Chapter 14 - Page 2

them.

I felt the circumstance of being left under the command of such a man as
Sennit almost as sensibly as I felt the loss of my ship. He and the mate
established themselves in my cabin, within the first hour, in a way that
would have brought about an explosion, had not policy forbade it, on my
part. Sennit even took possession of my state-room, in which he ordered
his own cot to be swung, and from which he coolly directed my mattress to
be removed. As the lockers were under locks and keys, I permitted him to
take possession without a remonstrance. Diggens stowed his bedding in
Marble's berth, leaving my mate and myself to shift for ourselves. At a
suggestion from Marble, I affected great indignation at this treatment,
directing Neb to clear away a place in the steerage, in which to live, and
to swing hammocks there for Marble and myself. This movement had some
effect on Sennit, who was anxious to get at the small-stores; all of which
were under good locks, and locks that he did not dare violate, under an
order from the admiralty. It was, therefore, of much importance to him to
belong to my mess; and the necessity of doing something to appease my
resentment became immediately apparent to him. He made some apologies for
his cavalier conduct, justifying what he had done on the score of his rank
and the usages of navies, and I thought it prudent to receive his excuses
in a way to avoid an open rupture. Sennit was left in possession of the
state-room, but I remained in the steerage; consenting, however, to mess
in the cabin. This arrangement, which was altogether premeditated on my
part, gave me many opportunities of consulting privately with Marble; and
of making sundry preparations for profiting by the first occasion that
should offer to re-take the ship. In that day, re-captures were of pretty
frequent occurrence; and I no sooner understood the Dawn was to be sent
in, than I began to reflect on the means of effecting my purpose. Marble
had been kept in the ship by me, expressly with this object.

I suppose the reader to have a general idea of the position of the vessel,
as well as of the circumstances in which she was placed. We were just
three hundred and fifty-two miles to the southward and westward of Scilly,
when I observed at meridian, and the wind blowing fresh from the
south-south-west, there was no time to lose, did I meditate anything
serious against the prize crew. The first occasion that presented to speak
to my mate offered while we were busy together in the steerage, stowing
away our effects, and in making such dispositions as we could to be
comfortable.

"What think you, Moses, of this Mr. Sennit and his people?" I asked, in a
low voice, leaning forward on a water-cask, in order