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diff --git a/old/55723.txt b/old/55723.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 62287d1..0000000 --- a/old/55723.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10558 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Chief Mate's Yarns, by Mayn Clew Garnett - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Chief Mate's Yarns - Twelve Tales of the Sea - -Author: Mayn Clew Garnett - -Release Date: October 9, 2017 [EBook #55723] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHIEF MATE'S YARNS *** - - - - -Produced by David E. Brown and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE - - CHIEF MATE'S YARNS - - _TWELVE TALES OF THE SEA_ - - BY - - CAPT. MAYN CLEW GARNETT - - [Illustration] - - G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY - PUBLISHERS NEW YORK - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1911, 1912, BY - STREET & SMITH - - COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY - G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY - - _The White Ghost of Disaster_ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - THE WHITE GHOST OF DISASTER 5 - - THE LIGHT AHEAD 42 - - THE WRECK OF THE "RATHBONE" 76 - - THE AFTER BULKHEAD 105 - - CAPTAIN JUNARD 123 - - IN THE WAKE OF THE ENGINE 148 - - IN THE HULL OF THE "HERALDINE" 172 - - A TWO-STRANDED YARN--PART I 198 - - A TWO-STRANDED YARN--PART II 234 - - AT THE END OF THE DRAG-ROPE 263 - - PIRATES TWAIN 279 - - THE JUDGMENT OF MEN 310 - - ON GOING TO SEA 333 - - - - -THE WHITE GHOST OF DISASTER - - -We had been sitting in at the game for more than an hour, and no life -had entered it. The thoughts of all composing that little group of five -in the most secluded corner of the ship's smoking room were certainly -not on the game, and three aces lay down to fours up. - -The morose and listless ship's officer out of a berth, although he -spoke little--if at all--seemed to put a spell of uneasiness and unrest -on the party. The others did not know him or his history; but his looks -spelled disaster and misfortune. - -At last Charlie Spangler, the noted journalist, keen for a story or -two, threw down his cards, exclaiming: "Let's quit. None of us is less -uneasy than the rest of the ship's passengers." - -"Yes," chimed in Arthur Linch, the noted stock-broker. "We have -endeavored to banish the all-pervading thought, 'will the ship arrive -safely without being wrecked,' and have failed miserably. Cards will -not do it." This seemed to express the sentiments of everybody except -the morose mariner, whose thoughts nobody could read or fathom. He sat -there, deep in his chair, gazing at a scene or scenes none of us could -see or appreciate. - -"Well! Since we cannot take our thoughts off 'shipwreck,' we may as -well discuss the subject and ease our minds," added the journalist -again, still hot on the scent of the possible story which he felt that -the ship's officer hoarded. - -The mariner, however, did not respond to this, and continued with his -memories, apparently oblivious of our presence. - -Under the leadership of the journalist the discussion waxed warm for -some time, until the stock-broker, ever solicitous for the welfare of -the stock-market and conforming his opinions thereto, exclaimed loudly: -"The officers and the crew were not responsible for the collision with -the berg. It was an 'act of God!' and as such we are daily taking -chances with it. What will be, will be. We cannot escape Destiny!" - -"Destiny be damned!" came like a thunderbolt from the heretofore -silent mariner, and we all looked to see the face now full of rage and -passion. "What do you know of the sea, you land pirate? What do you -know of sea dangers and responsibility for the safety of human lives? -Man! you're crazy. There is no such thing as Destiny at sea. A seaman -knows what to expect when he takes chances. If you call that an 'act of -God,' you deserve to have been there and submitted to it." - -The face of Charlie Spangler was glowing. His heart beat so fast when -he heard this sea clam open up, that he was afraid it might overwork -and stop. "Our friend is right!" he exclaimed. "I infer that he speaks -from knowledge and experience. We are hardly qualified to discuss such -matters properly. - -"You have something on your mind, friend. Unburden it to us. We are -sympathetic, you know. Our position here makes us so," saying which, -Spangler filled the mariner's half-empty glass and looked at him with -sympathy streaming out of his trained eyes. We all nodded our assent. - -Having fortified himself with the contents of the glass before him, the -mariner spoke: "Yes, gentlemen, I am going to speak from knowledge and -experience. It was my luck to be aboard of the vessel which had the -shortest of lives, but which will live in the memory of man for many a -year. - -"It is my misfortune to be one of its surviving officers. I am going -to give you the facts as they happened this last time, and a few other -times besides. It is the experiences through which I have passed that -make me wish I had gone down with the last one. I must now live on with -memories, indelibly stamped on my brain, which I would gladly forget. -Your attention, gentlemen--" - - * * * * * - -Captain Brownson came upon the bridge. It was early morning, and the -liner was tearing through a smooth sea in about forty-three north -latitude. The sun had not yet risen, but the gray of the coming -daylight showed a heaving swell that rolled with the steadiness that -told of a long stretch of calm water behind it. The men of the -morning watch showed their pale faces white with that peculiar pallor -which comes from the loss of the healthful sleep between midnight and -morning. It was the second mate's watch, and that officer greeted the -commander as he came to the bridge rail where the mate stood staring -into the gray ahead. - -"See anything?" asked the master curtly. - -"No, sir--but I smell it--feel it," said the mate, without turning his -head. - -"What?" asked Brownson. - -"Don't you feel it?--the chill, the--well, it's ice, sir--ice, if I -know anything." - -"Ice?" snarled the captain. "You're crazy! What's the matter with you?" - -"Oh, very well--you asked me--I told you--that's all." - -The captain snorted. He disliked the second officer exceedingly. Mr. -Smith had been sent him by the company at the request of the manager of -the London office. He had always picked his own men, and he resented -the office picking them for him. Besides, he had a nephew, a passenger -aboard, who was an officer out of a berth. - -"What the devil do they know of a man, anyhow! I'm the one responsible -for him. I'm the one, then, to choose him. They won't let me shift -blame if anything happens, and yet they sent me a man I know nothing of -except that he is young and strong. I'll wake him up some if he stays -here." So he had commented to Mr. Wylie, the chief mate. Mr. Wylie had -listened, thought over the matter, and nodded his head sagely. - -"Sure," he vouchsafed; "sure thing." That was as much as any one -ever got out of Wylie. He was not a talkative mate. Yet when he knew -Smith better, he retailed the master's conversation to him during a -spell of generosity engendered by the donation of a few highballs by -Macdowell, the chief engineer. Smith thanked him--and went his way -as before, trying to do the best he could. He did not shirk duty on -that account. Wylie insisted that the captain was right. A master was -responsible, and it was always customary for him to pick his men as far -as possible. Besides, as Wylie had learned from Macdowell, Brownson had -a nephew in view that would have filled the berth about right--so Wylie -thought--and Smith was a nuisance. Smith had taken it all in good part, -and smiled. He liked Wylie. - -Brownson sniffed the air hungrily as he stood there at the bridge rail. -The air was chilly, but it was always chilly in that latitude even in -summer. - -"How does she head?" he asked savagely of the man at the steam-steering -gear. The man spoke through the pilot-house window in a monotone: - -"West--three degrees south, sir." - -"That's west--one south by standard?" snapped Brownson. - -"Yes, sir," said Smith. - -"Let her go west--two south by binnacle--and mark the time accurately," -ordered Brownson. - -He would shift her a bit. The cool air seemed to come from the -northward. It was as if a door in an ice box were suddenly opened and -the cold air within let out in a cold, damp mass. A thin haze covered -the sea. The side wash rolled away noisily, and disappeared into the -mist a few fathoms from the ship's side. It seemed to thicken as the -minutes passed. - -Brownson was nervous. He went inside the pilot house and spoke to the -engineer through the tube leading to the engine room. - -"How is she going?" - -"Two hundred and ten, sir; never less than two and five the watch." - -"Well, she's going too almighty fast--shut her down to one hundred," -snapped Brownson. "She's been doing twenty-two knots--it's too -fast--too fast, anyhow, in this weather. Ten knots will do until the -sun scoffs off this mist. Shut her down." - -The slowing engines eased their vibrations, and the side wash rolled -less noisily. There was a strange stillness over the sea. The silence -grew as the headway subsided. - -The captain listened intently. He felt something. - -There is always that strange something that a seaman feels in the -presence of great danger when awake. It has never been explained. But -all good--really good--masters have felt it; can tell you of it if they -will. It is uncanny, but it is as true as gospel. The second officer -had felt it in the air, felt it in his nerves. He felt--_ice_. It was -danger. - -Smith stood there watching the haze that seemed to deepen rather than -disperse as the morning grew. The men turned out and the hose was -started, the decks were sluiced down, and the gang with the squeegees -followed. Two bells struck--five o'clock. Smith strained his gaze -straight into the haze ahead. He fixed and refixed his glasses--a pair -of powerful lenses of fifteen lines. He had bought them for fifty -dollars, and always kept them near him while on watch. - -A man came up the bridge steps. - -"Shall I send up your coffee, sir?" he asked. - -"Yes, send it up," said Smith, in a whisper. He was listening. - -Something sounded out there in the haze. It was a strange, vibrating -sound, a sort of whispering murmur, soft and low, like the far-away -notes of a harp. Then it ceased. Smith looked at the captain who stood -within the pilot-house window gazing down at the men at work on the -deck below. The noise of the rushing water from the hose and their low -tones seemed to annoy him. They wore rubber boots, and their footsteps -were silent; but he gruffly ordered the bos'n to make them "shut up." - -"Better slow her down, sir--there's ice somewhere about here," said the -second mate anxiously. He was thinking of the thousand and more souls -below and the millions in cargo values. - -"Who's running this ship--me or you?" snarled Brownson savagely. - -It was an unnecessary remark, wholly uncalled for. Smith flushed -under his tan and pallor. He had seldom been spoken to like that. He -would have to stand it; but he would hunt a new ship as soon as he -came ashore again. It was bad enough to be treated like a boy; but to -be talked to that way before the men made it impossible, absolutely -impossible. It meant the end of discipline at once. A man would retail -it, more would repeat it, and--then--Smith turned away from the bridge -rail in utter disgust. He was furious. - -"Blast the ship!" he muttered, as he turned away and gazed aft. His -interest was over, entirely over. He would not have heard a gun fired -at that moment, so furious was the passion at the unmerited insolence -from his commander. - -And then, as if to give insult to injury, Brownson called down the tube: - -"Full speed ahead--give her all she'll do--I'm tired of loafing around -here all the morning." Then he rang up the telegraph, and the sudden -vibrations told of a giant let loose below. - -The _Admiral_ started ahead slowly. She was a giant liner, a ship of -eight hundred feet in length. It took some moments to get headway upon -that vast hull. But she started, and in a few minutes the snoring of -the bow wave told of a tearing speed. She was doing twenty-two and a -half knots an hour, or more than twenty-five miles, the speed of a -train of cars. - -The under steward came up the bridge steps with the coffee. Smith took -his cup and drank it greedily, almost savagely. He was much hurt. His -feelings had been roughly handled. Yet he had not even answered the -captain back. He took his place at the bridge rail and gazed straight -ahead into the gray mist. He saw nothing, felt nothing, but the pain -of his insult. - -"Let him run the ship to hell and back," he said to himself. - -There was a puff of colder air than usual. A chill as of death itself -came floating over the silent ocean. A man on lookout stood staring -straight into the mist ahead, and then sang out: - -"Something right ahead, sir," he yelled in a voice that carried like -the roar of a gun. - -Brownson just seized the lever shutting the compartments, swung it, -jammed it hard over, and screamed: - -"Stop her--stop her--hard over your wheel--hard over----" - -His voice ended in a vibrating screech that sounded wild, weird, -uncanny in that awful silence. A hundred men stopped in their stride, -or work, paralyzed at the tones coming from the bridge. - -And then came the impact. - -With a grinding, smashing roar as of thousands of tons coming together, -the huge liner plunged headlong into the iceberg that rose grim and -silent right ahead, towering over her in spite of her great height. The -shock was terrific, and the grinding, thundering crash of falling tons -of ice, coupled with the rending of steel plates and solid planks, made -chaos of all sound. - -The _Admiral_ bit in, dug, plowed, kept on going, going, and the -whole forward part of her almost disappeared into the wall of white. -A thousand tons of huge flakes slammed and slid down her decks, -burying her to the fore hatch in the smother. A thousand tons more -crashed, slid, and plunged down the slopes of the icy mountain and -hurled themselves into the sea with giant splashes, sending torrents -of water as high as the bridge rail. The men who had been forward were -swept away by the avalanche. Many were never seen again. And then, with -reversed engines, she finally came to a dead stop, with her bows jammed -a hundred feet deep in the ice wall of the berg. - -After that it was panic. All discipline seemed to end in the shock -and struggle. Brownson howled and stormed from the bridge, and Smith -shouted orders and sprang down to enforce them. The chief mate came -on deck in his underclothes and passed the word to man the boats. A -thousand passengers jammed the companionway and strove with panic and -inhuman fury to reach the deck. - -One man clad in a night robe gained the outside of the press, and, -running swiftly along the deck, flitted like a ghost over the rail, and -disappeared into the sea. He had gone crazy, violently insane in the -panic. - -Brownson tied down the siren cord, and the roar shook the atmosphere. -The tremendous tones rose above the din of screaming men and cursing -seamen; and then the master called down to the heart of the ship, the -engine room. - -"Is she going?" he asked. - -"Water coming in like through a tunnel," came the response. "Nearly up -to the grates now----" - -That was all. The man left the tube to rush on deck, and the captain -knew the forward bulkheads had gone; had either jammed or burst under -that terrific impact. The ship was going down. - -Brownson stood upon the bridge and gazed down at the human tide below -him. Men fought furiously for places in the small boats. The fireroom -crew came on deck and mingled with the passengers. The coal dust showed -upon their white faces, making them seem strange beings from an inferno -that was soon to be abolished. They strove for places in the lifeboats -and hurled the weaker passengers about recklessly. Some, on the other -hand, helped the women. One man dragged two women with him into a boat, -kicking, twisting, and roaring like a lion. He was a big fellow with a -red beard, and Brownson watched him. The mate struck him over the head -with a hand spike for refusing to get out of the boat, and his interest -in things ended at once and forever. - -The crew, on the whole, behaved well. Officers and men tried to keep -some sort of discipline. Finally six boats went down alongside into -the sea, and were promptly swarmed by the crowds above, who either -slid down the falls or jumped overboard and climbed in from the sides. -The sea was as still as a lake; only the slight swell heaved it. Great -fields of floating particles of ice from the berg floated about, and -those who were drenched in the spray shivered with the cold. - -The _Admiral_, running at twenty-two knots an hour, had struck straight -into the wall of an iceberg that reached as far as the eye could see in -the haze. It towered at least three hundred feet in the air, showing -that its depth was colossal, probably at least half a mile. It was a -giant ice mountain that had broken adrift from its northern home, and, -drifting southward, had survived the heat of summer and the breaking of -the sea upon its base. - -Smith had felt its dread presence, felt its proximity long before he -had come to close quarters. The chill in the air, the peculiar feeling -of danger, the icy breath of death--all had told him of a danger that -was near. And yet Brownson had scoffed at him, railed at his intuition -and sense. Upon the captain the whole blame of the disaster must fall -if Smith told. - -The second officer almost smiled as he struggled with his boat. - -"The pig-headed fool!" he muttered between his set teeth. "The -murdering monster--he's done it now! He's killed himself, and a -thousand people along with him----" - -Smith fought savagely for the discipline of his boat. His men had -rushed to their stations at the first call. The deck was beginning -to slant dangerously as the falls were slacked off and the lifeboat -lowered into the sea. Smith stood in the press about him and grew -strangely calm. The action was good for him, good for the burning fury -that had warped him, scorched him like a hot blast while he had stood -silently upon the bridge and taken the insults of his commander. Women -pleaded with him for places in the boat. Men begged and took hold of -him. One lady, half clothed, dropped upon her knees and, holding his -hand, which hung at his side, prayed to him as if he were a deity, a -being to whom all should defer. He flung her off savagely. - -Bareheaded now, coatless, and with his shirt ripped, he stood there, -and saw his men pass down sixteen women into his craft; pass them down -without comment or favor, age or condition. Thirty souls went into his -boat before he sprang into the falls and slid down himself. A dozen men -tried to follow him, but he shoved off, and they went into the sea. His -men got their oars out and rowed off a short distance. - -Muttering, praying, and crying, the passengers in his boat huddled -themselves in her bottom. He spoke savagely to them, ordered them under -pain of death to sit down. One man, who shivered as he spoke, insisted -upon crawling about and shifting his position. Smith struck him over -the head, knocking him senseless. Another, a woman, must stand upon the -thwarts, to get as far away as possible from the dread and icy element -about her. He swung his fist upon her jaw, and she went whimpering down -into the boat's bottom, lying there and sobbing softly. - -Furiously swearing at the herd of helpless passengers who endangered -his boat at every movement, he swung the craft's head about and -stood gazing at his ship. After a little while the crowd became more -manageable, and he saw he could keep them aboard without the certainty -of upsetting the craft He had just been debating which of them he -would throw overboard to save the rest; save them from their own -struggling and fighting for their own selfish ends. He was as cold -as steel, hard, inflexible. His men knew him for a ship's officer -who would maintain his place under all hazards, and they watched him -furtively, and were ready to obey him to the end without question. - -"Oh, the monster, the murdering monster!" he muttered again and again. - -His eyes were fixed upon the bridge. High up there stood Brownson--the -captain who had sent his liner to her death, with hundreds of -passengers. - -Brownson stood calmly watching the press gain and lose places in the -boats. Two boats actually overloaded rolled over under the immense -load of human freight. The others did not stop to pick them up. They -had enough to do to save themselves. The ship was sinking. That was -certain. She must have struck so hard that even the 'midship bulkheads -gave way, or were so twisted out of place that the doors failed. The -chief engineer came below him and glanced up. - -As he did so, a tremendous, roaring blast of steam blew the -superstructure upward. The boilers had gone. Macdowell just gave -Brownson a look. That was all. Then he rushed for a boat. - -Brownson grinned; actually smiled at him. - -The man at the wheel asked permission to go. - -"I'm a married man, sir--it's no use of me staying here any longer," he -ventured. - -"Go--go to the devil!" said Brownson, without interest. The man fled. - -Brownson stopped giving any more orders. In silence he gazed down -at the press of human beings, watching, debating within himself the -chances they had of getting away from that scene of death and horror. - -The decks grew more and more steep. The liner was settling by the -head and to starboard. She was even now twisting, rolling over; and -the motion brought down thousands of blocks of ice from the berg. The -engines had long since stopped. She still held her head against the ice -wall; but it would give her no support. She was slipping away--down to -her grave below. - -Brownson gazed back over the decks. He watched the crowd impersonally, -and it seemed strange to him that so much valuable fabric should go to -the bottom so quickly. The paint was so clean and bright, the brass -was so shiny. The whole structure was so thoroughly clean, neat, and -in proper order. It was absurd. There he was standing upon that bridge -where he had stood so often, and here below him were hundreds of dying -people--people like rats in a trap. - -"Good Heaven--is it real?" - -He was sure he was not awake. It must be a dream. Then the terrible -knowledge came back upon him like a stroke; a blow that stopped his -heart. It was the death of his ship he was watching--the death of his -ship and of many of his passengers. Suddenly Brownson saw the boat of -the second mate, and that officer standing looking up at him. - -The master thought he saw the officer's lips move. He wondered what the -man thought, what he would say. He had insulted the officer, made him a -clown before the men. He knew the second mate would not spare him. He -knew the second mate would testify that he had given warning of ice ten -minutes before they struck. He also knew that the man at the wheel had -heard him, as had the steward who brought up the coffee, and one or two -others who were near. - -No, there must be no investigation of his, Brownson's, blame in the -matter. The master dared not face that. He looked vacantly at Smith. -The officer stood gazing straight at him. - -The liner suddenly shifted, leaned to starboard, heeled far over, -and her bows slipped from the berg, sinking down clear to her decks, -clear down until the seas washed to the foot of her superstructure -just below Brownson. Masses of ice fell from her into the sea. The -grinding, splashing noise awoke the panic again among the remaining -passengers and crew. They strove with maniac fury to get the rafts and -other stuff that might float over the side. Two boats drew away full -to the gunwales with people. The air below began to make that peculiar -whistling sound that tells of pressure--pressure upon the vitals of the -ship. She was going down. - -Brownson still stood gazing at his second mate. - -Smith met the master's eye with a steady look. Then he suddenly forgot -himself and raised his hand. - -"Oh, you murdering rat, you cowardly scoundrel, you devil!" he roared -out. - -Brownson saw the movement of the hand, saw that it was vindictive, -furious, and full of menace. He could not hear the words. - -He smiled at the officer, raised his hand, and waved it in reply. It -seemed to make the mate crazy. He gesticulated wildly, swore like a -maniac--but Brownson did not hear him. He only knew what he was doing. - -He turned away, gave one more look over the sinking ship. - -"She's going now--and so am I," he muttered. - -Then he went slowly into his chart room, opened a drawer, and took out -a revolver that he always kept there. He stood at the open door and -cocked the weapon. He looked into its muzzle, and saw the bullet that -would end his life when he pulled the trigger. - -He almost shuddered. It was so unreal. He could not quite do it. He -gazed again at the second mate. He knew the officer was watching him, -knew Smith would not believe he had the nerve to end the thing then and -there. It amused him slightly in a grim sort of way. Why, he _must_ -die. That was certain. He could never face his own family and friends -after what he had done. As to getting another ship--that was too absurd -to think of. - -The form of a woman showed in the boat. She had risen from the bottom, -where the blow of the officer had felled her in her frenzy. Brownson -saw her, recognized her as his niece, the sister of the man he had -wished to put in Smith's place. It was for his own nephew he had -insulted his officer, had caused him to relax and lose the interest -that made navigation safe, in the hope that Smith would leave and let -his relative get the berth. - -He wondered if Smith knew. He stood there with the revolver in his hand -watching for some sign from his second officer. Smith gazed at him in -fury, apparently not noticing the girl whom he had just before knocked -into the boat's bottom to keep order. She stood up. Smith roughly -pushed her down again. Brownson was sure now--he felt that Smith knew -all. - -But he put the revolver in his pocket. He would not fire yet. - -The ship was listing heavily, and the cries of the passengers were -dying out. All who had been able to get away had gone, somehow, and -only a few desperate men and women, who could not swim and who were -cool enough to realize that swimming would but prolong an agony that -was better over quickly, huddled aft at the taffrail. They would take -the last second left them, the last instant of life, and suffer a -thousand deaths every second to get it. It was absurd. Brownson pitied -them. - -Many of these women were praying and talking to their men, who held -them in a last embrace. One young woman was clinging closely to a -young man, and they were apparently not suffering terror. A look of -peacefulness was upon the faces of both. They were lovers, and were -satisfied to die together; and the thought of it made them satisfied. -Brownson wondered at this. They were young enough and strong enough to -make a fight for life. - -A whistling roar, arose above all other sounds. The siren had ceased, -and Brownson knew the air was rushing from below. The ship would drop -in a moment. He grasped the pistol again. He dreaded that last plunge, -that drop into the void below. The thought held him a little. The ocean -was always so blue out there, so clear and apparently bottomless, a -great void of water. He wondered at the depth, what kind of a dark bed -would receive that giant fabric, the work of so many human hands. And -then he wondered at his own end there. His own end? What nonsense! It -was unreal. Death was always for others. It had never been for him. He -had seen men die. It was not for him yet. He would not believe it. He -would awaken soon, and the steward would bring him his coffee. - -Then he caught the eye of Smith again in that boat waiting for the -end out there. His heart gave an immense jolt, began beating wildly. -The ship heeled more and more. The ice crashed and plunged from her -forward. Brownson was awakening to the real at last. He felt it in -those extra heartbeats; knew he must hurry it. Then he wondered what -the papers would say; whether they would call him a coward, afraid -to face the inevitable. He hoped they would not. But, then, what -difference would it all make, anyhow--to him? He was dead. His interest -was over. What difference would it make whether he was a coward or -not? Men knew him for what he was, but he existed no longer. He was -dead. - -While he stood there with these thoughts in his mind, his nerve half -lacking to end the thing, it seemed to him it was lasting for an -eternity. He was growing tired of it all. He turned away again and -entered the chart room. - -His cat crawled from somewhere and rubbed its tail and side against his -leg. Then the animal jumped to the table, and he stroked it; actually -stroked it while Smith watched him, and swore at him for a cold-blooded -scoundrel. - -The ship sank to her superstructure. Her stern rose high in the air. -It was now impossible to stand on deck without holding on. Some of the -remaining passengers slid off with parting shrieks. They dropped into -that icy sea. - -Brownson felt the end coming now, and turned again to the doorway, -looking straight at his second mate. Smith was trying to quell the -movement among his crowd which was endangering his boat again. - -The captain clutched the door jamb and watched. Then the ship began -to sink. He could not make up his mind to jump clear. There was Smith -looking at him. He dared not be saved when hundreds were being killed. -No, he could not make that jump and swim to a boat under that officer's -gaze. And yet at the last moment he was about to try it. Panic was -upon him in a way that he hardly realized. He simply could not face -the black gulf he was dropping into with his health and full physical -powers still with him. It was nature to make a last effort for his -life. Then, before he could make the jump overboard, he saw Smith again -shaking his hand at him and howling curses. - -He pulled the pistol. An ashy whiteness came over his face. Smith saw -it. He stopped swearing; stopped in his furious denunciation of the man -who had caused so much destruction. He also saw the pistol plainly, and -wondered at the captain's nerve. - -"You are afraid, you dog--you are afraid--you daren't do it, you -murdering rat!" he yelled. - -The men in the boat were all gazing up at the chart-house door where -the form of their commander stood. - -"He's going to shoot, sir," said the stroke oarsman. - -"He's afraid--he won't dare!" howled Smith. - -Brownson seemed to hear now. The silence was coming again, and the -sounds on the sinking ship were dying out. - -Brownson gazed straight at his second officer. Smith saw him raise the -pistol, saw a bit of blue smoke, saw his commander sink down to the -deck and disappear. A cracking and banging of ice blocks blended with -the report, and the ship raised her stern higher. Then she plunged -straight downward, straight as a plummet for the bottom of the Atlantic -Ocean. Smith knew his captain had gone to his end; that he was a dead -man at last. - -He stood watching the mighty swirl where the liner had gone under. The -men in his boat were also looking. They had seen all. - -"Look--look!" shrieked a passenger. "The captain has shot himself!" - -"She's gone--gone for good!" cried another. "Oh, the pity of it all!" - -Smith did not reply. He was still gazing at the apparition he had -seen in that chart-house door; the figure of the man shooting himself -through the head. It had chilled his anger, staggered him. The awful -nerve of it all, the horror---- - -"Hadn't we better see if we can get one or two more in her, sir?" asked -the stroke oarsman. "I see a woman swimming there." - -Smith did not answer. He seemed not to hear. Then he suddenly awoke to -his surroundings. He was alive to the occasion, the desperate situation. - -"Give way port--ease starboard--swing her out of that swirl--hard on -that port oar," he ordered. - - * * * * * - -Smith looked around for the other boats. The chief mate's was in sight, -showing dimly through the haze. She was full of people, crowded, and -it was a wonder how she floated with the screaming, panic-stricken -passengers, who fought for places in her in spite of Wylie's oaths and -entreaties. Smith glared. - -"The fools!" he muttered. "If they would only think of something -besides their own hides for a second. But they won't. They never do. -It's nature, and when the trouble comes they fight like cats." - -He steered away from what he saw was trouble. He would not pick up the -participants in the scuffle when they overturned the boat. He was full -up now, carrying all his boat would hold. She rocked dangerously with -every shifting of the crowd, that still trembled and scuffled for more -comfort in her. Her gunwales were only a few inches above the sea, and -it might come on to blow at any minute. - -"Sit down!" he roared to the old man, who would shift and squirm about -in the boat, interfering with the stroke oarsman, who jammed his oar -into the small of the fellow's back, regardless of the pain it caused. - -"Sit down or I'll throw you overboard! Do you hear?" - -The old man whimpered and struggled for a more comfortable position; -and Smith reached over with the tiller and slammed him heavily across -the shoulders, knocking him over. - -"If you get up again I'll kill you, you cowardly old nuisance!" he said -savagely. - -The old man lay quiet and trembling. A young woman upbraided Smith for -brutality and talked volubly. - -"Talk, you little fool!" he said. "Talk all you want to, but don't you -get moving about in this boat, or I'll break your pretty neck." - -"You are a monster," said the girl. - -"Yes; but if I'd had my way, you would have been safe and sound below -in your room instead of out here in this ice," snapped Smith. - -The girl quieted down, and then spoke to the young woman, who lay in -the bottom of the boat where she had fallen when Smith struck her down. -She was the niece of Captain Brownson. - -"I never heard of such utter brutality in my life," she said. - -Miss Billings, who had first found fault, agreed with her. - -"Was your brother aboard, Miss Roberts?" asked Smith. - -"Yes, he was--I think he went in the mate's boat--why do you ask?" - -"Oh, I was just thinking--that's all. He would have been second officer -next voyage. That seemed to be fixed, didn't it?" - -"Yes; and if it had, this thing would not have happened," said the girl. - -"No; probably it would not," said the second officer sadly. He spoke, -for the first time, with less passion. He thought of the manner they -had taken to get his berth, the insults, the infamy of the whole thing. - -"No; I don't suppose you knew how it was done," said he, half aloud. - -The girl sat up. She had stopped whimpering from the blow. - -Smith watched her for a few minutes while he swung the boat's head for -the gray mist ahead where he knew lay the iceberg. He thought the face -pretty, the figure well rounded and perfectly shaped. He felt sorry he -had used such harshness in making her behave in the boat. But there -was no time for silly sentiment. That boat must be manned properly -and kept afloat, and the slapping of a girl was nothing at all. She -might start a sudden movement and endanger the lives of all. Absolute -trimming of the craft was the only way she could be safe to carry the -immense load. The men rowed slowly and apparently without object. Smith -headed the boat for the ice. - -A long wall of peculiar pale blueness suddenly burst from the haze -close to them. It was the iceberg. He swung the boat so that she would -not strike it, and followed along the ragged side. - -The two young women gazed up at the pale blueness caused by the fresh -water in the ice. It was a beautiful sight. The pinnacles were sharp -as needles, and they pierced the mist in white points, tapering down -to the white-and-blue sheen at the base, where the ocean roared and -surged in a deep-toned murmur. Great pieces broke from the mass while -they gazed. Smith steered out and sheered the boat's head away from the -dangerous wall. It was grand but deadly. A large block lay right ahead. - -"Ease starboard," he said. - -The craft swung clear. The mist from the cold ocean thinned a little. -Right ahead was a flat plateau, a raised field of ice joining the berg. -It sloped down