THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 345 



went to the wheel, and headed the ship toward the shore. 

 The boat-steerer, who "was on the lookout at the mast-head, 

 and a man at the fore, were horrified spectators of the slaugh- 

 ter on deck, and feeling that their only safety was in getting 

 the yards aback, they ran down the rigging and cut such of 

 the braces as they could reach without getting in range of 

 the spears and stones of the yelling savages. The effect 

 was to allow the yards to swing freely, and the ship lost 

 steerage- way, and drifted before the light wind, fortunately 

 toward open water. The chief at the wheel, as soon as he 

 saw this movement, gave vent to his rage in a round of En- 

 glish oaths, thus revealing the fact that a white man was 

 leader in the murderous attack. 



While these events were occurring above decks, there was 

 a storm brewing under the hatches which these devils little 

 suspected. Under the third mate, there were gathered in 

 the dark, narrow forecastle the remnant of the crew, all told, 

 nineteen men. Two were at the mast-head, and they had 

 reason to suppose the rest had been killed. Of those in the 

 forecastle six were more or less gashed by the terrible 

 spades, but there were thirteen able-bodied men awaiting 

 the grating of the keel on the coral-reef. They supposed 

 that it was only a question of time ; yet these brave hearts 

 cast about for means to renew the fight. The third mate 

 leading them, they wormed their way over and through the 

 casks between decks, and reached the cabin, which they re- 

 joiced to find unoccupied. The thirteen determined men 

 gathered around the arms-chest in the cabin ; such weapons 

 as they found were loaded and distributed, and, as fully pre- 

 pared as possible for a desperate sortie, they passed to the 

 companion-way, only to find the door securely fastened on 

 the outside. Now they were thoroughly alarmed, and they 

 returned to the cabin, where, in fearful suspense, they await- 

 ed the shock of the ship striking; but the mate's eye caught 



