332 WORTHLESS FOREIGN SEAMEN. 



land beina; a favorite resort for those creatures so 

 eagerly sought for by the whaleman. Scarcely had 

 the brig arrived at the scene of her anticipated opera- 

 tions before she commenced leaking so badly, that 

 the crew were kept continually pumping, day and 

 night; necessitating her being carried into port, and 

 either being thoroughly repaired or condemned as 

 unseaworthy. On bringing her into Mauritius, the 

 captain preferred a complaint to the authorities 

 against his men, charging them with mutiny and 

 threatening his life. Before the authorities had time 

 to act upon his information, about one half of the 

 crew took one of the boats, went ashore, and got 

 drunk. A fight followed as a matter of course, and 

 in this condition they were easily captured by the 

 police. Those who were left aboard were brought 

 ashore in irons ; but they did not seem to mind the 

 manacles, all of them being convicts, who, no doubt, 

 had been accustomed to such bracelets before. After 

 landing, they were conveyed to the jail, where their 

 companions were already lodged. The following 

 morning they were brought before the magistrate, 

 who, after hearing both sides of the case, dismissed 

 the charge as unfounded and frivolous, at the same 

 time adding some wholesome advice to the master 

 of the vessel for the future government of those 

 under his command. A few days after the brig was 

 condemned as unseaworthy. 



We will now return to our own vessel and crew. 

 As I stated in the former part of my journal, we 

 shipped Irishmen in Hobartown, and Englishmen in 

 Vasse. During the time they have been aboard we 

 have been thoroughly convinced of their utter use- 



