Add to these
      considerations the awe-inspiring nature of the tempest, and that
      of the conversation brought about by Peters; the deep impression
      which the loathsomeness of the actual corpse had made in the
      morning upon the imaginations of the men; the excellence of the
      imitation in my person, and the uncertain and wavering light in
      which they beheld me, as the glare of the cabin lantern, swinging
      violently to and fro, fell dubiously and fitfully upon my figure,
      and there will be no reason to wonder that the deception had even
      more than the entire effect which we had anticipated. The mate
      sprang up from the mattress on which he was lying, and, without
      uttering a syllable, fell back, stone dead, upon the cabin floor,
      and was hurled to the leeward like a log by a heavy roll of the
      brig. Of the remaining seven, there were but three who had at
      first any degree of presence of mind. The four others sat for
      some time rooted apparently to the floor, the most pitiable
      objects of horror and utter despair my eyes ever encountered. The
      only opposition we experienced at all was from the cook, John
      Hunt, and Richard Parker; but they made but a feeble and
      irresolute defence. The two former were shot instantly by Peters,
      and I felled Parker with a blow on the head from the pump-handle
      which I had brought with me. In the meantime, Augustus seized one
      of the muskets lying on the floor and shot another mutineer
      Wilson through the breast. There were now but three remaining;
      but by this time they had become aroused from their lethargy, and
      perhaps began to see that a deception had been practised upon
      them, for they fought with great resolution and fury, and, but
      for the immense muscular strength of Peters, might have
      ultimately got the better of us. These three men were—Jones,
      Greely, and Absolom Hicks. Jones had thrown Augustus to the
      floor, stabbed him in several places along the right arm, and
      would no doubt have soon dispatched him (as neither Peters nor
      myself could immediately get rid of our own antagonists), had it
      not been for the timely aid of a friend, upon whose assistance
      we, surely, had never depended. This friend was no other than
      Tiger. With a low growl, he bounded into the cabin, at a most
      critical moment for Augustus, and throwing himself upon Jones,
      pinned him to the floor in an instant. My friend, however, was
      now too much injured to render us any aid whatever, and I was so
      encumbered with my disguise that I could do but little. The dog
      would not leave his hold upon the throat of Jones—Peters,
      nevertheless, was far more than a match for the two men who
      remained, and would, no doubt, have dispatched them sooner, had
      it not been for the narrow space in which he had to act, and the
      tremendous lurches of the vessel. Presently he was enabled to get
      hold of a heavy stool, several of which lay about the floor. With
      this he beat out the brains of Greely as he was in the act of
      discharging a musket at me, and immediately afterward a roll of
      the brig throwing him in contact with Hicks, he seized him by the
      throat, and, by dint of sheer strength, strangled him
      instantaneously. Thus, in far less time than I have taken to tell
      it, we found ourselves masters of the brig. The only person of our opponents who was left alive was Richard
      Parker. This man, it will be remembered, I had knocked down with
      a blow from the pump-handle at the commencement of the attack. He
      now lay motionless by the door of the shattered stateroom; but,
      upon Peters touching him with his foot, he spoke, and entreated
      for mercy. His head was only slightly cut, and otherwise he had
      received no injury, having been merely stunned by the blow. He
      now got up, and, for the present, we secured his hands behind his
      back. The dog was still growling over Jones; but, upon
      examination, we found him completely dead, the blood issuing in a
      stream from a deep wound in the throat, inflicted, no doubt, by
      the sharp teeth of the animal. It was now about one o’clock in the morning, and the wind was
      still blowing tremendously. The brig evidently laboured much more
      than usual, and it became absolutely necessary that something
      should be done with a view of easing her in some measure. At
      almost every roll to leeward she shipped a sea, several of which
      came partially down into the cabin during our scuffle, the
      hatchway having been left open by myself when I descended. The
      entire range of bulwarks to larboard had been swept away, as well
      as the caboose, together with the jollyboat from the counter. The
      creaking and working of the mainmast, too, gave indication that
      it was nearly sprung. To make room for more stowage in the
      afterhold, the heel of this mast had been stepped between decks
      (a very reprehensible practice, occasionally resorted to by
      ignorant ship-builders), so that it was in imminent danger of
      working from its step. But, to crown all our difficulties, we
      plummed the well, and found no less than seven feet of water. Leaving the bodies of the crew lying in the cabin, we got to work
      immediately at the pumps—Parker, of course, being set at liberty
      to assist us in the labour. Augustus’s arm was bound up as well
      as we could effect it, and he did what he could, but that was not
      much. However, we found that we could just manage to keep the
      leak from gaining upon us by having one pump constantly going. As
      there were only four of us, this was severe labour; but we
      endeavoured to keep up our spirits, and looked anxiously for
      daybreak, when we hoped to lighten the brig by cutting away the
      mainmast. In this manner we passed a night of terrible anxiety and fatigue,
      and, when the day at length broke, the gale had neither abated in
      the least, nor were there any signs of its abating. We now
      dragged the bodies on deck and threw them overboard. Our next
      care was to get rid of the mainmast. The necessary preparations
      having been made, Peters cut away at the mast (having found axes
      in the cabin), while the rest of us stood by the stays and
      lanyards. As the brig gave a tremendous lee-lurch, the word was
      given to cut away the weather-lanyards, which being done, the
      whole mass of wood and rigging plunged into the sea, clear of the
      brig, and without doing any material injury.