THE ''GLOBE" MUTINY 133 



had become of Smith, the second boat-steerer, threatened the 

 boy, and returned below with the lighted lamp. 



When Lumbert, hearing his steps, called from behind the 

 closed door of the stateroom, ''Are you going to kill me?" Com- 

 stock carelessly replied, "Oh, no, I guess not." 



But, loading two muskets, he fired a chance shot through the 

 door and wounded Fisher. 



As the two burst open the door, Comstock made a thrust at 

 Mr. Lumbert, but, missing him, tripped and pitched into the 

 stateroom. Before he could turn, Mr. Lumbert seized his 

 collar. Comstock twisted away, and found himself face to face 

 with Mr. Fisher, who had got possession of the musket, and held 

 it with the bayonet at Comstock's heart. 



Deliberately weighing the situation, and realizing that the 

 two mates still did not know just how matters stood, Comstock 

 held his ground without changing expression, and offered to 

 spare Mr. Fisher's life if he would return the musket. He 

 was very cool, this murderous young madman. 



At that moment the fate of the Globe and of most of those 

 who were left alive on board her depended on Mr. Fisher's 

 decision. He must have known intimately Comstock's charac- 

 ter and his folly seems incredible. He weakly took Comstock's 

 promise at its face value and gave up the musket, whereupon 

 Comstock whirled about and several times bayoneted Mr. 

 Lumbert; then turned once more on Mr. Fisher. 



The folly of the third mate was even more remarkable, for 

 there was a quarrel of long standing between the two; in a 

 wrestling match, when the Globe was gamming with the Enter- 

 prise, another Nantucket vessel, Mr. Fisher had easily thrown 

 Comstock, who had promptly lost his temper and started a 

 rough-and-tumble fight, in which he got much the worst of 

 it. 



The odds, by Mr. Fisher's own act, were now reversed with a 

 vengeance. The hapless third mate, who, a moment since, had 

 had Comstock at a tremendous disadvantage, found himself 

 face to face with a young maniac armed with a loaded musket. 

 Pleas and imprecations availed him nothing. 