suddenly to the sea, and the swell broke upon it as upon -a rocky shore. A long, flat floe stretched away from the higher part. -It was a field of at least a half mile in length. The huge berg reached -a full half mile further. The whole was evidently broken from some -giant glacier in the Arctic. - -Smith debated his chances within himself. He scorned to ask his men, -for he had seen much ice before in his seagoing. To remain near the -berg was to miss a ship possibly; but to row far off was to miss fresh -water. He had come away without either food or water, owing to the -furious panic. He knew very well that, within a few hours at most, the -famished folk in his boat would rave for a drink. They must have water, -at least, even if they must do without food. - -The iceberg lay right in the path of ships, as his own had proved, the -liner running upon the great circle from New York to Liverpool. There -was the certainty of meeting, or of at least coming close to a vessel -shortly, for others of his line would run the same circle, the same -course, as he had run it before. - -With giant liners going at twenty-five knots speed, they usually kept -pretty close to the same line, for there were few currents that were -not accurately known over that route. The Gulf Stream was a fixed unit -almost; and in calm weather other ships would certainly reckon with -accuracy to meet its set. If he rowed far off the line, then he might -or might not meet a ship. If he did not, then there would soon be death -and terror in that boat. - -He decided to keep close to the berg, and ordered his men to give way -slowly while he navigated the field and skirted it, keeping just far -enough out to avoid the dangerous breaks and floating pieces. - -The morning wore away, and the occupants of his boat began to grow -restless. They had been cramped up for several hours now, and they were -not used to sitting in a cold, open boat in a thick, misty haze without -food or water. The old man began to complain. Several women began to -ask for water. One woman with three children begged him to go ashore -and get them a piece of ice to allay their thirst. Smith saw that the -effects of the wild excitement were now being felt, and the inevitable -thirst that must follow was at hand. - -He headed the boat for a low part of the field. - -"Easy on your oars," he commanded. The boat slid gently upon the -sloping ice. - -"Jump out, Sam," he said to the bow oarsman. "Jump out and take the -painter with you." The man did so, hauling the line far up the floe. - -One by one the rest were allowed to climb out of the boat. They -gathered upon a part of the field that rose a full ten feet above the -sea; and there they began trying to get small pieces of ice to eat. It -was as salt as the sea itself, and they were disappointed, spitting it -out. Smith took a man along with him and started for the berg. The boat -was left in charge of four men, who held her off the floe. - -Within half an hour, the whole crowd had managed to get fresh-water -ice. The second officer kept them close to the boat and watched for -any signs of change in the weather. They were allowed to go a short -distance and get the stiffness from their limbs by exercise. - -"I am very tired and cold. Can I get back into the boat?" asked Miss -Roberts, after she had been stamping her feet upon the floe for half an -hour. - -Smith looked at her. The print of his hand was plainly marked upon her -face. He felt ashamed. - -"Yes, you can go aboard," he said; and then, as if in apology for what -he had done, he explained: "You must keep quiet in that boat, you know. -You must not try to walk about, for it endangers the whole crowd. You -understand, don't you?" - -"Yes, I'll try and keep still, but my feet get so cold and I grow so -stiff." - -"Well, you must forgive me for having used you roughly. I had to do it. -There was no time for politeness in that panic." He came close to her. -His eyes held a light she feared greatly, and she shrank back. - -"I hope it is not a time now for politeness," she said, with meaning. - -"Oh, I wouldn't hurt you," said Smith. - -"I hope not," said the girl. - -Miss Billings asked if she could go aboard also. Smith allowed her, and -called the boat in. - -The two girls climbed into the boat, and the older women commented -spiritedly upon the favors of youth. Smith shut them up with an oath. -The woman with the three children huddled them back aboard as the ice -caused them to shiver with the cold on their little feet. They had -neglected to put on their shoes. The women, for the most part, were -only half dressed, and few, if any, had on shoes. They had rushed on -deck at the first alarm, and the time allowed for dressing was short. -The ship had gone down within fifteen minutes from the first impact -with the berg. - -Smith walked to and fro upon the ice for some time. The sun shone for a -few moments, but was quickly hidden again in the haze. - -A gentle breeze began to blow from the southward, and the haze broke up -a little. Smith began to get nervous about the ice, and finally ordered -all his people back into the boat, where they huddled and shivered, -hungry but no longer thirsty. - -During all these hours there had been no further sign of the other -boats. Smith knew that at least ten of them had gone clear of the -sinking ship. The chief mate's boat was the one he was most interested -in at present. He wanted to see the man who had indirectly caused the -disaster; the man whom Brownson was playing up for the berth of second -officer. The thing was a reality now since the tragedy. Before it, he -had looked upon the matter as slight indeed. - -The second mate headed his boat out and kept clear of the drifting -ice; but always under the lee of the berg, which offered considerable -shelter from both wind and sea, which were rising. The danger of -floating ice was not great during daylight, and he swung the small boat -close and rode easily, keeping her dry and clear of water. He dreaded -the plunging he must inevitably undergo in the open ocean with that -load of women. - -With the increasing breeze, the haze lifted entirely until the horizon -showed clear all around. There was no sign of the other boats. Smith -knew then that they had steered off to the southward to avoid the ice. -As the sea began to grow, the masses of ice broke adrift with distinct -and loud reports, the plunging pieces from the higher parts making -considerable noise above the deepening roar of the surge upon the base. - -At three in the afternoon, Smith began to feel nervous. The ice was -breaking up fast, and immense pieces were floating in the sea which -bore them toward him. They grew more and more dangerous to the small -craft, and the officer headed away from the vicinity and sought the -open at last. - -By five that afternoon, when the light was fading, he was riding a -heavy sea, that grew rapidly and rolled quickly, the combers breaking -badly and keeping two men busy bailing the boat. She made water fast. - -The night came on with all its terrors, and the small boat was in great -danger. Smith tried his best to keep her headed to the sea, which -was now running high and strong. His men began to weaken under the -continuous strain; and by ten that night they could no longer hold the -boat's head to the sea. She fell off once or twice, and nearly filled -when in the trough. There was little to do but make a last effort to -hold her. The steady second officer came to his last resource. - -There were five oars in the boat. Four of these he lashed into a drag -by fastening two of them in the shape of a cross, and then lashing the -other two across the end of the cross. He had a spare line of some -length in the boat; and with this bent to the painter, he had a cable -of at least twenty fathoms, which he led over the bows and to the drag. -The drag was weighted with some chain that lay forward. The fifth oar -he kept aboard, and used it himself for a sweep to hold her head as -nearly as possible behind the drag and to the sea. - -He was tired, sore, and hungry, but he kept the boat's head true for -hours, and his people huddled down in the bottom, and prayed or swore -as the humor took them. The children wept, and some of the older women -fainted and lay prone. These gave no trouble. Some of the younger ones -still insisted on moving about, and brought the wrath of the mate upon -them in no uncertain manner. Smith was making a fight for their lives, -and would not tolerate any hysteria. He smote all who disobeyed with -his usual impersonal and rough manner; but the two girls were now too -much cowed to give him trouble. They lay in the boat's bottom and wept -and sobbed the night long, holding to each other, while the boat tossed -high in the air or fell far down the slopes of ugly seas. And all the -time the water broke over her low gunwales as she sat well down under -her load of living freight. - -It was about midnight when the old man, who had been unruly from the -first, sprang upon a thwart and plunged over the side with a shrill -scream. - -Smith saw him, and made, a pass to catch him with the oar; but the old -fellow drifted out of reach. The second officer swung the boat as far -as possible toward him; but still he could not reach the figure that -showed floating for a few moments in the darkness. Then Miss Roberts, -who was close to the stern sheets, spoke up. - -"Oh, the pity of it, the pity of that old man dying like this! Will no -one save him?" she cried. - -Her companion sat up. - -"There's no one aboard here who can do anything but bully us women. If -we had a man here, we might save him. I would jump after him myself, -but I can't swim. It's horrible to see him drown right alongside of us -in this darkness." - -Smith heard and smiled grimly. He was tired out, sore, and almost -exhausted, but he was full of pluck and fight still. To drop the -steering oar might prove fatal if a comber struck the boat. He called -to the stroke oarsman who took the oar. Smith took the stern line, gave -a turn about a cork jacket that lay upon the seat, and then over the -side he went, calling the men to haul him in when he gave the word. - -The affair had only taken a few moments, and the form of the old fellow -was hardly under the surface. Smith floundered to him; but, being a -poor swimmer, as most sailors are, he was quite exhausted when he -finally grabbed him. Instead of easing on the line, he hung dead upon -it, hardly able to keep his face out of the sea. The girls watched him -over the gunwales, but keeping their places. Two men started to haul -him in without waiting for a signal; and they hove upon the line with a -right good will. It was old and dry-rotted, as most lines in lifeboats -are, and it parted. - -Smith felt the slack, and knew what it meant. The cork jacket held him -above the surface, and he looked at the boat which seemed so far away -in the darkness, but in reality was only a few fathoms. Yet it was too -far for him to make it again. It meant his death, his ending. - -He tried to swim, but the exertion of the day had been too much. His -efforts were weak and ill-directed, and he floundered weakly about, -drifting farther away all the time. - -The stroke oarsman called for another line. There was none except that -of the drag. It would not do to haul it in. The boat was doing all she -could now to keep herself afloat, and to risk her broadside in the sea -might be fatal for all hands. - -Miss Roberts begged some one to go to the officer's assistance. Smith -seemed to hear and understand. He floundered with more vigor. There -was not a man among the boat's crew who dared to go over the side in -the night. There was nothing more to do but watch and hope that the -second mate would finally make it. But he did not. He struggled on for -many minutes. They could see him now and then fighting silently in the -night. He still seemed to hold the old man with one hand. - -"It is dreadful--can no one do anything for him?" begged Miss Roberts. - -"I can't swim a stroke, lady," said the man at the steering oar. - -No one volunteered to go. Smith slowly drifted off as the boat sagged -back upon her drag. Then he disappeared entirely in the darkness. - -"The brute--I didn't think it was in him," said Miss Billings, with -feeling. - -"Don't talk that way," said Miss Roberts. "Don't talk that way of a man -who did what he has done. I forgive him with all my heart----" - -The morning dawned, and the sea rolled with less vigor. The boat was -still able to keep herself clear. The white faces of the men told of -the frantic endeavor. The women were now nearly all too exhausted to -either care for anything or do anything. They lay listless upon the -boat's bottom, and she made better weather for that fact. By nine -o'clock a steamer was heading for them; and within an hour they were -safe aboard and bound in for New York. They arrived a few days later. - -The chief mate's boat had kept her course to the southward after -leaving the berg--she had gone ahead of Smith's. By midnight that night -she was almost dead ahead of the second officer's boat when Smith -jumped in to save the old man. - -Daylight showed Wylie a dark speck on the horizon; and at the same time -he saw the smoke of the approaching steamer. He had made bad weather -of it, also; but with more men and less women in his craft he had kept -to the oars, and, when it was very bad, had run slowly before it for -several hours. This had brought him from many miles in advance to but -a few ahead of Smith's boat; and he was rowing slowly ahead again by -daylight. He sighted her, and noticed there were no oars; but he saw -the man steering, and rightly guessed that they were hanging onto a -drag. - -Mr. Roberts, the nephew of Captain Brownson, sat close to the mate. He -had relieved him several times during the night. Large and powerful, he -was able to aid the chief mate very much. - -"I think my sister is in that boat," he said as they sighted her. - -"It looks like the second officer's boat, all right," said Wylie. - -They rowed straight for her as the smoke of the steamer rose in the -east. Before they came within a mile, they saw that the steamer would -reach them before they could reach the boat. They then rowed slowly, -and watched, waiting. - -"Something right ahead, sir," called a man forward. - -Roberts looked over the side. He saw something floating. - -"Starboard, swing her over a little," he said to the chief mate. - -Roberts leaned over the side. He was nervous at what he saw. It had the -look of something he dreaded. Then the object came drifting along, and -he reached for it. Long before he grasped it, he saw it was the form of -a man holding to a cork jacket with one hand and the collar of a man's -coat with the other. - -The old fellow floated high, and Smith's hand was clenched with a death -grip in his clothes. His left hand was jammed through the life jacket, -and the fingers clutched the straps. His head lay face upward, and his -teeth showed bared from his gums. - -"Heavens! It's Smith himself!" exclaimed Roberts. He hauled him aboard -with the help of a man. - -"It's poor Smith, all right," said Wylie sadly. The life jacket told a -tale too plainly. Wylie knew what had happened. - -"It's just as well he didn't come ashore. He was guilty, all right," -said Mr. Roberts. "A man who wrecks a liner and kills hundreds of -passengers might just as well stay out here. Shall we leave him?" - -"Not if I know it," said Wylie, with sudden heat. - -Within fifteen minutes they were picked up by the steamer and were -safe. The manager of the line welcomed Mr. Roberts gladly when that -gentleman came to seek him. - -"I'm sorry we didn't have you that voyage, Mr. Roberts," he said. "I -don't like to say anything against a dead man; but, of course, Smith -was on duty when she struck--that is all we know." - -"And I suppose you'll want me to go into the other ship, now, sir?" -asked the officer. - -"Yes, you can report to Captain Wilson any time this week. How is your -sister? Did she recover from the boat ride?" - -"Well, in a way, but she's forever talking about that blamed second -mate, Smith, who seemed to have a strange sort of influence over her -while she was with him in the boat. He struck her, too, the dog! It's -just as well he didn't come back," said Roberts. - -"Well, she'll get over that all right. Smith was a rough sort of man; -but as we knew him, he was a first-class sailor, a splendid navigator; -and no one seems able to explain how he ran the ship against an iceberg -during daylight. It's one of those things we'll never find out. The -truth, you know, is mighty hard to fathom in marine disasters. It -must have been a terrible blow to Brownson to have to kill himself, -unable to face the shame for a mate's offense--but Brownson was always -a sensitive man, a splendid fellow; and I suppose he would not go in -a boat after what Smith had done. Brownson was captain, and might -come under some criticism. Some of the men say he shot himself after -upbraiding Smith for his crime." - -"Yes. My sister tells me they had quite heated words while the liner -was sinking," said the new second mate. - -And so William Smith passed out. His name was never mentioned in -shipping circles without reserve. But there are still some men who -remember him, who knew plain "Bill" Smith, the fighting second officer -of the liner that went to her end that morning off the Grand Banks. And -those who knew Smith always think of that cork jacket. They made no -comment. They knew him. It is not necessary. - - - - -THE LIGHT AHEAD - - -"Red light on starboard bow, sir," came the hail from forward. The man -was Jenson, a "square-head" of more than usual intelligence and of keen -eyesight. - -"All right," said the mate softly, with no concern. He gazed steadily -at a point two points off the starboard bow, picked up the night glass, -and took a quick look. Then he left the pilot house where he had been, -and walked athwartships on the bridge. - -He was a young man. His eyes squinted a little under the strain of -night work and showed the wrinkles at their corners. His hair was black -and curly, and his bronzed face, strong-lined and handsome, was full -of the strength and vigor of youth. He had gone to sea at fifteen. He -was now twenty-five and a chief mate in a passenger ship, a first-class -navigator, a good seaman. And the company liked him. He was a favorite, -a young man rising in the best ships. Five feet eight in his white -canvas shoes and white duck uniform, he looked short, for he was very -stout of limb; a powerful man who had gained his strength by hard work -in the forecastle and upon the main deck of several windjammers whose -records in the Cape trade were well known to all shipping men. - -It was the midwatch. Mr. James had been upon the bridge about half an -hour only. It was the blackest part of the night, the time between one -and two, in the latitude north of Hatteras. James rubbed his eyes once -or twice, brushed his short mustache from his mouth with his fingers, -and felt again for the night glass just within the pilot-house window, -which was open. - -"How does she head?" he asked the helmsman softly. - -"West, two degrees north, sir," said the quartermaster at the steam -steering wheel. - -James looked again, and, replacing the glass, walked to the bridge rail -and stopped. - -The point far ahead to starboard was showing plainly. It was the red -light of some steamer whose hull was still below the horizon. Her -funnel tops just showed like a black dot, darker than the surrounding -gloom. Her masthead light was very bright, shining like a star of the -first magnitude that had just risen from a clear sky. He knew she was a -long way off. Not less than twelve miles separated the vessels. There -was plenty of time for a change of course. He began to hum softly: - - "When the lights you see ahead, - Port your helm and show your red----" - -"Yes," he muttered, "it's a good old saw--poetry of the night. I wonder -if _she_ knows of the poetry of--of--the sea----" - -His mind went back to the days ashore, the last days he had spent upon -the beach with her. - -"And I have worked up to this for you," he had told her with all the -feeling he could muster, the strong passion of a strong man asking for -what he desired most. "I have worked up to this for you, just you." - -The words rang in his ears. The scene was there before him. The -beautiful woman, the woman he loved more than his life. He could tell -her no more than that--he had done all he had done just for her, just -to be able to call her his own. - -The dead monotony of the life before him hung like a black pall, heavy -in the night. He saw all the lonely years he must face, all the hard -life of the sailor, for she had simply laughed lightly, looked him -squarely in the eyes--and shook her head. - -"No," she had said gently. "No, you mustn't think of it--I mean it----" -And he knew that what he had done was as nothing to her, nothing at -all--what was a mate to a woman like that? - -The steady vibration of the engines below made the steel rigging shake. -The low drone of the side wash as the surf roared from the bows made -a soft murmur where it reached his ears. It made him drowsy, dreamy, -and sullen. He cared for nothing now. What was a mate, after all? Any -corner groceryman was far better in the eyes of most women. Perhaps he -had been mistaken. Perhaps the position he had ideals of was not much. -Yes--that was it; he had been mistaken. And he gazed steadily out into -the dark future, and subconsciously he saw a long, dreary life of toil -and trouble, without the woman he loved to relieve the dark solitude. - -Before him rose the lights. The red was now well up and rising fast. -It had been but a flickering spark at first, showing soon after the -bright headlight had risen. It was upon the port side of that vessel's -bridge and high above the sea. It was electric, for no ordinary oil -burner would show so far with color. The ship must be a liner of size, -and must be going fast. Suddenly he saw a flash of green. It was the -starboard light of the approaching ship. Then for an instant both side -lights shone brightly. - -The vessel then was not crossing his bows, after all. The green was her -starboard light, and that was the one she must show. It was all right -then. He would not change the course. If she swung out, she must be -coming almost head on now, for her red had shone but two points off the -bow, and the converging courses must be drawing together. - -All right then. If they crossed before the ships met it was well and -good. There would probably be a mile or more to spare, and he was even -now crossing her course, for he saw her green light, which showed him -he was right ahead of her, and his rate of speed would take him over -in a few moments. Then her green would be upon his right or starboard -side, showing that she was passing astern of him. It was simple, plain -as could be. He paid little or no attention any longer. - -And then suddenly the green light faded and the red shone again. It -caused the officer to stop in his walk, which he had begun again to -keep in action. - -"Port your helm a little," he ordered as he realized the positions. - -"Aye, aye, sir--port it is, sir," came the monotonous response from the -pilot-house window; and the clanking of the steam gear sounded faintly -upon his ears. - -The giant liner swung slowly to starboard, swung just a little; and, -as she did so, the loom of a monstrous figure rose right ahead in the -night. The glare of the bright headlight shone close aboard. The red of -her port light was a dangerous glare; and at a space to port flickered -a moment the fatal green of the starboard side light, flickered, and -then went out, shut off by the running board as the vessel swung across -the bows of the ship, where the mate stood gazing at her. - -"Hard aport," he yelled savagely. - -"Hard aport, sir," came the response from the wheel, and the voice -showed more or less concern now. - -There was an instant of suspense, a moment of silence, and the two -giant shapes came close with amazing speed. The liner swung to her port -helm, and her bows pointed clear of the light ahead. But the speed was -awful. Both going at twenty-five knots an hour, making the closing -speed nearly a mile a minute, brought the giants too close to pass -clear. - -There was a hoarse cry from forward. The mate knew he was not going -to clear, and the roar of his siren tore the night's silence. Then -the huge fabrics came in collision. There was a gigantic crash, a -thundering shock, and a tearing, ripping sound as steel tore steel to -ribbons. - -The shock made the rigging sing like a giant harp under the strain, -and the "ping" of parting steel lines sounded in accompaniment to the -tumultuous crashing of wood and iron. The cries of men came faintly -through the uproar from forward, and this was followed almost instantly -by frantic shrieks from aft as the effect of the shock was felt by the -women passengers. - -The liner had failed to clear, and, swinging too late to port, had cut -slantingly into the other ship's quarter and tore away the greater -part of her stern. Tearing, grinding, ripping, and snapping, the huge -shapes ground alongside for a few moments as their headway took them -along without reducing speed. Too late the reversing engines, too late -the telegraph for all speed astern. The ships had come in contact. -The mate had run into another ship that had shown him her red light -to starboard. There was no mistake about it. The cry of the seaman on -watch had been heard by fifty persons. - -"Red light on the starboard bow, sir----" - -It rang in the officer's ears. It sounded above the terrible din of -smashing steel and beams, and even above the roar of the sirens telling -of the death wound that had been given a marine monster of twenty-five -thousand tons register. - -The awful feeling of responsibility paralyzed the mate. The terror of -what he had done numbed him; stunned him so that he stood there upon -the bridge like a man asleep. Fifteen hundred human souls were sinking -in that ship, which was now drifting off to port in the night with -their cries sounding faintly through the blackness, even rising to be -heard through the roar of the steam. He thought of it. It was ghastly. -Fifteen hundred souls; and he knew how badly he had wounded the ship. -He knew the terrific power of the blow he had delivered--shearing off -the after part of that vessel and letting in the sea clear to the -midship bulkhead. There was no chance for her to float. The wound -was too deadly. It was as bad as though he had rammed her with a -battleship's ram. - -The half-dressed form of the captain rushed to him--his captain. - -"What happened?" he whispered hoarsely. He seemed to be afraid to ask -the question loudly. "Great Heaven, did you hit her?" - -The mate stood gazing at the huge shadow, and his tongue refused to -answer the question. Then the voice beside him seemed to gain its -power. It roared out: - -"Bulkheads, there--close them, quick!" And the automatic device, worked -from the pilot house, was pulled savagely. - -The captain rushed into the pilot house. The man at the wheel who had -left it to throw the lever to close the bulkheads sprang back to his -post. - -"How'd you do it?" asked the master again, in a low voice full of -passion and strained to the utmost. "How'd you strike--don't you know -you killed at least five hundred men? You murdering brute--you were -asleep." Then he raised his voice again, and bawled down through the -tube to MacDougal, the chief engineer. - -"How is she--quick--get the pumps going--collision--keep the firemen -cool, and for God's sake don't let them panic--keep them at their posts -until we see what's up. We've run down the express steamer _Blue Star_, -of the Royal Dutch Line----" - -The master turned to the pilot house again and looked out of the -window. His chief officer was still standing where he had left him. - -"In Heaven's name, Mr. James, what's the matter with you to-night?" -he broke out wildly, in passionate tones, almost sobbing. "It's all -hands--get 'em out quick!" - -He was a strange creature standing there in his undershirt and drawers, -with his long gray beard streaming down across his breast. The man at -the wheel even looked at him for a moment, but did not smile. It was -tragedy, not comedy. - -"Is she full speed astern?" asked the master quickly. - -"Yes, sir, full speed astern, sir," said the man. His face was white, -and his hands shook a little while he held the spokes of the wheel. -There was death for many that night, and he knew it. It would be hard -to tell who would survive in the rush that was sure to come if the -ship went down. Yet his seamanship told him that much was to be hoped -from the forward bulkhead. It would hold her up if it could stand the -strain. - -In two minutes there was a rush of hundreds of feet upon the decks -below the flying bridge. The second officer came up half naked, dressed -in shirt and trousers, without shoes or stockings. He was a powerful -man and short, with a tremendous voice, a real Yankee bos'n voice; -and he roared out orders for the men, who jumped to their stations -automatically. - -The captain came again to the bridge and took command. He yelled to -the boat crews below, and strove to quiet the crowding passengers who -pushed and fought about the boats in spite of the after guard and -seamen. - -"Get down there and wade into that mess, Wilson," said the master -to the second officer; and he jumped down and went bawling through -the press, pushing and pulling, striking here and there a refractory -passenger who would insist upon trying to fill the small boats. - -"There is no danger--no danger whatever," roared the captain again -and again from the bridge. The petty officers took up the cry, and -gradually the press about the starboard lifeboats grew less. The boats -upon the port side had been all carried away or smashed to bits. Ten -boats were left. - -A man rushed up the bridge steps coming from aft. - -"She's sinking, sir," he panted, pointing to the dim shadow of the -rammed ship drifting astern. The steady roar of her siren told of the -danger, and seemed to be a resonant cry for help. - -The master gazed aft. Then he rushed to the pilot-house window and -took up the night glass hanging there. He looked hard at the ship now -lying astern and riding with her bows high in the air. The man was -right. She was rapidly going down. Ten minutes at the most would tell -the whole story. - -"Get the starboard boats out, Mr. James," called the captain in an -even tone, "and let no one but the crews in them. The first man who -attempts to get in will be shot. Go to the vessel and bring back all -you can--quick----" - -But the form there had vanished before he had finished speaking. The -chief officer had awakened at last from his stupor. His responsibility -came back to him with a rush of feeling. But an instant before he had -faced the end. He had decided to kill himself at once, and was just -about to go to his room for his gun. He was too ashamed to face the -ordeal, the ordeal of the officer who has run down a ship in a clear -night. There had been literally no excuse for him. He could not plead -ignorance of the laws; his license as officer made that impossible. He -knew what to do when raising a light to starboard when that light was -red. The rules were plainly written. Every common waterman knew them -by heart. He had disobeyed them by some mischance, some mistake he -could not exactly define; but he knew that under it all was that dull, -sullen apathy from a wrong, or fancied wrong, that had caused him to be -negligent. - -He would not go upon the witness stand and say that, because a woman -did not love him, he had allowed his ship to ram a liner with fifteen -hundred souls aboard her in a clear night. No! Death was a hundred, a -thousand times better than such ignominy, such a miserable, cowardly -sort of excuse. He would blow his brains out just as soon as he saw the -finish, just as soon as he knew his vessel would float. Then came the -captain's voice of command: - -"Get out the starboard boats and save all you can----" - -Yes, it was his duty; his above all others. He was at number one boat -before the master had finished his orders. - -Six good men were at their stations. The falls were run taut, the boat -shoved clear, and down she went with a rush into the sea. Nine others -followed within a minute, and ten boats pulled away into the darkness -astern, where the roar of the siren still sounded loud and resonant--a -wild, terrible cry of death and destruction. - -James met a boat coming toward him before he reached the ship. She was -full. Sixty-two men and women filled her, and she just floated, and -that was all, her gunwales awash in the smooth sea. The swell lifted -her, and she rose high above him, a dark object against the sky. Then -she sank slowly down into the trough, and disappeared behind the hill -of water that ran smoothly from the northeast in long, heaving seas. - -The night was still fine, and the wind almost nothing at all. The banks -of vapor rising in the east told of a change; but the change was not -yet. James noticed the weather mechanically, as a good seaman does, -from a small boat when at sea at night; but he was thinking of the -huge shadow which now drew close aboard. - -As the boat came under the port side, he could see the passengers -crowding the rail in the waist, where the lifeboats were being filled -and sent away as fast as men could work them. Seven boats were -alongside full of human beings. Two more were being lowered. Three came -from under the stern as he drew alongside. - -There was a mass of people still to be taken off. He saw at a glance -that the liner had twenty large lifeboats for her complement. One was -smashed. There was every reason to believe she would send out nineteen -with at least a thousand people in them. There would be several hundred -more to take besides these. The life rafts might do it, but he knew the -danger of life rafts in the furious struggle in a sinking ship. - -The thing would be to save the passengers with his own boats. This he -might do if the ship floated long enough. She was sinking fast, as he -could see by her rising bows. She was probably even now hanging solely -by her midship bulkhead, and that would most likely be badly smashed by -the collision, for he had struck the ship far enough forward to do it -damage, although his vessel had only cut into her well aft. The blow -had been slanting. A little more time, perhaps a few seconds, and the -ships would have swung clear. - -He came alongside and hailed the deck. - -"Send them down lively--come along now, quick!" he called up in his -natural voice. It was the first time since the collision he had -spoken. It sounded strange to hear his own tones coming natural again. - -In a few moments he was crowding and seating the women and children -in his boat. Then came the men from everywhere. They crowded down the -falls, jumped into the sea, and swam alongside, begging to be hauled -aboard, or climbed over the high gunwales themselves. One powerful -young man, stripped to the waist, dived clean from the hurricane deck, -and almost instantly rose alongside. Then he swung himself into the -boat, and stood amidships hauling others in until the craft settled -down to her bearings and the men at the oars could hardly row. - -"Shove off--give way," ordered James. - -The boat started back slowly, the men rowing gingerly, poking and -striking the passengers in the backs with the oars until the crowd -settled itself. Then she went along slowly toward the ship, and the -women in her prayed, the men swore, and the children wept and sobbed. -And all the time the fact that he was the cause of it all impressed -James queerly. He could not understand it, could not quite see why he -had done it, and yet he knew he had. One man spoke to the athlete who -had dived. - -"They should burn a man who would sink a ship like this on a clear -night; they should burn him to a stake--the drunken, cowardly -scoundrel----" - -And James sat there with the tiller ropes in his hand; sat silent, -thoughtful, and knew in his heart the man had spoken the truth. If he -could only be sure of the passengers--he would not give them a chance -to say anything more. His boat came alongside his own ship. The crowd -above cheered him--they did not know--he was a hero to them, the first -boat with the rescued. How quickly they would change that cheer when -they learned the truth! He almost smiled. His set face, strong-lined, -bronzed, and virile, turned away from the people in the boat. He gave -orders in the usual tone. The passengers were quickly passed aboard. -Then he started back for another