ing or other
means of securing them below. Two sentries were, however, placed over
the hatchway. The prisoners occasionally came on deck during the night,
for their launch was towing astern, and the brig was standing off and on
until the morning. Between six and seven o'clock in the morning, the men
were called to work. Two of them were up some time before the rest. They
were struck by the air of negligence which was evident on deck, and
instantly communicated the fact to one or two others. The possibility of
capturing the brig had often been discussed by the prisoners, among
their many other wild plans for escaping from the island, and recently
had been often proposed by them. The thought was told by their looks,
and soon spread from man to man. A few moments were enough; one or two
were roused from sleep, and the intention was hurriedly communicated to
them. It was variously received. One of them distrusted the leader, and
entreated his companions to desist from so mad an attempt. It was
useless; the frenzied thirst for liberty had seized them, and they were
maddened by it. Within a few minutes, they were all on deck; and one of
the leaders rushing at the sentry nearest to him, endeavored to wrest
from him his pistols, one of which had flashed in the pan as he rapidly
presented it, and threw him overboard; but he was subsequently saved.
The arms of the other sentry were demanded, and obtained from him
without resistance. A scuffle now took place with two other soldiers who
were also on the deck, but not on duty, during which one of them jumped
over the vessel's side, and remained for some time in the main-chains;
but upon the launch being brought alongside, he went down into it. The
other endeavored to swim ashore (for by this time the vessel was within
a gun's shot of the rocks;) but, encumbered by his great coat, he was
seen, when within a few strokes of the rock, to raise his hands, and
uttering a faint cry to Heaven for mercy, he instantly sunk. In the
meanwhile, the sergeant in charge of the guard hearing a scuffling
overhead, ran upon deck, and seeing some of the mutineers struggling
with the sentry, shot the nearest of them dead on the spot. He had no
sooner done so than he received a blow on the head, which rendered him
for some time insensible. Little or no resistance was offered by the
sailors; they ran into the forecastle, and the vessel was in the hands
of the mutineers. All the hatches were instantly fasten