erish. This
disaffected man, though ignorant of navigation, insisted upon steering
to the south, believing that we had run to the northward of the
Friendly Islands, and was for running the ship ashore and beseeching
the protection of the natives. Lesly in vain protested that a southward
course would bring us into icefields. Barker, who had served on board
a whaler, strove to convince the mutineers that the temperature of such
latitudes was too warm for such an error to escape us. After much noise,
Lyons rushed to the helm, and Russen, drawing one of the pistols taken
from Mr. Bates, shot him dead, upon which the others returned to their
duty. This dreadful deed was, I fear, necessary to the safety of the
brig; and had it occurred on board a vessel manned by free-men, would
have been applauded as a stern but needful measure.

"Forced by these tumults upon deck, I made a short speech to the crew,
and convinced them that I was competent to perform what I had promised
to do, though at the time my heart inwardly failed me, and I longed for
some sign of land. Supported at each arm by Lesly and Barker, I took an
observation, and altered our course to north by east, the brig running
eleven knots an hour under single-reefed topsails, and the pumps hard at
work. So we ran until the 31st of January, when a white squall took us,
and nearly proved fatal to all aboard.

"Lesly now committed a great error, for, upon the brig righting (she
was thrown upon her beam ends, and her spanker boom carried away), he
commanded to furl the fore-top sail, strike top-gallant yards, furl the
main course, and take a reef in the maintopsail, leaving her to scud
under single-reefed maintopsail and fore-sail. This caused the vessel to
leak to that degree that I despaired of reaching land in her, and prayed
to the Almighty to send us speedy assistance. For nine days and nights
the storm continued, the men being utterly exhausted. One of the two
soldiers whom we had employed to fish the two pieces of the spanker
boom, with some quartering that we had, was washed overboard and
drowned. Our provision was now nearly done, but the gale abating on
the ninth day, we hastened to put provisions on the launch. The sea
was heavy, and we were compelled to put a purchase on the fore and main
yards, with preventers to windward, to ease the launch in going over the
side. We got her fairly afloat at last, the others battening down the
hatches in the brig. Having dress