w. 
A TRAGICAL TALE OF THE SEA. 407 
told the crew about the mouey — they have taken the ship, 
and your throat will be cut at three o'clock." I was momen- 
tarily deprived of the power of utterance, and before I recov- 
ered from the shock the fellow was gone. I, however, soon 
became collected, and slipping on my trowsers and waistcoat, 
I immediately stepped into the gentleman's cabin to whom this 
treasure belonged. But he having overheard the dismal an- 
nouncement, had most imprudently communicated it to his 
wife, who instantly swooned. She, when I entered, was per- 
fectly insensible, and he, with clasped hands, exclaimed in 
deep despair — " O my wife ! O my children ! I shall never 
see you more !" Finding he knew the worst, I coolly said, 
" Well, sir, will you arm with me and resist ?" He said he could 
not, it was useless. I said, " Remember, sir, the property is 
yours — that your wife and children are at stake ; — i/ou ought, 
therefore, to be ready to resist to the very last extremity. I 
too have a wife and children, and will, therefore, resist to the 
last for them, for my employers, and for pou.^^ Finding, how- 
ever, that he was literally sunk in despair, I returned to my 
cabin. 
Any attempt to describe the state of my mind would be en- 
tirely useless. I think I stood for a few moments utterly at a 
loss what step to take, when somehow my hand got into my 
waistcoat pocket and enclosed my knife. Without premedi- 
tation or design I opened it. I now recollected the sick gen- 
tleman, but I thought it best to let him remain in ignorance. I 
knew not what to do ; however, not knowing what might be- 
fall me, or what course I should take, I rushed toward the 
deck, but my hand accidentally striking against something 
which I found to be an American ax, I seized it, and the next 
moment was on the deck, where I saw the helm deserted, and 
the mate with the whole crew sitting together drinking in the 
forepart of the ship. With the open knife in my left hand and 
the uplifted ax in my right, I sprang in among them ; and as 
my eye met the mate's, with one blow of the ax I clave his 
head asunder. The men simultaneously rose and fled in dif- 
ferent directions ; I followed the nearest instantly, and just as 
he was in the act of going aloft, I buried the ax in his loins, 
and he fell overboard. One now turned and tried to grapple 
with me ; but I in a moment drove the ax into his breast, 
and he fell at my feet. So deeply had the ax sunk into his 
body that I was in imminent danger of being overpoAvered : 
but, placing my foot on his chest, I by one vigorous effort 
succeeded in extricating it. I now looked round, and observ- 
