Special to Th* Sunday Call. Copyright-: IS-3,
by A. Co_a_t Doyle.
A STEAM tug was puffing wheez
lly in front of the high-masted
bark-rigged clipper. With her
fresh painted glistening black
sides, her sharp sloping bows
and her cut-away counter she
was the very picture of a fast,
well-found ocean going sailing ship,
but those who knew anything about
- her may have made her the text of
a sermon as to how the British seaman
• was being elbowed out of existence.
' In this respect she was the scandal of
the river. Chinamen. French, Norwe
gian, Spaniards. Turks— carried an
epitome of the human race. They were
working hard cleaning up the decks
and fastening down the hatches, but
the big burly mat- tore his hair when
he found that hardly a man on board
could understand an order In English.
Captain John Smith had taken his
younger brother, George Smith, a *** a
passenger and companion for the voy
--_ in the hope that It might be bene
ficial to his health. They were seated
- now at each side of the round table.
."an onen bottle of champagne between
-them, when the mate came In answer
to a summons, his eyes still smolder
ing after his recent outbursts.
"Well, Mr. Kars-- said the cap
tain, "we have a long six months be
"fore us. I dare say. before we raise
the light of Singapore. I thought you
might ilk- to join us in a glass to our
better acquaintance and to a lucky
voyage." , . ,
He was a jovial, genial soul, this
captain, with good humor shining
'.from his red weather-stained face. The
mat-- gruffness relaxed before his
kindly words, and he tossed off the
srlass of champagne which the other
had filled f or him.
"How does the ship strike you. Mr.
Karswell?" asked the captain.
"There's nothing the matter with the
ship, sir." '■_.
"Nor with the cargo, either, said the
captain. "Champagne we are carry
• ing—a hundred dozen cases. Those
and bales of cloth are our main lading.
How about the crew-, Mr. Karswell?"
The mate shook his head.
* "They'll need thrashing into shape,
an d that's a fact, sir. I've been hus
tling and- driving even since we left
the pool. Why, except ourselves here
and Tafflr, the second mate, there's
hardly an Englishman aboard. The
steward, the cook and the boy are Chi
nese, as I understand. Anderson, the
carpenter. Is a Norwegian. There's
Early, the lad, he's English. Then
there's one Frenchman, one Finn, one
Turk, one Spaniard, one Greek and one
negro, and as to the rest I don't know
what they are. for I never saw the
match of them before."
"They are from the Philippine Isl
ands, half Spanish, half Malay," the
captain answered. "We call them
Manila men. for that's the port they
all hail from. You'll find them good
. enou-rh seamen. Mr. KarswelL I'll an
' swer.for it that they work well."
' "I'll answer for it. too." said the big
mate, with an ominous clenching of his
great red fist.
Karswell was hard put tc it to es
tablish any order among the strange
material with which he had to work.
Taffir. the second mate, was a mild
young man. a good seaman and a
pleasant comp*anlon. but hardly rough
- enough to bring this unruly crew to
fer! Karswell must do ft or It would
never be done. The others he could
manage, but the Manila men were dan
gerous. It was a strange type, with
flat Tartan noses, small eyes, low brut
ish foreheads, and lank black hair like
the American Indians. Their faces
were of a dark coffee tint, and they
were all men of powerful physique. Six
of these fellows were on board, Leon.
Blanco, Duranno. Santos, Lopez and
Marsollno, of whom Leon spoke Eng
lish well, and acted as interpreter for
the rest. These were all placed in the
mate's watch together with Watto, a
handsome young Levantine, and Car
. los. a Greek. The more tractable -sea-.
men were allotted to Tafflr for the oth
er" watch. And so on a beautiful July
day holiday makers upon the Kentish
downs saw the beautiful craft as she
s'V.ept past the Goodwins never to be
seen again, save once, by human eyes.
