The Fate of the “Amazon.”
The man who, in this unexpected manner, brought me intelligence of my father, belonged to the crew of one of the visiting captains’ boats, and a word or two of explanation was sufficient to procure the delay in the boat’s departure necessary to permit the fellow to tell his story.
In order to be a little more alone, Bob (who was, in a few words, made acquainted with the facts of the case), the seaman, and I went down over the side to the Water Lily’s deck, when, as soon as we had comfortably bestowed ourselves, the man thus began:
“You must know, gentlemen, to commence with, that I was shipped, 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 sayin’, 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 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.