load. - -By this time the sides of his ship were crowded with boats. She was -taking aboard over a thousand people, and the sea was still smooth. - -The swell heaved higher as the small boat went back toward the sinking -steamer. James noticed it. The sky to the eastward was dark with a -bank of vapor. The air had the feeling of a northeaster. It was coming -along, and there was plenty of time, for it would come slowly. The last -of the passengers would be either sunk or aboard his own ship before -the breeze rose to a dangerous extent. - -The men rowed quickly. They were anxious. The horror of the whole thing -had fallen upon them like a pall; but they strove mightily to do their -share. James found his boat to be the last to reach the sinking ship. - -The liner was well down now by the stern and her deck was awash aft. -She rose higher and higher as he gazed at her, her decks slanting, -sloping, and she rolled loggily in the growing swell. Her siren -stopped. A dull, muffled roar from the sea, a smothered explosion told -of the end of the boilers. She would go in a moment. The passengers -were clinging, grabbing to anything to hold on. The deck slanted so -dangerously that many were slid off into the sea where they plunged, -some silently and hopelessly, others screaming wildly with the terror -of sudden death. - -James watched them. He saw many die, saw many go to their end. Others -swam; and he strove to pick them up, forgetting himself in the struggle. - -He picked up sixteen in this manner, steering for them as they swam -about in the night calling for help. The last one was a girl, a -beautiful girl of twenty or less. He hauled her into the boat. - -A sudden, wild yelling caused him to look. The sinking liner stood upon -end, her forefoot clear of the sea. She swung loggily to and fro for a -moment, settling as she did so. Then, with a rush, she plunged stern -first to the bottom, the crash of her bursting decks as the air blew -out being the last sound he heard. - -The ship was very close to him. Her swing as she foundered brought her -closer. The vortex sucked his boat toward her, drew the craft with a -mighty pull. A spar, twisting, whirling in the swirl, struck the boat, -and instantly she was a wreck, capsized, engulfed in the mighty hole -the sinking liner made in the sea with her last plunge. - -James found himself smothered, drowning, drawn downward by a great -force he could not fight against. The whole ocean seemed to pull down -upon him and crush him into its black depths. - -The whole thing took such a small space of time, he hardly realized his -position. The utter blackness, the salt water in his eyes and mouth, -all paralyzed his mind for a few moments. Then he thought of his end. -It was just as well. He was drowning, going to the bottom. He must soon -go, anyhow; he could not face those wrecked passengers; and with the -thought came a grim peacefulness, a satisfaction that the fight was all -over. He could now rest at last. - -But nature within him was very strong. He was a powerful man. When he -gave up the struggle, his natural buoyancy lifted him to the surface -of the sea. He came up, his head appearing in the air, and he breathed -again in spite of himself. Then the old, old fighting spirit, the -desire to survive which is so strong within the breast of every young -animal, took charge. No, he would not go down yet. He must see the -finish, the end of things in which he was concerned. - -He swam about aimlessly. The swell heaved him high up, dropped him far -down; and he noticed that now the sea was running, the small combers -rising before a stiff breeze. These burst upon his face and head and -smothered him a little. He turned his back to them, and swam on, on, -and still on into the darkness. - -He saw nothing. The ship, the boats had all gone. Once he was about to -cry for help; but the thought was horrible, distasteful to the last -degree. He had no right to call for help. He would not. But he swam -and tried to see something to get upon. - -Something struck him heavily upon the head. Stars swam before his eyes. -He reached upward with his hands, and they met a solid substance. Then -he sank slowly down, down--and the blackness came upon him. - -The object that had hit him was a small boat. In it were a man and a -girl, the girl James himself had picked up from the sea a short time -before. The man was a seaman, and he heard the boat strike. He reached -over the side, caught the glimpse of a human form as it struck the -boat's side and sank. - -The seaman took up the boat hook and was about to poke the body away. -He was sick of dead men, sick of seeing corpses floating about. He had -met half a dozen already that night. But this one seemed to move, and -the hook caught in his clothes. He pulled the body up, and saw the man -was not dead, but dazed, moving feebly in a drunken way. Then he pulled -James into the boat. - -James regained his senses after half an hour; and during that time the -boat ran before a stiff squall of wind and rain that swept it along -before it into the darkness. The seaman steered with an oar, and kept -the boat's head before the wind. The mate opened his eyes, and in the -gray of the early dawn he saw a man he did not know, a seaman from the -sunken liner, steering the boat calmly before the gale that was now -coming fast with the rising sun. Near him in the bottom of the boat lay -the girl huddled up and moaning with cold and fright, and fatigue. - -James arose and staggered aft. - -"How'd I get here?" he asked. - -"I pulled you in, sir," said the sailor. "Are you from the ship that -sank us?" - -"Yes. I'm the mate, the chief officer." - -"Well, if I'd 'a' know'd it, I mightn't have taken the trouble," said -the seaman. - -James said nothing. There was nothing for him to say. He knew the -sailor was right. He knew the officers of his ship were men to scorn, -to hate--but he would not say it was himself alone who had done -the terrible deed. Something stopped him. It might have been sheer -shame--or fear. He looked at the girl. Then he went to her and raised -her, placing her upon a seat and trying to cheer her up. - -"We'll be picked up soon--don't worry about it. Our ship will stand by -and hunt for all the missing----" - -"But I'm dreadfully cold," said the girl, with chattering teeth. - -"Put my coat on, then," said James; and he took off his soaked coat and -made her put it on. - -The man grinned in derision. - -"Say," he said, "who was on watch when you hit us?" - -James took no notice. He would not answer the question. Then the girl -spoke up. - -"Yes, whose fault was it? You belong to the other ship, you'll know all -about it. They ought to hang the man who is responsible for this awful -thing--my poor mother and father--oh----" And she broke into a sob. - -The man at the steering oar smiled grimly. - -"Yes, miss, that's right, they sure ought to hang the officer who -runs down a liner on a clear night when he's bound to see the lights -plainly. I don't make no excuses for him--it's more'n murder." - -"You were on watch, on duty--you are dressed?" said the girl. - -"Yes, I knowed it when I first seen you," snarled the seaman. "I reckon -you're the man who did it--what was the matter? Couldn't you keep -awake, or what?" The tone was a sneer, an insult, yet the sailor did -wish to find out how so unusual a thing could happen as the running -down of a ship on a clear night when her lights could be seen fifteen -miles or more. - -James tried to defend himself. It was instinctive. The contempt of the -sailor was too much. On other occasions, he never allowed the slightest -insolence from the men of his own vessel. But now the officer was numb, -paralyzed. He was guilty--and he knew it. - -For hours they sat now in silence, the seaman holding the boat steady -before the northeaster, which grew in power until by nine in the -morning it was blowing a furious gale, and the sea was running strongly -with sweeping combers. There was nothing to do but keep the boat before -it. To try to head any other way meant to risk her filling from a -bursting sea. The exertion of steering was great. The seaman, with set -face, held onto the oar, and James could see the sweat start under the -constant strain, but he said nothing--he waited. - -"You'll have to take her, sir--a while--I'm getting played out," panted -the man. - -"All right," said James, "give her to me--now----" - -He took the oar during the backward slant as she dropped down the side -of the sea that passed under her. He was ready for the rush as she rose -and shot forward again upon the breaking crest of the following hill. -The exercise did him good. It made him think clearly, it took his mind -from the hopelessness of his life. - -All that day the two men took turns keeping the small boat before the -sea; and they ran to the southward a full half hundred miles before -the gale let up. Both were too exhausted to talk, too thirsty to even -speak--and there was neither water nor food in the boat. Her ration of -biscuit and water had been lost when she had been drawn down by the -sinking liner. - -The sailor had righted the boat after great effort, aided by the sea; -and owing to the smoothness of the swell at the time he had managed to -get her clear of water. Then he had picked up the girl who had been -floating about, swimming and holding onto fragments of wreckage since -James' boat had gone under. - -The mate noticed that, although the girl had not spoken to him again -after knowing he had caused the disaster, she still wore his coat. He -studied the matter, the inconsistency of women, and he thought it -strange. The sun shone for a moment before it set that evening; and -in the glowing light James gazed steadily at the woman. She was very -beautiful. She had not made a complaint since the morning. The sea was -still running high, although the wind was going down with the sun, yet -the girl had not been seasick, nor had she shown any suffering. - -"How do you feel now?" he whispered, as he waited his turn at the oar. - -"I'm all right, thank you. Do you think we will get picked up?" she -said. - -"We'll be picked up to-morrow--sure," said the officer. "We are now -right in the track of the West India ships, and will sight something by -daylight when we can set a signal. Are you very thirsty?" - -"Tell me first, how did this accident occur? Were you really asleep, or -just what? I can stand the thirst, and I'm warm enough now. This water -is like milk in comparison with the air, it's so warm." - -"We are in the Stream," said James; "the Gulf Stream, and that is about -eighty along here--it's better than freezing in the high latitudes." - -"You haven't answered my question," said the girl. - -"I don't know--I don't remember what it was. I must have lost my -head--been asleep--or something--yes, I was on duty, on watch--it was -my fault entirely. I saw your ship, saw her red light to starboard--the -right, you know. She had the right of way under the rules. I intended -to swing off, waited a few minutes to see her better--then her -green light showed--and--then it was too late. I went hard aport, -did my best--but hit her--we were going very fast--both ships were -going twenty-five knots--making the approaching speed fifty miles -an hour--nearly a mile a minute--I must have lost my head just a -moment--maybe I was dreaming----" - -"I know you are not to blame," said the girl, placing her hand in -his. "You have told me the truth, a straight story--but yet I don't -see how it all happened. I'm not a sailor, anyhow; perhaps I couldn't -understand. But I feel you didn't do it on purpose----" - -"No, no," whispered James. "How could a man do a thing like that on -purpose?" He could not tell her the truth. He was ashamed to mention a -woman, to say he was sullen, depressed, stupefied at the loss of a love -he bore a woman. - -He took his place at the oar for the last time that night. The sea was -no longer dangerous. They spoke of rigging a drag with the oar and -thwarts, making a drag by the aid of the painter or line, which still -was fast to her forward. They had finished this before dark, and then -they lay down, exhausted. The girl stood watch. In the dim dawn the -girl gave out. She had stood watch all night, and she was exhausted. - -"I understand," she muttered to herself, "this poor fellow, this -officer was tired out--he slept--I don't blame him at all, it was not -his fault." - -The sun shone upon the three sleeping, the boat riding safely and -dry to the drag made of the oar and thwarts. James aroused himself -first, awakening dimly with the warmth of the sun. He sat up. The two -others slept on. The girl was breathing loudly, almost panting, and her -parted lips were blue. Yet she was beautiful. James knew it. She was -exhausted, and help must come soon for her. - -He sat and gazed at the horizon, and when the sea lifted the boat, -he stared hard all around to see if anything showed above the rim. -Hours passed in this fashion. The girl moaned in her sleep. The sailor -shifted uneasily, and grunted, snored, and murmured incoherently. They -were all very thirsty. - -It was about ten o'clock in the morning that James saw something to -the northward. It was just a speck, just a tiny dot on the rim of sea; -but he knew it was a ship of some kind, a vessel passing. The minutes -dragged, and he was about to rouse the sailor to get him to help watch. -Then he remembered how the fellow had striven so manfully the day -before when they rode out the gale. No, he would let them sleep. - -By noon, the vessel was close aboard and coming slowly with the wind -upon her port beam. She was a schooner bound south. James could see the -lumber on her decks. Her three masts swung to and fro in the swell, and -she made bad weather of the sluggish sea. The foam showed white under -her forefoot, and told of the speed being at least a few knots an hour. -James called the sailor. - -"Get up--turn out--there's a schooner alongside," he said. The man -moved slightly, and slept on. James shook him roughly. - -"Lemme alone," muttered the seaman. - -"Ship ahoy!" yelled the mate as the schooner came within a quarter of -a mile and headed almost straight for them. He stood up and waved his -arms. Nothing came of it. The girl awoke. She sat up and realized the -position. In a moment she had taken off her skirt and handed it to the -mate. He waved it wildly; and his yelling finally awoke the exhausted -seaman. The man stood up and bawled loudly. Then he washed his mouth -with salt water, and yelled again and again. James swung the skirt. The -girl prayed audibly. - -The schooner stood right along on her course. She had not noticed the -boat. Passing a few hundred fathoms from them caused all three to -become frantic. The men bawled, cursed, and begged the schooner to take -them in. - -The captain of the vessel, coming on deck, happened to look in their -direction. He spoke to the man at the wheel, who for the first time -seemed to take his eyes from the compass card. Then, taking his glass, -the captain saw that three living souls were in the small boat. The -next instant he was bawling orders, and the schooner hauled her wind -and came slatting into the breeze. - -Six men appeared on her deck. James saw them working to get the small -boat clear from her stern davits. Then they seemed to realize that this -was unnecessary, and the schooner, flattening in her sheets, worked -up to them slowly, rising and falling into the high swell. She stood -across to windward, and then came about, easing off her sheets and -drifting slowly down upon the boat. - -She drew close aboard. - -"Catch a line," yelled the captain from her deck. - -James waved his hand in reply, and a heaving line flaked out and fell -across the boat's gunwales. - -In another moment they were being hauled aboard. - -Explanations came at once. The master of the schooner was bound for -South America. - -"Of course, I'll put you all aboard the first homeward-bound ship I -fall in with," said he. - -"But you surely will put us ashore at once," said the girl, after she -had drunk tea and changed her clothes. They were eating gingerly of -ship's food and drinking water ravenously. - -"That I cannot do, miss," said the captain. "I'm bound to Valparaiso -with cargo, and I must take it there." - -"But we will pay you to take us ashore--pay you anything, for I am very -rich," said the girl. - -The master smiled sadly. The effects of the forty hours in the open -boat were evidently having their effect upon the young woman. - -"No," he said, "you go below, and the steward will give you all you -want to eat, and your clothes will be dry enough to put on again before -night. We might fall in with a ship bound north any time now. Then -you'll have a chance." - -James knew the man was within his rights, of course. He was glad to be -in the schooner. The sailor didn't seem to mind where he went. One -ship was very much like another to him. The consul would be bound to -ship him home, anyway. The girl was given a stateroom in the after -cabin; and she soon slept the sleep of the exhausted. - -The mate stayed on deck. The whole thing had a strange look to him. -He had decided to kill himself. He dared not go back to the States, -anyhow, to face the charges that would be made against him. He might -slip overboard any night on the run down, and no one would be the wiser. - -The fact that the schooner was bound to South America seemed to give -him a respite. There was no hurry to commit the desperate act that he -felt he must, in all honor and decency, do. He might live a month at -least before dying. - -After the awful struggle through the gale and shipwreck, he felt a -desire to live more than before. The whole affair was more distant, -almost effaced. And now he was not going back, anyhow. - -The captain asked him few questions regarding his wreck, seeming to -feel a certain delicacy about it. The day passed, and the next and the -next, and no ship was sighted going north. They were now drawing out of -the track of vessels, and a strange hope arose with the mate that they -would not meet one. - -The girl sat with him often, and they talked of other things than -shipwreck. She was beautiful--there was no question about it. The -glow of returning strength made her more lovely. James found himself -wondering at her. She had been the only human being so far that would -condescend to speak to him without contempt. He was lonely, very -lonely, and the girl seemed to feel he needed some one to cheer him -up. She did not realize his weakness. He was very strong to her; a -strong man who had suffered from an accident, due, perhaps, to his -carelessness, but not to criminal negligence. But he knew, he knew, and -could not tell. - -The days passed, and the terror of the thing he had in his mind began -to fade slightly. He knew he must die. The sailor, his shipmate who had -been picked up with him, had told every one in the schooner that he, -James, was on watch and was responsible for a terrible disaster, the -death of a great number of persons. James saw it in their looks. He -knew he would never get a ship again, never hold a place among white -men. Yes, he must die. - -It gave him a sort of grim satisfaction to feel that he was just to -live a certain length of time, that he would cut that short at the last -moment. He wondered how a prisoner felt when the sentence of death -was pronounced upon him. He had pronounced it upon himself. It was -a genuine relief, for the vision of those terror-stricken, drowning -passengers was always with him night and day, except when he was in a -dreamless sleep. That sleep seemed to be portentous of what he would -face. - -The days turned to weeks and the weeks to months. The voyage was long -and the winds light. They were ninety days to the latitude of the -Falklands when they struck a furious "williwaw" from the hills of -Patagonia. The schooner was in a bad fix. She was lightly manned; and, -in spite of the addition of James and the seaman from the wreck, she -held her canvas too long. - -The struggle was short but terrific. The fore-topsail blew away and -saved the mast; but the main held, and the topmast buckled and finally -went by the board. The headsails had been lowered, but they blew -out from the gaskets, and the jibboom snapped short off under the -tremendous threshing of flying canvas. The maintopmast, hanging by the -backstays, fell across the triatic stay, and the steel of the backstays -cut into the spring until it finally parted under the jerks, and the -mizzen was left to stand alone. It went by the board, and the great -mast, snapping short at the partners, went over the side, and smashed -and banged there at each heave of the ship. - -There was desperate work to do to save the vessel. Her master did -wonders and showed his skill; but the most dangerous and deadly task of -going to leeward to cut adrift the lanyards was left to James. No one -else would go. - -James was a powerful man, and had won his way to an officer's berth -by endeavor, not by nepotism. His hope was that he might be killed in -the struggle. He dared anything, tried to do the impossible--and did -it. How he succeeded in clearing away the wreck of that mast remains a -mystery to those who watched him. He was almost dead when dragged back -and the schooner floated clear. - -The girl had seen the whole affair from the glass of the companionway. -She had held her breath, almost fainted again and again at the -sight of James in that fight for life. To her it was simply grand, -tremendous--she had never been touched by a man's heroism before. - -When it was all over and the schooner, dismantled and storm-driven, lay -riding down the giant seas that swept around the Horn in the Pacific -Antarctic Drift, she watched over and attended the officer as he lay -in his bunk with a broken arm, a cut across the head, and the toes of -one foot gone. She knew that there was something behind the will to do -as James had done. But she could not fathom it, could not tell why he -was unresponsive. He lay silent mostly, and seldom looked at her. Yet -he was sane in his conversation, not delirious in any way. It worried -her. It caused that peculiar thing that is in every woman to make the -man she admires responsive. And the more she showed her feelings, the -less he seemed to care. It ended the way it usually does under such -conditions. She fairly worshiped him. - -After that storm the weather grew very calm. The dark ocean seemed to -be at rest for a spell. The schooner was now to the south'ard of the -Falklands, and the captain decided that he would not venture around the -Horn in the desperate condition he was in. Stanley Harbor was under his -lee, and he bore away for it. Then, with the perversity of the southern -zone, the wind hauled to the eastward and blew steadily for a week; -blew right in their faces. - -James came on deck before they were within a hundred miles of the -land. He sat about in the cold of the evening wrapped up in rugs, and -the girl waited upon him, brought him anything he wished. In the long -hours of daylight--for it was light enough to read until midnight--they -sat near the taffrail. The captain said nothing; he would not notice. -He liked the man who had saved his ship. The girl was sympathetic, and -James often held her hand. She did not attempt to withdraw it. - -But he would not tell her he cared for her. That was absurd. He had -already sacrificed his life. He was as good as dead. Yet he wondered -at the passion that had brought him into such desperate trouble and -had caused so much ruin and death. He pondered silently, and now often -watched the girl furtively. - -Into the beautiful harbor, the great fiord of Port Stanley, they came, -the schooner making fairly good way in spite of her crippled condition. -Her arrival was greeted with joyous acclaim by the land sharks, who -smelled the wound and saw the damage. They would make a good haul. -Ships didn't come often--but when they did, well, they paid. - -The governor was notified of the arrival. He was told everything but -the relation of the passengers to the ships to which they originally -belonged. The master was generous; and, besides, it was not America -they were now in. It was an outlying foreign colony at the edge of -the world, a place where one seldom went or heard from. They might -go ashore if they wished. The seaman asked to remain aboard. He was -allowed to do so, and consequently did not go ashore and talk too much. - -James passed that last night in high spirits. He was going out on his -last voyage. He was going to die, going to leave the woman who he knew -loved him, who had been so sympathetic, so lovable. They were on deck a -long time that evening, and the captain, being wise and old enough to -understand, did not molest them. - -"Good night," she said finally. "Good night. I'll see you to-morrow -before we go ashore. We can take the ship across to the straits, and -meet the regular liner as she comes through from Punta Arenas. We'll be -home again in a few weeks." - -"Good-by," he said simply. That was all. She went below. - -Shortly after four bells--two o'clock in the morning--James, with set -face and grim resolution, stole on deck. He gazed up at the Southern -Cross for a few moments, at the beautiful constellation that he would -see for the last time; then at the grim, barren hills back of the -settlement. - -It was a farewell look, his farewell to things in this world. He was -determined not to be disgraced. He would die like a man, as he could no -longer live like one. - -Then he dropped softly over the side, and sank down--down into the -quiet waters of Stanley Harbor. - - * * * * * - -The instinct of woman is often more certain than her reason. The girl -had noticed something strange in the man's behavior. She had woman's -instinct to divine its cause. She had not gone to bed that night, but -waited to see just what might happen to the man who owned her very -soul. She had not realized before that she loved this officer, this man -who had confessed partly to his disgrace. The realization awakened her -wits. She would see what he meant. - -At the slight splash, she was on deck in an instant. Her first thought -was to call for help. Then she knew to do so was to call for an -explanation; and she realized the disgrace that would follow instantly -upon the explanation. She seized a life buoy always hanging upon the -taffrail, and with it dropped over the side. - -She swam silently toward a spot that showed disturbed water rapidly -drifting astern with the tide. Within a minute she had reached the form -of James, who had not placed enough weights in his clothes to insure -quick sinking. He was lying silently upon his back, waiting--waiting -for the end that must come shortly. - -"Swim with me," she pleaded. "You must--come with me--we'll swim ashore -together." - -Before the morning dawned, the pair were upon the beach, several miles -distant from the schooner. James saw he was doomed to life. He could -not even die. Then the beauty of the woman, the sympathy, the love he -could not deny, had its way with him, and they decided to vanish into -the country, to disappear together. - -This might or might not have been hard to do in the islands where -every one is well known. But it happened that Captain Black, of the -whaling station situated near the entrance of the fiord, was on deck -that morning. He saw an amazing thing, a woman and a man swimming -together, and finally making the land near the point. - -Calling a couple of men, he started for them in his whaleboat, and -caught up with them before they had gone more than a few fathoms from -the shore. They were chilled through, cold and exhausted. He took them -aboard the whaling steamer, and soon saw that he had a seaman of parts -in Mr. James. Men were hard to get. All of his crews were convicts or -ticket-of-leave men; and the addition of a man even with a wife was -something to be taken advantage of. - -He took James aside and asked him a few questions. He was satisfied -that he would not get into trouble by giving the officer a billet; and -he forthwith made him one of the company in charge of a small boat. The -affair would be kept secret, and the governor would be told nothing. He -probably would not ask too many questions, anyhow. - -"I shall ship you both to the north'ard station, fifty miles up the -coast. You can have a shack there--plenty of peat for fires and good -grub--I'll inspect you once a month. Johnson will be in charge of the -station. You can take this letter to him. Your wife can go with you if -you wish." - -James looked at the girl. She nodded her head. - -"Is there a priest about here?" asked James. - -"Yes. Why?" asked Black. - -"Well, if you'll kindly send for him, he can marry us before we start." - - * * * * * - -Back of the northward station, on the ramp that rises sheer back from -the beach like a table-land, there are a few cottages. These are -occupied by the crews of the whaling station and their families. In -one of them is a handsome woman with two little tots--happy-faced and -smiling she is. But she seems a bit out of place in her surroundings. -Mrs. James Smith they call her, and she is apparently very happy, very -happy indeed, in spite of it all. - -James Smith is the best gun pointer in the fleet, the best harpooner -with the gun-firing harpoon. He is a sober, quiet, steady man, who has -nothing now of the ship's officer about him. He never talks of wrecks. -If some one starts a conversation regarding them--and they are much -hoped for in the Falklands--he goes away. - -Sometimes in Jack's saloon down at Stanley, he has been known to sit -and stare out over the dark ocean, to sit and often mutter: - -"Was it right, after all--was it worth while--was it?" - -But he is a sober, quiet, industrious man, who goes about his duties -without enthusiasm, without effort. - - - - -THE WRECK OF THE "RATHBONE" - - -"Eight bells, sir," came the voice from without, following the _rap_, -_rap_ upon the door of my room. I had just five minutes to dress myself -and get out, and I rolled over, listening to the sounds on deck. As -I had only taken off my sea boots, I was in no hurry to turn to. My -sou'wester hung upon a peg, but my oilskin jacket was still buttoned up -close about my neck, where it had been during my sleep; and the oilskin -trousers scraped noisily as I slid my legs to the edge of the bunk. - -I had slept three hours and forty minutes, and must go out and relieve -Slade, the second mate, who had, in turn, relieved me at the end of the -mid-watch. It was now just five minutes of four in the morning, a cold, -snowy nor'easter blowing, and the brig running wildly into the thick of -it. - -We had cleared from New York for Rio, and were trying to run out into -the warm Gulf Stream before the gale overblew us and forced us to heave -to, to ride it down. January at sea on the coast was hard, indeed. - -I swore at the hard luck, for my sleep had seemed just an instant, -just a second's unconsciousness, and I was stiff and soaked with sea -water; so cold that I had to keep on my oilskins to sleep at all. I had -finally steamed my body, incased as it was, into some sort of warmth, -and the first movement sent the chills running down my spine. I threw -off my blankets and stood shivering, trying to jam my feet into the wet -boots as the bells struck off, and I was due on deck. - -Slade stood with his shoulders hunched to his ears at the break of the -poop, holding to the rail to steady himself as the brig plunged and -tore along under a reefed fore-topsail and close-reefed spanker, with -the wind abaft the beam. The gray light of the winter morning had not -come yet, and the snow beat upon my face, as if some invisible hand -hurled it from the utter blackness to windward. - -The dull, snoring roar of the wind under the feet of the topsail told -of the increasing velocity of the squalls; and the quick, live jerk -of the ship as she went rushing along the crest of a roller for an -instant, and then slid along the weather side, dropping stern foremost -into the trough, with a heave to windward, indicated that we were doing -all we could. - -"Southeast b'south!" yelled Slade into my ear. "You'll have to watch -her." - -I knew what he meant. She was steering hard, and might broach to in any -careless moment. - -"Call the old man if there's any change," he added, and stumbled down -the poop steps to the main deck, where the watch were huddled under -the lee of the deck house. Then he disappeared aft, and the night -swallowed him up. - -I made my way to the wheel. Bill, a strong West Indian negro, was -holding her steady enough, meeting her as she came to and swung off. He -was assisted by Jones, a sturdy little fellow with a big shock head. I -could just make out their faces in the light from the binnacle, which -burned, for a wonder, in spite of the gale. It generally blew out in -spite of all we could do to keep the lamps lit. Beyond was a hopeless -blackness. - -I went to the weather rail and tried to see to windward. A fleeting -glimpse of a white comber caught my gaze close aboard; but beyond a few -fathoms I could see nothing at all. Aft under the stern the torrent -of dead water boiled and roared, showing a sickly flare from the -phosphorus. We were going some, probably twelve or fifteen knots an -hour; and right ahead was nothing--that is, nothing we could see; just -a black wall of darkness. - -Vainly I tried to make out the light of the coming morning; but the -snow squalls shut off everything. Pete, sharp-eyed fellow of my watch, -was on lookout on the forecastle head. I knew Pete's eyes were the best -ever, but he could see nothing in that wild gale of snow and sleet and -inky darkness. I went to the break of the poop again, and hailed the -deck below. - -"Keep a sharp lookout ahead, there," I said, bawling the words out to -reach through the storm. Then I stood waiting, for there was nothing -else to do. - -Two bells came--five o'clock--and the watch reported all well and the -lights burning brightly. Our starboard and port--green and red--lights -were none too bright at any time, yet they were well within the law, -and had served the ship for five years or more. - -I answered the hail, and stood trying again to see something over -the black hills of water that were rushing to the southwest under -the pressure of the gale. Something made me very nervous. I began to -shiver, and the snow struck my face and melted enough to run down my -neck, making me miserable, indeed. I still stood gazing right ahead -into the night, hoping for the dawn which was now due in another hour, -when I heard a yell from the forecastle head. - -"Light dead ahead, sir," came the hail. - -I looked and saw nothing, but took Pete's word for it. - -"Keep her off all she'll go," I roared to the wheel. - -And just as I felt her swing her stern to the following sea, I saw -close to us the green light of a steamer, and above it her masthead -light. Then the thing happened. - -A wild cry from forward, followed by the loom of a gigantic object in -the gloom ahead. We were upon the vessel in a moment. - -A tremendous crash, grinding, tearing, splintering. The brig staggered, -seemed to stop suddenly, and then the deep, roaring note of the gale -smothered the rest. - -We struck, fairly head on, swung to, glanced along the ship's side, -and were lying dismasted in the trough of the sea, our foremast over -the side, and nothing but the lower main mast standing. The seas tore -over us, and we lay like a log, while the shadow of the steamer passed -slowly astern. - -The old man was on deck before I knew just what had happened. So also -was Slade. The smashing and grinding of the wreckage alongside told of -the spars; but we were too stunned to think of them. - -Was the hull split open with that furious impact? That was the thought -in our minds. Ours was a wooden vessel--little, light, and very strong. -Did we ram our plank ends in? If so, we were lost men, all of us. - -It was fully a half minute before we spoke of it. We knew just what to -do, but we were stunned for a few moments. Then we made for the main -deck, and tried the pumps. The water was coming in lively. - -"All hands on the pumps!" came the skipper's order; and we manned the -brakes with the feeling that it was just a respite, just a little time -to lose. The men took to them with a will, however; but I had a sinking -feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I worked half-heartedly for a few -minutes, until I brought myself around with a jerk. I was mate. I had -the responsibility. And more than that--it had happened in my watch on -deck. I was the one who must do the most. - -"Come along, bullies--get a couple of axes!" I roared, and made my way -to the weather fore channels, where the rigging of the topmast and -lower