The Manila men appeared to submit
to discipline, but there were lowerins
brows, and sidelong glances which
warned their officers not to trust them
"tco far. Grumbles came from th fore
castle as to the food and water — and
• the" grumbling was perhaps not alto
gether unreasonable. But the mate
was a man of hard nature and prompt
resolution, find the malcontents got lit
tle satisfaction or sympathy from him.
One of them. Carlos, the; Spaniard, en
deavored to keep his bunk upon a plea
of illness, but was draerged or. deck by
the mat", and triced up by the arms
to the bulwarks.
A few minutes afterward Captain
Smith's brother came on deck, ar.d In
formed the captain what was going for
ward. He came bustling up. and hav
ing examined the man he pronounced
h'm to be really unwell and ordered
him hack to his bunk, prescribing some
medicine for him. Such an incident
•"-Quid not nd to preserve discipline,
or to uphold the mate's authority with
the crew. On a later occasion this same
Spaniard beftan Renting with Blanco.
• the b' <T g*"'St and most brutal of the Ma
" nifa men. one using a knife and the
other a handspike.
The two mates threw themselves be.
tween them, nnd in the scuffle thn first
'.mate "felled the Spaniard with his fist.
Tn the meantime the bark pass. safe
' v thrcuch the bay and rar south as
faf-as the latitude of Cape Blanco upon
tb^VAfrican coast. The winds were
- v' r h* nrd upon the 10th of September,
v-hen they had been six weeks out.
thov had [only attained latltadeilS de
crees south nnd longitude M decrees
.- -gjg. n- that morning It was that the
smolderfnff discontent burst Into a
• most terrible flame.
T*He mate's watch was from -one to
' four during which dar'i hours he was
rft ' alone with the savage seamen
whom, he had controlled. No lion
• _mer In a cage could be in more immi
nent pc-il. for death might be crouch
tae in wait for him in any of those
•black shadows which mottled the
moonlit deck. Night after night he
had risked it until immunity had per
haps made him careless, but now at
' las* it came. At six bells or three In
tho morning— about the time when the
first gray t:n_;e of dawn v.v_ appearing
Nutiny
of the
Flowery Land.
in the eastern sky. two of the mulattos,
Blanco and Duranno. crept silently up
behind the seaman and struck him
down with handspikes.
Early, the English lad. who knew
nothing of the plot, was looking out
on the forecastle head at the time.
Above the humming of the foresail
above him and the lapping of the water,
he heard a sudden crash and the voice
of the mate calling murder. He ran
aft and found Duranno. with horrible
persistence, still beating the mate about
the head. When he attempted to Inter
fere the fellow ordered him sternly into
the deckhouse and he obeyed. . In the
deckhouse the Norwegian carpenter
and Candereau, the French seaman,
were sleeping, both of whom were
among the honest men. The boy Early
told them what had occurred, his story
belng corroborated by the screeches
of the mate from outside. The car
penter ran out and found the unfortu
nate fellow with his arm broken and
his face horribly muitllated.
"Who's that.'" he cried, as he heard
steps approaching.
"It's me the carpenter."
"For God's sak : get me into the
cabin!" " 7... -
The carpenter had stooped with the
intention of doing so, but Marsollno,
one of the conspirators, hit him on the
back of the neck and knocked him
down. The blow was not a dangerous
one, rut the carpenter took it as a
sign that he should mind his own
business, for he went back with impo
tent tears to his deckhouse. In the
meanwhile Blanco, who was the giant
of the party, with the help of another
mutineer, had raised Karswell, and
hurled htm. still yelling for help, over
the bulwarks into the sea. He had been
the first attacked, but he was not the
first to die.
The first of those below to hear the
dreadful summons from the deck was
the captain's brother, George Smith —
the one who had come for a pleasure
trip. He ran up the companion and
had his head beaten to pieces with
handspikes as he emerged. Of the per
sonal characteristics of this pleasure
tripper the only item which has been
handed down is the grim fact that he
was so slight that one man was able
to throw his dead body overboard. The
captain had been aroused at the same
time and had rushed from his room
into the cabin. Thither he was fol
lowed by Leon, "Watto and Lopez, who
stabbed him to death with their knives.
