134 The Story of the New England Whalers 



for the one addressed made a gesture of dissent. 

 Instantly the one on the ship picked up the cook's 

 axe and hurled it at the one in the boat. The 

 force with which the axe was thrown was so great 

 and the aim was so true that the weapon made a 

 clean cut across the back of the shirt of the one 

 in the boat, and it would have killed him had he 

 not dodged it. Then the three natives on the ship 

 united in throwing such missiles as would reach 

 at the boat's crew. No one was hit, but several 

 whalebone belaying-pins struck the rail of the boat 

 and were broken by the force of the blow. 



It should be noted that the dead whale had been 

 secured alongside before the natives took the ship, 

 and that the sails had been trimmed to prevent 

 her forging ahead. Fearing that the mutineers 

 would swing the yards until the sails would catch 

 the wind and drive her away from the boats, Mr. 

 Smith ordered the boy to cut the halyards of the 

 upper sails on the mainmast and then go forward 

 on a stay and cut those of the foremast. This 

 was done. Then, the boat of the second mate 

 having come up, a consultation was held to deter- 

 mine what should be done next. For it was evident 



