Page 387 - for-the-term-of-his-natural-life

to the south, believing that we had run to the northward of
the Friendly Islands, and was for running the ship ashore
and beseeching the protection of the natives. Lesly in vain
protested that a southward course would bring us into ice-
fields. Barker, who had served on board a whaler, strove to
convince the mutineers that the temperature of such lati-
tudes was too warm for such an error to escape us. After
much noise, Lyons rushed to the helm, and Russen, draw-
ing one of the pistols taken from Mr. Bates, shot him dead,
upon which the others returned to their duty. This dreadful
deed was, I fear, necessary to the safety of the brig; and had
it occurred on board a vessel manned by free-men, would
have been applauded as a stern but needful measure.
‘Forced by these tumults upon deck, I made a short
speech to the crew, and convinced them that I was compe-
tent to perform what I had promised to do, though at the
time my heart inwardly failed me, and I longed for some
sign of land. Supported at each arm by Lesly and Barker,
I took an observation, and altered our course to north by
east, the brig running eleven knots an hour under single-
reefed topsails, and the pumps hard at work. So we ran until
the 31st of January, when a white squall took us, and nearly
proved fatal to all aboard.
‘Lesly now committed a great error, for, upon the brig
righting (she was thrown upon her beam ends, and her
spanker boom carried away), he commanded to furl the
fore-top sail, strike top-gallant yards, furl the main course,
and take a reef in the maintopsail, leaving her to scud under
single-reefed maintopsail and fore-sail. This caused the ves-

For the Term of His Natural Life