k-yard men had completed the repairs, and the
brig was painted, one night the head of the rattlesnake disappeared. It
had been sawed off by some malicious and evil-disposed persons, and no
traces of it were to be found.

I was obliged to report this to the captain, who was very indignant, and
offered twenty pounds for the discovery of the offender; but had he
offered twenty thousand he never would have found out the delinquent.
It was, however, never forgotten; for he understood what was implied by
these manoeuvres. A new head was carved, but disappeared the night
after it was fixed on.

The rage of the captain was without bounds: he turned the hands up, and
declared that if the offender were not given up, he would flog every
hand on board. He gave the ship's company ten minutes, and then
prepared to execute the threat. "Mr Paul, turn the hands up for
punishment," said the captain in a rage, and descended to his cabin for
the articles of war. When he was down below, the officers talked over
the matter. To flog every man for the crime of one, was the height of
injustice, but it was not for us to oppose him; still the ship's company
must have seen, in our countenances, that we shared their feelings. The
men were talking with each other in groups, until they all appeared to
have communicated their ideas on the subject. The carpenters, had been
slowly bringing aft the gratings, left off the job; the boatswain's
mates, who had come aft, rolled the tails of their cats round the red
handles; and every man walked down below. No one was left on the
quarter-deck but the marines under arms, and the officers.

Perceiving this, I desired Mr Paul, the boatswain, to send the men up
to rig the gratings, and the quarter-masters with their seizings. He
came up, and said that he had called them, but that they did not answer.
Perceiving that the ship's company would break out into open mutiny, if
the captain persisted in his intention, I went down into the cabin, and
told the captain the state of things, and wished for his orders or
presence on deck.

The captain, whose wrath appeared to render him incapable of reflection,
immediately proceeded on deck, and ordered the marines to load with
ball-cartridge. This was done; but, as I was afterwards told by
Thompson, who was standing aft, the marines loaded with the powder, and
put the balls into their pockets. They wished to keep up the character
of their corps for fidelity, an