336 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



which was cut short by poor Captain D'Yriarte, who 

 had not had a wink of sleep all night, and begged us to 

 give him a chance. 



In the morning, while I was taking chocolate with 

 Doctor Drivin, the mate came to the hut with the mu- 

 tinous American sailor in the custody of four soldiers, 

 to make a complaint to me. The sailor was a young 

 man of twenty-eight, short, well-made, and very good- 

 looking, and his name was Jemmy. He, too, com- 

 plained to me ; wanted to leave the brig, and said that 

 he would stop on a barren rock in the midst of the 

 ocean rather than remain on board. I told him I was 

 sorry to find an American sailor a ringleader in muti- 

 ny, and represented to him the distress and danger in 

 which it had placed the captain. Doctor Drivin had 

 had some sharp passages with him on board the brig, 

 and, after a few words, started up and struck him. 

 Jemmy fell back in time to avoid the full blow, and, as 

 if by no means unused to such things, continued to fall 

 back and ward off; but when pressed too hard, he broke 

 loose from the soldiers, and tore off his jacket for a reg- 

 ular fight. I had no idea of favouring a mutinous sail- 

 or, but still less of suffering an American to be mal- 

 treated by odds, and hauled off the soldiers. In a 

 moment the doctor's passion was over, and he discon- 

 tinued his attack, whereupon Jemmy surrendered him- 

 self to the soldiers, who carried him, as I supposed, to 

 the guardhouse. I waited a little while, and, going 

 down, saw Jemmy sitting on the ground in front of the 

 quartel, with both legs in the stocks above the knees. 

 He was keenly alive to the disgrace of his situation, 

 and my blood boiled. I hurried to the captain of the 

 port, and complained warmly of his conduct as high- 

 handed and insufferable, and insisted that Jemmy must 



