I had been hard at work during the day, and went below to my hammock, which was in the steerage, and hardly fallen asleep, when a voice from the deck called out: 11 Jump up, carpenter, and knock the arm chest open." I sprung out and ran upon deck, which I had scarcely reached before a handspike came, end over end, whizzing by I me. There was a man standing on the arm chest, swearino* by horrid oaths, " the arm chest should not be opened." Mr. Lee caught up a capstan bar, and with one blow dropped the fellow from off the chest, and then broke it open. Durinathis time, the mob were rushing aft, throwing all sorts of missiles, crying out: " Drive the rascals overboard!" meaning myself and the three mates.
I dodged for a moment into the galley until I could get the hang of the mutiny. By this time the two mates had got a loaded blunderbuss each, and held them cocked, swearing if they came any farther aft, they would fire. "Fire, and be," said Smith, (the felloiv we saved from drowning at the commencement of the voyage.) They now closed upon us, and we sung out, " Mutiny I " There was a French ship lying near us, who had heard the row, and were preparing to come to our assistance. We saw the lanterns running fore and aft, and their men getting into their boats. We were now clear aft on the spar across the boat's davits, ready for a jump overboard.
Just as the mates were about pulling the triggers, which would have sent death among them, each blunderbuss having fifteen musket balls, the Frenchmen sung out they were coming. The mutineers then began to move forward, hauled up their boats, and went over the side, uttering the most blasphemous imprecations upon us all; and when in their boats, they gave three cheers, singing out, " This is the first time the Yankee flag has been disgraced by calling a Frenchman to abuse American seamen. Our crew in a most mutinous manner answered their cheers, and they went off. Thus ended this serious affair, and if the Frenchmen had not started just as they did, the blunderbusses would certainly have been fired, and who can tell the result?
We thanked our French neighbors for coming so well prepared to our assistance. When the captain came on board next morning, and heard the story, he fairly abused the mates for not firing into them, and ordered the crew to prepare forgoing before the authorities on shore, where lie insisted they should go and be tried for mutiny. On going ashore, he was told by his merchants that the proceeding would subject him to much expense and delay, and if the crew were convicted of mutiny, there would be a long tail to it, and it would be impossible to get another crew; so he relinquished the procedure until our arrival in the United States. They went abjut their duty, but were rather sulky, every one feeling a deep conviction that he had done wrong; and that villain, Smith, was the ringleader of the whole concern.
And not withstanding the mutinous conduct of these men, they were probably as intelligent a set as were ever together as a crew. Ten out of the eighteen became ship-masters, and I remember conversing with one, and as he is now dead, will call him by name, John Scholfield, one of the leading mutineers of the u'vAit at Bombay, and also a quarrelsome man, and very impudent to his officers* This man commanded the ship Arab, of Boston, about rive years after our return from that voyage. One day I spoke to him about the affair on board the Saco, and as I was repairing the Arab, we had frequent opportunities of talking over old matters. And I ought to observe, however, that at the time he commanded the Arab, he was of course another man, quite gentlemanly, and seemed much ashamed of his conduct on board the Saco, and was unwilling to talk about it, attributing it solely to the effect of rum.
Another, John Ward, a Boston boy. He afterwards commanded the ship London Packet, of Boston, and was finally killed by the pirates. Another commanded the fine ship Horatio, of NewYork, thus showing that bad men may become respectable and good men by forsaking intoxicating drinks and evil company. But to return to our voyage. One Sunday, Mr. Lee, second mate, Mr. Goddard, third mate, myself and John Peverallv, hired a native boat and went over to the famous island of " Elephanta, called by the Hindoos, Gharipoon. It is about 5 miles from Bombay. It contains one of the most celebrated temples of the Hindoos. The figure of an elephant of the natural size, but coarsely in stone, appeals on the landing place, near the, foot of a mountain.