MUTINY
A month after leaving Pearl Island, when it became known to the crew of
the "Endraght" that a course had been set for home without having
obtained the treasure which had been the object of the voyage, the
spirit of discontent in the forecastle which had previously shown
itself, became so marked as to threaten a mutiny. Had it not been that
we held all the arms and ammunition aft, there would have been little
doubt of the seamen refusing duty. As it was, they went about their
work in so surly a manner, that if Hartog had not kept a check upon his
temper, a serious outbreak on more than one occasion would have
occurred.
"I cannot think what evil influence is at work among the men," said
Hartog to me one evening, when we sat together alone in the cabin, for
Van Luck, except at meals, seldom joined us. "As sailors, they ought to
know that treasure hunts often prove disappointing, and they will each
receive a good round sum in back pay when the crew is disbanded after
the voyage. What, then, would they gain by mutiny? Without a navigator
they would either lose the ship, or, if they succeeded in making a
port, they would become food for the gallows. Knowing sailors as I do,
I cannot understand, in present circumstances, what it is that fosters
rebellion, unless some influence is at work that we wot not of."
It was then that I thought it my duty to tell the captain of my
suspicions regarding Van Luck, and of how I had seen him looking down
upon us through the skylight at the counting of the pearls.
Hartog was amazed at such treachery on the part of his first officer.
His own nature was so open that he found it hard to credit deception in
others. My disclosures, however, enlightened him on much that was
taking place, and he bade me keep him advised of anything further I
might see or hear. To this end, I made frequent excuses for spending my
time in the forecastle among the men, pretending I found the
companionship in the cabin irksome. I had not been long among them
before I discovered a plot that was hatching to take the ship. Hartog
and I, together with those who would not join in the mutiny, were to be
set adrift with three days' provisions in one of the boats, when Van
Luck would navigate the "Endraght" to the nearest port, promising to
divide the pearls, the value of which he had greatly exaggerated,
equally among all hands, share and share alike.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed, and I had no sooner divulged the
plan of the mutineers to the captain than Hartog began to consider how
we might meet the situation. Janstins, the pilot, the ship's carpenter,
and three of the crew we knew we could depend upon, and they were
instructed where to find arms and ammunition, and told to rally to us
aft at the first signs of mutiny. Having completed these arrangements,
Hartog's next step was to bring matters to a climax, for he argued
rightly there was nothing to be gained, and much might be lost, by
delay.
Stepping boldly upon his quarterdeck, he now issued his orders in his
old peremptory style, and, upon one of the crew not moving smartly, he
threatened him with a dozen at the ship's gratings. The man turned
insolently, and demanded to know to whom Hartog was speaking, while, at
the same moment Van Luck, who was standing near, remonstrated with the
captain on the man's behalf. I had never seen Hartog really roused
before. In two quick strides he was beside Van Luck, and picking him up
as easily as if he had been a child, he flung him from the poop on to
the deck below. At the same moment the mutineers made a rush aft, but
those who were loyal to us were before them, and we presented such a
formidable front that the rebels fell back, taking Van Luck with them.
Hartog now turned the brass cannon, which had already been loaded upon
the mutineers where they crowded together in the fore part of the
vessel, swearing he would fire upon them if they did not instantly
surrender. A hurried consultation followed, after which Van Luck
stepped forward as spokesman. He complained that the crew had not been
fairly dealt by. They had suffered much hardship, he said, and it was
understood that all treasure obtained on the voyage was to be shared
among them, whereas it appeared that the captain was concealing a
parcel of pearls of sufficient value to make them all rich men. To this
Hartog replied as follows:
"I am captain of this vessel, and I claim the right to do as I please.
The pearls you speak of none of you helped to obtain, and they will be
used to pay the expenses of the voyage, including what may be found to
be due to each man as wages when the when the ship is paid off. As for
you, Van Luck, who have acted the spy and played traitor, you may
expect nothing from me but the fate you intended for those who have
stood by me. The others may now return to duty."
It was then seen that Van Luck had no followers, for rebels are ever
prone to abandon their leader when their cause is lost.
I would have pleaded with Hartog, even then, to spare Van Luck from
being cast adrift upon the sea, but I knew no word of mine would change
his purpose. Besides, an example must be made, and in the rough life we
led the administration of justice was the prerogative of the captain
alone. A boat was therefore prepared, three days' provisions were
placed on board of her, and Van Luck was sent upon what promised to be
his last voyage.
For as long as the boat remained in sight we could see that the
castaway made no effort, either with the sail or the oars, to shape a
course in any direction. He appeared to have abandoned hope, and to
have made up his mind to let the wind and the waves carry him
whithersoever they would. At length the boat appeared but a speck upon
the ocean, and finally it vanished beyond the horizon.
For some time after the quelling of the mutiny Hartog maintained strict
discipline among officers and crew, issuing his orders in the
peremptory manner of one accustomed to command, and seldom speaking to
any except upon matters connected with the ship. But when order was
restored his mood changed, and we resumed our friendly chats together
in the cabin. He never referred to Van Luck, whom he seemed to have
wiped from the slate of his recollection, nor did he again allude to
the mutiny. Once, when I touched upon it, he had cut me short, and I
could see from his manner that all reference to it must henceforth be
taboo. But I could not help sometimes recalling the picture of the boat
with the solitary man on board of her, drifting upon the grey waste of
sea, and I often wondered if Dirk Hartog had been able to obliterate
that picture from his mind.
We now once more sailed in familiar waters, and passed many vessels as
we neared home, where we arrived, without mishap, towards the end of
the year 1620, after an absence of nearly five years, which was not
regarded at that time as a voyage of unusual duration.