The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 3

CHAPTER 4

THE brig put to sea, as I had supposed, in about an hour after he hadleft the watch. This was on the twentieth of June. It will be rememberedthat I had then been in the hold for three days; and, during thisperiod, there was so constant a bustle on board, and so much runningto and fro, especially in the cabin and staterooms, that he had had nochance of visiting me without the risk of having the secret of the trapdiscovered. When at length he did come, I had assured him that I wasdoing as well as possible; and, therefore, for the two next days hefelt but little uneasiness on my account--still, however, watching anopportunity of going down. It was not until the fourth day that he foundone. Several times during this interval he had made up his mind to lethis father know of the adventure, and have me come up at once; but wewere still within reaching distance of Nantucket, and it was doubtful,from some expressions which had escaped Captain Barnard, whether hewould not immediately put back if he discovered me to be on board.Besides, upon thinking the matter over, Augustus, so he told me, couldnot imagine that I was in immediate want, or that I would hesitate,in such case, to make myself heard at the trap. When, therefore, heconsidered everything he concluded to let me stay until he could meetwith an opportunity of visiting me unobserved. This, as I said before,did not occur until the fourth day after his bringing me the watch,and the seventh since I had first entered the hold. He then went downwithout taking with him any water or provisions, intending in the firstplace merely to call my attention, and get me to come from the box tothe trap,--when he would go up to the stateroom and thence hand me downa supply. When he descended for this purpose he found that I was asleep,for it seems that I was snoring very loudly. From all the calculationsI can make on the subject, this must have been the slumber into whichI fell just after my return from the trap with the watch, and which,consequently, must have lasted for more than three entire days andnights at the very least. Latterly, I have had reason both from my ownexperience and the assurance of others, to be acquainted with the strongsoporific effects of the stench arising from old fish-oil when closelyconfined; and when I think of the condition of the hold in which I wasimprisoned, and the long period during which the brig had been used as awhaling vessel, I am more inclined to wonder that I awoke at all, afteronce falling asleep, than that I should have slept uninterruptedly forthe period specified above.

Augustus called to me at first in a low voice and without closing thetrap--but I made him no reply. He then shut the trap, and spoke to me ina louder, and finally in a very loud tone--still I continued to snore.He was now at a loss what to do. It would take him some time to make hisway through the lumber to my box, and in the meanwhile his absence wouldbe noticed by Captain Barnard, who had occasion for his services everyminute, in arranging and copying papers connected with the business ofthe voyage. He determined, therefore, upon reflection, to ascend, andawait another opportunity of visiting me. He was the more easily inducedto this resolve, as my slumber appeared to be of the most tranquilnature, and he could not suppose that I had undergone any inconveniencefrom my incarceration. He had just made up his mind on these pointswhen his attention was arrested by an unusual bustle, the sound ofwhich proceeded apparently from the cabin. He sprang through the trapas quickly as possible, closed it, and threw open the door of hisstateroom. No sooner had he put his foot over the threshold than apistol flashed in his face, and he was knocked down, at the same moment,by a blow from a handspike.

A strong hand held him on the cabin floor, with a tight grasp uponhis throat; still he was able to see what was going on around him.His father was tied hand and foot, and lying along the steps of thecompanion-way, with his head down, and a deep wound in the forehead,from which the blood was flowing in a continued stream. He spoke not aword, and was apparently dying. Over him stood the first mate, eyeinghim with an expression of fiendish derision, and deliberately searchinghis pockets, from which he presently drew forth a large wallet and achronometer. Seven of the crew (among whom was the cook, a negro) wererummaging the staterooms on the larboard for arms, where they soonequipped themselves with muskets and ammunition. Besides Augustus andCaptain Barnard, there were nine men altogether in the cabin, and theseamong the most ruffianly of the brig’s company. The villains now wentupon deck, taking my friend with them after having secured his armsbehind his back. They proceeded straight to the forecastle, which wasfastened down--two of the mutineers standing by it with axes--two alsoat the main hatch. The mate called out in a loud voice: “Do you hearthere below? tumble up with you, one by one--now, mark that--and nogrumbling!” It was some minutes before any one appeared:--at last anEnglishman, who had shipped as a raw hand, came up, weeping piteously,and entreating the mate, in the most humble manner, to spare his life.The only reply was a blow on the forehead from an axe. The poor fellowfell to the deck without a groan, and the black cook lifted him up inhis arms as he would a child, and tossed him deliberately into the sea.Hearing the blow and the plunge of the body, the men below could nowbe induced to venture on deck neither by threats nor promises, until aproposition was made to smoke them out. A general rush then ensued,and for a moment it seemed possible that the brig might be retaken.The mutineers, however, succeeded at last in closing the forecastleeffectually before more than six of their opponents could get up.These six, finding themselves so greatly outnumbered and without arms,submitted after a brief struggle. The mate gave them fair words--nodoubt with a view of inducing those below to yield, for they had nodifficulty in hearing all that was said on deck. The result proved hissagacity, no less than his diabolical villainy. All in the forecastlepresently signified their intention of submitting, and, ascending oneby one, were pinioned and then thrown on their backs, together with thefirst six--there being in all, of the crew who were not concerned in themutiny, twenty-seven.