mast held the wreckage alongside, being drawn taut, as it were, -across the deck, the spars to leeward, and banging and pounding against -the ship with each surge. "Get into those lanyards!" and they chopped -away in the gray light of the morning, cutting everything they could, -and clearing the weather rigging of the strain. - -The wreckage now hung by the lee rigging, and drifted farther aft. The -wheel was lashed hard down, and a bit of spanker raised again upon the -mainmast, the halyards still being intact, although the boom had been -broken by the shock. We soon had canvas on her aft, and she headed -the sea, dropping back from the wreckage to a mooring hawser bent to -the standing rigging of the foremast. We got a lashing to the foot of -the mast, and she dragged the mass broadside, making a lee of it, and -riding easily to the heavy seas, which now took her almost dead on her -bows. - -When I had a chance to look about me again, the light of the morning -had grown to its full height, and we were able to see around us. - -The gray light made things look almost hopeless for us. The pumps -worked full stroke, and the water gained rapidly on us. There had been -three feet made during the first half hour. We were settling, and the -brig was riding more heavily, taking the seas over her head with a -smothered feeling that told of what was coming. - -I had a chance to breathe again, and I looked out over the gray ocean, -where the white combers rolled and the heavy clouds swept along close -to their tops. A large, black object showed to the westward of us, and -we recognized her as a steamer. She was very low in the water, and upon -her rigging floated the signal, "_We are sinking._" She was the one we -had run down. - -The old man stood gazing at her as I came on the poop. He was trying -to make her out; and this he did finally, when the wind stretched her -flag in a direction so that we could see it plainly. She was one of the -Havana steamers bound up from Cuba, and was about five thousand tons. -Her number was that of the _William Rathbone_. - -"No better fix than we are," snarled the skipper. "What was the matter? -Didn't you see him? He's big enough." - -"Too dark," I said. "You know what kind of a night it was--look at it -now. We might do something if we were sure of floating ourselves--no -boat would live in this sea five minutes; but it'll smooth out, -maybe----" - -"Maybe blow a hurricane!" howled the old man, his voice rising above -the gale. "Get the boats ready, anyhow--get the steward to put all the -grub he can get in them--too bad, too bad," he went on. - -While Slade helped to get the boats ready for leaving the brig, I went -to the bow and tried to see just what damage we had done ourselves. It -was dangerous work, as the seas came over in solid masses, and more -than once I came near getting washed overboard. Splintered plank ends, -a crushed stem showed through the wreck of the bowsprit, which still -hung by the bobstays and shrouds, jammed foul of the catheads, so -that only the end swung, and struck us a blow now and then. It was a -hopeless mess. - -A great sea rose ahead, with its crest lifting for a break, and I -ducked behind the windlass, holding on with both hands. The solid water -swept over the bows, and I was almost drowned; but I held on. There was -nothing I could do forward, and no men could work there. The steady -grind of the pumps took the place of desperate rushing about the decks. -The men stood in water to their knees as the seas swept her, but they -still kept it up. As fast as one man gave out another took his place, -regardless of watch; and the waiting ones chafed under the shelter of -the mainmast. - -The boats were on booms over the forward house, where the seas could -not wash them away; and Slade had them all ready to leave, although it -was a study how to get them overboard in that sea with nothing forward -to raise them with. The mainstay still held, and the mainmast was -strong enough; but there was nothing forward at all above them. I went -aft and waited. - -Old Captain Gantline was still standing at the poop rail watching -the steamer. Our drift was about equal to hers, and we sagged off to -leeward together, keeping about a mile apart. The steamer was settling. - -"Of course, he ought to have gone clear of us!" howled the old man as -I came up. "I don't blame you, Mr. Garnett; I don't blame you--but you -certainly swung us off at the last minute when you knew the law was to -hold your course, and let him get out of our way." - -"But he was dead ahead, sir. I saw his lights right aboard. To luff -meant to come to in that sea, and that would have been just as bad, for -he'd have struck us aft--probably cut us in two." - -I really had done nothing out of the way. The steamer had not seen us, -that was certain. I was supposed, under the law, to hold on until the -last moment, and I had done so. I had only swung her off a little; -tried to clear when I saw he would not. I knew the law well enough, -and had followed it up to the moment of striking. Our swing off had -made our bows fetch up against the steamer, and had probably caused him -serious damage. But it had saved us from being cut down by her sharp -steel stem, which would have gone through our wooden side as if through -butter. - -No, I did not feel guilty; although there were evidently some hundred -passengers and crew of that ship in dire peril and sore put to it. The -old man knew I had done the best thing I could for us, and there was no -possible way of avoiding a collision in a wild, thick night like the -last when the ships were invisible but a few fathoms distant. - -We waited, and the brig settled slowly, while the wind still held -from the northeast, and the sea still ran strong and high. There was -apparently no chance for launching a small boat. The scud flew fast -and the gray wind-swept ocean looked ugly enough, the surface covered -with white. The steamer was slowly sinking, like ourselves, and it -was only a question whether either would go through the day or not. I -hoped that it would not come in the night. There's something peculiarly -nerve-racking in wild night work in a sinking ship. The very absence of -light lends terror to the already awful situation, and the wild rush of -the wind and seas makes chaos of the blackness about. - -The day dragged slowly. It was like waiting for the end of the world. -The vessels drifted apart but another mile or two, and we were still -close enough to exchange signals. We had long ago run ours up, telling -that the same state of affairs existed aboard the brig. If some -passing coasting steamer came along, all might still be well with the -passengers and crews of both of us. But not a sign of anything showed -above the horizon. - -At five o'clock--two bells--that evening, the brig was well down in the -water; and she was taking the seas nastily over her. The main deck was -all but impossible to remain upon, and the men at the pumps had to lash -themselves to keep there. It would be only a question of a few hours -now. The drawn faces told of the strain. Slade, the second mate, came -to me. - -"All over but the shouting," he said. "How'll we ever get them boats -clear in this sea?" - -"Better start now before it's too late," I said, and went to the old -man for orders. - -"All right, get them over," said the old man, in answer to my question; -and we started on the last piece of work we were to do in that brig. - -Bill, the West Indian negro; Wilson; Peter, the Dutchman; and Jones -were to row; and, with myself at the steering oar in command, made the -working crew. Besides these men we had three others, making eight men -all told for our boat. Slade went with the old man, dividing the little -crew up evenly. - -We had a good crew. Long training in that little ship had made them -good men. But for their steadiness we would never have got those -boats clear. It was desperate work getting them over the side without -smashing them. With a tackle upon the main, however, we managed to lift -them clear and let them swing aft, lifting and guying them out by hand. -Then we dropped them over the quarter, and let them tow astern to the -end of a long line, and they rode free, being lighter than the ship and -pulling dead to leeward. - -I was the first to leave, as became my place. The old man, as captain, -must be the last. I hauled the boat up, and we climbed in, jumping the -now short distance as she took the seas and rose close to the taffrail. -The brig was very low, and settling fast. - -"Go to the steamer first," said the old man; "then head westerly until -you get picked up or get ashore. We are not more than one hundred and -fifty miles off--good-by." - -I dropped over, and the line was cast off, letting the boat drift -slowly back, but still heading the sea so that she rode almost dry, in -spite of the combers. - -The _Rathbone_ was in view about three miles distant, and by the weight -upon the four oars we held her so that she drifted off bodily in that -direction, while still heading well up to the wind. There was plenty -of light left yet, but there was a night coming, and I hoped we would -get a chance to board the big vessel before it was black dark. Perhaps -she was not so dangerously hurt as she looked. - -I saw the old man's boat come away and take the general direction of -our own; but the seas were too high to see her often. She was evidently -making good weather of it, and I thanked the lucky stars that we had -whaleboats for our business, and not the tin things they use for -lifeboats in steamers. - -By keeping the boat's head quartering to the wind and sea, she drifted -bodily off toward the _Rathbone_, and before dark we drew close aboard. - -There was much action taking place on her decks as we came close enough -to see. Passengers ran about, and forms of seamen dashed fore and aft. -It was evident that they were hurrying for some purpose, and that -purpose showed as we noted the list to starboard the ship had. She was -very low forward, and seemed to be ready to take the final plunge any -moment. - -Our boat had been pretty badly smashed getting her overboard, and she -was leaking badly from the started seams. In that strong, rolling sea -she had all she could do with the crew in her; and I fervently hoped -that I would not be called upon to take passengers. Four rowing and -three for relief was all right, but a dozen more would swamp her. - -We came close under the _Rathbone's_ lee. She lay broadside to the sea, -and her high stern, raised as it were by her sinking head, shut off the -sweep of the combers. - -"Steady your oars," I commanded, as we came within a few fathoms. A man -in uniform rushed to the ship's rail and hailed us through a megaphone. -He was followed by several passengers. - -"Can you come aboard and help us?" he bawled. "We're sinking--all the -boats gone to starboard--captain killed and chief mate knocked on the -head by wreckage." - -"Men have refused duty," howled a man standing near him. "Mutiny -aboard, and we're going down--come aboard and help us." - -While they hailed, I noticed the boats to port going over the side. One -had already gone down, but she had fouled her falls, and had dropped -end up, smashing against the ship's side and filling. Struggling men -tried to clear her, but the sea was too heavy. A life raft was pushed -over the rail, and fell heavily close to us, held by a line. It surged -in the lee, and, as the ship drifted down, it struck her heavily, -smashing the platform. - -"Don't go, sir," said Jake, in a voice that barely reached me. - -"We'll have troubles enough of our own," said another. - -"Shut up, there are passengers--don't you see the women?--we've got to -help them," I said. - -I looked for the other boat. It was not in sight. The forms of two -women came to the rail, one a young girl. - -"Throw me a line," I yelled to the man in uniform. - -A small line came sailing across the boat. I seized it, and went -forward. - -"Jake and you, Bill, come with me, the rest lie by--keep her clear -whatever you do," I said, and waved my hand to those above to haul -away. With the bowline under my arms, I was soon on deck. Then I helped -to haul my two men up. - -"I'm the second," said the man in uniform; "but I can't make 'em do -anything. Just stretched one out when the rest knocked me over and took -to the boats." - -Without delay we made our way along the port rail to amidships, where -the boats were being lowered. Men crowded around them, and fought for -places. The fireroom crew, white-skinned and partly clothed, their pale -faces dirty with coal dust, stood around the nearest boat, and worked -at the lashings, cursing, swearing, and shoving each other in the -suppressed panic of men who are hurrying from death. - -The canvas covering was ripped off, and four men sprang into her, -the rest shoving her bodily outboard. The men at the falls howled -and swore, slacked off without regard to consequences, and the craft -dropped a few feet, then swung off, and came with a crash against the -side. - -"Fine discipline," I said to the second mate, who was close to me. - -A form touched my elbow. I turned, and saw a young girl. - -"Aren't they going to take us along with them?" she asked quietly, but -with a voice full of pleading. - -I looked at her. She was not over twenty, and very pretty. Her big eyes -were looking right into mine. - -"Sure, lady, you shall go," I said. - -Jake and Bill stood right behind me. - -"Have you a gun?" I asked the officer. - -"No; haven't got a thing--let's hoof 'em." - -"Avast slacking that boat down," I roared, rushing in. - -"Tell it to George," snarled a big fireman, shoving me aside. - -I hooked him under the jaw with all my strength, and he staggered back. -Jake slammed the next man in the stomach, while the second officer -waded in now, striking right and left in the press. - -"Get back--stand back!" we roared; and, for a wonder, forced our way -along the ship's side, taking the falls. - -"Get a line below the block hook. Hold her off," came the order, and -some one passed a line at the after fall, while a man in the boat -pushed manfully against the ship's side to steady her. - -"Now, then, slack away together," I yelled; and Bill, who had the -forward fall, slacked off with me, and the craft went rushing down just -as the ship rolled to leeward. She struck the sea, the block unhooked; -and, as the sinking ship rolled up, she fell clear, and hung to her -painter. We had got one down all right. The men then rushed. - -Four of us fought back with all our might; but the weight of frantic -men was too heavy for us. We were forced back and down, struggling -under the crush of fighting firemen and seamen, who trampled, struck, -and then tore loose to slide down the hanging boat falls or jump over -into the sea, to climb in the floating craft below. The men below in -the boat saw they would be swamped by numbers, and cut the painter. She -drifted off, then crashed up against the ship's side, and finally swept -around the stern, where she met the sea. That was the last I saw of her. - -With my clothes half torn off, oilskins hanging in rags, my face -bleeding, and utterly exhausted, I got to my feet, and we made for the -next boat. The press about her was not so great, and we managed to make -way against it. It was the last boat, and the remaining few men left -aboard were not enough to hold us. Among them were some passengers, -whom we got aboard--four of them--and then finally sent the boat down -clear. I looked around for the girl. Two women were in the boat, and -the second officer said there was another aboard. I was out of breath, -and stood panting a few moments, gazing aft through the bloom of the -evening trying to see what had become of that girl. She was not in -sight. I remembered she was near the other boat. - -"I'll run aft and try to find her," I yelled, and rushed down the deck. - -At the door of the saloon I saw a form huddled up on a transom just -inside. - -"Come," I called roughly; "come along, quick--the boat's waiting." - -"Oh, it's you," she said; and I saw it was the girl I was looking for. -She sat up. "Did you ever see such brutes?" - -"Never mind that now. Get a move on--the boat won't wait." - -As I spoke, I felt the ship drop suddenly forward. I turned quickly, -and gazed forward. It was almost dark now; but I could see the white -surge burst over the forecastle head. - -"She's going," I yelled, and grabbed the girl. - -A great sea crashed against the house, bursting it in, roaring, -smashing, and pouring like a Niagara into the saloon. The deck forward -had gone under, the stern was rising high in the air, and the slanting -deck told me there was not a second to lose. - -The girl sprang up, and we dashed together to the taffrail, which was -now fully twenty feet above the sea. There was nothing below but that -life raft, the boats had gone to leeward to keep clear. Without a -moment's hesitation, I dropped the girl into the sea, and sprang after -her. - -Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a -stroke. A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, -unable to fight any longer. My breath was gone. - -When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was -clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the -raft with the other. It was black dark. Only the rushing seas about me -told of our whereabouts; and the wild flings of the raft as it swept -along with the rush made me aware of the present. I tried to see, -raised my head, and felt very weak. - -"How'd we get here?" I asked. - -"I grabbed you and pulled you up," she said simply. "You were hit on -the head by it--better tie yourself fast with that piece of cord, I -can't hold you any longer." - -I took a few turns of the side lashings of the raft about our bodies, -and, as the seas washed us, I noticed that the water felt so much -warmer than the air. We were clear of the sea a few inches, but each -comber dashed over and soaked us, washing so heavily that it was -necessary to hold one's head up in order to breathe freely. - -"Did you see the boats?" I asked. "They'll pick us up presently." - -"No; I couldn't see anything. I had all I could do to pull you on the -raft. You're pretty heavy, you know. Then I had to hold you for what -seemed an hour, but maybe was only a few minutes. Do you think they'll -find us?" - -"Sure. They wouldn't leave us. Ship went down, didn't it--rather -sudden, and they had to let go. My men will stand by if it takes all -night," I said. - -"I sincerely hope you are right about it. I don't much fancy this raft -for a place to spend the night. Will we be drowned on it, do you think?" - -"No fear; we're all right. It can't sink. All we have to do is to keep -a lookout for a boat and sing out for help. Why, there's five boats -altogether, counting ours. Five boats, and it's just dark, not after -six or seven o'clock at the most." - -"How far from land are we?" she asked, seemingly cheered but still -somewhat doubtful. - -"Not far," I lied. I thought of a hundred and fifty miles of floating -to get in--if the boats didn't pick us up. I began to experience that -sinking feeling that comes to many when the outlook seems pretty bad. - -The girl was silent for some time after this, and seemed to be thinking -of her troubles, for once she gave a little gasp of complaint. - -"Cheer up," I said; "don't give way to it yet. We'll be all right soon." - -As the hours passed and no boat come near, I began to feel very -nervous. I could see but a few fathoms distant, and knew the chances -were growing less and less. I hailed the blackness, bawled out as loud -as I could, keeping it up at minute intervals. The wind seemed to be -going down, but the sea still ran quickly, and was high and strong, -lifting the raft skyward at each roll, and then dropping it down gently -into the hollow trough. We felt the wind only when on the top of the -seas, and it chilled us; but the warm edge of the Gulf Stream soaked -us, and we could stand it for a long time. The sea was as warm as milk. - -How that long night passed I don't know. It seemed like eternity. -Several times I lost consciousness, whether from exhaustion or from the -blow I had received upon the head I cannot say. I held to the girl, -and together we stood it out. Our lashings kept us upon the piece of -platform remaining upon the two hollow iron cylinders comprising the -raft. - -The girl lost her power of speech some time during the night, and -seemed to faint, her head dropping upon the slats of the platform. -I held it up to keep the water from her nose and mouth, and finally -propped her head so that little water broke over it. It was all I could -do. - -The raft swung around and around, sometimes with the sea on one side -and then with it upon another. I felt for the oarlock, which is usually -placed at either end to steer by, but it was gone. So also were the -oars that had been placed between the cylinders and the platform. We -simply had a float, that kept us bodily out of the sea, and that was -all. - -After hours and hours of this wild pitching and rushing upon the crests -of high, rolling seas, the motion began to get easier, and I noticed -that the wind was rapidly falling. The crests no longer broke with the -furious rush and tumble as formerly. Then the gray light of dawn came, -and I began to see about us. - -The form of the girl lay alongside me, lashed to the platform. Her hair -trailed into the sea in long tresses from her head, and her face was -white as chalk. I thought she was dead, and shook her to see if there -was any life to stir up. She lay limp. I took her hand and felt the -wrist. A slight pulse told of the vital spark still burning. It seemed -brutal to arouse her, to bring her back to the horror of her position. -But I felt that it was best. I called to her, and she finally opened -her eyes. She shivered, placed one arm under her, and then raised -herself painfully into a sitting posture. - -"Cut the cord around my wrist, will you, please?" she said. "I promise -not to fall off." - -"Better let it stay," I said. "I'll loose it so you can move about a -little. Seems like they missed us in the dark." - -"Well, do you still think they'll pick us up? See; it's light now, the -sun is coming up. I don't know as I care very much. Do you?" - -"Sure I care. Why not? We'll be all right soon." - -She let her head fall forward, and gave a little sob; just a bit of a -cry. - -"Well, then I'm glad I pulled you out of the water," she said. "Seems -like we might just as well have gone during the night. Do you really -think it's worth struggling for like this? Life is good--and I want to -live--but this is too hard--too terrible--and my poor mother----" - -"We'll be picked up before breakfast, sure," I said. "The boats must -have drifted just the same as ourselves. Something'll come along soon." - -And yet deep down in me I knew that this was a bare chance. We were out -of the track of ships, well off shore for the coasters, and not far -enough for the Bermuda ships, like the _Rathbone_, which had stopped at -the island on her way north. - -The sun rose, and daylight broadened into the morning. The wind fell -rapidly, and the sea began to get that easy run of the Atlantic when -undisturbed. I loosened my lashings and stood up, gazing about us. -The motion of the raft was still severe; but I could stand, balancing -myself. I shivered and shook with the wet and cold; but I now felt that -with the sun shining we would soon be in better straits. As the raft -rose upon the swells I looked all around the horizon. But there was -nothing; not a thing save the sea in sight. - -"You can't see anything?" The girl's voice sounded strange, querulous, -and pitiful. She was sitting with her head bowed upon her hands, which -rested on her knees. Her wet dress clung to her, and she looked very -frail, very delicate. - -"No; I can't see anything yet," I answered; "but we'll sight something -before long. Tell me, were you from Bermuda?" - -"Yes; I was visiting my aunt there," she said. "I just graduated from -the convent of the Sacred Cross last month. I've never been anywhere, -or seen anyone, until this year. My mother is the only other near -relative I have living." - -"Well, you've made a good start seeing things," said I, trying to smile -at her. She turned a little pink, just flushed a bit; but it gave her -white face a more natural look. She was a very pretty girl. - -"How old are you?" I asked. - -"Eighteen. Why?" - -"Oh, nothing, only----" - -I felt like a fool. Why should I bother this child about her age? She -had saved my life by dragging me upon the raft, and I would save hers, -if possible. It produced a feeling in me I could not quite understand. -I liked to hear her talk, to have her look at me. She was very pretty; -a good, innocent young girl. - -"I could eat a house, roof, and foundation," I ventured finally, -seating myself. The wash of the sea now hardly reached us, and we were -drying out fast in the cool breeze and sunshine. - -"Yes; I could eat a ship, masts, and spars," I went on. - -"Well, I suppose I'll be tough enough," she said, glancing at me with -some show of fear in her eyes. "I once read of men on a raft who ate -each other; but I never thought it would be my turn. No, never." - -"Don't be absurd," I said. "I don't intend to eat you--not yet." - -She looked at me very hard. Her eyes were moist; big, lustrous eyes. -"No," she said seriously, "I don't believe you will," and she put her -hand in mine. - -"Aw, don't be frightened, kid," I said. "I may look like the devil, but -I'm not." - -And I sat there like an idiot holding that girl's hand, while the sun -rose and shone warmer and warmer upon us, drying our garments and -cheering us wonderfully. I had never met a girl of this kind before; -and it was something of a problem how I was to keep her alive and -cheerful on that raft. I swore fiercely at Jake, at Jones, and the rest -for leaving us adrift. My oaths were something strange to the girl, for -she shivered and drew her hand away. - -"Please don't," she said quietly. "What good does it do to use such -language?" - -"Eases me a lot, miss. What's your name?" - -"Alice Trueman." - -I mumbled the name a few times, then relapsed into silence. After that -there was nothing more said for a long time; but I saw her looking at -me at intervals. Evidently I was an animal she was not used to, and I -wondered at a mother who would bring up a girl to view a man as such a -terrible sort of creature. I was a rough sailor; but I was human. - -The day advanced and the wind fell to a gentle breath. Then it became -quite still, a dead calm, while the swell rolled steadily in from the -eastward, but smoothed out into long, easy hills and hollows, upon -which the raft rode easily and the platform kept clear of the sea at -last. - -We took turns standing up and looking about the surrounding waste -to see if there were any signs of a ship. Nothing showed upon the -horizon, and the day wore down to evening. We were both very hungry -and thirsty. I knew that the limit would soon be reached if there were -nothing to eat or drink. The sun was now warm, and we ceased shivering -as it settled in the west. The darkness of the night came on with its -terrors, and still there was no sign of help from anywhere. - -"I really don't think I can stand it any longer, captain," said the -girl. - -"I'm not the captain--just the mate," I answered; "but you'll have to -stick it out for the night." - -Miss Alice gave a little sob. "I'm _so_ hungry and thirsty," she -wailed. And added plaintively: "I've never been hungry in my life -before." - -"Probably not," I said, sitting close to her and taking her hand in -mine again. She made no resistance, and I passed my arm about her. -"You must remember you've seen very little of the world yet. I've been -hungry often--expect to be again before I go." - -"You see, I've had everything in the world I wanted. My father died -very rich--and I can't stand the things people can who are used to -them," she lamented. - -"Cheer up," I said. "While there's life there's hope, you know." - -She gave a little sigh, and let her head fall back upon my shoulder. -And so we sat there in the growing darkness, together upon a raft in -the middle of the Atlantic. As I look back upon it, there seems to be a -bit of sentiment lacking. I felt nothing but pity for the girl at the -time. I wasn't the least unhappy. I wasn't the least disturbed, except -that hunger was gnawing at me and the fear the girl would die there. -Personally I was not displeased with the position. Such is youth. - -"Alice," I said finally, "I find a lot of comfort in you being here -with me, but I honestly believe I could stand it better if you were -safe ashore. You've been a mighty brave little companion though." - -She gave my hand a bit of a squeeze, and sighed like a tired child. -Then she closed her eyes. - -I was aroused by a hail. - -"Hey, there, aboard the raft!" came a yell from the darkness. - -"Boat, ahoy!" I howled, in desperation, hardly believing my ears. - -"Stand by and catch the line," came the yell again, and I jumped up and -stared into the gloom. - -A dark spot showed close aboard. The sound of oars came over the water. -A man's voice hailed again, and I recognized Jones, my bow oarsman. - -"Mr. Garnett----Is it you?" he cried; and a line came hurtling across -the platform, striking me in the face. I seized it, snatched a turn -upon one of the slats of the platform. The boat came alongside, while -they held her off with the oars and boat hook. - -"A girl--one of the passengers, hey?" asked Jones. "Climb aboard, sir, -and we'll take her in all safe enough." - -Wilson and Jones sprang upon the platform, and helped me lift the girl -to her feet. She opened her eyes at the motion, and gave a cry of joy. - -"I'm so glad!" she said, and fainted dead away, while we placed her in -the stern of the whaleboat. - -"Water, in the name of Heaven!" I panted. "You cowards! Why did you -leave us?" - -"Hunted for you, sir, all night," said Jones, getting at the water -breaker and measuring out a full quart. I held it to the lips of the -girl, and she revived enough to drink part of it. I drank the rest, and -drew another measure, drinking it off in a gulp. - -"Grub," I said, without further ado; and, while they shoved clear of -the raft, I took a share of the ship's biscuit, eating ravenously. - -"Sit up and chew a bit of bread," I said to Miss Alice. - -She raised herself with an effort, and soon recovered sufficiently to -eat something. Then she nestled close to me, let her head fall again -upon my shoulder, and went to sleep like a tired child. - -We were heading almost due west for the coast now, and could not be -very far away from coastwise traffic. I felt that the end would soon -come, and that we would be picked up. - -Before midnight a light showed ahead. It was a steamer's headlight, and -I soon made out her green light, showing she was heading north, inside -of us. We would pass very close. - -"Give way strong; give way together. Let's get out of this," I said; -and the men set to the oars. - -The light grew brighter, the green still showing. Soon the black form -of the ship's hull showed through the gloom, her masthead light now -looming high in the air, and her side light close aboard. We were -drawing in, and I stood up and bawled out for help. The black bulk of -her hull towered over us, and for an instant it seemed that she would -run us down. - -"Hold--back water--hold hard!" I yelled, and the men obeyed. - -The ship tore past us, the foam of her bow wave splashing into the -boat. I roared out curses upon the men above in her. Then she went on -into the night. I howled, swore at her, called her skipper every name -I could devise. The men seconded me, and together we called down enough -curses upon that ship to have sunk her. Suddenly she seemed to slow up, -to stop, and then lay dead in the gloom. - -"Row, you bullies, row for your lives!" I yelled; and the men gave -their last spurt, putting their remaining strength into the pull. We -drew closer, and a voice hailed us from the ship. - -"Ship ahoy!" I called again. "Throw us a line and stand by to pick us -up." - -We came alongside. A line was dropped down, and Jones seized it, -snatched a turn, and we were fast. The ship was wallowing slowly ahead; -but we hung alongside safe enough. - -"Pass down a bowline," I sang out; "and be quick about it." - -The line came down into the boat, and I slipped it over the head of -Miss Alice Trueman, jamming it under her arms. - -"H'ist away on deck," I directed; and the girl went aloft. The rest of -us came one after the other. - -"I can't take your boat, sir," said the captain; "haven't any room." - -"Forget the boat. Give me something to eat and drink, and a place to -lie down for a few weeks," I said, and I was led below. - - * * * * * - -Two days later we were at the dock in New York. I had not seen Alice -since she had been turned over to the care of the stewardess; but I -waited for her to come on deck. She came, pale but self-possessed. -She was still weak, but was now nearly recovered. The ship was being -warped to the pier, and it would be a few minutes before we could leave -her. I came up and held out my hand. - -"Well," I said, "Alice, how about it? You were a good companion in -trouble, a brave shipmate in the face of terrible danger. Somehow it -has drawn me to you. I want to see you again." - -"Always, Mr. Garnett; always will I be glad to see you--but do you -think it wise under the circumstances? Don't you think we had better -say good-by now? It will only be more difficult later on. You know what -I mean----" - -She looked up at me with moist eyes--eyes that told so much. I was -taken all aback; but I understood. I was only a sailorman, a mate of -a sailing ship. She was an heiress--a lady, as they say, educated and -refined. She couldn't make me what she knew I would have to be to -retain her respect and love, the love she would want to give. It was -for my own good she was saying good-by. Yes, I believe she meant it -only for that. - -"Sure, girl, I was only fooling," I said, with my throat choking so -that the blamed ship reeled and swung about me. - -"Believe me, it's best so," she whispered, looking at me strangely with -eyes now full of tears. She held out her hand, raised her head, put up -her lips. - -"Kiss me good-by. You were awful good to me. Good-by." - -I felt that kiss burn my lips for many a day--yes, for a long time. - - - - -THE AFTER BULKHEAD - - -After coming home from the East I had, like many other ship's officers, -taken up steam. There was more in it than the old wind-jammers, and the -runs were short in comparison. It was not long before I went in the -Prince Line, as they needed navigators badly. - -I was chief mate of the liner, and it was my unpleasant duty to do -about everything. Old Man Hall, captain and R. N. R. man, did little -beside working the ship's position after we got to sea. Ashore, he left -everything to Mr. Small and myself, as far as the ship was concerned, -and if there were a piece of frayed line, a bit of paint chafed, we -heard all about it within two hours after he came aboard. - -Small was second under me, while the third and fourth officers were -hardly more than apprentices, both being for the first time in the ship -and not more than twenty-one or two years of age. - -Captain Hall was nearly seventy, and somewhat decrepit, but he was an -accurate navigator, and had kept his record clean, making one hundred -runs across the Western Ocean without accident. Masters of merchantmen -are good or bad, according to their records, according to their -reputations. Some said Hall had excellent luck. But, anyway, he was a -good man, a fair-minded skipper, and he always brought in his ship on -schedule, which was saying a good deal, for the Prince Line steamers -were not noted for keeping close to time--any old time was good enough -for most of them until the _Prince Gregory_, of twenty thousand tons, -came along and made the lubbers look up a bit. - -She was the largest ship of the fleet--which comprised ten good -steamers--and she was fitted with all the modern conveniences, from -telephones to wireless, had a swimming pool, barber shop, gymnasium, -cafe, and elevators to the hurricane deck. - -With only four watch officers, and six cadets, who were about as useful -as a false keel on a trunk, I had enough to do before clearing. - -The chief engineer was an American, for a wonder, and his six -assistants, including donkey man, were Liverpool cockneys. They drove a -swarm of fire rats and coal passers that would have made a seaman crazy -in two days, but Smith took things easy below, and, although he had to -push her to keep the new record, he let his assistants do the heavy -work. That's the