“A great deal, Jack,” he answered; “I don’t like the look of things. You must know, Jack, that the ships at the Nore have again hoisted the red flag, and the mutineers swear that they’ll make every ship of the fleet join them. What they now want, I don’t know. They have got all the chief grievances redressed, and everything which reasonable men could expect granted. They’ll not be content till all the delegates are made admirals, I suppose.”
“Still, I hope that we shall not be following their example,” said I. “We have a good number of black sheep on board, but still, I think, there are enough honest men to keep them in check.”
“That’s the very thing I doubt, Jack,” he whispered. “I don’t like the thoughts of peaching on a shipmate, but when villains are plotting treachery, as some on board here are doing, we have but one duty to perform. I must carry the information to the captain. In case they find me out, and heave me overboard, or trice me up at the yard-arm—as they are likely enough to do—if you live take care that my memory is treated with justice. Now, Jack, there is no time to lose; I’ll tell the captain that he may trust to you and a few others, but the greater number of the ship’s company have been won over by the promises of that artful fellow Parker and his mates.” Saying this, Peter walked boldly aft, and, unsuspected, entered the captain’s cabin.
He told me afterwards that Captain Trollope received the information very calmly, nor did he seem at all to doubt its correctness. The plan was to wait till the ship was under way to proceed on a cruise in the North Sea, and then to seize the captain and all the officers, and to carry the ship instead to the Nore. Several other ships had already weighed without orders, and had joined the mutineers at the Nore. No preparation, however, was made that I saw for the expected event.
The next day Peter and I were sent for into the cabin. “Take up these things, and accompany me,” said the captain to us. There was a compass and a basket of provisions; and I saw that the captain had a pistol-case under his arm. Leaving the cabin, he led the way below to the door of the magazine. If any of the mutineers observed him, I don’t suppose they guessed what he was about.
The powder-magazine of a man-of-war has a clear space round it—a sort of ante-room, which is kept clear of everything, so as to decrease the risk of fire reaching it. This ante-room has a grated door before it. The captain produced a key, and opening the grated door, went in, taking from us the articles we carried. He then locked himself in from the inside. This done, he opened the inner door of the magazine, exposing a number of powder-flasks to view. Having arranged his table and chairs, with the compass and his pistols, and some books he had brought, he said quietly, as if to himself, “I’m ready for them!”
“Williams,” he continued, “go and request the first lieutenant to come here. Poplar, do you go among the people, and say I directed you to call some of them to see me.”
I quickly performed my part of the duty; but Poplar was longer in collecting any of the people. He, however, at last returned with about twenty of them.
The first lieutenant seemed very much astonished at the summons, and could not make out what it meant. I fancy, indeed, when he got down there, and saw the captain quietly sitting in the powder-magazine, as if he was going to take up his berth there for the future, for an instant he thought him out of his senses. He did not long continue in that idea when the captain began to address him and the people who were assembled outside the grating.
“Turn the hands up, and get the ship under way!” he sung out in a loud voice. “The pilot will carry her through the passage, and then steer an easterly course till you receive further orders.”