A scene of the most horrible butchery ensued. The bound seamen weredragged to the gangway. Here the cook stood with an axe, striking eachvictim on the head as he was forced over the side of the vessel by theother mutineers. In this manner twenty-two perished, and Augustus hadgiven himself up for lost, expecting every moment his own turn to comenext. But it seemed that the villains were now either weary, or insome measure disgusted with their bloody labour; for the four remainingprisoners, together with my friend, who had been thrown on the deck withthe rest, were respited while the mate sent below for rum, and the wholemurderous party held a drunken carouse, which lasted until sunset. Theynow fell to disputing in regard to the fate of the survivors, who laynot more than four paces off, and could distinguish every word said.Upon some of the mutineers the liquor appeared to have a softeningeffect, for several voices were heard in favor of releasing the captivesaltogether, on condition of joining the mutiny and sharing the profits.The black cook, however (who in all respects was a perfect demon,and who seemed to exert as much influence, if not more, than themate himself), would listen to no proposition of the kind, and roserepeatedly for the purpose of resuming his work at the gangway.Fortunately he was so far overcome by intoxication as to be easilyrestrained by the less bloodthirsty of the party, among whom was aline-manager, who went by the name of Dirk Peters. This man was theson of an Indian squaw of the tribe of Upsarokas, who live among thefastnesses of the Black Hills, near the source of the Missouri. Hisfather was a fur-trader, I believe, or at least connected in some mannerwith the Indian trading-posts on Lewis river. Peters himself was one ofthe most ferocious-looking men I ever beheld. He was short in stature,not more than four feet eight inches high, but his limbs were ofHerculean mould. His hands, especially, were so enormously thick andbroad as hardly to retain a human shape. His arms, as well as legs,were bowed in the most singular manner, and appeared to possess noflexibility whatever. His head was equally deformed, being of immensesize, with an indentation on the crown (like that on the head of mostnegroes), and entirely bald. To conceal this latter deficiency, whichdid not proceed from old age, he usually wore a wig formed of anyhair-like material which presented itself--occasionally the skin of aSpanish dog or American grizzly bear. At the time spoken of, he had on aportion of one of these bearskins; and it added no little to the naturalferocity of his countenance, which betook of the Upsaroka character. Themouth extended nearly from ear to ear, the lips were thin, and seemed,like some other portions of his frame, to be devoid of natural pliancy,so that the ruling expression never varied under the influence of anyemotion whatever. This ruling expression may be conceived when it isconsidered that the teeth were exceedingly long and protruding, andnever even partially covered, in any instance, by the lips. To pass thisman with a casual glance, one might imagine him to be convulsed withlaughter, but a second look would induce a shuddering acknowledgment,that if such an expression were indicative of merriment, the merrimentmust be that of a demon. Of this singular being many anecdotes wereprevalent among the seafaring men of Nantucket. These anecdotes went toprove his prodigious strength when under excitement, and some of themhad given rise to a doubt of his sanity. But on board the Grampus, itseems, he was regarded, at the time of the mutiny, with feelings more ofderision than of anything else. I have been thus particular in speakingof Dirk Peters, because, ferocious as he appeared, he proved the maininstrument in preserving the life of Augustus, and because I shallhave frequent occasion to mention him hereafter in the course of mynarrative--a narrative, let me here say, which, in its latter portions,will be found to include incidents of a nature so entirely out of therange of human experience, and for this reason so far beyond the limitsof human credulity, that I proceed in utter hopelessness of obtainingcredence for all that I shall tell, yet confidently trusting in timeand progressing science to verify some of the most important and mostimprobable of my statements.