reason he grew so fat--grew fat and even-tempered, -while poor Small and myself sweated out our lives after the usual -routine. - -We had forty men in the crew, and needed more, for we often had a -thousand emigrants in the steerage. Sometimes we carried bunches of -those big chaps from the European forests, Lithuanians, strong, sturdy -brutes, totally without sense. - -It was in December that we took over five hundred of them on board, and -while I was polite as possible, I put Small wise to keep a lookout on -the critters. They were miners, for the most part. Contract men, going -to the mines in Pennsylvania. - -By some means a quantity of their baggage got below with that of the -cabin passengers. We had a lot of cabin folks that voyage. There was -a bunch of actors, men and women you hear at the opera, drummers -galore, buyers who were coming home from the fall trading, several -millionaires; and, among the society or upper-strata people, the ones -without occupation to give them distinction, were the Lady Amadoun and -her following. - -Lady Amadoun was American born, but French by adoption, or, rather, -marriage, preferring in her youth the suave manners of older -generations to the rougher ones of her own countrymen. Raoul, Vicomte -Amadoun, her husband, had not turned out the soft and gentle creature -he appeared before marriage. In fact, he had followed the usual -time-worn game of demanding money at unusual crises, which, as you -know, has a tendency to make intelligent women think twice before -coming across with it. The Vicomtesse Amadoun, or countess, as they -called her, was young; in fact, looked hardly twenty-five--but, of -course, a countess has maids to fix her up a bit! - -You see, being first officer, and sitting at the head of my own table -in the saloon, the countess came under my observation more than I -intended. Old Hall had his own cronies, who sat with him, and Driggs, -the steward, gave the most prominent passenger my right-hand seat--sort -of compliment. Driggs was a good steward, and owed his place to my -exertions in his behalf. - -It was about this confounded baggage that I had a chance to further -acquaint myself with nobility, for the trunks of the countess--and she -had about fifty, including those of her friends who came with her--got -mixed with the stuff that the baggage-master had sent by mistake to the -first-class baggage room--the unlovely dunnage of the human moles who -were roosting low in the steerage, and paying two pounds sterling a -head for the privilege. - -"I would take it as a great favor if you would allow me to get into my -baggage by to-morrow at the latest," said the countess, beaming upon me -from the adjacent seat at my table at dinner that day. "You see, we've -been all over Europe, and while traveling through Russia I picked up -some very pretty furs, which will be nice to use on deck during this -cool sea weather." - -"Madam," said I, "I shall be at your service right after eight bells -to-morrow, when I leave the bridge." So I warned the baggage man, -below, to have the place cleaned out a mite, so that her ladyship -could go below without getting her frock spoiled from contact with the -steerage passengers or their belongings. - -To be sure that he would do my bidding--he belonged to the purser's -force--I went below that morning, and looked the baggage over myself. -I passed in through the steerage, and noted the men stowed there. Two -big brutes of Lithuanians sat upon their dunnage, and jabbered in their -language. - -"Hike!" I said abruptly to the pair. "Git away from the baggage, and -let the trunk slingers dig up." - -"Oh, Mister Mate, Mister Chief, we have our trunks here, also, and want -to get to them," answered one fellow in fairly good lingo. - -"Beat it!" I ordered. "Make a get-away as quick as you can. Only -first-class passengers can take their baggage out, or get a look-in. -Why, you lubber, if every one of you steerage rats wanted to get into -your trunks, it would take about fifteen hundred stewards and baggage -men to take care of you." - -"But it is of great importance that we see our things--there are some -things in my trunk I must get at, some important things----" - -"Try and fergit them until next Wednesday, when they can be dumped on -Ellis Island; nuff sed--no more lingo--beat it!" - -The pair went away in very ugly humor, and I started the work of -clearing that baggage room of their dunnage, and trying to select the -trunks of the countess from the raffle. I managed to get about twenty -of them, and let it go at that. - -The next day I took the countess below, and personally showed her over -the trunks. She was accompanied by the count and her maid. - -"Now, Marie, which trunk was it in, _ma chere_? You must remember it -very well," she said, looking at the mass of baggage. - -"_Mais oui_, it must be that grand affaire--that beeg one--see!" And -the maid pointed to an immense Saratoga trunk, big enough to hold the -clothes of a full man-o'-war's crew. - -The baggage master and I pulled the trunk out of the ruck, and the -count produced a bunch of keys. - -I sauntered over to the other side of the room, where the gratings -separated the steerage from the rest. The two fellows I saw there -yesterday were watching through the slats, and did not notice me. - -"_Deux cent_," said one, in a whisper. - -"Whew, _mon Dieu_----" - -I knew that there was something about two hundred, but just what I -couldn't quite log. My lingo goes mostly to Spanish and Chink, having -sailed to those countries. - -The countess asked me to move the big trunk to the side of the ship. -I did so without seeing the reason for the extra work, but the lady -was gracious, and there was really no reason for not doing it. Two -other trunks were opened, and the furs brought out. Then the lady -went on deck again, after thanking me most profusely. Raoul was more -reticent. He was not the tongue-lashing Frenchman he looked. He seemed -preoccupied; but all very rich and powerful men seem that way to me, -and after all I was but the chief officer. Perhaps the skipper would -have drawn him out more. - -Nothing happened until we were within sight of the Nantucket Shoals -lightship. That night the countess and her husband were on deck, and, -the air being cool, they were well wrapped in furs. I watched them -from the bridge. They kept well forward, near the starboard forward -lifeboat. That was my boat under the drill orders, and I remembered it -afterward. - -It was about two bells--nine o'clock in the evening--when there was a -most terrific roar from below. The ship shook as though torn asunder. -As I gazed aft, the deck seemed to rise and blow outboard. Something -struck me heavily, and I was down and out for a few minutes. When I -arose with ringing ears, I looked aft again, hardly realizing that I -was awake and not dreaming. The siren was roaring full blast, and a -throng of men and women were rushing forward toward the bridge. Old -Hall came out of his room half dressed, and ran to me. - -"What is it--what's happened?" he yelled in my ear. - -"Don't know," I howled, and even then I didn't believe I was awake. - -The chief engineer ran up. - -"Starboard engine room full, sir--something blowed up below--whole side -gone above water line--won't float ten minutes," he howled. - -"For God's sake, shut off that siren, then!" yelled old man Hall. Then, -turning to me, he ordered: "Stand by the boats, and get the passengers -out." - -In a few minutes the roar of the steam stopped. Hall stood calmly upon -the bridge, and gave the orders for the small boats, and away they went -one after the other. The wireless was sending its call for help, but -there was no time for us to listen to replies; we had plenty to do. - -The _Prince Gregory_ settled slowly by the stern, and raised her bows -high in the air. There she stopped, and, for a wonder, did not fall -from under us. - -"Get into the boat, quick!" I said to the countess, and she sprang with -amazing ease into the stern, followed by her husband and the maid. - -"Nix on the men!" I yelled, and grabbed the count. "Come out--women -first," and I dragged him from the boat with no show of deference. He -struck me savagely in the face, and I stretched him out with the boat's -tiller. Seamen tossed him aside, and the swarm of women crowded up and -into the craft while I held the men back as best I could. - -I knew it was to be a close haul. Seven hundred men and women, and only -twenty boats! The life rafts would be doing duty pretty soon, and no -mistake. - -I saw very little of the fracas around me, as one never does see much -if he is tending to his own business, and mine at that time was getting -forty-five women into a small boat, many of them in before she was -lowered away. - -Luckily there was no sea running at all. It was calm and foggy, the -water like black oil. - -I slid down the falls, and when we loaded up I took command at the -tiller, and went out a little distance to clear the wreck in case of -trouble. We lay at rest a hundred fathoms distant, and watched the -scuffle aboard. Men yelled like mad, screamed, and fought. I caught -the flash of a gun, and heard the report. I knew Hall would not stand -for lawless rushing the boats, and was doing some fierce work. Pretty -soon the outcry died away more and more, and still the black hull -showed plainly, her bow still pointing skyward, and her stern submerged. - -"God's blessing, there's no wind or sea!" I said to Driscoll, my stroke -oarsman. - -"You're right there, cap," said he. "What wus ut anyway?" - -"Blessed if I knew--she's just blowed up, whole stern gone out of her. -She can't float two hours, and there'll be no one out here before -daybreak if they do get the signal." - -"You brute!" exclaimed the countess, who was sitting close to me. "Why -didn't you let my husband come in this boat?" - -"If he was a man, he wouldn't have wanted to," I snapped, hot at the -insult. - -"I notice _you_ are here, all right, you ruffian!" she retorted, -sneering. "What do you call yourself?" - -I thought best not to answer her. Words with women are generally -wasted, and the woman always gets the last one, anyhow. The countess -had always been so courteous and gentle that I supposed the excitement -had turned her head; and then, after all, I had treated her husband -a bit rough. He was a gentleman, and I was only a mate. That made a -difference in her point of view, although I can't say it did so much in -my own. - -I talked to Driscoll, and watched the _Prince Gregory_ as she lay there -in the oily sea. Boats came and went toward the light vessel, and, -thinking it would be a good thing to get rid of my cargo, I trailed off -after the bunch, and was soon alongside the lightship. - -As fast as we could, we sent the women aboard, finding that the little -ship would hold hundreds of passengers, in spite of her diminutive -size. Inside of half an hour, she had fully five hundred people in her, -and was jammed to the rails, below and on deck. Still, it was better -than an open boat, and I kept bringing them by scores, until there -were no more, save a few boatloads, and these we kept afloat in the -lifeboats. - -During this time I thought little, or not at all, about the count. -The ship still hung by her after bulkhead, and Lord knows the man who -set it in her deserves praise enough. How it stood that strain is a -wonder to this day. If there had been any sea running she would have -gone down like a stone, for no unbraced cross-section of a ship can -stand the surge of ten thousand tons in a seaway. It must have burst -like blotting paper when wetted down. With ten men--all second-class -passengers--in my boat besides the crew, I went back to the ship for -the last time, and watched old man Hall as he stood upon the bridge. -I could just make him out through the hazy gloom of the night, but I -could hear his voice distinctly, as he gave orders to the few men who -stayed with him. - -"Do you want any more help, sir?" I asked, coming alongside. - -"What's that--you, Jack?" he answered. "No, I reckon not. She'll hang -on for hours, if the weather remains calm like this. All the passengers -safe?" - -"All aboard the lightship, or hanging to her by painters--there's a -line of boats half a mile long trailing on behind her, and they're safe -enough, as they can't get lost as long as they hold to her. Tide runs -hard here on the edge of the Stream, but her wireless is going right -along, and she says two cutters left Boston half an hour ago, under -full steam--ought to be here before late in the morning, anyway. Never -lost a man, hey?" - -"No," says he, "not that I know of; and that's some remarkable, too." - -I thought it was, also, but said nothing more for a few moments, -watching the half-sunken hull slowly rolling from side to side in the -smooth swell. - -While I watched I saw the form of a man coming from aft, along the -rail of the main deck, which was just awash. As every one had left the -after part of the ship and the engine room abandoned, I thought this -strange, and watched the figure until it came almost amidships. Then it -disappeared in the cabin. - -"More men aft, sir?" I asked Hall, who still stood leaning upon the -bridge rail, waiting for help. - -"No, no one left aboard--just Jenkins and his crew of four men--myself, -that's all." Jenkins was carpenter. - -"Saw a man coming from aft, sir--must be some passenger overlooked. -Shall I jump up, and see to him?" - -"All right," came the response, and almost before he spoke the men who -waited on their oars shoved the boat astern until she was almost level -with the sunken deck. I sprang out of her, and sung to them to lie by -and keep clear of the captain's boat, which lay alongside, just forward -of us, waiting until the old man found it necessary to leave. - -I made my way in through the passageway to the saloon, and found the -deck still clear of water, although the sucking roar and surge of the -sea beneath told of the immense volume in the lower decks. The lights -had long gone out, with the drowning of the dynamos, and I felt for a -cabin door, intending to grab one of the emergency candles which are -always in place on the bulkheads. - -I found one, and struck a light; then made my way along the passage in -front of the lower staterooms, calling at intervals for any one who -might be near and unable to realize the peril of a foundering ship. I -admit it was some ticklish. I had my hair raised more than once when -the ship took a more than usually heavy roll, and the rushing thunders -below started with renewed force. What if she should drop? It was a bad -thought, and not tending to still my pulse. I couldn't help thinking of -the thousand fathoms or so of blue sea beneath my feet---- - -I thought I heard a footstep crossing the passage in front of me. It is -strange how, above the general thunder of rushing water, a slight sound -makes itself evident. It was like standing upon the shore during the -running of a heavy surf. One can almost talk in a whisper while the -thunder reverberates along the coast. - -A shadow crossed in front of me, and I hailed again. It was a man, and -he was coming from below, from the sunken lower decks. He came up the -staircase of the lower saloon, and darted along the passageway to port. - -"Hey, there! Stop!" I yelled. - -The man turned, and in an instant I recognized him. It was the Vicomte -Raoul. - -He eyed me with a savage look, and waited for me to come up. - -"What ees it you want?" he growled. - -"Just you!" I told him. "Don't you know you are in danger of getting -killed down here?" - -"And how does that matter interest you?" he retorted, with those -shrugging shoulders and arched eyebrows he could handle so well. - -"It don't, except that, as I'm an officer, it's my duty to see you -leave the ship under orders of the captain." - -"I noticed you were not so queek to have me leave dees sheep when -I first started," he sneered, "and eef I go back for my jewels, my -valuables, eet ees no affaire of yours--eh?" - -"It is only to the extent that I must see you off the vessel," I said. - -We were standing near the after companionway, and I noticed the -splintered planking, where the force of the explosion had blown it -upward. It was directly over the baggage room, where the trunks were -stowed below. This was now under six to ten feet of clear water. - -"If you want to get into your trunks, you will have to be a good -diver," I said. "There's no chance in the world of getting below -here--she's flooded full to the after bulkheads number four in the wake -of the starboard engines. You couldn't do a thing below if you got -there." - -In a more courteous tone, the count explained: - -"Eet is a matter of small valuables in my room, not my trunk. Go along -like a good fellow, and I will follow instantly. I just go below to my -room--I come with you instantly--go!" - -"Well, I'll wait here if it don't take too long," I said. "It's against -orders, and if anything happens to you I'll get it, all right. Hurry -up, and beat it back--the boat's waiting, and the ship'll drop any -minute. It's only that number four bulkhead holding her." - -"Ah, yes, dat number four! Eet ees just at my stateroom door, zat -number four you call heem. Wait, my good fellow, I come immediate," and -he went down the companionway, which was knee-deep at the bottom in sea -water. - -He splashed through the shallow wash, and disappeared along the -gloomy passage, where the candlelight failed. I stood above and -waited, holding my breath at times, and cursing the luck that made -me weak enough to allow him to do such a foolish thing as go below -for valuables. However, I had treated him pretty rough at the first -getaway, and felt he had a right to some consideration. - -Suddenly I remembered that his stateroom was not below on that -main deck! It seemed to me he had rooms forward and above; but the -excitement had caused me to forget this detail, and I was so taken up, -even at the time, that I only remembered it in a half-dazed way. What -did he want below, then? - -I waited, and the minutes flew by, seeming long enough. The candle ran -its hot grease down upon my hand, and burned it. I was getting sore and -impatient at the wait. If anything happened, I could never be given a -reprimand, for I would never show up to receive it. The ship would go -down and take me with her, all right enough. I hadn't a chance in the -world--and I was waiting there for a count, a man who had sprung into -the mate's boat to get clear, when there were hundreds of women waiting -and screaming to go! - -There was a sharp explosion from below. The ship shook a little, and -rolled to port. - -"Just Heaven! Did that bulkhead go?" - -A form tore down the passageway, splashed through the water at the foot -of the companion, and was upon me in an instant. Raoul struck me fairly -between the eyes, and I went down to sleep--that was all I remember -of the inside of the _Prince Gregory_, as she lay foundering off the -Shoals. - -When I came to, I was in the boat, with Driscoll bending over me and -pouring sea water upon my head. The dark stain showed me that I was -bleeding fast, and the sailor tore off the sleeve of his jumper, and -tied it about my forehead. I tried to sit up, but everything swam and -rolled about me horribly. Finally I managed to get my head up. - -"What's happened?" I asked. - -"Bulkhead gave way, sir," he told me. "You was hit on the head by -wreckage. I run in after you, an' jest managed to git you clear. She's -gone, sir!" - -"What! The ship?" I cried. - -"Sure, sir." - -"And the old man--Jenkins, and the rest of them?" - -"All got clear just in time--seems like Jenkins and his gang were at -the bulkhead from forrards, trying to shore it up, when _bing!_ she -went, and them as was left beat it--all got clear, sir." - -"See anything of a passenger--that chap we had a run-in with at the -first getaway?" I asked. - -"Yes, sir; one man got away in the skipper's boat--that's them headin' -for the lightship over there," and he pointed to a blur that showed -through the hazy night. I began to gather my senses again, but I -couldn't make head or tail of it. What did that fellow nail me for? I -had hit him, to be sure; but that was for a purpose. He surely intended -to fix me, all right. About a minute more, and I would have gone with -the ship. - -"Cowardly rat!" I whispered. - -"Who?" asked Driscoll. - -"That white-livered dog who knocked me out," I said, gritting my teeth -at the thought. - -"Better lie quiet, sir; better keep still--you're bug a bit, but will -be all right to-morrow. Does it hurt you much, sir?" - -"Shut up!" I commanded ungratefully, and Driscoll gazed at me -sorrowfully, pulling away again at his oar, for we were now almost to -the lightship. - -All that night we lay trailing astern. There was a long line of -lifeboats reaching nearly half a mile back, all hanging to the taffrail -of the ship. - -About daylight she got in touch with a passing passenger ship, bound -in, and while we were busy shifting the hundreds of passengers the -cutters showed up, and helped to expedite matters by towing the small -boats. Before breakfast time we had all the outfit aboard and away for -New York. Hall and myself went aboard the cutter _Eagle_. We waited -for several hours, to see if there were anything more to find drifting -about, and then away we went for home, thanking the captain of the -Nantucket Shoals lightship for what he had done. - -"I don't understand it at all--don't seem to be just right," repeated -Hall over and over to the captain of the cutter. "She just blew -up--that's all there is to it. We had a drove of miners aboard, and you -know how hard it is to keep those fellows from carrying explosives in -their dunnage. You simply can't stop to search them. There was probably -a couple of hundred pounds of blasting powder, at the least--went off -like a mine blowing up a battleship. That bulkhead in the wake of the -starboard engine room saved us--that's all!" - -I was out of a ship. When we got in, the manager laid me off for a -month, and then gave me the second greaser's berth on the old _Prince -Leander_, a bum ship--and that's a fact. When I reached the other -side again, I saw by the papers that a certain Frenchman had tried to -collect nearly a million francs on his insurance for cargo and personal -belongings in the _Prince Gregory_. It seems that he had shipped tons -of expensive machinery and had insured it fully. The stuff was cased -tightly, but one case marked for him had broken while being handled on -the dock, and nothing but bricks fell out. - -The insurance companies held up the claim. I hurried to the consul's -office, and told of the episode of the trunk, and how I was hit -over the nut by a certain French gentleman during the fracas. The -description answered to the man of machinery, and when I told of that -last little crack I had heard below, the consul waited not on the order -of his going, but ordered a cab and fairly threw me into it. We tore to -the office of the underwriters, and I told my tale. Then I began to see -the light, at last. - -It was the old game tried under a new guise--and it had nearly cost the -lives of a half thousand human beings. The horror of it appalled me, -and I found myself wondering if I were to be trusted about without a -nurse again. However, I was not censured severely. The crook was well -known to the police, and since then the police of many countries have -been trying to locate a gentleman who answers to the description of the -Vicomte Raoul de Amadoun. - - - - -CAPTAIN JUNARD - - -Captain Junard awoke suddenly from a sound sleep. He listened intently -for a few moments. The steady vibrations of the ship's engines told of -the unchecked motion, the unhindered rush of the ship through the sea. -Yet something had awakened him, something had given him a start from a -dreamless sleep, the sleep of a tired man. He knew that something was -wrong, felt it, and wondered at it, while his heart began to sound the -alarm by its increasing pulsations. He wondered if he were sick, had -eaten something that might produce nightmare; but he felt very well, -and knew he never started at trifles. His hand reached for the revolver -at the head of his bunk. He always kept it there for emergencies. It -was a heavy forty-five, with a long, blue barrel--a strong weapon that -had stood him handily in several affairs aboard the steamer. The light -in his room was dim, but there was enough of it to show him that his -room was empty. His hand reached the spot where the weapon usually -hung, but failed to reach it. He groped softly for several moments. -There was nothing upon the bulkhead; the gun was gone. - -This fact made a peculiar impression upon him. He felt now that -his instinct was correct, that he was indeed in danger. His mind -cleared quickly from the stupor of sound sleep, and he remembered. -He was carrying papers of peculiar importance in his strong box, or -safe--papers relating to a deal in shipping connected with a revolution -in a Central American state. A rival line had tried to stop the affair, -which grew into political importance when secret agents of the United -States tried to find out how deeply it might affect the Panama Canal. -The concession had not been granted. The Canal Zone was not yet in -existence, and the United States was sure to get it if this deal went -through. The president had watched the affair with hungry eyes. Now the -papers were in his--Junard's--possession, aboard his ship, bound for -the state department in Washington. - -Junard started up when he found his hand missing the butt of that -revolver. It had been a pleasant fancy to him when he remembered its -solid grip and deadly accuracy, a dependable friend in the hours of -darkness and distress. Now it was gone, and could not have gone without -some one having taken it. If they took it, they took it to keep him -from using it. The idea of its loss awakened him more than anything -else, and sent his heart beating fast as with sudden quickness and -energy he sprang from his bed. There was nothing in his room, nothing -at all. The lamp burned low. The electrics had been switched off, as -they gave too much light for him to sleep in. Junard stood wondering, -studying, and gazing at his safe, which lay bolted to the deck in a -corner of his room. - -The captain's room was just abaft the pilot house, as is usual in -ships of that class. A stairway, or companion, of five steps led to -the pilot house, but these were cut flush with his room and into the -floor of the house above, so that he could shut the door. The door was -shut now as he looked, but the sound of the steering gear told him -that the man at the wheel, within a dozen feet of him, was steering -and attending apparently to his business. The room ran clear across -the superstructure, opening with a door upon either side. To starboard -was his bathroom, to port was a closet, which adjoined the room of the -chief officer, being separated from it by the bulkhead. Both these -rooms led aft and opened into his room by doors in the bulkhead. This -made his room a complete section of the superstructure about twelve -feet deep and running clear through. There was nothing in it that could -hide any one. A table, a couch with leather cushions, several chairs, -and a large desk completed the furniture. His bed was a large double -bunk let in to port and hung with curtains. It somewhat resembled an -old four-poster bed. - -Junard walked quickly to the safe. It was locked. He smiled at himself. -The absurdity of the thing almost made him laugh. And yet he was as -nervous as a ship's cat when watching a strange dog. He opened the door -leading to the pilot house. The man in there was standing in regulation -pose, with his hands upon the spokes of the steam steering gear. The -sudden rattle and clank told Junard the fellow was awake and alert. -The dim light from the binnacle made his outline plainly discernible, -and Junard recognized him as Swan, a quartermaster of long service and -excellent ability. - -"How's she heading, Swan?" whispered the captain. - -"No'the, two east, sir," said the man, with a slight start. The words -had come to him from the gloom behind him, and he had not heard the -door open. - -"That's right; they haven't reported the Cape yet?" - -"No, sir; but that's Cape Maysi, sir, I think," said Swan, pointing -to a light that had just begun to show right over the port bow. Eight -bells struck off upon the clock in the house as he spoke, and the -cry came from forward. The chief mate, who was on watch, came to the -pilot-house window, reached in, and took out the night glasses. He -adjusted them and gazed at Cape Maysi. Captain Junard watched him -narrowly, and noted that he took the bearings and made the remark -in his order book. Mr. Jameson was a good officer and a first-class -navigator, and Junard did not wish to appear on deck until he was -called. It looked as if he did not trust the officer sufficiently. He -would wait until the light was reported officially. - -When Junard turned to reenter his room, he heard a slight noise. There -was a rustle, a whirl, and the door of the room to port clicked to. It -had been shut when he jumped from his bunk. He gazed in the direction -of the safe, and saw that it was now standing wide open, the door -swinging slowly with the motion of the ship. He sprang to the switch -and turned on the light, full power. - -In front of him was the safe, with the door open. In front of the safe -lay a huge knife, and alongside of the knife lay his revolver, fully -loaded, and cocked. Whoever had it was ready to use it upon a moment's -notice. The intruder had fled at the sound of Junard's steps upon the -pilot-house companion. - -Junard was a very heavy-set man. He stood but five feet two inches, but -was at least three feet across the shoulders, an immense man for his -height, his chest being as broad and hairy as a gorilla's. His powerful -legs were set wide apart to steady himself to the ship's motion, and -for a brief instant he stood there in the full light, clothed in his -pajamas. Then, with a roar like that of a bull, he plunged headlong for -the lattice door of his room, and, bursting it with a crash, reached -the deck in full stride. He just caught sight of what appeared to be -a skirt, switching around the corner of the deck house, and he leaped -savagely for it. He reached the corner, swung around it--and saw no -one. Down the alleyway he ran, swung about, and came out to port upon -the deck. There was not a soul to be seen, and he hesitated an instant -which way to run. Then he ran aft with prodigious speed, and, within a -couple of seconds, reached the cabin companionway. The light burned at -the head of the broad stairs, but not a soul was in sight. He dashed -inside silently, being barefooted, and, peering over the baluster, he -saw the steward on watch peacefully snoring away in a chair near the -water-cooler at the foot of the stairway. - -"Sam!" he called sharply. - -The man awoke with a start. - -"Aye, aye, sir!" he said, looking about him, recognizing the captain's -voice, but not seeing him at once. - -"Has any one come down this way within the last few minutes?" asked -Junard. - -"No, sir, not a soul, sir." - -"Sure?" - -"Sure, sir. I've only been dozing but a minute. I'd have seen 'em, sir." - -Junard slipped away quietly, leaving the under-steward wondering what -he wanted. With amazing swiftness, the master rushed back to his room. -He reached it, and went inside the broken door. The light was still -burning, but the safe was now closed. He tried the combination lock, -and found it had been locked. The gun and knife had also disappeared. -The room was in perfect order, the light burning full power, and there -was not a thing to show that there had been an entry made. The bursted -door was the only sign of any irregularity. He stood gazing at the safe -for a few minutes. The thing was almost uncanny. He began to wonder -if he had not had a nightmare, dreamed the whole thing. He turned the -combination of the safe, and opened the door again. The contents of the -safe were apparently intact. He reached for the inner drawer, where the -important papers had been kept. They were gone. - -It was not nightmare, after all. The thing was real. The papers had -been taken from the safe, and they were worth perhaps a million to the -finder, if not much more; that is, if they could be gotten out of the -ship and into the hands of those who were antagonistic to the deal. He -pondered a few minutes more, and then decided to go on deck and stand -the next watch upon the bridge, remaining there, with the excuse that -the cape was drawing abreast and he would take his departure from it. -He decided not to say anything to either officer. The thing had best -be kept secret, for the very existence of the papers might imperil his -company, if that existence were known to certain parties. He hastily -dressed and went on the bridge. - -Mr. Dunn, the second officer, was now on watch, and it was about a -quarter of an hour past midnight. The cape was drawing up, and was fast -approaching the port beam. The ship was running about sixteen knots -through a smooth sea, with a stiff northeast trade blowing almost dead -ahead. - -Junard came to where the second officer stood. Mr. Dunn turned and -spoke to him, remarking upon the blackness of the night and the -clearness of the Cape Maysi light. - -Captain Junard said nothing, but watched the second officer narrowly, -and tried to fathom his demeanor, looking for some sign that might show -a knowledge of what had transpired aboard within the past few minutes. -Dunn had been upon the bridge when that safe was shut, when the -revolver had been taken away. Yet Dunn had been in the employ of the -company for ten years, and was a reliable man, a sailor who had always -done his duty without murmur. He had a fine record. - -The light drew abeam, and the ship ran close to the low, rocky point -where it juts out into the sea. The high mountains a few miles back -showed dimly in the gloom, making a huge shadow in the background. As -the light is upon the north side of the low promontory and shows across -to the southward, the land was very near as the ship steamed past it -and laid her head for the passage. - -Junard gazed hard at the shore. He was thinking. Would any one try -to get into communication with Cuba here at the cape? There was a -question. If a small boat lay near, with lights out, she might get -close to the ship without being observed, for it was quite dark, and -the loom of the land made it darker than usual. It was nearly six -hours' run to the next light, in the Bahamas, across the channel, and -the Inagua Bank was too far to the eastward to invite shelter for a -small boat. It would be either at the cape, or near Castle Rock, or -Fortune Island, he believed, that an attempt might be made to get into -communication with the ship. This he must stop. No one must get in -communication with the land before daylight. Then he would search every -passenger thoroughly, go through all rooms, and take a chance at the -result. At Castle Rock he would be on watch, if nothing occurred here. - -He gazed steadily into the blackness ahead. The stiff trade wind blew -the tops of the seas white. They broke in whitecaps, which showed now -and then through the gloom of the night. He strained his eyes, but -nothing showed ahead. The glass showed a dull, dark sea; there was -nothing in the line of vision within three miles--that is, nothing as -large as a whaleboat. He was sure of this. There might be something -under the dark loom of the land, but the glass failed to show anything. - -"You take a four-point bearing upon the light, Mr. Dunn, and get the -distance accurate," said Junard. "The mate took his bearing before -he left the deck, but you can take another--we are about abreast -now--she's doing exactly sixteen." - -Knowing that this would take the second officer until the light bore -four points abaft the beam, Junard left the bridge and went aft without -notice. He slipped down to the main deck, and went along the gangway -until he reached the taffrail. The whirl of the wheel shook the ship -mightily here, the long, steel arm of the tiller under the gratings -shook and vibrated with the pulsations. The chains drawn taut clanked -and rattled in the guides and sounded above the low murmur of the -shaking fabric. Junard gazed over the stern and watched the thrust of -the screw as it tore the sea white and whirled a giant stream astern -that showed sickly white with the phosphorescent glow. - -When he turned again, he was aware of some one watching him. A head had -appeared and vanished from behind the end of the cabin structure. The -captain sprang for it with a bound. He turned the corner in time to see -a skirt