ped, among
others, on board the _Amazon_ at Canton. Dysentery was awful bad among
the crews just at that time, and no less than seven was ashore from our
old barkie bad, when she left. Two chaps run as soon as she got in, and
couldn't be found agin; so there was nine berths in the fo'c'sle to be
filled when she was ready to sail. As I was savin', I was one of the
new hands shipped. Englishmen was scarce somehow just then, and the
skipper had to take what he could get. Consequence was, he shipped
three Portuguese, a Spaniard, a Greek, two Frenchmen, and a Yankee,
besides myself. The third mate was ashore bad, and the second mate had
died, so the Yankee (who seemed a smartish sort of chap) was made second
mate, and one of the old fo'c'sle men was put into the third mate's
berth. When we got aboard, we found the hatches on, and all ready for a
start, and that same a'ternoon we unmoored, and away we went.

"We was the first ship as went away with any of the new teas, and the
skipper was awful anxious for a quick run home. We carried on night and
day; but the weather was light with us, and we didn't get along half as
such a smart ship ought to ha' done, for she was a reg'lar flyer, as
perhaps you gentlemen both knows.

"Well, we hadn't been out above a week when, whether 'twas worryin' at
the light winds, or what 'twas I can't say, but the poor skipper was
laid on his beam-ends with fever, and it took the chief-mate all his
time to prevent his jumping overboard. However, it didn't seem to
matter so much, so far as the ship was consarned, for the Yankee second
mate turned out to be a first-rate navigator, and he in a way took
charge of the craft.

"Well, gentlemen, how it all came about, I can't say, for I never
noticed anything wrong. True, some of the chaps talked a bit queer to
me at times; but I thought 'twas all a bit of a flam; but, howsomever,
one fine night my Yankee gentleman and the new hands takes the ship. At
eight bells in the first watch, the watch below was called; and as soon
as they came on deck three on 'em goes straight over and jines the
mutineers without a word; so it was clear as 'twas all planned afore
among 'em. That left only three whites out of the plot--the Lascars had
all been bribed or frightened into jining in with t'others--and, out of
us three, two was lying on deck, lashed hands and heels together when I
come up through the fore-scuttle.

"The minute my foot touched the deck, I