Of the prisoners the second mate was a mere youth, with long sandy hair,
and an intelligent and not unprepossessing face, dressed as neatly as a
three or four weeks' captive, with small, or no means, could well allow,
in a frock-coat, and with clean linen,--the only linen or cotton shirt in
the company. The other four were rude, brutish sailors, in flannel or
red-baize shirts. Three of them appeared to give themselves little
concern; but the fourth, a red-haired and red-bearded man,--Paraman, by
name,--evidently felt the pressure of the case upon himself. He was the
one whom the mate swore to have given him the first blow; and there was
other evidence of his having been stabbed with a knife. The captain of
the ship, the pilot, the cook, and the steward, all gave their evidence;
and the general bearing of it was, that the chief mate had a devilish
temper, and had misused the second mate and crew,--that the four seamen
had attacked him, and that Paraman had stabbed him; while all but the
steward concurred in saying that the second mate had taken no part in the
affray. The steward, however, swore to having seen him strike the chief
mate with a wooden marlinspike, which was broken by the blow. The
magistrate dismissed all but Paraman, whom I am to send to America for
trial. In my opinion the chief mate got pretty nearly what he deserved,
under the code of natural justice. While business was going forward, the
magistrate, Mr.
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