IN WHICH PHIL AND HIS COMPANIONS OBTAIN POSSESSION OF THE MICHIGAN.
Jack Sanderson was a powerful man, and when he had seized the hands
of Waterford, he threw his body upon that of his victim. Resistance
was useless and hopeless. The mate struggled, until his breath and his
strength were exhausted, and then he gave it up. I had choked him so
hard, that the want of breath very soon weakened him.
"Show the men where the Spaniards are!" I called to Palmer.
But he had already indicated to the rest of our party in the cabin
the room of the two passengers. I heard a slight struggle in that
direction, but it was soon over, and I was satisfied that our men had
effectually done their work.
"The cords, Palmer!" I called to the steward.
"Here they are. Can I help you?"
"Yes; tie his hands together," I replied.
While the steward was thus engaged, I removed the handkerchief from the
mouth of the mate, for he was breathing with extreme difficulty. He was
so exhausted that he lay quite still until his hands were made fast.
But gradually he regained his breath and his strength. He looked at me,
and I saw that he understood the whole matter without any explanation.
His expression was ugly again, and I was satisfied that we should have
all the trouble with him which he had the power to make.
"Put a line around each of his ankles, Sanderson," said I, when the
hands of the prisoner were securely bound.
"Ay, ay!" replied Sanderson, as he proceeded to do what I had asked.
Suddenly the mate began to use his legs, kicking and threshing in the
most violent manner. He sprang from my grasp, and attempted to seize
me with his teeth; but in another instant I had him by the throat, and
jammed the handkerchief into his mouth. A repetition of the discipline
we had used in the first place soon restored him to a quiet and
orderly state of body, if not of mind. Placing Palmer at his head, with
instructions to choke him again if he made any demonstration, I went
out into the cabin to ascertain how the matter stood with the Spaniards.
If the passengers had been drunk when they turned in, they appeared to
be sober enough now. Our men had dragged one of them into the cabin,
while the other was held fast in his berth.
"Gentlemen, any resistance on your part will endanger your lives,"
I said, producing one of the revolvers taken from their room by the
steward.
"What do you mean to do?" demanded the elder of the two, Señor
Bartolomé.
"We have concluded not to engage in the slave trade--that's all. Bind
your prisoners, my men," I replied.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked the other passenger.
"We do not know yet. That will depend upon circumstances."
I declined to parley any further with the slave traders, and they
were securely bound by the men, and made fast to the berths in the
state-room. I returned to the mate, who had concluded to keep quiet.
"It is all right, Sanderson. I am going on deck now to see how we stand
there. I will take three of the men with me, and leave the others with
you."
"We don't need many hands down here now. We have the mate so that he
will hold still," replied the old salt.
"The passengers are made fast to their berths, so that they can't move
hand or foot; but keep a sharp eye on all of them. If the captain comes
to his senses, put a couple of half hitches around his arms."
"Ay, ay! Phil. It shall be all right down here."
"Above all things, Jack, don't drink any rum."
"Not a drop, my lad," said the veteran salt, solemnly, as though he
understood the full force of my suggestion.
Taking three of the men with me, I went on deck, leaving Sanderson, the
steward, and one other hand to keep order in the cabin.
"How goes it?" asked Baxter, who met me at the head of the
companion-way.
"All right; we have them all fast but the captain and he is too drunk
to move yet. How goes it on deck?"
"We are all right here, with no show for a brush of any kind. The three
Spaniards and one doubtful man in the starboard watch are asleep in
the forecastle, I suppose. We haven't heard anything from them; but we
have three men at hand to look out for them. Schneider, the Dutchman,
in our watch, is with us now; at least he says he is, and while we keep
possession of the bark, I have no doubt he is."
"But where are Martino and Gorro?" I asked.
"On the cross-trees. I don't believe they have the least idea yet that
anything is the matter."
"Let them rest for the present. What does Mr. York say?"
"Here he is; he can speak for himself. I have told him all about it."
"I am with you, Farringford, for I did not ship to go into the
slave-trading business."
"The bark is in our possession, sir," I added.
"Not quite," replied the second mate, shaking his head.
"I think it is, sir. We have the mate and the two passengers tied hand
and foot. The captain is too drunk to move, but we can secure him at
any moment we choose."
"But there are three men in the forecastle, and two aloft, who will
give you some trouble."
"I think we can dispose of them without any difficulty, as soon as we
are ready to do so. According to the agreement made by the crew among
themselves, you are to command the bark, Mr. York."
"I'm very much obliged to the men, but I don't quite like the job.
