University of Virginia Library

5. CHAPTER V.

For some minutes after the cook had left the forecastle,
Augustus abandoned himself to despair, never
hoping to leave the berth alive. He now came to the
resolution of acquainting the first of the men who should
come down with my situation, thinking it better to let
me take my chance with the mutineers than perish of
thirst in the hold—for it had been ten days since I was
first imprisoned, and my jug of water was not a plentiful
supply even for four. As he was thinking on this subject,
the idea came all at once into his head that it might
be possible to communicate with me by the way of the
main hold. In any other circumstances, the difficulty
and hazard of the undertaking would have prevented
him from attempting it; but now he had, at all events,
little prospect of life, and consequently little to lose—he
bent his whole mind, therefore, upon the task.

His handcuffs were the first consideration. At first
he saw no method of removing them, and feared that he
should thus be baffled in the very outset; but, upon a
closer scrutiny, he discovered that the irons could be
slipped off and on at pleasure with very little effort or
inconvenience, merely by squeezing his hands through
them—this species of manacle being altogether ineffectual
in confining young persons, in whom the smaller
bones readily yield to pressure. He now untied his
feet, and, leaving the cord in such a manner that it
could easily be readjusted in the event of any person's
coming down, proceeded to examine the bulkhead where
it joined the berth. The partition here was of soft pine
board, an inch thick, and he saw that he should have
little trouble in cutting his way through. A voice was
now heard at the forecastle companion-way, and he
had just time to put his right hand into its handcuff (the
left had not been removed), and to draw the rope in a

slipknot around his ankle, when Dirk Peters came below,
followed by Tiger, who immediately leaped into the
berth and lay down. The dog had been brought on
board by Augustus, who knew my attachment to the animal,
and thought it would give me pleasure to have him
with me during the voyage. He went up to our house
for him immediately after first taking me into the hold,
but did not think of mentioning the circumstance upon
his bringing the watch. Since the mutiny, Augustus
had not seen him before his appearance with Dirk Peters,
and had given him up for lost, supposing him to have
been thrown overboard by some of the malignant villains
belonging to the mate's gang. It appeared afterward
that he had crawled into a hole beneath a whaleboat,
from which, not having room to turn round, he could not
extricate himself. Peters at last let him out, and with
a species of good feeling which my friend knew well
how to appreciate, had now brought him to him in the
forecastle as a companion, leaving at the same time
some salt junk and potatoes, with a can of water; he then
went on deck, promising to come down with something
more to eat on the next day.

When he had gone, Augustus freed both hands from
the manacles and unfastened his feet. He then turned
down the head of the mattress on which he had been lying,
and with his penknife (for the ruffians had not thought
it worth while to search him) commenced cutting vigorously
across one of the partition planks, as closely as
possible to the floor of the berth. He chose to cut here,
because, if suddenly interrupted, he would be able to conceal
what had been done by letting the head of the mattress
fall into its proper position. For the remainder of
the day, however, no disturbance occurred, and by night
he had completely divided the plank. It should here be
observed, that none of the crew occupied the forecastle
as a sleeping-place, living altogether in the cabin since
the mutiny, drinking the wines, and feasting on the sea-stores
of Captain Barnard, and giving no more heed than
was absolutely necessary to the navigation of the brig.
These circumstances proved fortunate both for myself

and Augustus; for, had matters been otherwise, he would
have found it impossible to reach me. As it was, he
proceeded with confidence in his design. It was near
daybreak, however, before he completed the second division
of the board (which was about a foot above the
first cut), thus making an aperture quite large enough to
admit his passage through with facility to the main orlop
deck. Having got here, he made his way with but little
trouble to the lower main hatch, although in so doing he
had to scramble over tiers of oil-casks piled nearly as
high as the upper deck, there being barely room enough
left for his body. Upon reaching the hatch, he found
that Tiger had followed him below, squeezing between
two rows of the casks. It was now too late, however,
to attempt geting to me before dawn, as the chief difficulty
lay in passing through the close stowage in the
lower hold. He therefore resolved to return, and wait
till the next night. With this design he proceeded to
loosen the hatch, so that he might have as little detention
as possible when he should come again. No sooner
had he loosened it than Tiger sprang eagerly to the
small opening produced, snuffed for a moment, and then
uttered a long whine, scratching at the same time, as if
anxious to remove the covering with his paws. There
could be no doubt, from his behaviour, that he was
aware of my being in the hold, and Augustus thought it
possible that he would be able to get to me if he put him
down. He now hit upon the expedient of sending the
note, as it was especially desirable that I should make
no attempt at forcing my way out, at least under existing
circumstances, and there could be no certainty of
his getting to me himself on the morrow as he intended.
After events proved how fortunate it was that the idea
occurred to him as it did: for, had it not been for the
receipt of the note, I should undoubtedly have fallen
upon some plan, however desperate, of alarming the
crew, and both our lives would most probably have been
sacrificed in consequence.