disappearing into the alleyway leading into the saloon. He was -upon it with a catlike rush. He reached the saloon door just as it -closed in his face. - -Without hesitating an instant, he plunged against it, and it gave way -to his great weight and power. He burst with a crash into the saloon. - -The under steward who was on watch aft saw an apparition of a man in -uniform coming through the door like a bull. He had opened his eyes in -time to recognize the captain, who ran right across the cabin and out -upon the deck beyond. - -Junard was swift. He made a reach for the figure as it flitted into a -room which opened upon the deck nearly amidships. His iron grip closed -upon the skirt, which stretched out in the wind behind the fleeing -figure. Then something struck him full in the face, took his breath, -and blinded him. He clung to the cloth, choking, coughing, and blinded; -made a grab with his free hand to clutch the person--but his grip -closed upon empty air. - -When he got the ammonia out of his eyes, which were almost blinded -by the scorching fluid, he hurried to his room and bathed his head -copiously in cold water until he regained his sight. - -"Well, it's a woman, all right," he commented. "We'll have her all -right in the morning; she won't get a show to-night to get away with -anything. I guess I've got her measure." - -In a few minutes he sent for the purser. - -That individual came to the captain's room with fear and trembling. -He had been playing draw poker, and breaking the rules of the ship, -regardless of discipline, and expected, of course, to get a rating. - -"Give me the passenger list," said Junard. - -It was produced. They ran over it, looking for the location of all the -women under thirty or thereabouts in the ship. Junard said nothing of -his adventure, and the purser was amazed at his appearance. - -"Had a bad night, captain?" he asked. - -"Yes, rather. There's a case of cholera aboard--among the women--I -don't know which one, but we'll have a chance to find out to-morrow. -Don't speak of it to any one, mind you; don't let it out under any -conditions--you understand?" - -"Sure not," said the purser, paling a little under the news. "How did -you come to find it out, sir?" - -"Never mind that now. Just keep an eye on all the women in this ship, -and don't let any of them get to throwing things overboard, or trying -to do anything foolish. Watch them, and tell me of anything that might -happen." - -The purser, amazed, went back to his game of poker with certain -passengers; but before doing so, he instructed several of his force to -watch both gangways for the rest of the night. He did not know what -the "old man" expected, but supposed that cholera patients attempted -to throw things overboard, or tried suicide. The thought of the dread -disease aboard made him forgetful of the game, and he lost heavily -before morning. - -Junard, still smarting from the ammonia thrown in his face, came again -upon the bridge. He had saved his eyes by a fraction, for the fluid had -struck him right in the nose and mouth, and only the spray of it had -gotten into his face higher up. It had been squirted by a fluid "gun" -of the kind commonly used by bicyclists for repelling angry dogs. Part -of the skirt had remained in his grip, but the person had slipped away -in an instant and disappeared. It angered him to think a woman could do -such a thing. And yet, if it were a woman watching him, there was sure -to be more than a woman connected with it. No woman, he reasoned, could -have tried his safe. No woman would have taken his revolver and carried -it, along with a deadly knife. There must have been a well-organized -party to the affair, and they had watched him, after taking the papers, -to see just what he would do. Of course, he knew they would not toss -such a valuable document overboard in the night time without a boat -being close at hand to pick it up. The ocean is a hard place to find -anything at night. He knew now that they were aware of his watchfulness -and would not attempt to get rid of the papers except under the most -favorable conditions. To throw them overboard attached to anything -small enough not to attract attention would be to invite sure loss. He -reasoned this out as he stood out the rest of Mr. Dunn's watch, and at -eight bells--four o'clock in the morning--the mate came again on the -bridge without anything happening to excite him. - -"I've been on deck for a short time, Mr. Jameson," said Junard; "but -I'm going to turn in for a little while. Call me when we get well up to -Castle Rock--we'll raise it before morning, before daylight with the -weather clear like this." - -"Aye, aye, sir; I will, sir--she's doing fine now," said Jameson, as he -signed the order book for his course during his watch. - -At two bells--five o'clock--the mate called the captain by going to his -port door and knocking. He was amazed at the sight of a young woman -who came forth from the room and whisked herself quickly down the -deck and out of sight. Such a thing as a woman in the master's room -at that hour was enough to excite Mr. Jameson. He had not been on the -ship long, and the captain was new to him. Masters naturally had love -affairs as well as sailors, but they were generally careful about being -caught. Here Junard had asked him to call him when they sighted Castle -Rock, and, as he knew they must do this by five, at least, the mate -was puzzled to see a woman leaving the captain's room when he knocked. -Why hadn't she left sooner? It was a joke he would be bound to retail -to the rest sooner or later, and he smiled at the thought. He tried to -get a glimpse of her face, but failed. Then he waited a decent length -of time, and knocked again, louder, announcing the light ahead on the -starboard bow. - -Junard came on deck instantly. He had been dressed and dozing. - -The gray light of the morning, which was now beginning to show things -a little, enabled Junard to note the smile upon the face of his chief -mate. - -"Anything funny doing?" he asked. - -"No, sir; but I seen her--I couldn't help it." - -"Seen who?" - -"I beg your pardon, sir; but she was just going out when I came to call -you when I raised the light--your orders, sir, you know. I wouldn't----" - -"Out with it! Whom did you see?" snapped the captain sharply, and his -tone told plainly that he was in no mood for a joke. The mate sobered -at once. - -"There was a lady leaving your room as I came to knock--that's all, -sir," he said sullenly. The captain had a poor appreciation of humor, -he thought. - -"What kind of looking woman was she?" - -"Medium-sized, very well built--I might say stocky, sir--dressed in a -dark cloth dress; she didn't have on a hat." This last was with almost -a sneer. It brought Junard around with a jerk. - -"I don't wish to seem foolish, Mr. Jameson, but you appear to presume -too much. I might insinuate gently that you are a damn fool--but I -won't, not until you tell me what is amusing you, and what you saw. -I will say there was no woman in my room. If there was, I'd not be -troubled to confess it." - -"That's all I seen, sir," said Jameson sourly. - -"Which way did she go?" - -"She went aft," said the mate, wondering at the captain trying to hide -the obvious. It irked him to think his master a fool. "She went aft, -and that's all I seen." - -"Mr. Jameson, there's a few things you don't know," said Junard. "When -we get abreast of Castle Rock, I want you to go aft and watch both -sides of the ship carefully, you understand? I want you to see that -not a thing is thrown overboard--not a single thing--and if there is -anything showing in the wake, come to me at once--or, better still, -ring off the engines and mark it to pick up. This is very important. -I can't tell you right now just how important it is, but I will say -your berth depends upon it. Do not let anything leave the ship without -notice--not a thing." - -"Aye, aye, sir," said Jameson; and he went aft amazed at the outcome of -his deductions. He wondered what was up. Some affair of the captain's, -he was sure. But the severity of the master's tone, the earnestness -of the captain's manner, disturbed him greatly. There was something -peculiar about it that made him, forced him, to give his attention to -it. And there was the threat of his own berth, his position, being in -forfeit. He did not like that kind of talk from a captain. It savored -of undue severity. He took his station aft of the superstructure with -some misgivings. In the gray light of dawn, he watched both gangways, -first one side and then the other, keeping well back of the house. - -Castle Rock light drew well upon the bow. It was now within a mile, and -Junard noticed a small fishing boat riding in the fairway just ahead -of the ship. As the water was very deep here, he knew she was not -anchored, but must be waiting and under way; yet no sail showed upon -her. Perhaps a powerful motor lay within her. He watched her carefully, -and walked from side to side of the bridge, waiting for some sign from -those aboard. The wake was now showing white in the gray of morning, -and a small object could soon be distinguished in the smooth sea to -leeward of the lighthouse, where the heavy swell of the Atlantic was -cut off. - -Jameson, who stood at the taffrail, saw a figure of a man peer from -the window of a stateroom nearly amidships. The head was quickly -withdrawn. The mate watched, and then walked quickly across the stern -and watched the wake, wondering what might be taking place. The form -of a woman flitted down the gangway from forward, showing dimly in the -gloom. She came from the opposite side of the ship from where he had -seen the head peer forth. Hiding behind the house, he watched her come -quickly aft. She was carrying something in her hand that looked like a -life buoy. Instinctively the mate made ready to catch her. He saw that -life belt, and to his imagination it spelled something like a person -going overboard. The form of a man came quickly behind her, and Jameson -recognized one of the under stewards, who had been watching for trouble -at the purser's orders. - -The woman ran at the sound of footsteps behind her. She came with -amazing swiftness to the taffrail, near where Jameson stood. He -gathered himself, and sprang forth, clasping her in his arms just as -she hurled the life belt over the side into the sea. - -The girl screamed shrilly, struggled frantically in the embrace of the -officer. Jameson wondered what he was about--began to think he had -captured a lunatic--when the rush of feet above caused him to loosen -his grip. He turned in time to see Captain Junard take a header from -the rail of the deck above and plunge headlong into the sea where it -boiled and swirled from the thrust of the screw. - -Jameson was paralyzed for an instant. He distinctly saw his commander -go overboard. It gave him a shock. He let go the girl and stood -motionless for a second. Then, as the head of Junard arose in the white -waste astern and struck out for an object, the life belt the girl had -thrown over, he gathered his wits again, and dashed for the quarter -bell pull, or telegraph, to the engine room. - -Full speed astern he threw it, and the astonished engineer on watch -nearly fainted under the sudden warning. Thinking that a collision -was at hand, he shut down and reversed under full power, opening the -throttle wide, and giving her every ounce of steam in her boilers as -she took the strain. The sudden take-up, the tremendous vibrations, and -the slowing speed awoke many passengers. Not a sound of action had gone -forth save the screams of the girl, and these were now silent as she -had quickly flitted out of sight when the mate released her. Jameson -rushed to the bridge and called his watch as he ran. Then he set the -siren cord down hard, and the unearthly roar awoke the quiet tropical -morning. Men rushed about. The watch hurried aft. - -"Stop her!" yelled Jameson to the quartermaster. "Stop her--don't go -astern!" - -"Stop her, sir!" came the answering cry from the wheel. Jameson rushed -to the rail again, and cut loose a life buoy from its lashings. He ran -aft with it, intending to throw it out to his captain. Junard, however, -was but a speck, far astern, his head showing like a black dot in the -white water of the wake. The mate noticed for the first time that the -small fishing boat ahead was now standing down toward the ship under -rapid headway, the exhaust from her motor sounding loud and sharp over -the sea. - -"Get the quarter boat down--quick!" came his order. - -Then he hesitated a moment. The small fishing boat was nearing them -with rapidity. She headed straight for Junard, and would reach him long -before any rowboat from the ship could get there. - -"Hold on! Avast the boat there!" he ordered. "That motor boat will pick -him up, all right." Then the thought that he was not quite right in -not lowering down a boat for his commander, that it might look queer, -waiting for a stranger to do his evident duty, came over him, and he -gave the order to lower away. The small boat dropped into the sea. The -steamer was now motionless, lying in the calm sea behind the rock, with -her engines stopped. Men crowded the rail aft to watch. - -"What's the matter? What made him jump overboard?" came the question -from all sides. "It's the captain! What's up?" - -Jameson could not quite tell. He was vaguely aware that his commander -sprang over for some object. That he took a desperate chance, with the -ship going ahead, was certain. Had he not been seen, the vessel would -have been miles away before missing him, for there had been no warning -from the bridge. The mate slid down the falls, wondering what he was -doing. - -"Cast off--give way, port; back, starboard!" came his order. He stood -up, to see better, and gazed at the fishing boat, that now approached -the speck he knew to be the head of Captain Junard. - -"Give way together!" he said, glad to get away from the ship, with the -inquisitive crowd gathering rapidly and increasing in both anxiety and -numbers. - -He watched the motor boat come quickly to where Junard swam. The -captain was not a good swimmer. Few seamen can swim well. Jameson saw -the boat approach, men lean out from her side, and grab something, -apparently trying to lift the captain aboard. Then there was a -tremendous floundering and threshing about in the sea, distant shouts -for help from the captain, and the mate grasped the tiller yoke with a -certain grip. - -"Give way, bullies! Give way--all that's in you now!" he urged. - -Something was taking place that he did not quite understand, but he had -heard that call for help. - -Junard saw the fishing boat coming toward him before it reached him. -He waited, swimming slowly and reserving his strength, feeling that -the occupants were hostile and were waiting for the papers that had -been tossed overboard. It was about where he expected something to -happen. The lighthouse and the shelter of the island made it a most -convenient spot to pull off the finish of the affair. The light-draft -fishing boat, with her motor, could easily evade capture from anything -the ship could send out after her. The steamer herself could not enter -the shoal water, and must allow the smaller boat to get away across -the shallow parts of the Great Panama Bank to some distant rendezvous, -where the papers could be put aboard a proper ship to take them to the -conspirators. He, the commander, had no right to leave the ship in the -manner he had done; but necessity called for drastic action, and he had -plunged over the side as soon as he had seen the girl fling an object -overboard. - -Three men in the fishing boat were watching him as she drew up. His own -boat was a long distance off, but he hoped the mate would hurry. - -A man came forward in the motor boat, and leaned out from her side. -He watched him narrowly. The man made a grab for Junard as the -boat reached him, and the captain, with a sudden jerk, dragged him -overboard. Then he yelled for help. - -The man's two companions in the boat sprang to his aid. Junard found -himself engaged in a desperate struggle with three men, and shoved -himself away from the side of the craft. - -He held fast to the package, a metal cylinder, tightly wrapped in -canvas, and at the same time struggled out of reach of the men above -him. The man he had pulled overboard regained his strength, and, -grasping the life belt with one hand, grabbed at the package with the -other. The package tied to the life belt could not be gotten out of -his reach, and Junard was struggling with one hand and fighting and -grasping alternately at the life belt with the other. - -"Give it up, you scoundrel!" hissed the fellow. "What do you know about -this package? Give it to me--do you hear?" - -"I hear well enough," snarled Junard, struggling farther out of the -reach of those in the motor boat. "But I'm the captain of that ship -there--and the papers are in my care. Let go, or I'll do you harm!" - -The man glared at him savagely. Then he turned to the men above him in -the boat, now a dozen feet away. - -"Shoot, Jim--shoot quick--kill the fool if he won't let go!" he said. - -The man addressed was a tall, dark fellow with a sinister look. That -he was Colombian, Junard knew from his accent and appearance. The -other, who had stopped the engine, and who seemed to be the engineer, -looked askance. He evidently did not like the shooting part. This man -was also a Colombian, but his features were those of a man who works -outdoors at a simple trade. The other two looked like desperate men, -and Junard felt that they would stop at nothing to get the papers from -him. The man who was called Jim hesitated, and then, seeing the small -boat approaching from the steamer, reached behind his back and brought -forth a long, blue revolver. Junard waited until the barrel came within -a line with his eye; then he ducked, and swung the life belt around, -coming up with it in front of him, and raising it partly before his -face. The pistol cracked sharply, and the bullet tore through the cork. -Junard let go the package, and seized the man in the water with both -hands, whirling him about and holding him squarely in front of himself. - -"Start that engine!" called the man, struggling vainly to get away. - -The man who had stopped it whirled the wheel over again, and the rumble -of the motor began. The two waited, without throwing on the clutch. - -Junard grasped the man firmly, and forced him down under the sea, going -under with him, and holding his breath to the limit of his great lungs. - -When he came up again the man was choking, gasping for air. Junard -only waited long enough to fill his own lungs with a breath, and then -ducked again, the crack of the revolver ringing in his ears as he went, -pulling his antagonist down with him. - -The next time he came up the fellow could not talk, but choked and -gasped for air. Junard held him with a giant's grip, his long, powerful -arms encircling him like those of a gorilla. The fellow let go the life -belt and the package. Junard took in more air, and dropped down again, -while a bullet tore through his hair, cutting his scalp. - -This time when he came up the fellow was limp. Junard held him before -him, and the man with the pistol was afraid to fire, as the captain's -eyes just showed above the man's neck. The captain struggled farther -and farther away from the boat, getting fully twenty feet distant. The -man at the engine threw on the clutch, and the boat shot ahead, swung -sharply around, and headed for the floating men. - -Junard saw the mate standing up in the stern of the ship's boat, and -knew he was doing all he could to reach him. The shots had made him -aware of the desperate situation, and the men were bending their backs -with a will to the oars. Jameson yelled harshly, the men in the motor -craft saw that to remain longer would mean capture. They swung off and -headed for the steamer, leaving their companion in Junard's grip. The -next moment the mate came tearing up, and, leaning over, grasped his -commander and hauled him aboard the boat. - -Junard came over the side, and immediately reached for a boat hook. He -stabbed at the cork jacket, and hauled it alongside, dragging it aboard -before the boat lost her headway. The body of the exhausted man sank -before either he or Jameson could get another hold of him. - -"To the ship--quick!" gasped the captain. - -"What's the matter? What's up?" questioned the mate. - -"Never mind--swing her, quick!" - -The boat turned around and headed back, the captain urging the men to -their utmost. The fishing boat, with her motor going full speed, left -them far behind. They were unable to get near the craft. - -Junard, watching them, saw the boat come close under the ship's stern. -A form of a woman leaped from the rail of the lower deck. The splash -threw spray almost into the boat as she went past, and they saw the -tall Colombian reach over and drag the girl aboard. The boat shot -around the steamer's stern and disappeared for a few moments; and when -Junard saw her again she was a quarter of a mile distant, and making -rapid headway for the shoal water of the island. He started after her, -when the shots from the revolver began to strike about the craft, and -Junard ordered his men to stop rowing. He knew he could not capture -her, unarmed as he was, and he had his precious papers safe in his -mighty hands. To follow was only to invite trouble. - -The fishing boat ran quickly out of range, and Junard watched her for a -few minutes. Then he headed his boat back to the ship. - -The rail was crowded as he came alongside, the purser watching him, and -half the passengers were on deck to see what was taking place. - -"What was it? What's the matter?" asked a score at once. - -"Man overboard--that's all," said Jameson. - -"H'ist her up," said Junard, and he clambered up the swinging ladder -thrown over to him, taking the life belt and the package under his arm. - -Mr. Dunn was on deck, and Junard gave him his orders. - -"Full speed ahead--on her course, north to west," he said, and went -into his room. The door closed behind him. Then he switched off the -lights, for it was now broad daylight, and then he opened the package. -The papers were all there and intact, the water not reaching them at -all. The safe was opened, and they were placed within. Then Junard -stripped and turned in for a few hours of dreamless, quiet sleep. - -He had saved the papers of his company, documents that were valued at -more than a million dollars--and not a soul aboard knew what had really -happened. Even Jameson was never quite sure. - -The purser asked no questions about cholera, the ship headed along upon -her course toward New York, and the warm day took its routine without -further incident. Junard appeared very happy, and told many interesting -stories at the dinner table that day. He answered no questions -concerning the affair of the night. - -He brought in his papers, delivered them in person, and a great -political change took place without any one but a few select souls ever -knowing how near the verge of revolution a prominent South American -republic had been. Junard was offered a medal for risking his life -trying to save that of a man overboard--but he refused it. The shots -from the fishing boat were explained as signals for help. That was all. - - - - -IN THE WAKE OF THE ENGINE - - -I had been transferred to the old _Prince Albert_, one of -the freighters on the Jamaica run, and the skipper was Bill -Boldwin--Boldwin who was once in the Amper Line, but who had a -monstrous thirst and a reckless disposition--too reckless for -first-class passengers. The "old man," as all captains are called, -having these failings, had also a mighty poor education, and his -navigation was mostly, "Let her go and trust to the sun." - -"Compasses?" said Bill. "How'd they get along before they had 'em, hey? -Steer the course, or thereabouts; you'll git thar or somewheres nigh to -it--if you don't fetch up." - -"But the company?" I said in amazement. - -"The company be blowed! Take life easy--it's short. Don't let the -company worry you to any great extent. They'll give you a job as night -watchman at twenty per month after they get out of you all there is in -you." - -At the same time Bill, who was my "old man," and who, by the way, -was ten years younger than myself, would not stand for any too much -carelessness on the part of his first officer. I was his chief mate. -He knew what I had to do, and hated to tell me. I confess I seldom gave -him a chance. The second greaser was a little, short squarehead named -Andersen; at least we called him that, going on the principle that -it was a sure thing that if he was a squarehead he was either named -Andersen or Johnson. There are no other names in Sweden, and a man -naturally just has to be one or the other. They're good enough. - -Andersen knew his business and was an able seaman, learning his little -book in the old sailing ships where they teach you something not always -taught in steam. He had the bos'n in with him, and what the bos'n -didn't know about handling the steam winches would be hard to tell. But -that's all the bos'n knew. Not a thing else. If he had he wouldn't have -rammed greasy rags in behind the ceiling of the after deck house in a -hurry to get his grub at knock-off time. - -No, that was the failing of the bos'n; he lacked knowledge, and was as -good a navigator as you might find in a young lady's finishing school. -He had paws on him like a loggerhead's flippers, nearly a foot across, -and each finger was a marline spike, and every thread of his hair, -where he wasn't clean bald, was a rope yarn. He knew sailoring--nothing -else. - -He was about as much afraid of anything in this world or the next as -a hungry shark is of beef; in fact, he seemed to take to trouble with -about the same sort of appetite. In six months I never had a chance to -tell him anything except the routine. - -The chief engineer was McDougal, and the second was Mac something--all -of our engine-room force went under the same name of Mac, just plain -"_Mac_," and if they were not Scotchmen, I never saw one in my life. -Scotchmen are born engine men, take to a machine like a dago does to -a knife. The rest of the fireroom bunch were the old-style Liverpool -Irishmen, and I'll tell you something, they were hard ones all right. -They were the toughest lot of coal tossers I ever sailed with, and even -the donkey man, O'Hare, was a peach of a Donegal Irishman with Galways -of reddish hue that stuck out from under his shirt collar, pointing -upward as if they were growing some husky on his throat. - -That was the principal part of our crew. There were some twenty others, -including the cooks, galley boys, seamen, and quartermasters. - -We cleared for Antonio, and were soon running out over the Western -Ocean in the lazy, tiresome routine of ship's duty. We were licensed to -carry passengers and had a few waiters aboard, a steward, and a lady of -about thirty signed on as stewardess. - -As there were no passengers this voyage out--no one ever went out -with us if he could help it, but came back when there were no other -ships--the cabin crowd had an easy time, regular yachting trip; and if -Miss Lucy Docking had a stupid time, it was because she wouldn't talk -to the rest. - -"Stuck-up and sassy," they said aft, but I never could tell, never -getting a chance to talk with her without a dozen or more listening. -At the same time I didn't like to blame the girl just because she -didn't like the set of lovers the ship furnished free of charge. "Let -her pick her own," said I, "it's like enough she'll make a mistake, -anyways, without your help." I never had a big opinion of women, -anyhow, for the only one I ever proposed marriage to fell down and -nearly died laughing at me, and that after I had been dreaming of her -and thinking her the greatest angel in the world. - -Miss Lucy was all right with me, because I let her alone, except in -the mid-watch, when I was cold and thirsty. Then she used to get me a -cup of cocoa or chocolate or coffee, and I tell you the man who stands -the mid-watch on the old freighters is earning all he gets, whether it -comes by way of the stewardess or by way of the front office. - -We crossed the Western Ocean in the usual manner. I had my order book -to sign, and I saw that the second greaser didn't get gay with it. Days -and days of the old routine passed, and we were in the edge of the -trade when the first thing happened to show what a wild lot of yaps we -had in that ship. - -The bos'n stuffed his oiled rags in behind the ceiling of the after -house, and it was about three days afterward we struck the hot weather. -The rags promptly caught fire--they always do when snugged in from the -air--and we hove the old hooker to in the teeth of the trade with the -after deck a roaring furnace. If you think we didn't have a time of -it putting that deck house out, throwing it overboard in pieces, you -should look up Lloyd's. Well, the way I talked to that bos'n would have -given heart disease to most men, but the beggar didn't see it at all. - -"Rags is rags," he says, "and what for don't I put them behaind -something?" - -"Because if you do it again we'll toss you overboard with twenty pound -of kentledge to your feet," I told him, and it was the only reason he -could get through his bullet head. It didn't scare him at all. He only -looked upon the matter as closed, for he would not mutiny. He was too -good a sailor for any foolishness. - -"Rags is rags," he would repeat as we chopped the blackened wreck away -the day after, when all hands had been near the port of missing ships -and were tired and nervous, having been on duty for fifty hours without -a break. "Rags is rags, an' some son of a sea-cook set fire to 'em--no -rags I ever seen ever took fire of themselves. Does a ship run herself, -hey? Answer me that! Does a ship run her own engines, steer her own -course, what? Some one of you sons of Ham did that dirty trick and I'll -get you for it yet!" - -"But rags do fire themselves, even if a ship don't," said the old man, -"and you are the leading bonehead not to know it. You don't rate a -brass boy in anything but a coal barge, and if you don't look out I'll -have to train you some." - -"Rags is----" - -Only the size and look of the bos'n's hands prevented the old man from -committing murder right there. But the bos'n took it out on the men. -What he didn't do to them that voyage was never logged. - -Miss Docking stood the test well. She stayed on deck and watched the -fracas and never turned a hair, so to speak, waiting for the word to -take to the boats with as cool a nerve as anything I ever saw. She -was billeted for my boat, Number One, and I confess I was somewhat -disappointed when the blamed deck house burned to the steel and the -danger of leaving the ship was past. - -Boldwin was always taking it easy, and he never even took that real -hard, although it would cost him something to explain how he did the -damage when the underwriters asked him. - -"Don't do it again," was all he said to me. - -"No, not until we get another deck house at least," I said. "Maybe I -can see that they don't set fire to the anchor or burn up the windlass, -or eat the coir hawser, or----" - -"Well, see that you don't. That's your business--you're mate," he -snapped back, and started for the chart house. - -Andersen came to me. "I tank I sign de order book for sou'west half -sou'--here we bane running eastb'no'th. How I tell de truth wid sech a -t'ing--hey?" said he. - -"If you always tell the truth in this line of packets you'll soon get a -job hoeing potatoes in Essex! What's the matter with you? Do you want -the company to get wise that we fought a fire set in with oiled rags by -a fool of a bos'n and had to run the ship fifty miles off her course? -Who'll pay for the coal? Who'll square the old man? Who'll tell the -passengers that we don't always have a bonehead bos'n to wreck us, and -that if they'll promise to come again we'll see that it don't happen -often--no, not often?" - -Andersen went on duty with a queer look in his eyes. He had seen -something and it amazed him--just why I never could tell, for he had -been in steamers before and ought to have known something of a ship's -officers' duties before coming into the Prince Line. - -The truth in many lines is sacred. Absolutely sacred. Too sacred -entirely to shift about the deck like a bag of dunnage and leave lying -around for some fools to play with. No, never play with the truth in -some lines of shipping. Do your duty. That's all you've got to do, and -if it's so logged, why, then you're all right. If it isn't, why, then -you better get to driving a truck or peddling peanuts. - -Well, Boldwin was a pretty good sort, as I have said. He mostly saw -that all of us did our duty--in the log book, in the order book, and -with the company officers. We went along slowly on our course after -that, and were in the latitude of Watlings when bad weather came on. -It was nothing much, just a cyclone of the usual order, coming as it -did in the hurricane season; but we were a full-powered ship of six -thousand tons, and it wouldn't have delayed us to any extent--except -that we didn't count on the donkey man from Donegal. - -You see, the _Albert_ had one of those underwater ash-chutes. The pipe -came down through the bilge, about fifteen feet below the water line. -It was a foot in diameter, and was supposedly bolted to the skin and as -solid as the keel or garboards. - -The metal of the pipe was half an inch in thickness, and was braced and -bolted so that the top which showed above the water line could be hove -on and shut off in a seaway. The top had a sliding cover working with -a lever, and when the ashes were to be fired out the cover was thrown -back, the bucket dumped, and a jet of steam blew the mass out through -the ship's bottom, making no dirt or dust at all, and doing away with -the everlasting firing over the side. - -It was a good invention. It saved the company many dollars in paint, -and it kept the ship, which was always short-handed, looking better -than most vessels that used the old way over the side. - -It would have lasted forever if the man from Donegal hadn't been of an -inquisitive turn of mind, and started exploring it with a monkey wrench -the week before the storm. As it happened he broke several of the -bolts which had rusted in the bottom, and the metal, having been much -worn and corroded, the first thing Mac knew was a torrent of sea water -pouring into the after compartment, coming as it did through a pipe -hole about a foot in diameter and fifteen feet below the sea level. - -It caught the firemen unawares. The donkey man was with them and -let out a yip that brought every coal passer, oiler, and fireman -to the chute. A wild burst of water tore through that hole, and the -compartment was flooded in less time than it takes to tell about -it--and that compartment ran the whole length of the engine room and -aft of it until it brought up in the wake of the machinery, where the -bulkhead of the tail-shaft room shut off the stern. - -The donkey man managed to get out with the rest, and the fires in -starboard boilers swamped, nearly blowing up the ship as the water -flooded them. It was only because there was enough water to prevent the -making of steam to any great extent that saved us from having the whole -midsection blown in the air. - -And all the time I was holding to the bridge rail with a cyclone -snoring down upon us at the rate of seventy miles an hour. Luckily the -ash pipe stayed partly bolted to the skin of the bottom. That alone -saved us from total loss. - -Of course I knew something was wrong the minute the boilers went -smothered. The terrific roar of steam and the easing of the engines -told me that sure enough trouble was coming, and all the time I had -been wondering how we would hold the hooker up to that gale with the -full power in her. - -"What's the matter--bottom blow away?" howled Boldwin, coming from the -pilot house and yelling in my ear. - -"God knows--anything might happen to us after last week," I howled in -return, but the force of the hurricane blew the words away, and the -old man went staggering and pulling himself along the rail until he -managed to get below. For the next fifteen minutes on that bridge I did -some small bit of thinking. Looked like all day with us. Not a sign -could I get from anywhere, and of course I dared not leave the bridge. -Once I thought she had blown up with powder. Next I thought the engines -had gone through the bottom. And all the time I could feel her settling -in that whirlwind sea--a sea torn white with the blast of the squalls -that were now coming faster and faster each minute. - -"Well, I'm