The Storyteller.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1915, Page 9 (Supplement)

The Storyteller.

TRUE TALE OF THE SEA. MUTINY ON BOARD BRITISH BARQUE CASEWELL. (The following narrative, true in every detail, was written Captain William Ferrie Wood, in the New York Herald, who at the- time of the occurrence he describes, was mate on board the clipper barque Windsor Castle). latitude 40 deg. north, longitude 32 deg. west, homeward bound to Falmouth fory orders, the clipper barque Windsor yfastle sighted a trim sailor whose rfneral appearance was well found aid kept, but with an indefinable air ofTwaething wrong showing even In the set of her sails. Our skipper, Captain Edward Pilcher, an. old sea dog of a school that has disappeared, squinted along his telescope and grunted disapproval, altering his course slightly to pass astern of the stranger.

As the Windsor Castle drew closer a tangle of flags fluttered towards the stranger's peak, bringing forth the caustic remark from our skipper:—"She is manned by lubbers or soldiers. Why do they want to hoist flags spaced fike that!" A clear-eyed youngster read the letters and danced with impatience as the skipper thumbed through his code book and translated, "What is your latitude?" "Latitude? What the blazes does he want latitude for? The sky is clear and the sun at high noon. If it were longitude I could understand their chronometer may be out. There is something wrong on *hat craft, and, Mr. Morgan (to the mate), clear away my gig and put some boys in her that can pull." As the Windsor Castle, beautifully handled, crossed the stranger's stern we read her name, "Casewell, of Liverpool," and taking the weather position, Captain Pilcher hailed them to back their main yard and he would come aboard. The rattle of the boat davit blocks and the splash of the lowered gig alongside Were not out of our ears before the skipper was climbing the side ladder, disdaining even to answer the mate's inquiry, "Will I put out the accommodation ladder, sir?" As we came alongside the Casewell six or eight scared looking foreigners looked over her forward rafl, while- one man, Who we afterwards found was the ship's carpenter, directed a diminutive boy, whose ferret face and cockney accent proclaimed his nationality, to give us a line and throw over the Bide ladder. Climbing aboard, we were horrified. The poop and after decks were a shamble. By the companion-way, on his face, -Arms and legs spread, lay a powerful' looking foreign seaman with the whole top sliced off his head. The man had never moved an inch from where he fell. In a corner lay another in exactly similar plight, and cldle -to a small scuttle lay another sailor with a boat axe imbedded in his skull, the handle click-click-clicking on the deck as the ship rolled to the swell and backed main yards.

"What has happened here?" demanded our skipper, grabbing a belaying gun from the rail, an example quickly followed by the boat's crew. "Murder or mutiny? Where are the captain and officers?"

"All dead, sir. Murdered by those brutes there!" was the astonishing answer of the powerful looking carpenter. 'They meant to serve me and the boy the same way, but they will do no more barm. There is another on the staircase. Come up here and I will tell you all about it."

Captain Klcher took one good look and, mounting the poop, glanced down the cabin staircase. A murderous looking ruffian, with a heavy revolver in hand and a wicked looking knife in belt, lay huddled at the bottom. The upper part of his head was crushed like an eggshell. ■ A broad axe clotted with blood and hair lay near him. There was no mistaking the means or the sudden manner of their death.

"I see," said Captain Piloher, grimly, "quick work and well done, but why?" "First and foremost, sir," said the down-looking carpenter, "I am Scotch and was only the ship's carpenter. Now 1 am captain of this craft and there's my commission.

"I did that," pointing to the three dead on and near the companionway. 'The boy got the fourth, and* worst, just in time to save me from being taken from behind. "They," pointing to the living, "are what's left of the crew, and a white livered lot of curs they are or all this could not have happened.

,"We felt Our loading port with the rakings and scrapings of a nigger boarding house for a crew, and until we crossed the line had no more than the usual troubles, but a fortnight's doldrums hauling and pulling the yards about under a burning sun and not a breath of fresh air blowing, the dago crew could not stand the gaff. The skipper and mates kept them at it, and murmuring' and discontent were all we heard. These four dead were the ringleaders; the others knew the plot, but were too scared to tell. Last night when ■the mate was forward at the jib sheets the helmsman knifed the skipper from behind f as he leaned over the taffrail. These two with the top of their heads missing tripped the mate and dumped him with an anchor shackle lashed to his feet. I was sounding the fore peak and had a hatch flapped on over my head, and the reat of the crew cowered in the forecastle.

"The boy was aloft stopping up sail gaskets and saw it all. Sliding down the forestay in front of the foresail, he hid himself over the bow until after dark, when be crawled down the ventilator to me and told me the captain and officers "were dead, the wheel was lashed and the murderers were drinking in the cabin. They were going to do for me next and the boy also. I thought it was alt up, but remembered if the boy was small enough to get in he could get out and release me, which he did, and, taking my broad axe from my shop and giving the boy a boat axe, we made our way aft before daylight. "The rest of the crew had locked themselves in the forecastle and were hopeless. We removed our boots and in stocking feet made no noise. Peeping through the skylight, I saw by the empty bottles that the mutineers had been drinking heavily, but the leader was awake and 9aw me. Calling the others, I started to come on deck. I let the leader come clear of the staircase. One at a tinre was my game, and I had no intention of making any mistake. One swing of the axe settled him. The second, close at his heels, got the game medicine. The. other two were

suspicious and separated, one coming up the small hatch, the other, with knife and revolver, taking the ' staircase.

'He saw the bodies and halted as 1 swung, and the halt made me miss with the edge, but a backward swing gave him his finish. Edge or back, it was all the same.

"In the meantime the fourth man was up and made his rush from behind., the boy yelling like an Indian to warn me, and at the same time planting the boat axe just as you see it, and none too soon. IE was all over in a minute; four dead men, my axe in my hand all dirtied up, and the boy leaning overside, sick. It seemed as if I was in a horrible dream and then I saw your sails."

"Well, we must clear up this mess, first," said Captain Pilcher, "and I'll put an officer on board to navigate you in, change some of my crew and we will keep company, anyhow." 'Not on your life, sir," said this extraordinary man. "I have brought her through this myself, ine and the boy, anyhow, and we take her home to Falmouth ourselves. I want no outsiders to get the credit. If you will give me course and distance to English land I will get her there myself under easy sail.

"If you won't, I must go my own gait. I thought you were British, so I hoisted the flags. Maybe they are* wrong, but I have gone through overmuch. The worst is over now. I am no scholar, but I can sail her. I'll thank you for course and distance only." Our skipper looked him square in the eye and grudgingly allowed admiration to gleam from his own. "Chips," said he, holding out his hand, "you're a man! I never make any mistake in that, and if you start to take this ship home by yourself I will show you enough to do it. If you will not let me send her a navigator all that I ask is' that you won't let anybody else do so later. "Give me paper and pen and I will do the rest. Your position is 40 deg. north latitude, 32 deg. west longitude. You know the North Star? Good! Steer north by your compass until that star is 50 degrees high and the third star in the handle of the Dipper abreast of it. That's your latitude. Turn her east by compass. Keep the star abeam at 50 degrees altitude and sail 1,000 miles east of the Bishop Light. Remember, 600 miles north, 1,000 miles east. We will help clear the decks, sign your log and start you fair, and I think you can do it.

"Get those hounds aft to clear up this mess, make them sign the ship's log book and I will take a copy to clear ydu when you do arive home, and good luck to you."

Their work ahead and night coming on, we helped clear her up while the skipper wrote out his copy and at nightfall pulled back to our ship. The wonderful part is that this extraordinary man made his port, got his pilot and anchored his ship without any outside help from any one.