Having concluded to write, the difficulty was now to
procure the materials for so doing. An old toothpick

was soon made into a pen; and this by means of feeling
altogether, for the between-decks were as dark as pitch.
Paper enough was obtained from the back of a letter—
a duplicate of the forged letter from Mr. Ross. This
had been the original draught; but the handwriting not
being sufficiently well imitated, Augustus had written
another, thrusting the first, by good fortune, into his
coat-pocket, where it was now most opportunely discovered.
Ink alone was thus wanting, and a substitute
was immediately found for this by means of a slight incision
with the penknife on the back of a finger just
above the nail—a copious flow of blood ensuing, as
usual from wounds in that vicinity. The note was now
written, as well as it could be in the dark and under the
circumstances. It briefly explained that a mutiny had
taken place; that Captain Barnard was set adrift; and
that I might expect immediate relief as far as provisions
were concerned, but must not venture upon making any
disturbance. It concluded with these words, “I have
scrawled this with blood—your life depends upon lying
close.”

The slip of paper being tied upon the dog, he was
now put down the hatchway, and Augustus made the
best of his way back to the forecastle, where he found
no reason to believe that any of the crew had been in
his absence. To conceal the hole in the partition, he
drove his knife in just above it, and hung up a pea-jacket
which he found in the berth. His handcuffs were then
replaced, and also the rope around his ankles.

These arrangements were scarcely completed when
Dirk Peters came below, very drunk, but in excellent
humour, and bringing with him my friend's allowance of
provision for the day. This consisted of a dozen large
Irish potatoes roasted, and a pitcher of water. He sat
for some time on a chest by the berth, and talked freely
about the mate, and the general concerns of the brig.
His demeanour was exceedingly capricious and even
grotesque. At one time Augustus was much alarmed by
his odd conduct. At last, however, he went on deck,
muttering a promise to bring his prisoner a good dinner

on the morrow. During the day two of the crew (harpooners)
came down, accompanied by the cook, all three
in nearly the last stage of intoxication. Like Peters,
they made no scruple of talking unreservedly about their
plans. It appeared that they were much divided among
themselves as to their ultimate course, agreeing in no
point except the attack on the ship from the Cape Verd
Islands, with which they were in hourly expectation of
meeting. As far as could be ascertained, the mutiny
had not been brought about altogether for the sake of
booty; a private pique of the chief mate's against Captain
Barnard having been the main instigation. There
now seemed to be two principal factions among the crew
—one headed by the mate, the other by the cook. The
former party were for seizing the first suitable vessel
which should present itself, and equipping it at some of
the West India Islands for a piratical cruise. The latter
division, however, which was the stronger, and included
Dirk Peters among its partisans, were bent upon pursuing
the course originally laid out for the brig into the
South Pacific; there either to take whale, or act otherwise,
as circumstances should suggest. The representations
of Peters, who had frequently visited these regions,
had great weight, apparently, with the mutineers,
wavering as they were between half-engendered notions
of profit and pleasure. He dwelt on the world of novelty
and amusement to be found among the innumerable
islands of the Pacific, on the perfect security and freedom
from all restraint to be enjoyed, but, more particularly,
on the deliciousness of the climate, on the abundant
means of good living, and on the voluptuous beauty of
the women. As yet, nothing had been absolutely determined
upon; but the pictures of the hybrid line-manager
were taking strong hold upon the ardent imaginations of
the seamen, and there was every probability that his intentions
would be finally carried into effect.

The three men went away in about an hour, and no
one else entered the forecastle all day. Augustus lay
quiet until nearly night. He than freed himself from
the rope and irons, and prepared for his attempt. A