mighty glad I'm not married, anyway," I said to myself, for -it looked like the long sleep coming fast. And then I somehow thought -of that Miss Docking below there in the comfortable cabin waiting for -the finish. It gave me a bit of a turn, and I tried to imagine what -that cabin would look like in a few minutes when the sea water swept -through it with all its transoms and cushions, piano and carpet---- - -"Hard a starboard, sir," came the cry. - -It was most welcome. Anything but that standing there waiting for the -next minute to follow the last. I saw that the quartermaster swung the -wheel over quickly. It was steam steering, and the ship fell off in the -trough of the sea in a few minutes, the weight of the gale driving her -bodily to leeward and heeling her over to quite a list. - -"Heave her to," came the order passed up from the old man, and I put -the wheel hard down and waited to see if she would stay without coming -up. She lay easily drifting off, and while I watched her for trouble -the old man sent for me. Andersen came up and took my place, and I ran -down, half blown, half crawling to the shelter of the deck house, and -from there below to see what had happened. - -Bill Boldwin was standing at the ash chute swearing at the man from -Donegal. The donkey man was trying to tell what he didn't know about -his business, and all the time the water flowed freely through the -one-foot pipe until it so filled the compartment that nothing more -could come up through it. It was a good thing! If the whole Atlantic -Ocean had been delegated to flow through that pipe, nobody was there -to stop it, not a soul to say why not. And then I was aware of the -stewardess standing in the press of faces, looking scared but cool. - -"Why don't you ram something in it?" she asked. - -Simple? Sure it was simple. No one had tried to do such a thing, but -there she was asking why. - -"The pipe'll break away--you can't shove anything down it," said -Boldwin. - -"No? But why don't you shove something from the outside?" said Miss -Docking. - -"Go to your room," snarled the old man. - -"She's right--we'll stop it in a jiffy--from the outside," I yelled. - -The skipper thought I was crazy. He looked at me. - -"How'll you get anything over the outside in this seaway, you -bonehead?" he asked. - -"Get me the hand lead," I yelled to the bos'n, "and a stick of light -wood--big piece, big enough to float a man." - -The bos'n ran for the stuff. That was one good point in that bos'n. -He'd do what he was told even when he hadn't the slightest idea what -he was doing. He came back in a few minutes with a long piece of white -pine and the hand lead. I looked them over for a moment to judge the -weight and floating power of the tools. Then I quickly hitched the lead -to the piece of pine and left the bight of the line so that as soon as -I jerked it hard the lead would free itself and go hell bent for Davy -Jones, leaving the Pine line fast to the lead line to float up and away. - -To the end of the chute I now quickly made my way. The Donegal man -wanted to help, and faith! he was a good man when it came to doing -things he understood. He showed me where the upper end of that chute -was in that roaring surge of filthy water, and the beggar actually got -a hold of the lever that worked the cover and jammed it open. - -I instantly dropped the lead, the wood, and the line through, and had -the satisfaction of feeling the line going fast to the bottom out -through the hole in the bilge. When the line had gone about ten fathoms -I gave the sudden jerk. Off comes the lead and the line stops running -out. - -"Get to windward and grab that plank," I yelled, and even the old man -followed the bunch that struggled to the rail and watched the sea -where we drifted bodily off. In a minute the bos'n saw it. In five more -he had the plank back aboard and a three-inch line fast to the lead -line. This I hauled quickly but cautiously back through the ash pipe -until I got a good hold of the end. - -"Now," I yelled, "give me mattresses, beds, canvas, fearnaught, or -oakum--anything so long as you get it here quick." - -The stewardess had already anticipated my work. I caught her eye back -of the line of men. - -"Here they are," she said quietly. - -The bos'n got a Number Double O hatch cover. I wrapped the mattresses -in it, and then quickly hitched the three-inch line carefully about the -middle. - -"Over the side with it," I shouted. Over it went, and as it did so I -got the line hauling through the pipe. Two men helped me. We hauled the -plug jam up tight against the ship's bilge, and then surged upon the -line and made it fast. - -"Now go ahead and pump her clear, Mac, pump her out--she's tight as a -drum," I said, and the old man looked at me with a peculiar smile. - -An hour later that compartment was clear of water, and she leaked only -a little around the stuffing, which was not enough to wet a man's feet. -Another day and the starboard boilers were doing duty with a smoothing -sea and a sun peeping out through the banks of trade clouds. The storm -had long passed; the _Prince Albert_ was on her way under full power, -with nothing at all to disturb the serenity of the passage, save -the knowledge that we had a masterly crew aboard and some excellent -specimens for manning passenger ships. - -Down the Western Ocean we ran without further incident, and hove to off -the entrance of Antonio, burning flares for the pilot. You know the -place. Narrow cut in through the reef, with the harbor lying like a -pool of blue water in the surrounding hills. Not a breath of air in the -place even when, half a mile distant, just outside, the trade might be -blowing a twenty-knot breeze. - -The pilot came out at daybreak, and we ran in, tied up to the wharf, -and began discharging. My duties were ended for the time, as I thought, -and I took a stroll up to the hotel upon the hill. There was no use -trying to get any sleep in the watch below while at the dock, for two -hundred howling Jamaica blacks roared and surged along the gangways and -crowded the winches, handling the cargo ably, while the women came down -in swarms to chat with the crew and sell a few grapefruit and oranges. -Boldwin let any one come aboard, and as the men were not supposed to -handle cargo, they had plenty of time in spite of all we could do to -keep them busy. - -The skipper reported the damage to the agents, and told of the disaster -below. He was honest. He might have saved that bit of knowledge until -we reached England again, but he told his tale, and the agents refused -to allow him to sail until the pipe was repaired and properly bolted -down into the bilge plates as it should be. In the smooth water of -that mirror-like harbor it seemed an easy thing to do. All that was -necessary was to get a diver to go under the fifteen feet to the -outside end and pass up the bolts through the flange. - -Mr. Man from Donegal could then get at them with his monkey wrench and -screw down the nuts upon them, clamping the pipe as fast as the keel -itself. - -"You take a look around uptown and try to get hold of a diver," said -the old man. "Mr. Sacks, the agent, says he don't know of any nearer -than Kingston, and it'll take two days to get the one over there, as -he's out on a wreck off the harbor. We can't wait two days. Got to get -to Montego Bay and take on a lot of stuff, then get to Kingston for -clearing and off we go." - -"Why not wait until we get to Kingston to do the trick?" I asked. - -Bill Boldwin gazed at me in contempt. - -"Say, do you want to advertise the fact that we are on the bum to all -the passengers the line'll carry? Think a minute, man, and don't ask -fool questions. We got to get that job done right here--see? We don't -go outside until there's something more'n a mattress and a bit of -fearnaught between us and the bottom of the Caribbean." - -"But we carried it the last thousand miles all right," I said. - -Bill turned away in disgust. - -As a matter of fact, I didn't like the idea of trying to get hold of -a diver in Antonio. There were not enough divers to go down to find -the bottoms of the rum bottles ashore, let alone a ship's bilge. It's -true, a man might do the thing naked in that clear water. I've seen -men in the East copper a ship twice as deep with nothing on them but a -hammer and a mouthful of nails. - -After a day's search I gave it up. Not a man knew anything about -submarine work, and at the hotel they laughed at me when I inquired for -a diver. I also noticed that Miss Lucy Docking looked well sitting upon -the veranda of the joint, togged out as she was in white linen. She -gave me a nod, but wasn't keen on talking when I tried to find out if -she had made arrangements for lady passengers that voyage. - -"There's two on the books--that's all," she said, and gazed placidly -out over the tops of the cocoa-nuts growing upon the beach below. - -"Your advice last Friday helped me a lot," I said, "and I appreciate it -and would----" - -"Would you like some more?" she interrupted suddenly. - -"Anything you might suggest," I said. - -"Beat it back to the ship, then," she answered without a smile. - -"Sure--if that's your advice," I snarled; "the hot weather has -evidently soured your----" - -"Cut it out--I'm not a guest here, and what do you think the agents -would say if they saw the chief officer of their 'crack' liner talking -to their stewardess sitting on the hotel piazza? I thought you had more -sense." - -"I ain't the only fool aboard--that's straight," I said. - -"No; nor ashore, either--why don't you stop that hole yourself? You're -big enough and ugly enough to stop a clock," she snapped. - -"Thanks!" I answered, and strode away with the kindest feelings -imaginable for our stewardess. - -But strange as it may seem, that remark was what did the business. I -would stop that hole if I had to be keelhauled myself to do it. What! -Lay the ship up a day or two while that lady sat around in white duck -and looked out dreamily over that beautiful harbor? Not if I knew -myself. I'd see that the ship got away and hoped she would carry at -least two ugly and indignant aged ladies who could and would make life -a happy dream for that stewardess. - -I went back aboard with the report that there was not a diver this side -of hell, and that if the ship would stand the expense of my funeral I -would at least try to pass the bolts for the man from Donegal to screw -fast. - -"Sink a donkey man, anyhow!" I swore, "why don't the company get -engineers enough to run a ship properly?" - -"Why, indeed?" smiled Bill Boldwin. - -I turned to the men I needed, and with that bos'n to give them advice -with those flippers of his, I peeled off and made ready for the work. -The engine-room force had taken off the pipe and bolted a new flange to -it, a strong job and proper. The affair was all ready to ship just as -soon as we dared pull the wad of stuffing away and set it up. A frame -had been rigged in the room to steady the affair, and the bolt holes -had been reamed out as much as they would stand. A deck pump kept the -water from the vicinity, the water that still leaked in around the bolt -holes. - -It was necessary to get the wad of stuff away from the bolt holes in -the flanges, for it spread out so that it made passing of bolts from -the outside impossible. The pressure upon it from the water under the -ship at the depth of fifteen feet was great, and I was supposed to get -a line to it so that it might be pulled away by the men on deck after -we slacked away the three-inch line by which we had hauled it into the -breach. The pipe was set up true over the opening, the holes lined up, -a few bolts inserted point downward to steady it, and all was ready for -the man outside to get the blamed wad away and pass the bolts upward so -that their threads would appear through the flange. I went on deck and -gazed down over the side at the warm blue depths. - -"Strange that the mate has to do the dog's work," I said to Mac, who -was waiting and watching. - -I had a line rigged under the bilge by passing it under the bows and -drifting it aft until it came right on the line of the hole. It was -slack enough to allow a handhold, so that I could pull myself down -quickly and then let go as I pushed in a bolt. - -I took a light line and over I went. - -The water was fine. The light filtered down under the ship's bilge, -and it was only dark after I swept well under the curve of the side. -Still, I could see a little, and soon made out a mass which I rightly -took to be the mattress and stuff filling the hole. - -I tried to get the line fast to the thing, feeling quickly, but I -lost my breath before I got it fast and, letting go, struggled to the -surface again. - -"What luck?" asked Mac, grinning over at me. - -I wasted no time in idle words. I recovered and grasped the line again -and hauled myself furiously toward the opening underneath. I could not -get the line fast, and had to come up and confess that I had failed so -far. - -"Look out a shark don't get you," said some one with an idea of wit. - -"Give me a marline spike," I ordered that bos'n, and the beggar got -one, handing it to me by a line. I dove again, and this time managed to -drive the spike in between the turns of the line holding the mattress. -The next dive I got the small line fast to it, and, coming up, told -them to slack away on the big line inside and haul the small one -outside and get the stuffing away. It came easy enough, and the line of -interested faces peering over the rail above bore a different look as I -hung with one hand and rested from the exertion. - -"Now for the bolts," I said, and one was handed down. I hauled under -again and inserted it, feeling with some satisfaction the other end -being grasped by some one inboard. Mr. Donkey Man had hold of it all -right, and, putting on a nut, set it up without delay. This much of -the job was not so hard, but I was now getting tired, and found that -I could hardly get below before I wanted to get my breath again. I was -no diver--no, not to speak of, but I thought of that woman sitting up -there waiting, taking it easy with her insolence and white dress---- - -Seven other inch bolts were to be inserted before the job could be -finished inside, and the water was pouring through the bolt holes in -streams that kept the pumps working full stroke and made working about -the opening difficult. I came on deck, and Bill Boldwin gave me a -noggin of rum, grinning at me all the time. - -"You ain't so bad for a mate--I've sailed with worse," said he. - -"The next time I sign on it'll be as a master submarine," I said, with -some feeling. "Now, if I didn't have to wear these breeches I could do -better and faster work." - -"Why don't you take 'em off?" he said. - -"But the ladies--I must wear something----" - -"Oh, what do you care for a lot of niggers? Strip if it does you any -good." - -I was just about to take his advice when I noticed the face of Miss -Docking passing the port along the gangway. She had been attracted by -the crowd aboard, and had come, woman-like, out of pure curiosity, to -see what was on. - -"No," I said; "I'll fix the rest, all right--gimme another noggin." - -I got seven of the eight bolts in place; and the donkey man, assisted -by Mac and the entire engine-room force, set them up one at a time -after packing the joint properly. Only one wooden plug remained -inboard, and the water squirted straight up nearly fifteen feet with -the pressure when that was pulled out for my last attempt. If I could -get that bolt in, there was a job done that would save the company -perhaps a few hundred dollars, and I would get--well, I might get -mentioned as something better than the ordinary mate when Bill made -his report. But that wasn't what made me do the thing; it was the -confounded spirit that Lucy Docking stirred up within me. Oh, yes, I -was a fool, all right. I don't deny it. - -The affair was getting to be something of a circus by this time, and -the coons who were looking on were making remarks. I was about to clear -the gangway when I thought that here was the last plug, the last bolt, -and then for a nip and a sleep before clearing. I went over with that -last bolt, and, as I did so, I saw Miss Lucy gazing out of a cabin -port at me. Before I went under her face appeared above the rail and -watched. I was so tired by this time that I had the small line, which -was hambroline, fast about my armpits, so that Mac and his crew could -haul me up if I gave out entirely. This was my mistake. - -Down I went, and as I went under I thought I heard the word "Shark!" -muttered by some of the colored folk above. I had just shoved in the -last bolt when a shadow passed. At the same instant there was a mighty -pull upon the line. I was jerked bodily away, and my back scraped the -huge barnacles which covered the ship all along in the wake of her -engines clear to her sternpost. The razor-like edges cut and stung -me. I felt a mighty desire to breathe, and tried to get upward. Then -my head struck the bottom of the ship with great violence, and I was -partly stunned. This was what probably saved my life, for I ceased to -breathe, and the spasm passed. - -What really happened was this: - -A huge sawfish was swimming about the harbor, having just come inside -the reef. Tropical seas are infested by many of these fish, which "fin -out" like a shark, and which are probably of the shark species. The -long snout, unlike the swordfish, which is a giant mackerel, is studded -with rows of sharp teeth, put there for the Lord knows what purpose. -This monster had come close to the ship, and the negroes had spotted -him, and thought him a shark at a distance where his snout could not be -seen. - -Some one shouted, "Shark!" and the intelligent bos'n hauled line with -those finlike flippers of his after the manner of a sperm-whaler coming -upon a three hundred-barrel whale. My head had struck the ship's bilge, -and my back had been cut open with the razor-like barnacles--and then -the fish, getting frightened at the uproar, dove below, and his teeth -on his saw snout fouled the line. - -It parted, but it parted between him and the ship, and away I went in -tow of a flying sawfish. - -I knew nothing about it for some time, luckily; it would have affected -my nerves. - -Luckily the negroes were active in spite of their laziness. A small -boat, lying alongside the ship, was instantly manned, and within a -minute it was after me, with four stout blacks pulling for all they -were worth. A man in the bow reached over and jabbed at the line with -his boat hook and jerked it aboard. Then he lifted me in and turned me -over to the rest in the boat, while he held on to the line and played -the fish gamely for all the sport there was in it. - -I came to in that boat towing behind a sawfish, which the natives -seemed to think was more important to catch than me getting back aboard -and receiving proper treatment for being nearly cut in two and drowned. - -The line finally broke, and they rowed me sorrowfully back alongside. -I looked up, and saw Miss Lucy Docking gazing over the side with -some show of anxiety expressed upon her face. Also I noted Bill -Boldwin, skipper of the _Prince Albert_, showing some interest in the -proceedings. - -"Send him aboard, you black scoundrels!" screamed Miss Lucy. "How dare -you keep that man in the boat chasing a good-for-nothing fish?" - -"Bring him alongside, or I'll be in there after you," roared Bill. - -My bos'n passed a line down, and I was quickly hoisted aboard, where I -was laid out flat on my back, as I was still too weak to stand. Miss -Lucy herself poured whisky down my throat and smoothed my wet hair back -from my bleeding head. - -"Arnica, you lazy rascals!" she hissed, and some one went for it. -My cuts were soaked in it, and it stung furiously, but the cuts of -barnacles are poisonous, and I rather preferred arnica to friar's -balsam, which I knew Bill would rub me with. Then the bos'n helped me -to my bunk, and Miss Lucy Docking was left alone with me to attend to -my wants. - -"I suppose my advice and counsel was not so good this time?" she said -as Bill left us. - -"Well, it taught me one thing, all right enough," I said, "and that may -do me some good in the future." - -"And how is that?" asked the lady, looking at me with some show of -concern. She had wonderful eyes, and her hair was noticeably curly at -the temples--and her mouth---- - -"Well, it will teach me never, no, never, under any circumstances -whatever, do you understand?--never to take it again," I said, taking -her hand. - -"We'll see about that later on," she said, and her mouth had a peculiar -droop at the corners that has been a constant source of dread to me -ever since--that is, whenever I see it. - - - - -IN THE HULL OF THE "HERALDINE" - - -"I understand that you did good work in the _Prince Alfred_ in time of -trouble," said Lord Hawkes, looking at me with approval. He was manager -of the Prince Line, and, when he sent for any of us to tell us that we -had done well, it was time to--well, he didn't often do that, and I -must have shown some embarrassment. - -I remained silent, holding my cap in my hands and looking at Boldwin, -my skipper, who had done me the honor to report me favorably in the log -book. - -"I hear, also," continued Lord Hawkes, "that you are a good diver, a -master workman under water----" - -"Pardon me, your lordship," I interrupted, "I'm but a licensed ship's -officer, and what I don't know about diving would fill a dozen empty -log books." - -"Well, at all events, you showed resource. Yes, my good Garnett, you -are a man of infinite resource. There's no doubt about that, and that's -what I'm coming to. You are also resolute in time of trouble, and the -two qualities are what I need in the work I am going to send you to -do." - -Bill Boldwin looked scared. He didn't want to lose his mate. He had -simply spoken for me that I might get in the good books of the company, -not get away from his ship. - -The manager of the Bay Line seemed to be studying some papers upon the -desk before him while we two stood respectfully in front as became -seamen in the presence of our mighty ruler. Boldwin was keen on lords. -I hadn't associated with them to any great extent myself, but I was -willing--no matter what might be said about them. - -"The _Princess Heraldine_, our Cape liner, left port August the fifth," -said Lord Hawkes. "She had aboard in her safe the famous Solander -diamond, a stone nearly as large as the Cullinan and worth something -like a round half-million dollars. Also she had about three million -more in various stones uncut and consigned to the firm here. In running -up the West African coast, she broke her crank shaft and drove it -through her bottom, tearing the compartment to pieces, and forcing -Captain Sumner to head for Lagos in the hope of beaching her before she -sank. He managed to get her into ten fathoms on that low, sandy coast, -and she went down about a mile or two offshore. - -"All the passengers were saved, but by some oversight the combination -of the safe was lost at the time they needed it, owing to the agent, -Grimes, being either too frightened or too ill to remember it. - -"Captain Sumner--the only other man aboard who knew the -combination--was unable to either leave the bridge at the critical -moment of her sinking, owing to the necessity of saving the passengers -in the small boats, or tell any one before the _Heraldine_ suddenly -settled and went down, carrying five of the crew and the entire -contents of the safe along with her." - -Lord Hawkes looked up at me shrewdly as he finished and gazed into my -eyes. - -I saw no necessity for a reply. There was a few minutes' silence, then -he went on: - -"The wrecking company is now on the way there, but there has been some -trouble experienced with them and with the underwriters. Therefore -we've deemed it worth while to send a ship--one of our regular Cape -boats on her lay-up voyage--to Lagos, and try for the safe. - -"The ship is a total loss, and will be covered all right, but the -diamonds are not insured, owing, as I have said, to some disagreement -with the underwriters lately, and it has been just our luck to lose -them this voyage. - -"You are to take the _Prince John_, and go to Lagos. There you will -find the wrecking crew waiting orders. You are to see that we get that -safe intact--you understand? We want that safe _just as it was before -it went to the bottom_. Your orders are here." And he handed me a -folded document. "You will leave at once." - -"Aye, aye, sir," I said, somewhat bewildered, but getting the lay of -the thing straight enough. "Is that all, sir?" - -"That's all. If you wish anything regarding details, you will see Mr. -Smith of the main office. I wish again to impress you that this mission -is important." - -It struck me so at once. A few millions in diamonds in ten fathoms--in -a ten-ton safe! Yes, that was something worth looking after. It was -important, all right. Seemed easy enough. Any one who knows anything -about wrecking, knows that ten fathoms isn't too deep to work, although -it's some little ways down. It depends also upon other conditions, -which might or might not prevail. I'd get that safe easy enough--yank -it aboard all standing, as we say at sea. - -Well, within two days I was standing on the bridge of the _Prince -John_, and wondering how the poor fellows in Africa managed to keep a -ship of her class afloat long enough to lay her up. - -It was the company's policy to have their African steamers laid up at -Cape Town--helped labor, local progress, and all that sort of thing. In -reality they got the work done for about half what it would cost them -in England. - -The _Prince John_ could make ten knots under most favorable -circumstances, but as this was her lay-up voyage, she, as might be -imagined, was not doing her best. I think she rammed along about eight, -most of the way down; and McDougal, the chief engineer, was working -like a machinist from daylight till dark to get her to do that. - -We carried only the crew of six seamen and ten firemen, with two -engineers, a donkeyman, a pair of mates, a cook, and galley boy. Just -two dozen of us all told; and, while I had never commanded a ship of -any size before, I was not suffering much from swelled cranium as I -stood upon the bridge and gave orders. - -Low-powered, black-sided, with the regulation Clyde bow and round -stern, she was no better than a tramp. We carried extra diving and -hoisting gear for the wrecking crew that had preceded us. Our winches -were heavy, and built for working in the African trade where a ship -must handle her own cargo. They would be useful in the work ahead. - -My mates, Simpson and Dennison, were good men, and knew their little -book all right. Simpson had a very red nose, and looked as if he -liquored on the sly, but he never showed groggy on duty, so I had no -chance to call him down. He would continue the voyage as captain after -I got that safe up and on its way to England. Dennison was young and -boyish. He was a good lad, and never slept in his watch on deck--at -least I never caught him. - -The run was uneventful, and we were sooner or later close to the West -African coast, running through an oily sea, and pointing for Lagos. - -One hot and stifling morning after I had worked the sight, I was -sitting in a deck chair at the pilot-house door, thinking of Lucy -Docking, and how I might make a saving of fifteen pounds a month out of -a salary fixed at twelve. This mathematical problem was unfinished when -Dennison hailed me from the bridge. - -"Vessel right ahead, sir, anchored about a mile and a half offshore," -he said. - -It was our friends, the wrecking crew, and we had arrived. - -The topmasts of the _Heraldine_ stuck clear of the oily sea. She had -been a three-masted ship with square rig forward and fore and aft upon -the main and mizzen. She had sails upon her spars already bent after -the old-time style of low-powered ships. She lay easily in about ten or -twelve fathoms, and had a slight list to port owing to her settling a -bit upon her bilge. - -Being very flat and wide-bottomed, she looked almost ready to rise and -continue her voyage lying as she did in that smooth sea, and being -unhurt save for that gash in her bilge where the broken crank tore -through, thrashing her life out before the engineer could shut off -steam. - -I pictured for a moment the huge flail, the piston with the broken -crank attached, the pieces not less than half a ton, whirling up and -down under the full pressure of her cylinders with nothing to stop -it. There must have been a wild mess in that engine room with a crazy -hammer going full tilt like that. - -As in most single-screw ships, her crank must have thrown down when -connected but a foot or two above her bilge, and when it tore loose it -must have struck full power at each and every wild throw of the piston. - -My business was not to raise her, however. She was not worth it, having -insurance, and being better as a total loss. I was after getting into -the treasure room situated just beneath the main deck forward of the -boilers. - -The room, from the drawings furnished by her builders, was an iron -compartment ten by fifteen feet. At one end of it--the forward one--was -built the huge safe. This was bolted down, and to the beams. - -It was not a new affair, having done duty for years in the African -trade, but it had a very effective combination lock of the usual kind, -and, as one would have to open the strong-room door before being able -to get to the combination of the safe, it was considered perfectly -competent to carry any amount of treasure. - -Mr. Haswell, of Haswell & Jones, submarine experts, came aboard from -the powerful wrecking tug, which lay near us. He was a little man, but -quite fat. Red hair and whiskers gave his pale face a peculiar sickly -tint, but he was not a sickly man. He was reckoned one of the best -deep-water workers in England, and could stand a very high pressure for -a long time. Little pale eyes looked shrewdly at me as he presented -his card, coming aboard as he did from a boat rowed by six sturdy -blacks--"kroo boys," he called them. I met him at the side, and shook -hands. - -"We're ready to begin whenever you say," he said. "I got the firm's -letter, and have only just arrived myself. They told me you had the -gear aboard with you." - -"Yes, I have plenty of gear, all right," I answered, "and you can -commence work to-day if you want to. This place is too cold for me, and -I'd just as soon get away from here the next day, if possible." - -"It's some hot, all right, but one don't notice it below so much. I -suppose those derricks you've got will hold all right--what?" And he -gazed at our hoisting gear. - -The thermometer was one hundred and six under the after awning, and not -a breath of air stirring. The hot, sandy coast shone like a white band, -fringing the blue water, and I wondered what kind of weather it was on -that white, sandy shore. - -We went over the gear together, and then sat sweating and panting for -air, while the steward brought us something cool to drink--that is, -as cool as could be procured. Then I went with Mr. Haswell aboard the -wrecking tug, and was introduced to the working force. - -Ten white men and twenty blacks were the outfit. This with what I had -was enough to raise the ship had we so wished. Only two of the white -men were divers--Williams, a sturdy fellow weighing nearly three -hundred; and Mitchell, a short, powerful man, about two hundred and -fifty. Both were under forty, and had done plenty of deep-water work. -They looked upon the job as trifling. - -"We'll blow the deck off to-morrow, and then tear out a side of the -room," said Haswell. "After that we can disconnect the safe, and you -can get your winches to do the rest. In three days we ought to cover -the job." - -The hot, oily calm continued. The night was something fierce to -contemplate. The sun came out again like a molten ball of metal, and -Haswell donned his suit lazily, while the air pumps, manned by four -blacks, were started. - -A ladder reaching a fathom down under the sea was fastened to the tug's -side, and Haswell lowered himself over upon it, and waited for his -helmet. This was fastened by Williams, and then the air was started. - -As it whistled into the dome, the front glass was screwed on, and the -little man was shut off from us. Slowly he went down and swung clear, -dropping out of sight in a storm of bubbles which rose from his helmet. - -I took out the water glass. This was a cylindrical bucket with a glass -bottom. By jamming one's head into the bucket and sinking the bottom of -the affair under the sea to a depth of three or four inches, objects -could be seen about twice as distinctly as without it--this owing to -the fact that in the open the reflection and motion of the light upon -the always moving sea surface, prevent the gaze from following objects -distinctly. - -In order to use the water glass it was, of course, necessary to get -close to the sea. - -I dropped into the small boat lying alongside the wrecking tug, and -leaned far over the gunwale, peering down. The long, easy swell, the -sure sign of an immense calm area of sea, came slowly from the westward -and rolled the boat gently but enough to keep me from getting a good -look until I caught my balance. Then I managed to get the glass down -firmly, and hold it about four inches under with my head in the bucket. - -At first I could make out little or nothing. The sea was not very clear -at the spot, owing to the close proximity of the low, sandy shore where -the surf rolled incessantly, stirring up the bottom. Soon I could make -out the outline of the deck below where the flying bridge rose within -three fathoms of the surface. - -The _Heraldine_ was drawing about twenty-two feet when she sank, and -her flying bridge was fully twenty-five to thirty above the sea. I -tried to see farther, but could make out nothing at all. - -The lines of the diver led toward the fore part of the ship, and moved -slightly. Williams, who tended them, sat listlessly upon the rail of -the tug, and gave or drew in as the occasion called. I kept looking to -see things, but could make out nothing further in the way of the wreck. - -A huge shadow passed under me--a long, dark shape. It was a gigantic -shark nosing about the wreck. - -I called out to Williams. - -"No fear," he replied lazily; "they won't hurt him in that dress--might -if he was naked." - -The shark passed along forward, and sank down out of sight. Then -Haswell signaled that he was coming up. - -He came slowly, and I watched the lines coming in. Soon the metal -helmet appeared, and then he climbed with seeming difficulty up the -ladder, helped by Williams. When he came above the rail, he hung over -it, and his front glass was unscrewed, the pumps stopped working, and -we came close to hear the news. - -"Located her all right," he said. "You can fix up about twenty pounds -of number two gelatine--better put it in a tube, and be sure to make -the wires fast--have to pull it through some wreckage down there." - -"See anything of a big shark?" I asked. - -"Oh, yes, I gave him a poke in the stomach with a stick--he won't -bother me in this dress--but I did get nipped by one of those poisonous -snakes--see?" And he held out his hand, where a small trickle of blood -ran down from the second joint of his forefinger. - -Williams gave an exclamation. The natives looked at him anxiously. - -"I'll come aboard and rest a while before going down again," said -Haswell. And he was helped aboard, and undressed. - -His finger swelled while this was being done, and, by the time he stood -in his flannels, he had a hand that was fast turning black. Williams -said little. The poisonous water snakes that infest certain tropical -seas close to the river mouths were known to him. Those in the Indian -Ocean are especially dangerous. - -Haswell gazed at the blackening finger, and shook his head. - -"Better give me some whisky," he said. He drank, and sat down. -Williams stood near, and Mitchell came up. - -"That's a bad bite," said Mitchell. - -"Well, I suppose there's no use waiting any longer--cut it off, and be -quick," said Haswell. - -Mitchell, iron-nerved and steady, cut the finger off close to the hand, -and stopped the flow of blood with a strong bandage. The swelling -continued, and the arm began to pain greatly. - -"Cut away the hand," said Haswell, white and shaky, but showing an -amazing coolness. He realized his danger. Mitchell performed another -amputation. - -Within an hour they had his arm off at the elbow, and Haswell was -turning blue all over. - -It was an uncanny thing--right there in that bright sunshine, a man -done a mortal injury by some foul sea vermin that had attacked