MERCHANT ADVENTURERS 15 



was favourable, but the crew, for the most part, proved a 

 villainous set, only Shepherd and five sailors standing 

 by the master. The African coast Cape Palmas 

 was safely reached, but the crew broke into open 

 mutiny. 



The ring-leader, believing the captain to be asleep, 

 crept into his cabin in the dead of night, meaning to 

 murder him with an axe. He was detected, and hanged 

 at the yard-arm ; but this stern example did not make 

 the peace and discipline of the Rainbow certain. The 

 mutineers were determined that the master should perish, 

 and a plot was formed to destroy him and Shepherd, 

 and seize the ship. While ten of the disaffected crew 

 were ashore with Cummins and Shepherd great 

 quantities of ivory and gold-dust being ready for 

 shipment, and the captain bargaining peacefully in a tent 

 with the natives the mutineers burst in. There were, 

 however, so many negroes about that they could not 

 reach their victims, and two or three of them were 

 stabbed by the infuriated crew. Springing behind some 

 bales of cloth for shelter, Cummins and Shepherd shot 

 two of the assailants dead ; two more speedily went 

 down, and the rest, dismayed, broke and fled to some 

 neighbouring woods. The master and Shepherd in- 

 stantly rejoined their boat, and put off to the ship just 

 in time to help the loyal men on board to beat off an 

 attack by mutineers who had not gone ashore. 



After a fierce fight the assailants were driven below, 

 several of them being severely and one mortally 

 wounded. Resolved that he would not perish in a 

 lonely fashion, this man set fire to a quantity of loose 

 tow, and, the flames having reached a barrel of tar, the 