However, we will talk about that by and by, when we have disposed of
the rest of the slave traders," answered the second mate. "You and
Baxter have managed this affair so far, and have done it very well,
too. I think you had better carry out your own plans."
"Very well, sir. If you will hail Martino, on the cross-trees, and call
him down, we will take care of him."
"On the cross-trees!" shouted the second mate.
"On deck, sir!"
"Martino, come down."
Baxter and I stationed ourselves near the weather main-rigging; and,
as soon as the Spaniard touched the deck, the new order of things
was made manifest to him by a severe hug on the part of my companion.
Very unexpectedly to us, he did not offer any violent resistance, but
struggled in terror rather than in wrath. He uttered some expressions
in his own language, and then begged for mercy in ours. We tied his
hands behind him, and fastened him to the rail. Gorro was evidently
alarmed by the noise, and came down, without any orders, to see what
was the matter. He halted on the shrouds, and tried to ascertain the
nature of the disturbance.
"On deck, Gorro," said the second mate.
But the man was as timid as his companion had been, and was not
disposed to come down, though, in the gloom of the night, he could not
have seen precisely what had happened to Martino.
"On deck, or I'll shoot you!" called Baxter.
"_Gracias a Dios!_" exclaimed the Spaniard.
"Come down!"
Slowly and cautiously Gorro descended to the deck.
"Don't kill me!" pleaded he.
"We won't hurt you, if you behave yourself," answered Baxter, as he
seized the wretch.
"_Soy su amigo de usted._"
"Speak English or nothing," added Baxter.
"I am your friend," pleaded Gorro.
"Not by a long chalk! I don't own you. Hold still, and we won't hurt
you, though you are good for nothing but to feed sharks with, you
cowardly nigger-stealer."
"Don't kill me. I will obey all orders. I won't hurt no one."
"I don't mean you shall."
We made him fast, as we had Martino, and were so much nearer the
completion of our task.
"I thought they would show fight," said the second mate.
"I almost wish they had, for it would have been a pleasure to break
their heads," replied Baxter, who was not a little elated by the easy
victory we had obtained.
"Now, how many hands have we on deck?" I asked, when the two whom we
had regarded as the most dangerous among the crew had been secured.
"We have all hands except the three Spaniards in the forecastle, and
Franklin, who is still doubtful. Fifteen, all told, are on our side
now," answered Baxter.
"Good! We have a dozen men on deck, and we will settle the business
with those in the steerage now," I continued.
I led the way forward.
"All the starbowlines, on deck, ahoy!" shouted the second mate, at my
request.
"Tumble out here, you sleepers!"
As usual, this was not quite effectual, and a couple of hands went
into the forecastle, and shook the heavy slumberers. The first that
appeared were Pedro and Sylvio, the two Portuguese sailors. They were
affectionately hugged by Walker and Baxter, and their yells startled
the other two. As they rushed out they were treated in the same
familiar and loving manner, and in a moment or two we had them all fast
to the rail.
"What does all this mean?" demanded Franklin, the only remaining
neutral or doubtful man on board.
"There has been a fight between the slave traders and the honest men on
board," I replied.
"Is that so?"
"That's so, Franklin; and the honest men have won the battle."
"Why do you tie me up? I am not a slave trader."
"It's all the same. You were in doubt whether to serve the devil or
not. Those who are not with us are against us."
"I'm not against you."
"Yes, you are," added Baxter, stoutly. "A milk-and-water man is about
the same as an enemy."
"You didn't tell me what you were about. If you had, I should have
joined you," pleaded Franklin.
"You know well enough now which side you want to be on, but you made up
your mind too late."
"What are you going to do with me?"
"We are going to let you make up your mind whether you want to go
slaving or not."
"My mind is made up now. I say, if you had told me what you were doing,
I would have joined you."
"Didn't you say you would like to make a thousand dollars out of this
cruise? Didn't you take your grog when all the rest of us refused?
Didn't you stay on the forecastle when the rest of us went aft, to
palaver with the mate?" demanded Baxter.
"Yes, I did; but I hadn't any more idea of going a slaving than you
had. If you had only told me--"
"We didn't dare to tell you, because you didn't talk like a man. I
think an American sailor, like you, ought to know whether he will be a
pirate or not."
"I did know."
"No, you didn't; and we had to treat you as a pirate. That's what the
law calls any man that's willing to go into that business. You had
better think of it a while longer, and when you are sure you have made
up your mind, we will talk with you again," replied Baxter, as we left
him.