to the foot
of the mast.

"Hold! stand back, every man of you!" cried Wilder, dashing into the
centre of the throng, and forcing them aside, with a haste that was
possibly quickened by the recollection of the increased danger that would
surround the unprotected females, should the bands of subordination be
once fairly broken among so lawless and desperate a crew. "On your lives,
fall back, and obey. And you, sir, who claim to be so good a soldier, I
call on you to bid your men refrain."

The General, however disgusted he might have been by the previous scene,
had too many important interests involved in the interior peace of the
vessel not to exert himself at this appeal. He was seconded by all the
inferior officers, who well knew that their lives, as well as their
comfort, depended on staying the torrent that had so unexpectedly broken
loose. But they only proved how hard it is to uphold an authority that is
not established on the foundation of legitimate power. Neptune had cast
aside his masquerade; and, backed by all his stout forecastle men, was
evidently preparing for a conflict that might speedily give him greater
pretensions to immortal nature than those he had just rejected. Until now,
the officers, partly by threats and partly by remonstrances, had so far
controlled the outbreaking, that the time had been passed rather in
preparations than in violence. But the marines had seized their arms;
while two crowded masses of the mariners were forming on either side of
the mainmast, abundantly provided with spikes, and such other weapons as
the bars and handspikes of the vessel afforded. One or two of the cooler
heads among the latter had even proceeded so far as to clear away a gun,
which they were pointing inboard in a direction that might have swept a
moiety of the quarter-deck. In short, the broil had just reached that pass
when another blow, struck from either side, must have given up the vessel
to plunder and massacre. The danger of such a crisis was heightened by the
bitter taunts that broke forth from fifty profane lips, which were only
opened to lavish the coarsest revilings on the persons and characters of
their respective enemies.

During the five minutes that might have flown by in such sinister and
threatening symptoms of insubordination the individual who was chiefly
interested in the maintenance of discipline had manifested the most
extraordinary indifference, or rather unconsciousness to all that was