136 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



wounded by the murderous muskets. Alarmed by the discharge of the 

 fire-arms, the remainder of the crew rushed to the deck, where they 

 were confronted by the whole force of the mutineers, those who had 

 assaulted the officers hurrying up to aid those left on guard. In the 

 confusion the first and second mate hid themselves from their would-be 

 murderers. The loyal men of the crew, finding themselves completely 

 in the power of the revolting ones, had no recourse but to submit. 

 After the first burst of passion was over, the second mate made his 

 appearance aud his life was spared. The chief mate had secreted him- 

 self in the hold, where, in spite of the torture from his wounds, he re- 

 mained for five days undiscovered, and when at last he was found, the 

 mutineers required his services to navigate the vessel. 



When within about twenty miles of the coast of Australia, Plummer 

 and his accomplices, taking two whale-boats and rifliug the ship of every- 

 thing they could find of value, left the vessel and landed upon those 

 shores, where eight of them were subsequently captured.* 



With the opening of navigation in high latitudes came increased 

 perils. Not sufficient were the dangers from their gigantic prey, or 

 furious gales, or the losing sight of the ship ; to these must be added 

 the risk of being ground between two mighty ice-bergs, of being caught 

 iu some field of ice and forced ashore, of having the stout timbers of 

 their vessel pierced by the glittering spear of some stray berg as it was 

 driven by the force of the polar currents. The season in either northern 

 sea lasts but two or three months, and the temptation to incur many 

 risks for the sake of rapidly filling the ship is too great to be withstood. 

 The life of the whale-hunter is a life of risks — this only adds a little 

 more to his repertoire of exciting scenes. 



Captain Pease, of the ship Champion, of Edgartown, in a letter pub- 

 lished iu the New Bedford "Shipping List,'' of November 29, 1870, thus 

 describes some of the incidents of Arctic whaling: "We made aud 

 entered the ice on the 17th day of May, about 40 miles South of Cape 

 Navarin, weather thick and snowing; on the 20th the weather cleared 

 up, showing about a dozen ships in the ice. The weather having every 

 appearance of a gale, I worked out of the ice, and soon found myself 

 surrounded by fifty ships. Saw but one whale in the ice. On the 23d, 

 weather pleasant, two or three ships worked a short distance in the ice; 

 the next day the fleet commenced following, and in a few hours fifty 

 ships were on a race to Cape Thaddeus ; it was oak against ice, and 

 like all heavy moving bodies which come in collision, ' the weakest 

 structure always gives way;' so with the ships, they all came out more 

 or less damaged in copper and sheathing — the Champion four days 

 ahead to Cape Thaddeus, and in clear water. 



"In 1853 the crew of the brig William Perm, of San Francisco, consisting of five 

 whites and fifteen natives of the Pacific Islands, mutinied, killing the captain, Isaac 

 B. Hussey, and one man, and badly wouudiug the first aud second mates and another 

 man. The second man died a few days after the outbreak. 



