PASSENGER AGENTS MUTINY. 



those who had asked for a steerage passage were asked a little 

 less, and had berths given them in the second-cabin state-rooms, 

 the proper steerage being filled up with freight. The cap- 

 tain, however, directed the cook to serve us, allowed us a light at 

 night in our room, and some other special conveniences and privi- 

 leges, and generally treated us, after we got to sea, as if he con- 

 sidered us rather more of the " gentleman " class than the rest ; 

 say about two dollars apiece more. 



After the ship had hauled out in the stream, and while she lay 

 in charge of the first mate, the captain having gone ashore, there 

 was a bit of mutiny among the seamen. Nearly the whole crew 

 refused to do duty, and pledged each other never to take the ship 

 to sea. Seeing that the officers, though prepared with loaded 

 pistols, were not disposed to act rashly, we offered to assist them, 

 for the men had brought up their chests and were collecting hand- 

 spikes and weapons, and threatened to take a boat from the davits 

 if they were not sent on shore. It was curious to see how the 

 steerage passengers, before they had any idea of the grounds of 

 the quarrel, but as if by instinct, almost to a man, took sides 

 against the lawful authority. 



Having had some experience with the ways of seamen, I also 

 went forward to try to pacify them. (Like most Connecticut 

 boys, I knocked about the world a few years before I settled 

 down, and one of these I spent in a ship's forecastle.) The only 

 tiling that the soberest of them could say was, that a man had 

 been killed on the ship, and they knew she was going to be un- 

 lucky ; and that they had been shipped in her when too drunk 

 to know what they were about. Perceiving all that the most 

 of them wanted was to get ashore to have their spree out, and as 

 there was no reasoning with them, I advised the mate to send 

 them a fiddle and let them get to dancing. He liked the idea, 

 but had no fiddle, so as the next best pacifying expedient, ordered 



