James Braithwaite, the Supercargo: The Story of his Adventures Ashore and AfloatKingston, William Henry Giles
History
James Braithwaite, the Supercargo: The Story of his Adventures Ashore and Afloat
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Great Britain -- History, Naval -- 19th century -- Fiction
Whether this address had any good effect we could not tell, but hoping
that the men would remain quiet and sleep off the effect of their
debauch, we returned to our tent, leaving the body on the ground. The
next morning we returned to the beach. The captain and his drunken
companions still lay on the sand asleep. They were out of the reach of
the sea, but the hot rays of the rapidly rising sun, which were striking
down on their unprotected heads, would, I saw, soon give them brain
fever or kill them outright, if they were to be left long exposed to
their influence. I therefore proposed that we should rouse them up, and
advise them to go and lie down in the shade of some shrubs and rocks at
a little distance.
"Before we do so, we'll take away their weapons, and at all events make
it more difficult for them to do mischief to us or to themselves," said
O'Carroll. Some of the men grumbled on being disturbed, as we turned
them round to take away their knives. We left the unloaded pistols,
which, as they had no powder, could do little harm. Having taken their
arms to our tents, we returned and awoke them, not without difficulty,
by shaking them and shouting in their ears. One after the other they
got up, lazily rubbing their eyes and stretching themselves, and staring
stupidly about them. The captain was one of the last to come to his
senses. He started when he saw the dead body of his companion.
"Who killed that man?" he exclaimed, in an anxious tone.
"You did, most probably," answered O'Carroll. "We heard shots fired and
found the man dead."
The captain felt in his pocket, and drew out a pistol with the hammer
down: it had been discharged. "Then I am a murderer!" he exclaimed, in
a tone of horror, his countenance expressing his feelings. "It wanted
but that to make up the measure of my crimes."
"It is but too true, I fear," said O'Carroll.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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