no mere delusion. Each day
brought evidences of coming trouble. How and when it would
come did not matter, so long as we were prepared for it.
Whisperings and audible grumblings were ominous tokens of
what was in the wind. The captain and I had some
conversation concerning the situation. He was of opinion
that the sailor who opened the rebellion at the beginning of
the voyage would lead an open and concerted revolt, and
perhaps I agreed with him that something of the sort might
easily happen; so we resolved to keep a tight eye on this
sinister development. One night about ten o'clock, while
beating through a narrow channel, the captain said to me, "I
am going below; you must take charge." And after giving me
the necessary instructions, he said in a low tone, "Now
mind, keep your eyes and ears wide open; you may be taken
unawares at any moment." I thanked him for the advice, and
he bade me good-night and left the poop. An Irishman was at
the wheel, and for a time his steering was good. As the wind
was dead in our teeth and blowing strong, the course was
full and by the wind. It soon became necessary to tack, and
as it is always customary for the officer in charge to take
the helm in performing this evolution, it became my duty to
do so, but as soon as the vessel was round, I told the man
to take the wheel again. I then proceeded to see that all
the sails were properly trimmed. This being done, I went on
to the poop again, and as the helmsman was steering in a
most erratic fashion, first sailing her bang off the wind
and then shaking the sails almost aback, I remonstrated with
him, but to no purpose. At last I said to him that if he did
not steer better, I would be obliged to turn him from the
wheel. No greater disgrace can be inflicted on a
self-respecting seaman than this. I have known men suffer an
agony by the mere threat of it. But the heterogeneous crew
that we had to control had no sensitiveness of that kind. I
was told, amid a running stream of filthy swearing, to take
the wheel myself. The ship and all in authority were cursed
with Hibernian fluency. A special appeal was made for our
immediate consignment to the hottest part of hell. The
harangue was suddenly cut short by my jumping from the poop
on top of him as he was about to pass away from the helm. I
had ordered a hand whom I could trust to steer, while I
became engaged in physically reproving this blackguard for
his insolence and disobedience to lawfu