230 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OB, 



disobedience and mutinous conduct, and he informed us that 

 we were wretched outcasts, beyond the pale of human so- 

 ciety and law; penniless, and of no account. Amen, we 

 thought ; we can lose no more, and so we held our course. 



Our spokesman was now pushed forward to ask him " to 

 read the law which authorized the punishment of the lash, 

 without <even the form of trial." For a short time the cap- 

 tain turned the leaves of the book, but he failed to find the 

 law he sought. Then, with a threatening glance down our 

 line, he took up both pistols, ready cocked, and said, " This 

 is the law by which I will flog this man." He added to this 

 a remarkable expression, characteristic of the whaling-cap- 

 tain : " On the other side of the land I have my masters, the 

 owners, and One above; but on this side of the cape I am 

 master on board this ship." And stepping forward a pace 

 or two, with pistol in one hand, and " colt " in the other, he 

 continued, " I will flog that man, or any other of you, who 

 may give occasion, and I give you fair warning that I will 

 send a ballet through any man who interferes !" 



Now came the crisis ; and very quietly was it met ! The 

 crew filed across the deck in double line between the after- 

 hatch and the rail, between the captain and Bingham. Res- 

 olute old Tom then turned, and with his sheath-knife sev- 

 ered the yarns which held the captive's wrists, and told him 

 to "cut his lucky" and go forward. It was too plain a 

 case. The captain saw in the faces of the men that the 

 death of one would not deter them, and there was a crouch 

 preparatory to the spring apparent in their bodies which 

 showed that short shrift might be his if he fired. No sin- 

 gle man on earth could have faced dowii the quiet resolu- 

 tion of that band, I am certain. 



Now all was quiet on the drifting ship. The cook failed 

 to appear with breakfast, and a committee waited on him to 

 remind him of the fact. It was surprising how soon he cor- 



