l commands. During
my struggle with him I felt a sharp prick as though a pin
had been run into me, but owing to the excitement of the
moment I took no further notice of it--indeed, I was too
busy to notice anything. The job did not prove so difficult
as I had anticipated. His accomplices did not come to his
assistance, and he evidently lost heart and became
effusively submissive. The captain relieved me at midnight,
and I returned to my berth. I was awakened during the watch
by some one tapping at my door. It turned out to be the
captain. When I admitted him he showed me a knife which he
had picked up on the deck, and asked if I knew whom it
belonged to. I said "Yes, it belongs to the Irishman."
"Well," said he, "it was evidently his intention to bleed
you." I was sitting up in my bunk, and suddenly observed a
clot of blood on my shirt, and said to him, "I have been
stabbed. Look at this." I examined myself, and found a
slight cut where I had felt the sensation which I have
spoken of. We conferred as to whether he should be put in
irons, and given up to the authorities at the first port the
vessel touched at. I asked to be allowed to deal with him
when he came on deck, and it was agreed that I should. He
was in due course ordered aft, and the knife shown to him.
When asked if it was his, he became afflicted with fear, and
admitted that he had attempted to stab me, and begged that
he should not be further punished, and if he were allowed
to resume his duty he promised with emotional profusion to
give no further annoyance to any one. The appeal was
pathetic; it would have been an act of vindictive cruelty
not to have granted what he asked; though his conduct in
conjunction with the others had up to that time been vicious
in the extreme. It was thought desirable to give his
promises a test, with the result that he gave no outward
signs of violating them while the voyage lasted.

These men were mutineers by profession. Sentiment, or what
is called moral suasion, was unintelligible to them. They
were a species of wild beast that could only be tamed by the
knowledge that they were weaker than the power set over
them; and this could only be conveyed in one way that was
understandable to them: that is, by coming down to their
level for the time being, and smashing their courage (and
their heads if need be) with electrical suddenness. If there
was any hesitation, depend upon it they would smash you. The
moralist will decl