THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 231 



reeled his oversight. In half an hour more the steward 

 came forward with an order for Frank to go aft (it was he 

 who took the club from the captain's hand). Frank went; 

 then Hans and the boy Sam were sent for, and they obeyed. 

 Another was called, but we saw through the captain's game, 

 and returned word that when the three men were returned 

 to us any other would go aft, but not before. Again the 

 ship drifted, under short sail and mainyard aback. No man 

 was at the mast-head ; a boat-steerer was at the helm ; ev- 

 ery body was mad and snappish as a wolf. No bells were 

 called, no watches stood. Loose and lawless our little ship 

 drifted in mid-ocean, a speck of hell on earth. The men ab- 

 solutely refused to touch line or sail until some terms were 

 reached. 



Dec. 14. Threats of the darkest kind were made by the 

 crew, who kept a strong watch on deck during the night, to 

 prevent surprise, and this morning they united in the demand 

 that the men decoyed aft should be liberated, or the ship 

 put away to some consular port. Meantime the ship drifts 

 at the mercy. of wind and wave another day. 



Dec. 15. The captain resorted to various means to entrap 

 or intimidate the men. A threat to starve us out, by closing 

 the bread and meat casks, was met so promptly and energet- 

 ically that it was not persisted in. During all this time the 

 men have abstained from noisy demonstrations. All com- 

 munications have passed through the spokesman ; and Mr. 



F 's utmost influence (and it is very great) has failed to 



move the rnen from their- steadfast purpose to refuse all 

 duty until their shipmates are set at liberty. 



Dec. 16. This morning we all signed a "round robin," 

 setting forth our "willingness to return to duty on the lib- 

 eration of the three men." Our names are written in radi- 

 ating lines, like the spokes of a wheel, so that there is no 

 leading name to the list. Query : Is it from this custom of 