There only, remained Taffir. the second
mate, and his adventures may be treat
ed with less reticence since they were
happier in their outcome.
He was awakened In the first gray
of dawn by the sounds of smashing
and hammering upon the companion.
To so experienced a seaman those
sounds at such an hour could have
carried but one meaning, and that the
most terrible which an officer at sea
can ever learn. With a sinking heart
he sprang from his - bunk and rushed
to the companion. It was choked by
the sprawling figure of the captain's
brother, upon whose head a rain of
blows was still descending. In trying
to push his way up Taffir received a
crack which knocked him backward.
Half distracted he rushed back Into
the cabin and turned down the lamp.
which was smoking badly — a graphic
little touch which helps us to realize
the agitation of the last hand which
lit it. He then caught sight of the
body of the captain pierced with many
stabs and lying in his blood-mottled
nightgown upon the carpet. Horrified
at the sight he ran back into his berth
and locked the door, waiting in a help
less quiver of apprehension for the
next move of the mutineers. He may
not have been of a very virile char
acter, but the circumstances were
enough to shake the most stout-heart
ed. It is not an hour at which a man
Is at his best, that chill hour of the
opening dawn, and to have seen the
two men, with whom he had supped
the night before, lying in their blood.
seems to have completely unnerved
him. Shivering and weeping he lis
tened with straining ears for the foot
steps which would be the forerunners
of death.
At last they came, and of a half
dozen men at least, clumping heavily
down the brass-clamped steps of the
companion. A hand beat roughly upon
his door and ordered him out. He
knew that his frail lock was no protec
tion, so he turned the key and stepped
forth. It might well have frightened a
stouter man, for the murderers were
all — Leon. Carlos. Santos, Blanco,
Duranno. Watto dreadful looking folk
most of them at the best of times, but
now. armed with their dripping knives
and crimson cudgels, and seen in that
dim morning light, as terrible a group
as ever a writer of romance hos con
jured up in his imagination. The Manila
men stood in a silent semicircle round
the door, with their savage Mongolian
faces turned upon him.
"What are you going to do with me?"
he cried. "Are you going to kill me?"
He tried to cling to Leon as he spoke,
for as the only one who could speak
English he had become the leader. : .. -
"No," said Leon; "we are not going
to kill you. But we have killed the
captain and the mate. Nobody on
board knows anything of navigation.
You must navigate us to where we can
land."
The trembling mate, hardly believing
th" comforting assurance of safety,
eagerly accepted the commission.
"Where shall I navigate you to?" he
asked. .v.y^y.i
There, was a whispering in Spanish
among the dark-faced men. and it was
Carlos who answered in broken Eng
lish. 7--:*--7 v '-*
Take up River Platte," said he.
"Good country' Plenty Spanish!" And
so it was agreed.
And now a cold fit of disgust seems
to have passed through those callous
ruffians, for they brought down mops
and cleaned out the cabin. A rope was
slung round the captain and he was
hauled on deck. Taffir, to his credit be
It told. Interfering to impart some de
cency to the ceremony of his burial.
"There goes the captain," cried Watto,
the handsome Levantine lad, as he
heard the splash of the body. "He'll
never call us names any more." Then
all hands were called into the saloon
with the exception of Candereau, the
Frenchman, who. remained at the
wheel. Those who were Innocent hac
to pretend approval of the crime to save
their own lives.
The captain's effects were laid ouv
upon the table and divided into seven
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, aU__TpA"__"-' MARCH 19, 1599.
teen shares. Watto insisted that it
should only be eight shares, as only
eight were concerned In the mutiny,. but
Leon with greater sagacity argued that
every one should be equally involved in
the crime by taking their share of the
booty. There were money and clothes
to divide, and a big box of boots which
represented some little commercial ven
ture of the captain's. Every one was
stamping about in a new pair. The ac
tual money came to about £10 each,
and the watch was set aside to be sold
and divided later. Then the mutineers
took permanent possession of the cabin,
the course of the ship was altered for
South America and the 111-fated bark
began the second chapter of her in
famous voyage.
