A SAILOR'S YARN.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2998, 3 February 1881, Page 4

A SAILOR'S YARN.

In a lately-published book, written by Rear-Admiral Werner, of the German navy, a strange story is told of the way in which many years ago, in 1836, a French man-of-war went down with all hands on board in West Indian waters. The ship had been in commission for two years on the Antilles station, and during the whole of the time her captain, who i 9 described as an incarnation of cruelty, has exorcised his ingenuity in tormenting his crew. So well had he succeeded that the lives of all on board had been rendered a burden to them, while the captain himself was hated with an intensity of which proof was soon to be given. Orders at length came for the ship to return home Not long after the anchor had been weighed it became evident that a heavy squall wits coming down on tho ship, and the captain directed the officer of the watch to shorten the sail. The orders were given but not a man moved. Again the orders were repeated, this time by the captain' himself; but not a man moved. "This is mutiny," cried the captain, and then a hundred voices answered, "We will not shorten the sail." In vain the terrified captain appealed to the officers to support him. They stood _ silent, and neither threats nor promises availed to make man or officer move, save only a few WL'O were noted as spies and favorites of the captain. A few minutes more and the squall struck the ship. In a moment the vessel was thrown upon her beam-ends. " Cut away the masts!" shouted the captain; but still not a man moved. In another minute, however, the rigging was carried away, the masts went by the board, and, thus relieved, the ship righted herself. Then the longsuppressed rage of the crew broke forth, and, rushing aft, they seized the captain. A few minutes more and he would ;have followed the rigging, but the first lieutenant, going below, opened the door of the magazine and fired his pistol into it. There was a loud report, and the ship was no more. An hour afterwards an American vessel passing over the spot picked up one of the crew, who told the story of what had happened, and died shortly afterwards.