178 WHALING 



was increasing. Discovering that one of them was bringing a 

 war-club on board, he told the captain, who ordered him to 

 drive them off the deck. 



Stepping to the gangway, Mr. Jones seized the club as it 

 appeared above the rail, and wrenching it out of the owner's 

 hands, threw it overboard. Seeing that another native just 

 behind the first was bringing on board another club, he seized 

 that, too, and was struggling to get it away from the fellow, 

 when he heard an uproar, and turning, saw that the main body 

 of the natives was making an organized rush for the spades. 



Letting go the club, the third mate leaped into the mob, and 

 succeeded in seizing one of the spades and getting out of the 

 crowd with a whole skin, ''which," he says, ''I have since 

 considered a miracle, as spades were flying in every direction." 



Running aft, Mr. Jones encountered a native and thrust at 

 him with the spade, but the man dodged and the blade struck 

 deep into the woodwork of the cabin. Before Mr. Jones could 

 pull it out and strike again two natives had hold of the pole, 

 which was some fifteen feet long and so awkward to handle 

 that the three swayed back and forth without any one of them 

 making much progress, until Mr. Jones, pressing closer to the 

 natives with his fist, struck one of the men several times in the 

 face. 



Apparently having no notion of defending himself against 

 such an assault, the native let go the spade and backed away. 

 But before Mr. Jones could thus attack the second native, a 

 third came at him with a spear, and the young officer himself, 

 was obliged to abandon the spade and run. 



With three men at his heels he raced forward. A spade 

 thrown from the opposite side of the deck flashed past him. 

 Fleeing he knew not whither, he saw an open hatch, leaped 

 through it; and landed, completely exhausted, in the forehold. 



''In the forehold," he says, "I found three or four seamen 

 making preparations for defense, with Mr. Gardner, the first 

 officer, who addressed me, saying, 'Oh, dear Mr. Jones, what 

 shall we do? Our captain is killed and the ship is gone!'" 



Recovering his strength and his wits, young Mr. Jones 