The cargo had been broached and
the decks were littered with open cases
of champagne from which every one
helped himself as he passed. -There
was a fusillade of popping corks all
day, and the air was full of the faint,
sickly sweet smell of the wine. The
second mate was nominally command
er, but he was a commander without
the power to command. From- morn
ing to night' he was. threatened and in
sulted, and it was only Leon's inter
ference and the well-grounded convic
tion that they could never make the
land without him, which saved him
from their daily menaces. They gave
a zest to their champagne carousals by
brandishing their knives - In -his face.
All the honest men were subjected to
the same treatment. '• ■:-_;.-'■
Santos and Watto came to the Nor
wegian carpenter's whetstone to shar
pen their knives, explaining to him as
they did so that they would soon use
them on his throat. Watto, the hand
some lad, declared that he had already
killed sixteen men. He ' wantonly
stabbed the Inoffensive Chinese stew
ard through the fleshy part of the arm.
Santos said to Candereau, the French
man, "In two or three days I shall kill
you!"
"Kill me then!" cried Candereau with
spirit. " :.„
"This knife." said the bully, "will
serve you the same that it has the
captain."
There seems to have been no attempt
upon the part of the nine honest men
to combine against the eight rogues.
As they were all of different races and
spoke different languages it is not sur
prising that they were unable to make
head against the armed and unanimous
mutineers.
And then there befell one of those
Incidents which breaks the monotony of
long sea voyages. The topsails of a
ship showed above the horizon and
soon there rose her hull. Her course
would take her across their bows, and
the mate asked leave to hall her, as he
was doubtful as to his latitude.
* "You may do so," said Leon. "But
if you say a word about us you are a
dead man."
The strange ship .hauled her yard
aback when she saw that the other
wished to speak her. and the two lay
rolling in the Atlantic swell within
a hundred yards of each other.
"We are the Friend ■of 'Liverpool,"
cried an officer. "Who are you?"
"We are the Louisa, seven days out
from Dieppe for Valparaiso," answered
the unhappy mate, repeating what
the mutineers whispered to him. The
longitude was asked and given, and
the two vessels parted company. With
yearning eyes the harassed man looked
at the orderly decks and the well
served officer of the Liverpool ship.
while he in turn noticed with surprise
those signs of careless handling which
would strike the eye of a sailor in the
rig and management of the Flowewy
Land. Soon the vessel was hull down
upon the horizon and in an hour, the
guilty ship was again alone in the vast
ring of the ocean.
This meeting was very nearly being
a fatal one to the mate, for it took all
Leon's influence to convince the other
ignorant and suspicious seamen that
they had not been betrayed. But a
more dangerous time still was before
him. It must have been evident to him
that when they had made their landfall
then was the time when he was no
longer necessary to the crew and when
they were likely to silence him forever.
That which was their goal was likely
to prove his death warrant.
Every day brought him nearer to this
Inevitable crisis, and then at last on
the night of the 2d of October the look
out man reported land ahead. The
ship was at once put about, and in the
morning the South American coast was
a dim haze upon the western horizon.
When the mate came upon deck he
found the mutineers in earnest con
clave about the forehatch, and their
looks and gestures told him that it was
his fate which was being debated. Leon
-was again on the side of mercy. "If
you like to kill the carpenter and the
mate, you can: I shall not doit." said
he. There was a sharp difference of
opinion upon the matter, and the poor,
helpless mate waited like a sheep near
a knot of butchers.
"What are they going to do with
me?" he cried to Leon, but received no
reply. "Are they going to kill me?" he
asked Marsollno.
"I am not, but Blanco is," was the
discouraging reply.