After much indecision and two or three violent quarrels, it wasdetermined at last that all the prisoners (with the exception ofAugustus, whom Peters insisted in a jocular manner upon keeping as hisclerk) should be set adrift in one of the smallest whaleboats. Themate went down into the cabin to see if Captain Barnard was stillliving--for, it will be remembered, he was left below when the mutineerscame up. Presently the two made their appearance, the captain pale asdeath, but somewhat recovered from the effects of his wound. He spoketo the men in a voice hardly articulate, entreated them not to set himadrift, but to return to their duty, and promising to land them whereverthey chose, and to take no steps for bringing them to justice. He mightas well have spoken to the winds. Two of the ruffians seized him by thearms and hurled him over the brig’s side into the boat, which had beenlowered while the mate went below. The four men who were lying on thedeck were then untied and ordered to follow, which they did withoutattempting any resistance--Augustus being still left in his painfulposition, although he struggled and prayed only for the poorsatisfaction of being permitted to bid his father farewell. A handful ofsea-biscuit and a jug of water were now handed down; but neither mast,sail, oar, nor compass. The boat was towed astern for a few minutes,during which the mutineers held another consultation--it was thenfinally cut adrift. By this time night had come on--there were neithermoon nor stars visible--and a short and ugly sea was running, althoughthere was no great deal of wind. The boat was instantly out of sight,and little hope could be entertained for the unfortunate sufferers whowere in it. This event happened, however, in latitude 35 degrees 30’north, longitude 61 degrees 20’ west, and consequently at no very greatdistance from the Bermuda Islands. Augustus therefore endeavored toconsole himself with the idea that the boat might either succeed inreaching the land, or come sufficiently near to be fallen in with byvessels off the coast.

All sail was now put upon the brig, and she continued her originalcourse to the southwest--the mutineers being bent upon some piraticalexpedition, in which, from all that could be understood, a ship was tobe intercepted on her way from the Cape Verd Islands to Porto Rico. Noattention was paid to Augustus, who was untied and suffered to go aboutanywhere forward of the cabin companion-way. Dirk Peters treated himwith some degree of kindness, and on one occasion saved him fromthe brutality of the cook. His situation was still one of the mostprecarious, as the men were continually intoxicated, and there was norelying upon their continued good-humor or carelessness in regard tohimself. His anxiety on my account he represented, however, as the mostdistressing result of his condition; and, indeed, I had never reason todoubt the sincerity of his friendship. More than once he had resolvedto acquaint the mutineers with the secret of my being on board, but wasrestrained from so doing, partly through recollection of the atrocitieshe had already beheld, and partly through a hope of being able soon tobring me relief. For the latter purpose he was constantly on the watch;but, in spite of the most constant vigilance, three days elapsed afterthe boat was cut adrift before any chance occurred. At length, on thenight of the third day, there came on a heavy blow from the eastward,and all hands were called up to take in sail. During the confusion whichensued, he made his way below unobserved, and into the stateroom.What was his grief and horror in discovering that the latter hadbeen rendered a place of deposit for a variety of sea-stores andship-furniture, and that several fathoms of old chain-cable, which hadbeen stowed away beneath the companion-ladder, had been dragged thenceto make room for a chest, and were now lying immediately upon the trap!To remove it without discovery was impossible, and he returned ondeck as quickly as he could. As he came up, the mate seized him by thethroat, and demanding what he had been doing in the cabin, was aboutflinging him over the larboard bulwark, when his life was againpreserved through the interference of Dirk Peters. Augustus was now putin handcuffs (of which there were several pairs on board), and his feetlashed tightly together. He was then taken into the steerage, and throwninto a lower berth next to the forecastle bulkheads, with the assurancethat he should never put his foot on deck again “until the brig was nolonger a brig.” This was the expression of the cook, who threw him intothe berth--it is hardly possible to say what precise meaning intended bythe phrase. The whole affair, however, proved the ultimate means of myrelief, as will presently appear.