350 The Story of the New England Whalers 



while Comstock was in charge of the deck, the 

 conspirators armed themselves for the attack. 

 With Comstock in the lead, and the negro Hum- 

 phries carrying a lamp to light the way, they found 

 Captain Worth asleep in a hammock. Comstock 

 hit him on the head with an axe, killing him 

 instantly. Payne then made a thrust with a 

 boarding knife at William Beetle, the mate, but 

 the blow failed, and the mate, leaping up, seized 

 Comstock by the throat. This attack made 

 Comstock drop his axe, but Payne placed a board- 

 ing knife in his hand and with that he knocked 

 the mate, seriously wounded, into the pantry. 

 Comstock then stabbed him with the knife, dis- 

 abling but not killing him. 



Turning from the mate, Comstock now locked 

 the door to the room occupied by Second Mate 

 John Lumbard and Third Mate Nathaniel Fisher. 

 His movements had been so quiet, thus far, and 

 withal so swift, that neither of these officers had 

 been aroused. Having secured them in their 

 room, Comstock now loaded two muskets, each 

 of which had a bayonet affixed to it. Pointing 

 one of the muskets toward the door in such a way 



