hose whose duty is was to guard them, and the crew
of the vessel, were too few to keep them under subjection. When within a
few days' sail of their destination, they rose on the guard, and, after a
desperate struggle, made themselves masters of the vessel, which was a
very fine one, and was well provided with arms and stores of every kind,
amounting to a sufficiency to carry them to any part of the world they
chose. But the machinations of the wicked rarely prosper, and this was
another proof of the truth of the observation; for, after a stormy and
violent debate among themselves, they at length determined to run for the
Bay of Islands, and if any vessel more eligible was there, they were to
take possession of her, and leave the Wellington behind, she having no
register. It is but justice to them to state that they behaved with
humanity to their captives, and no lives were lost: they appointed
officers amongst themselves, and, with the assistance of the deposed
captain, made this port. On their arrival here, they found two English
whalers, the Sisters, Captain Duke, and the Harriet. The commanders, as
is usual on these occasions, went immediately on board the newcomer.
Captain Duke well knew the vessel, having seen her at Sydney; but, of
course, had no idea of what had happened. The pirates received them with
great civility, and deceived them with a false description of their
voyage--of being bound to a southern port with prisoners; and the two
captains, not having the slightest suspicion of who their hosts really
were, passed a very merry evening with these marauders.

Soon, however, their bad management of the vessel, their want of
discipline, and the general confusion on board, roused a vague suspicion
in the minds of the two captains that all was not "quite right" on board
the Wellington. The real captain, too, had succeeded in conveying a note
to Duke, informing him of his situation, and claiming his assistance to
recapture the brig, and entreating him to release them all from
captivity.

This communication produced universal alarm, as both the whalers were
quite unprovided for attack or defence, and all the missionary
settlements lay quite at the mercy of this band of pirates. Had the
latter acted with promptness and spirit, they might easily have made
themselves masters of the whole; but while they were arguing and
hesitating where they would make their first attack, the whalers were
actively employed in getting