bottle was found in one of the berths, and this he filled
with water from the pitcher left by Peters, storing his
pockets at the same time with cold potatoes. To his
great joy he also came across a lantern, with a small
piece of tallow candle in it. This he could light at any
moment, as he had in his possession a box of phosphorus
matches. When it was quite dark, he got through the
hole in the bulkhead, having taken the precaution to arrange
the bedclothes in the berth so as to convey the
idea of a person covered up. When through, he hung
up the pea-jacket on his knife, as before, to conceal the
aperture—this manœuvre being easily effected, as he did
not readjust the piece of plank taken out until afterward.
He was now on the main orlop deck, and proceeded to
make his way, as before, between the upper deck and
the oil-casks to the main hatchway. Having reached
this, he lit the piece of candle, and descended, groping
with extreme difficulty among the compact stowage of
the hold. In a few moments he became alarmed at the
insufferable stench and the closeness of the atmosphere.
He could not think it possible that I had survived my
confinement for so long a period breathing so oppressive
an air. He called my name repeatedly, but I made him
no reply, and his apprehensions seemed thus to be confirmed.
The brig was rolling violently, and there was
so much noise in consequence, that it was useless to
listen for any weak sound, such as those of my breathing
or snoring. He threw open the lantern, and held it as high
as possible, whenever an opportunity occurred, in order
that, by observing the light, I might, if alive, be aware that
succour was approaching. Still nothing was heard from
me, and the supposition of my death began to assume
the character of certainty. He determined, nevertheless,
to force a passage, if possible, to the box, and at least
ascertain beyond a doubt the truth of his surmises. He
pushed on for some time in a most pitiable state of anxiety,
until, at length, he found the pathway utterly
blocked up, and that there was no possibility of making
any farther way by the course in which he had set out.
Overcome now by his feelings, he threw himself among
the lumber in despair, and wept like a child. It was at
this period that he heard the crash occasioned by the
bottle which I had thrown down. Fortunate, indeed,
was it that the incident occurred—for, upon this incident,
trivial as it appears, the thread of my destiny depended.
Many years elapsed, however, before I was aware of
this fact. A natural shame and regret for his weakness
and indecision prevented Augustus from confiding to me
at once what a more intimate and unreserved communion
afterward induced him to reveal. Upon finding his
further progress in the hold impeded by obstacles which
he could not overcome, he had resolved to abandon his
attempt at reaching me, and return at once to the forecastle.
Before condemning him entirely on this head,
the harassing circumstances which embarrassed him
should be taken into consideration. The night was fast
wearing away, and his absence from the forecastle might
be discovered; and, indeed, would necessarily be so, if
he should fail to get back to the berth by daybreak.
His candle was expiring in the socket, and there would
be the greatest difficulty in retracing his way to the
hatchway in the dark. It must be allowed, too, that he
had every good reason to believe me dead; in which
event no benefit could result to me from his reaching
the box, and a world of danger would be encountered to
no purpose by himself. He had repeatedly called, and I
had made him no answer. I had been now eleven days
and nights with no more water than that contained in the
jug which he had left with me, a supply which it was
not at all probable I had hoarded in the beginning of my
confinement, as I had had every cause to expect a
speedy release. The atmosphere of the hold, too, must
have appeared to him, coming from the comparatively
open air of the steerage, of a nature absolutely poisonous,
and by far more intolerable than it had seemed to
me upon my first taking up my quarters in the box—the
hatchways at that time having been constantly open for
many months previous. Add to these considerations
that of the scene of bloodshed and terror so lately witnessed
by my friend; his confinement, privations, and
narrow escapes from death; together with the frail and
equivocal tenure by which he still existed—circumstances
all so well calculated to prostrate every energy of
mind—and the reader will be easily brought, as I have
been, to regard his apparent falling off in friendship and
in faith with sentiments rather of sorrow than of anger.

The crash of the bottle was distinctly heard, yet Augustus
was not sure that it proceeded from the hold.
The doubt, however, was sufficient inducement to persevere.
He clambered up nearly to the orlop deck by
means of the stowage, and then watching for a lull in
the pitchings of the vessel, he called out to me in as
loud a tone as he could command—regardless, for the
moment, of the danger of being overheard by the crew.
It will be remembered that on this occasion the voice
reached me, but I was so entirely overcome by violent
agitation as to be incapable of reply. Confident, now,
that his worst apprehensions were well founded, he descended,
with a view of getting back to the forecastle
without loss of time. In his haste some small boxes
were thrown down, the noise occasioned by which I
heard, as will be recollected. He had made considerable
progress on his return when the fall of the knife
again caused him to hesitate. He retraced his steps immediately,
and, clambering up the stowage a second
time, called out my name, loudly as before, having
watched for a lull. This time I found voice to answer.
Overjoyed at discovering me to be still alive, he now resolved
to brave every difficulty and danger in reaching
me. Having extricated himself as quickly as possible
from the labyrinth of lumber by which he was hemmed
in, he at length struck into an opening which promised
better, and finally, after a series of struggles, arrived at
the box in a state of utter exhaustion.