“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 was tripped up and secured before I was fairly awake, and stowed alongside of the two other chaps. Then my noble Yankee, he steps up and stands in front of us three, and he says, says he, ‘Now, you chaps, you see how it is; we’ve got the ship and we means to keep her; and we’ve made up our minds to do a little bit of pirating; make our fortunes; and then cut the sea and live like gentlemen for the rest of our days ashore. If you’ve a mind to jine us, well and good; if not, there’s a plank sticking over the bows, and I’ll be obliged to trouble you to take a short walk on it for the benefit of your constitooshuns. You’ve got five minutes allowed to make up your minds.’
“When the time was up, one of the chaps was unlashed, and the Yankee asks him what he intends to do.
“‘I’ll walk that — plank, if I must,’ says he; ‘but I hope I’m too honest to turn my hand to your — pirating,’ says he.
“‘Ah right,’ says the Yankee; ‘just as you please; there’s no compulsion; only if you’re so confounded honest,’ says he, ‘you’ll have to leave this here ship,’ says he, ‘for we can’t afford the room to stow away sich a bulky article as honesty. That’s your road, and a pleasant passage to ye,’ says he, pointin’ to the plank.
“Poor Bill—I can see him now, it seems to me—he stood for about half a minute looking far away into the moonlit sky, thinking of his friends, maybe, if he had any; and then, without a word, he steps to the rail, puts his hands upon it, jumps up on to the top of the bulwarks, and next minute there was a splash alongside, and he was gone.
“T’other chap was then cast adrift, and he was asked the same question.
“‘I’ve sailed with Bill,’ says he, ‘for nigh on six years, and never knew a truer-hearted shipmate, or a better seaman,’ says he; ‘and since it must be, here goes,’ says he, ‘to take our last cruise in company.’