342 The Story of the New England Whalers 



was left in charge of the boat steerers while cap- 

 tains and mates turned in for the night. 



At one o'clock the next morning, while the gale 

 was raging with undiminished violence, five of 

 the crew, Cyrus Plummer (the leader), John 

 Hall, Richard Cartha, Cornelius Burns, and 

 William Herbert, all armed with loaded guns, 

 entered the cabin, leaving five others on deck to 

 guard the entrance to the forecastle and keep the 

 other members of the crew, all of whom were 

 in ignorance of the plot, from coming on deck. 

 The captain and all three of the mates were sleep- 

 ing soundly. Pointing their guns at these officers, 

 and taking the word from Plummer, all fired to- 

 gether. Apparently the guns wabbled, for not 

 one of the officers was killed outright. The 

 captain, rising up, said: 



"Oh, my God! What is this?" 



Plummer at once seized him by the hair, and 



saying, "G d you, it is me!" struck 



him several blows with a hatchet and killed him. 



As the third mate strove to rise, Cornelius Burns 

 stabbed him with a boarding knife, the sword* 

 like weapon used in cutting up blubber, and 



