, which lasted for three days, the wind blowing from the south; at length a sudden calm ensued, but the motion of the waves continued very high. At day-break the fog, which had till then surrounded us, disappeared, and we saw the shore at the distance | of about ten or twelve miles. The calm rendered the sails useless, and the high waves would not allow us to have recourse to the oars; the current, therefore, carried us rapidly towards the shore. We thought ourselves lost, when happily a north-westerly breeze sprang up, by the help of which we got out of our perilous situation. Soon, however, a new storm arose, which was again interrupted by a calm; and at last, on the 1st of November, after much anxiety, and still more unavailing labour, our ship was cast on shore in 47° 66′ N. lat., | nearly opposite the Island of Destruction. Happily the ship had run on soft ground, and

during high water; when the tide, therefore, had receded, we found her still entire, although she had been terribly shaken, and was half full of water. There was, however, no possibility of saving her; we therefore went on shore, taking with us the guns, muskets, ammunition, and every other article which we thought we might find useful in our desolate state. Our first care, when landed, was to clean and load our firearms, as we had every moment reason to expect a visit from the natives, against whose cupidity and savage fury we had no other security than our resolution. This being done, we made two tents with our sails, and had scarcely finished, when we saw a host of savages pouring down upon us. The mate, accompanied by four hunters, had gone on board for the purpose of taking down the tackling from the ship. They had taken a burning match with them, there being still a few guns left in the brig. The captain, standing near her, gave the necessary orders, while I had the charge of watching the motions of the enemy and guarding our little camp.

'Our tent was occupied by Mrs. Bulugin (the captain's wife), an Aleootskian, from Kadjak, a woman of the same nation, myself, and two natives, who had joined us without any invitation. One of them, a toën (elder), invited me to his hut, which he said was not far off;

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