Ramage's Mutiny by Dudley Pope Page A

…
    Beside him Captain Teal cleared his throat. “After the mutiny was over and the new captain had been elected, how did the men decide where to take the ship?”
    â€œThey argued almost the whole day, sir. Some was for taking her back to Jamaica, and some was for the Main.”
    â€œJamaica?”
Teal asked incredulously.
    â€œAye, sir. They wanted to draw up a document which everyone on board signed, a round robin, they said, and give it to the Commander-in-Chief when they arrived there.”
    Edwards lifted his hand to stop Teal. “This document,” he said brusquely, “what would it have said?”
    â€œWell, sir, they all agreed what it would say; what they didn’t agree about was whether it would do any good. Them as thought it wouldn’t eventually won on a show of hands.”
    â€œBut what would it have
said?
What did they want to tell the Commander-in-Chief?”
    â€œWhy, sir,” Weaver said, as though it should have been obvious to everyone, “to tell the Admiral that they meant no harm by what they’d done, that they was loyal to the King but was in mortal fear that Captain Wallis would flog ‘em all to death. An’ give the Admiral the figures, of course.”
    â€œWhat figures?” Edwards was obviously fascinated, but Ramage had already guessed what was coming.
    â€œThe figures for the floggings, sir: the Captain had flogged 109 men in seven weeks, a total of 2616 lashes …”
    â€œThat’s
your
story!” Edwards exclaimed, clearly shocked.
    â€œNo, sir,” Weaver said firmly, “they was the figures taken from the
Captain’s
journal. Summers showed it to the Spanish officers when they came on board at La Guaira. Captain’s own figures, they was.”
    There was a complete silence for two or three minutes. Ramage did some hurried sums. That averaged fifteen floggings a week with each man getting two dozen lashes. Captain Marden then asked: “The mutineers finally voted to take the ship to the Main?”
    â€œYes, sir. Summers and a few of the others made speeches and said if they went to Jamaica they’d all be hanged, signed letter or not, because the Admiral wouldn’t listen to them, Captain Wallis being his favourite, so they voted for La Guaira.”
    â€œSummers made such a speech,” said Captain Teal. “What of the other prisoners, Harris and Perry?”
    â€œPerry followed Summers and spoke for La Guaira. Some of the others said the same thing, and then Harris made a long speech. He just repeated what Summers said and the men soon got tired of listening to him and called for a vote.”
    â€œWhat happened when the ship arrived off La Guaira?”
    â€œThe Spanish came out. One of the officers spoke English.” Ramage gave Teal a nudge to indicate he had some questions and asked: “Did you anchor off the entrance or what?”
    â€œNo, sir. Summers hoisted white flags—flags of truce, he called ‘em—front the fore, main and mizen, and then hove-to off the anchorage. After about an hour a Spanish boat came out full of soldiers. And lots of officers, of course.”
    â€œWho did the negotiating?”
    â€œSummers, sir, but there was a committee of six mutineers he had to report to. They had to agree to everything.”
    â€œHad the committee decided on the terms—on the price they were going to ask the Spanish for handing over the ship?”
    â€œPrice, sir?” Weaver was genuinely shocked. “Oh no, sir, they weren’t a selling of her! No, all the terms they asked was to be allowed to live on the Main and start a new life.”
    â€œThat was for the mutineers. What about those of you who did not mutiny?”
    â€œThat depended on Summers, sir. He had three lists. One was the men to be handed over to the Spanish as prisoners; the second was men who should be allowed to go free; the third them as should get