However, the thoughts of the muti
neers were happily diverted by other
things. First, they clewed up the sails
and dropped the boats alongside. The
mate having been deposed from his
command there . was no commander at
all. so that everything was chaos. Some
got into the boats and some remained
upon the decks of- the vessel. The mate
found himself in one boat, which con
tained Watto. Paul the Sclavonlan,
Early, the ship's boy. and the Chinese
cook. They rowed a hundred yards
away from the ship, but were recalled
by Blanco and . Leon. It shows how
absolutely - the honest men had lost
their spirit; that though they were four
to one in this particular boat they
meekly : returned when they were re
called. ' _,'■"'-- _7-
The' Chinese cook was ordered on
deck, and the others were allowed to
float astern. The unfortunate steward
had descended Into another boat, -but
Duranno pushed him overboard. .He
swam for a long time, bepgihg hard for
his life, but "Leon and Duranno pelted
him with empty champagne bottles
fey .'A cs h_*n V^iMfTLlo
_________________ FIU ■nil i i i mini ___*<3
from the deck until one of them struck
him on the head and sent him to tha
bottom. The same men took Cassap,
the little Chines^ boy. into the cabin.
Candereau, the French sailor, heard
him cry out. "Finish me quickly then'"
and they were the last words that he
ever spoke. ..' .."r-. ■
■ In the meantime the carpenter had
been led Into the hold by the other mu
tineers and ordered to scuttle th» ship.
He bored four holes forward and four
aft, and the water began to pour In.
The crew sprang into the boats, one
small one and one large one. the former
In tow of the latter. So Ignorant and
thoughtless were they that they were
lying alongside as the ship settled
down in the water, and would Infallibly
have been swamped If the mate had not
Implored them, to push off. The Chi
nese cook had been left on board. and
had clambered into the, tops.- so that
hi s gesticulating figure was almost the
last that was seen, of the - ill-omened
Flowery Land as she settled down un
der the leaping waves. Then the boats,
well laden with plunder, made slowly
for the shore. - - ,- r. '• '**
It was 4 In the afternoon upon the
4th of October that they ran their boats
upon the South American beach.. It
was a desolate spot, so they . tramped
inland, rolling along 'with the gait of
seamen ashore, their bundles .upon
their shoulders. Their story was that,
they were the shipwrecked crew of an
American ship from Peru to Bordeaux.
She had foundered a hundred miles out,
and - the captain and - officers were in
another boat which had parted com
pany. They had been five days and
nichts upon the sea.
Toward evening they came upon the
estancla of a lonely farmer, to -whom
they told their tale, and from whom
they received every hospitality. Next
day •hey were all driven over to the
nearest town of Rocha. Candereau and
the mate got an opportunity, of escap
ing that night, and within twenty-four .
hours their story had beer, told to the
authorities, and the mutineers were all
in the hands of the police.
Of the twenty .men who had started
from London in the Flowery Land six
had' met their deaths from violence.
There remained fourteen, of whom
eight were, mutineers and six were des
tined to be the witnesses against them.
No more striking example could be
given of the long arm and steel hand
of the British law than that within a
very few* months this mixed erew —
Sclavonlan, negro, Manila ' men, Nor
wegian. Turk and Frenchman — gath
ered on the shore of the distant Ar
gentine were all brought face to face at
the Central Criminal Court in the heart
of London town.
The trial excited great attention on
account of the singular crew and the
monstrous nature of their crimes. The
death of the officers did less to rouse
the prejudice of the public and to in
fluence the jury than the callous mur
der.of the unoffending Chinaman. The
great difficulty was that of apportion
ing the blame among so many men and
of determining which had realty been
active in the shedding of blood. Taf
fir. the mate. Early, the ship's boy,
Candereau, the Frenchman, and An
derson, the carpenter, all gave their
evidence, some incriminating one and
some another.
The sentence of the law was carried
out in front of Newgate upon the 22d
of February. Five ropes jerked con
vulsively for an instant, and the trag
edy of the Flowery Land had reached
its fittins consummation.
19