him in -the depths. I had heard of the sea snakes that come down the African -rivers and go well offshore, but had never seen one. Those in the -Indian Ocean I had seen often, and remembered that they were about four -or five feet long and a few inches in circumference. - -Haswell, with remarkable nerve, faced his end unflinchingly. It was -wonderful to see him sitting there, unafraid, with his arm three times -its natural size at the shoulder where the last bandage of Mitchell had -been fastened. - -"I reckon I'll last about an hour longer," he finally said. -"It's--no--use." His strength was leaving him, and he spoke haltingly, -in hardly more than a whisper. - -They gave him more whisky, and waited. Then Williams took down his last -words in reference to his family affairs, and Haswell laid himself down -on a transom. Two hours later he was stone dead. - -That was a beginning that would have shaken the nerve of many men. -Mitchell had his partner sewn up in canvas, and they buried him far out -at sea, rowing off in the small boat. - -The next day Williams started down. He found the location of the strong -room, and was careful to wear heavy gloves while working. Then he -placed the charge. - -The crack that followed was not loud--deep down as it was. A storm of -bubbles arose to the surface, and the sea lifted a few inches just over -the place where the gelatine exploded. Then Mitchell prepared to go -down and examine the result. - -The oily sea heaved and sank with the long swell, and there was -nothing to indicate that there would be any trouble. Nothing could -move the wreck. Mitchell went under at eleven that morning, and, after -he had been down half an hour, Williams signaled him. He received no -answer. With some anxiety, the big man started to haul line, when, to -the horror of all, the two lines--hose and life line--came in easily -without anything at their end. - -The hose showed a clean cut well down near the helmet, and the life -line showed a ragged cut or break which stranded it out a full foot. -Mitchell was left below, cut off from us as clean as if he had been -left upon the moon. - -Williams strove with all haste to get into another suit, but it was -a good ten minutes before he did so. He went down with a man of his -outfit holding line for him, and came back in ten minutes with a white -face and staring eyes. - -"Whole side of the room fell on him," he said; "cut his hose and--and -left him there. Give me a line, I'll get him out." - -"Dead?" I whispered. - -He looked up at me from the circular hole in the helmet, and seemed to -think me mad. - -"Dead? Of course, he's dead--a ton or two of iron on top of him, and no -air--sure he's dead. We'll have to put the line to the winch to haul -him out from under it." - -We buried Mitchell as we had Haswell, hauling him from under the -wreckage by a line to our steam winch, and afterward carrying him well -out to sea, where he was weighted and sunk. It was bitter work, and all -the time that hot sun shone down upon us until the seams of the decks -warped and the tar ran out of the lanyards. - -Williams was shaken. The next day he refused to go down, and pleaded a -rest necessary. His men were silent and awed. I could say nothing to -urge them on, as I felt that they had endured enough for a few days, at -least. - -Then Williams was taken with the African fever, and there was no one -left who would go below for any amount of money offered. The horror of -the thing had shaken the nerves of the entire outfit. There might be -millions below there, but no man of that crew would touch them just -at present, and we were lying there in that oily sea, eating up the -company's money and cursing at the strange chance that had made our -expedition so fatal. - - * * * * * - -At the end of a week Williams was so bad that I gave him up as a factor -to help us. At times he was delirious, and raved horribly. His men -were for abandoning the work, and putting into Lagos, and from there -clearing for home. - -I refused to hear of such a thing, although I was a bit worked up at -the outcome of what had at first appeared to be an easy job. To send -North for more divers was to delay the work months. To await the coming -of the next coast steamer meant delay of at least three weeks--and -even then there was no certainty of help from her. She didn't carry -divers, and, although she would naturally give me any aid in her power, -belonging to our company as she did, I felt that I would rather not ask -anything from her skipper until the last act. - -A man named Rokeby of the tug's working crew offered to tend line for -me if I chose to go down. He assured me that the pressure at fifty -or even sixty feet would not injure me. I might suffer some from the -splitting headache natural to the pressure, but that was all. I could -blow open the safe or get chains fast to it, or cut it adrift somehow. - -I thought over the matter while Williams raved and rolled in his -sweltering bunk, and the sun shone down upon that dead ocean full of -crawling life and hidden treasure. - -"Gimme the gloves and plenty of air," I finally said, after waiting -three days, hoping that some of the wrecking crew would get their nerve -back. - -They all showed willingness to work if I went down, and I was soon -incased in the suit of Williams. - -If you think I was not nervous, you should have had an inside photo -of my mind as I stood there upon the rounds of the ladder waiting for -Rokeby to screw fast the front glass. I would have given it up but for -the looks of the men. They seemed to gaze upon me with a sort of awe -and amazement, but they made no comment whatever. - -The kroo boys swung the pump handles with a will, and when I heard -the hiss of the air I must say my heart gave two jumps and came near -landing overboard--at least, it felt that way; but I would have died -rather than let those men see that I was afraid. Such is the ego, the -vanity of us all. - -"Shall I screw her on, sir?" - -The voice was Rokeby's, and it aroused me from the contemplation of the -thing to do. I tried to look bored and annoyed. - -"Yes, screw it down--mind the lines tenderly, and pull me right up if I -give the signal," I said. - -"Aye, aye, sir," he answered, and he screwed in the front glass. - -The air whistled into the helmet back of my head, and the noise aroused -me to a sense of the danger should it suddenly cease. I put one foot -and then another upon the ladder rungs, and went down until I swung off. - -It seemed as if I was about to fly off into space, and for a few -moments I almost lost my balance. Then my heavy leaden shoes sank me -straight down, and I dropped slowly until my feet touched something. - -The light had gradually faded as I left the surface, and where I now -stood it seemed to be pitch dark. The pressure of the air appeared to -swell my head, and a roaring was in my ears. Then I determined to do -something, and bent forward to see if I could. - -Gradually the dim outline of the ship's deck took form before the -glass--that is, the deck in my immediate vicinity. I could make out the -rail, and began pulling myself along by it. Soon I came to the pilot -house forward, and recognized it by feeling the panels of the glass -front with my hands. - -I knew that I was just about right in regard to position, and started -for the rail to get over the side and down to the place where the -blow-out had been made. I carefully swung one leg over and then -another, amazed at the ease with which I lifted the immense leaden -shoes. Then guiding my air hose and line clear of the rail, I slipped -off, and dropped down to the bottom far below. - -In spite of the fact that I had now been under several minutes, I could -not make out objects well enough to do anything; but determined to try -to feel for the opening to the safe. After ten minutes spent groping -about, I felt an immense hole in the ship's side, my fingers going -carefully around the edges where the torn plates told of the force of -the blast. - -I entered and felt for the sides of the room within where the blast -had torn out the iron and held it hanging to drop upon the unfortunate -Mitchell. I now saw I could do nothing without more light, and -carefully made my way out to the sea floor, where I signaled to haul me -up. - -I came slowly, and as I did so my brain appeared swelling until it -seemed no longer possible to hold it within my skull. The pain was -intense, and I hardly noticed the growing light until I was at the foot -of the ladder. Then I climbed up, being dragged bodily by my life line. -The front was taken off my helmet, and I spoke. - -"It's all right," I panted, "get the lamp out, and stand by to send me -down the tools I'll need." - -Rokeby gave me a small drink of whisky, and the rest soon had the -electric lamp ready. I went below again. This time I had no trouble in -finding my way, for the light from the spark penetrated the sea for -several feet about me. - -In the watery darkness I made out the hole, and saw the damage done by -the charge. The entire wall of the compartment had been blown in, and, -in going into the room, Mitchell had gotten under it so that he had -dislodged an immense piece of plate which had fallen upon him, and cut -off his air and line. - -I went forward cautiously, and poked the lamp ahead of me. It seemed -a long way to the safe, but I finally came up against it, and made out -its outline in the lamplight. Its edge stood out sharply. Beyond was -the inky blackness of a tomb. - -I saw that it would be necessary for me to blow it loose from the -beams, as I was not good enough workman to cut or loosen the bolts. -Making a hasty but pretty good examination of the bottom and sides, -I determined to go back aboard and study it out. A little powder -underneath would loosen the floor bolts, and then, with a stout chain -about it, we might start the winches to haul it through the opening, -which I saw would have to be enlarged at the bottom. I came up, and was -satisfied for the day. - -The next morning I had recovered my nerve to a great extent, and was -eager to get to work. The men were also better pleased at the prospect. -My head had bothered me all night, but now eased up, as I donned the -rubber. - -So far I had seen neither fish nor crawling reptile. The bottom was not -very soft, however, and was so covered with weed and sea growths that -it may have harbored many things not visible to the eye at that depth. -I kept to the gloves, not daring to risk my hands after Haswell's fatal -ending. - -The first shot tore the bottom off the compartment, and left the safe -hanging by the bolts against the bulkhead. The second shot broke away -these, and, when I went down again, I found the safe had dropped down -to the deck below, the powder, or rather nitrogelatine, having torn -the deck away for the space of fifteen feet or more, leaving ragged -splinters of deck planking sticking forth. - -The electric lamp showed the mass below me as I stood at the edge of -the hole, and I very carefully drew my line and air so that they would -not foul when I dropped over. Then I went down and found the safe -intact, but in a very difficult position to handle. - -The next blast required a large charge, in order to blow the side out -down to the lower deck, as it was impossible to drag that safe up -through the hole. I placed fifty pounds of gelatine in two charges just -abreast the safe on the outside of the hull, and blew away the plates -until a trolley car could almost have entered the hole in the ship's -side. - -I was all ready now for getting slings upon the treasure, and I could -hardly wait until the next day. - -The wreck was in very bad shape below from the effects of the blasts, -but I was nearly done now. Another day might find the diamonds upon the -deck of the old ship above me. I managed to pass turns of a heavy chain -around the safe, and stop them up so that they could be hocked to the -fall. Then I got the tackle down, and by means of a whip to the tug -started the mass of metal outboard. - -It came along all right, and I thought it would go clear. Then -something suddenly stopped it below, and I had to go down again to -clear it. It was fast in the hole, having jammed against the edge so -that no amount of pulling would break it clear. - -I lost no time getting another tackle to it, and rigged it to lift it -end up, and turn it over, then the first fall would pull it out and -clear. I was getting pretty well used to being below by this time, and -the headache was lessening. I found that I could remain under fully -half an hour now, and work most of that time. - -The last time I went below I had a premonition that all was not as -it should be down there, and I went along very carefully. I made my -way into the ship's hull, and was just getting the new tackle set up -taut and ready, when the whole ship heeled suddenly to port. The safe -slewed sideways and slid down the now slanting deck, blocking the hole -entirely across, but leaving my lines and tackle clear. - -I signaled to come up at once. Then my line jerked, hauled me close up -to the opening, and there I jammed, stuck so I could not get back. I -signaled frantically for help, and they pulled me with all their might. -But they might as well have tried to lift the wreck itself. I was -caught. - -During the next few minutes I thought a great deal. The horror of my -situation dawned upon me. I was fast below there--not a chance for -getting out. There seemed nothing to do, but wait placidly for the end. - -The next few minutes were hours to me. I could signal with the line, -but that was all. They knew I was alive, and they knew something must -have happened by the heeling of the sunken wreck. - -The blasting had probably blown away the sandy bottom under her, and -she had simply cast over and slid the stuff to leeward. - -There was plenty of room to take that safe out endways, but it was now -so fixed that some one would have to slew it around before that could -be done. My lamp was still burning, and the blackness lost some of its -terrors in that pitiful light. - -I was in the hull of a lost ship, and I felt that I was indeed a lost -man. Memories came and went with lightning-like rapidity. I thought of -Lucy Docking, and wondered how she would take my death. Then I began to -feel the effects of the pressure, and my head grew flighty. - -I dreamed of beautiful blue skies and green fields, the shore, the -mountains; and all the time Lucy was with me, going from place to -place. I was not unhappy. There was a feeling of contentment with the -woman I had chosen, and it was all real, so real that I only awoke -under the vicious pulling upon my life line by the men above. - -Then the horror of my situation came back to me, and the roaring in my -ears told me of my predicament. I gazed out of the front glass into the -dark medium about me, the rays of the lamp making sharp outlines and -shadows. - -I remembered the safe. It lay jammed across the hole, and, while I -was too feeble to take great interest, I recall watching it with a -sort of fascination. I felt its sides, its edges. Then the combination -attracted me, shining as it did in the dim light, like a bit of white -in the surrounding blackness. I lazily turned the knob, whirled it -about. And all the time they were pumping air to me under the pressure -of fifty feet of water. - -I felt at the aperture above where the edge of the safe shut off the -opening. There was nearly a foot of clear room, but this was not enough -for my figure, incased as it was in the suit. It was ample for the life -line and hose to pass through without any interruption at all, and all -I had to do was to live long enough for them to get that safe away. -Surely some one would come down, and try to sling it again properly. - -I lay with my front glass to the opening, and held the lamp so that -the rays would shine outside. There I watched and tried to control the -thoughts that kept coming with a surging feeling of dread that made my -heart thump all the harder. Drowsiness would come, and the whirling -in my brain would get me back again to the land and beautiful dreams. -Then the jerking and hauling, and trying to dislodge me would arouse me -again, and I would come back to the present. - -I remember watching through the opening, and seeing forms passing. -These must have been fish, or denizens of the sea. They flitted through -the range of the lamp like sudden ghosts, the light striking their -bodies, and then disappearing into the blackness without. - -The lamp suddenly went out. - -I was seized with the wildest terror at the inky blackness about me. -The full horror of it all now came with greater force. That tiny -spark had kept me up wonderfully. It had seemed like a ray of hope. -I put out my hands with muscles shaking and trembling, feeling that -inexorable edge of iron that shut me off from life. - -Would Rokeby try it? Would he try to save me? - -That was the final thought. I tried to put myself in his place. I would -do much for a man dying by inches--dying where he might be saved if one -would take a little risk. He might get below in time yet. He might get -a whip upon that safe, and, with the powerful wrecking tug working her -winches, upset the huge square of steel, and drag it out of the way. - -But if he was coming down, he should have come hours ago. As a matter -of fact, I had already been down half an hour, and I could stand it -for at least twice that long yet. But it seemed to me that I had been -abandoned, that they were too cowardly to try to save me. My whirling -brain and roaring ears told me a story of days of suffering, of -interminable torture. - -Would Rokeby try it? - -I remembered how it struck me when Mitchell's line came up cut off -from him. I knew what that poor fellow had gone through; what he had -suffered, at least, for a few moments down there. - -No, I would hardly blame Rokeby for not trying it. It was too dangerous -for any one to try. And yet---- - -That latent hope, that feeling that there would be something at last, -kept me from dying. The air was still coming down, and I was in no -immediate danger. - -I tried to make myself think that I was in no danger at all; that all -would be well when Rokeby came down, and got a hold of the safe. But I -knew in my heart that the men above, the whole general crew, were not -the men to help. - -As a record of fact, the men above were awed at the disaster, and -only Rokeby's steadiness saved my life. He had the pumps kept going, -and finally decided that he would have to take a chance down there, -or let me die like a hooked fish. He was man enough to overcome the -nerve-shaking dangers that had beset us, and he put on another suit. -Then, with his breath fairly gone from fright, he went down to help me. - -He had never gone below before, except under most favorable conditions -and in very shallow water. Still, he knew what to do, and he managed -to get a good man above to tend line for him. He found things in bad -shape at the opening, but lost no more time than he could help getting -a purchase to the end of that safe, and the winches started. In half -an hour they had dragged it clear of the ship, and I was hauled aboard -insensible, but still alive. - -Before I had regained my senses, they had the safe fast aboard the old -hooker, and I had the satisfaction of staggering on deck to view it. - -There it was, all right, perfectly intact. I had saved the company -several millions, and it had cost the lives of two men, and nearly my -own. - -There was not a moment lost in getting away from that hot, unhealthy -coast. We got under way that very evening with Williams still stricken -with the fever, and myself too weak to sit up, but I would not stop a -minute. - -"Get her under way at once," I said, and the mates needed no urging. - -The wrecking tug, under full steam, came alongside, and the safe was -slung carefully over to her deck, where it was bolted down and made as -fast as a sailor could make it. I put a metal line about it, and sealed -it up, not even willing to trust to the safe combination that had -withstood the blasts and the sea. - -"Good-by, and a pleasant voyage to the Cape for you," I said to my -former shipmates. They steamed away to the southward to lay the old -ship up for repairs, and we, in the mighty wrecker, _Viking_, under -full power and making fifteen knots the hour, stood back for old -England, where we arrived safe enough a short time later. - - - - -A TWO-STRANDED YARN - -PART I. - - -"Captain Gantline?" The words escaped me like a shot from a gun. - -"Sure as eggs--'n where did you come from?" said that stout seaman. He -stood at the bar of Bill's place on Telegraph Hill, drinking rum. His -eyes, crinkled up at the corners like the ripples of a ship's cutwater -in a smooth sea, were bloodshot and liquor-soaked. Old man Gantline was -broad of beam and shorter than myself--no real good seaman is tall--and -he raised his empty glass and hammered upon the bar with it. - -"Gimme another drink," said he to the barkeeper. Then he turned to me. -"So it's you fer sure, old man--well, well, what a small world it is, -after all! Take a nip--I'm sure glad to see you--an' how'd it happen?" - -I saw that old Gantline was getting drunk. It was a shame. The old -skipper was a crack packet skipper. I was amazed at him, for he was not -a drinking man. I wondered what made him do it. The barkeeper was now -opening another bottle, and I knew the old sailor had drunk much. - -"I blew in from New York around the Cape last week," I said. - -"Must 'a' been blowin' some, hey, then--kinder quick passage--what?" - -"Oh, I don't mean I made the run in a week--we were one hundred and -sixty days--but I've been here in Frisco a week. And I've spent all the -money I saved from the munificent owners of the British ship _Glenmar_, -who rated me as second mate at thirty per--or, rather, five pun ten a -month. I tried to eat something since I came in to make up for what -I didn't get at sea. Those Englishmen are sure on short commons, all -right--but I haven't been drinking. I don't drink." - -"I do," said Gantline. - -"I see it," I answered; "but it don't seem to do you any good, though -it isn't for me to tell you so, I know. A drink or two don't hurt any -one much, but pour it in, and come with me, and listen to my tale of -woe. I need some one who knows something to listen to me--I'm broke." - -"Well, I dunno as I might jest as well," sighed Gantline. "I'll take a -couple more noggins--then you can come down to the ship with me." - -"Sure, that's just what we'll do--go down aboard--hurry up and poison -yourself sufficiently," I said, and waited until he had soaked down a -few more drafts of liquid fire. Then, as he was growing unsteady, I -linked his arm in my own, and we went slowly down Market Street until -we came to the water front. - -"That's her layin' out there--_Silas Tanner_--four masts--or are they -five? Sink me if I kin count 'em, Clew! You count 'em for me--seems -like there's more'n half a dozen sticks risin' outen her--hey? Maybe -Slade's stuck more in her, thinkin' four ain't enough----" - -"What? A schooner? You in a schooner--how'd you come to go in a -fore-and-after, Gantline? You, an old square-rigger!" - -"That's hit, thash hit, Clew--me, an old seaman, in a coaster--for'n -aft--Chinks for passengers--cabin, too--ladies aft--I'm clear drunk, -Clew--an' I don't care 'f 'am--nuff to make a man drunk," mumbled -Gantline. - -It was high time to get him to his ship. I hailed a small boat, and got -him aboard, and then we went out to the _Tanner_--four-masted schooner, -now riding at anchor off Market Street, San Francisco, waiting for a -tide and something I could not guess as yet. - -She was heavily loaded, all right, and I wondered at the old man's -conduct the more. The idea of him forgetting himself at the last -minute! It was too much. And with a mate like Slade--Slade, who had -sailed in several ships with me, the best mate I had known for many a -year. We drew alongside. - -"Lower down the side ladder--the skipper's coming up," I sang out, and -a head came to the high rail. It was the mate's. - -"Christopher Columbus! How'd this happen?" asked Slade. "And how--how'd -you turn up? I'm glad to see you, old man--pass him up--look out he -don't fall overboard." - -We managed to get the skipper on deck, and then below to his bunk, -Slade questioning me all the time, and asking about times gone by. -Then, after we had the old man safely stowed, we came on deck together, -and Slade told me the trouble. - -"Bound out for Guam with cargo and fifty coolies--Chinks--for labor -there. We got a passenger's license, and take out several first class -to Manila, besides. Loaded down with general cargo, and two safes full -of silver for circulation at Agana--about ten thousand dollars." - -"Well, what's the trouble?" I asked. - -"The old man don't like the coolie idea," Slade went on. "He hates -Chinks. We got all loaded up, and then the owners sent word that we -must provide quarters for fifty men--Chinamen, too, at that--and the -old man threw a fit. He'd have quit the ship, but he's bought into -her, and can't do it. We had to clear out the alleyways under the -poop, knock ports in the sides, and build up a line of shelves for -'em to sleep on--twenty-five on a side, and right next the after -saloon---couldn't get them below--see the doors we cut in the bulkhead? -Lets 'em out on deck. It's a government contract, and it's good pay, -all right--but them dirty coolies! It's a shame to make an old fellow -like Gantline carry them--he hates' em so." - -"Who's second under you?" I asked. - -"Nobody--thought you'd come for it. Isn't that what you're here for?" - -"Not that I know of," I answered. "But I'll take it if the old man says -so, all right, all right. I've been ashore long enough--broke, too." - -"Sure thing," said Slade. "You're as good as signed on right now--soon -as he gets over it he'll ask you to go--never saw the old man like that -before, and it's a pity, too. 'Never thought I'd run a slaver,' says -he--and I don't much blame him, either." - -"I'll send down my dunnage in the morning," I said. "How about the -crew?" - -"Well, we'll get them, all right. Whisky Bill's attended to it--we'll -get ten men--all we need with the engine for handling line." - -I hastened ashore to settle my affairs and get my dunnage down to the -ship. - -In payment for my last week's board I gave my landlord a whale's -tooth, carved prettily--or, rather, I left it behind for him to accept -gracefully, and before daylight in the morning I was aboard the -_Tanner_. Gantline was so glad to see me come that he almost forgot his -headache. I signed for the voyage and went on duty. - -The decks of the schooner were somewhat disordered that morning she was -to leave. Honolulu was her first stop, and there was much to go on deck -for that shorter run. The crimp had just brought down the men, and we -mates upset each seaman's bag of dunnage, and scattered the contents -about the gangway. We searched for hidden liquor and firearms, well -knowing a sailor's habits, and we knocked things about a little hunting -for them. The poor, half-sober devils could separate their belongings -afterward as best they might. - -The result of the search was that, after the mate had confiscated a few -bottles of stuff and a couple of out-of-date revolvers and ammunition, -the general pile divided up among the men was enough to refill each bag -again, the effort of sorting personal belongings at that moment being -entirely too laborious to entertain. - -Slade took two bottles, and managed to secrete them upon his person -while the eye of the skipper was diverted to a passenger who had just -appeared. Slade was slanting toward the forward cabin with the goods, -closely followed by his emulating second officer, when the voice of the -old man roared out orders for me to see to getting the baggage of the -passengers below without delay. I turned, somewhat disappointed, just -as Slade entered the door of the saloon and winked slowly and meaningly -at me. - -With some small encomiums pronounced upon the untimely work cut out -for me, I turned to the gangway, and ordered up a few men in tones and -language I should hate to repeat. - -As I did so I suddenly came face to face with the passenger who had -come from behind a cab and started down the gangway plank to the ship's -deck. She put her lorgnette up to her eyes and gazed smilingly at me. -Then she was joined by a younger woman, a girl about twenty, who took -the older woman's arm, led her down the plank to the deck, and went -right into the door of the forward cabin, leaving me staring as though -I had seen a ghost. - -"I don't got no good eyes, den, if dat ain't de purtiest gal I ever -see," said a Dutchman who was waiting to hear further orders from me. -Another man, with a loose lip, looked up and scratched his head. - -"Get, you squareheads--get a move on before something happens to you," -I growled. - -"I do love to hear them swear so," said the elder lady, as she reached -the door. "They're such romantic fellows--so bold--oh, dear, just hear -what that man----" - -"Come along, auntie, come back where the captain is. I never heard such -language before, and I don't think it a bit romantic--no, not at all. -It's all dreadfully vulgar, and all that--but that man--well, well, he -does say some amusing things, even if they are not what they should be." - -Miss Aline MacDonald led her aunt aft, and I breathed easier. That she -had flung me a sort of compliment was certain. I knew it. I had more -queer ways of cussing out a Dutchman than any Yankee mate afloat--I -knew that--but---- - -Gantline met them as they entered, and extended his hand. - -"Come aft, ladies, come aft, and I'll have the stewardess show you your -rooms at once--hope they'll suit you--best in the ship. Of course, we -don't compete with the steamers, but a voyage in this schooner will be -worth two in a steamer as a health restorer. If things ain't the way -you like them, sing out--I'll do the best I can." And he led the way -aft to where a Kanaka woman took them in charge. Then I ducked into the -mate's room, and joined Slade for a few minutes. He had already pulled -a cork. - -"Ain't adverse none to passengers," said he, pouring out the liquor, -"but you may sink me if that old un don't come near the limit--you hear -me?" - -"Give me a drink and shut up about passengers," I grinned. "The old -one's all right. She appreciated my education--sort of goo-gooed at me -while I was laying out some language--quick with the booze, before the -old man gets wise to it." - -We hurried back on deck in time to take charge of things, and we were -soon ready and waiting for the coolies, who were to come aboard from -the tug that would tow us out to sea. - -The tug _Raven_ took our towline and we warped out, swung around, and -were headed for the open sea within a few minutes. The engineer had -steam up in the donkey, and the winches turned. Our crew were used to -fore-and-aft canvas, and Slade took the turns as the halyards came to -the revolving drums, being helped, as I may say, by his second mate, -who held the peak as he held the throat. - -We snatched stoppers upon them as the sails came to the mastheads, and -in less time than it takes to tell we had all save the headsails on -the _Tanner_, and were standing out. The tug dropped back, and came -alongside, taking her lines. - -"Stand by fer yore passengers," bawled a red-headed fellow, grinning -from the pilot house. - -I now saw a crowd of yellow-tails gathering on the tug's deck. -Fifty-seven of them, all told, led by a giant yellow man in a skullcap -and long, braided cue. A chattering babble of Chink talk, and the big -fellow hustled the crowd to the rail, up the schooner's side, and on -deck in less than a minute. - -Bundles, packages, clothes, came with them, and Slade gave up the -premeditated job of searching them in a few moments as he saw the -yellow men gather up their belongings and crowd about the break of the -poop, jamming in a mass right under the edge from where Gantline leaned -over and gazed down at them in sour amazement and distrust. - -"Me makee dem tlake-a down, down," cooed the giant leader in a -sing-song voice, pointing with his hand at the crowd of Chinamen. - -"Yes, git below--git out an' be quick about it," snarled the old man -from above him. "You're blockin' the decks--slam 'em in the alleyways, -git 'em out the way," he continued to Slade and myself. - -"No lika men high, a-a-h, aye, makee down, down," sang the giant, with -a glint in his little slits of eyes. - -He was an ugly animal. Talk about your Oriental being a degenerate! -Well, that fellow was nothing degenerate physically. He was six -feet four, and about half as wide across the hulking shoulders. A -thin-lipped mouth ran clear across his face; his nose was flat, like an -African's. A whitish-blue scar had ripped his pleasing features from -eye to chin on the starboard side, and his head was enormous. - -The hair was shaved close up to the limits of that skullcap of black -silk, and from under its lower end there dropped a cue about a fathom -long, all done up with silk cords and stuff, until a pretty little -black tassel was plaited into the end, surmounted by a Matthew Walker -knot and a couple of Turks' heads. - -He was something to notice, all right, and his voice was grand. -Nothing of the nervous squeak of the coolie about it. It sang along -with flutelike notes that bristled full of "I's" and "Ah's," until you -thought he was singing it to his men in a sort of deep bass or baritone. - -Understand him? Did you ever know any white man who could understand a -Chink if that fellow didn't talk for him to understand it? No, we took -it for granted that the "boss" coolie was on the level, and was arguing -with the herd to corral them into the alleyways where they belonged. He -understood the skipper right enough. - -A stout yellow man edged from the press about the door of the forward -house, and came to the big man's side. A soft gabble, then a yell, then -the herd took the alleyways on the jump, and inside of ten seconds -there was not a yellowskin on deck. - -"Got 'em trained, all right enough," said Slade, with a grin. "The old -man needn't worry about 'em if the big one goes at it that way." - -"Fifty-seven Chinks on a dead man's chest--and I'll bet my month's pay -they've a bottle of rum--maybe a hundred," I ventured. "What's the big -cheese's name?" - -"Sink me, if I know! The old man called him 'Yaller Dog,' and he's -that, all solid. Let it go at that. I'd sure like to have him in my -watch. What a man he'd make on a earing in a blow!" - -"Shall we deal them their rice raw or cooked?" I asked. "I suppose they -won't eat it if it's cooked in the galley, and then they'd be trying to -build fires under the cabin or in the lazaret to boil it." - -"No; let 'em eat it or throw it overboard. What do you care? Turn the -men to, and choose the watch, and then I'll go below for a rest." - -I did so, and soon the Farallones were disappearing in the east astern. - -The first two days out there was so much to do aboard that I hardly -had time to observe things. The decks were lumbered up with all kinds -of gear, and a load of stuff for Honolulu, which took all our time to -secure. The men were under the union scale of the West Coast--that is, -thirty dollars per month--and there was nothing off on account of our -going deep-water in her, for we were not by any means coasting at all, -as our course lay directly across the Pacific Ocean, and the itinerary -took in a voyage of seven thousand miles. - -I hated the fore-and-aft canvas. I knew its value on short runs and in -smooth seas, but when it comes to deep water and a rough old ocean, -with a twenty-five-knot wind increasing to fifty, give me the square -canvas with double topsails, that men can handle. - -However, we were very fast. The _Tanner_ could do fifteen knots free -on a wind that would jam a square-rigger close and by. Her four masts -were of the usual type, all the same, and her gaff-topsails were high -on the hoist, giving her a tall appearance. - -The first day under all sail, with the wind abeam, she rolled off -thirteen and fourteen knots an hour, and kept her decks awash under -a perfect torrent of foam, dragging her rail through a solid mass of -suds. She simply ran, shoved her sharp nose out through it, and slipped -over the long, smooth, rolling swell with a plunging lift that felt -good. - -The steam winches for handling line were good. With drums turning, -all one had to do was to snatch the halyard in the deck block, grab a -turn on the drum, and up went anything that could go. Then a stopper -on the line, and to the belaying pin--and all was done. There was no -hee-hawing, no singing of sailor's chanteys, no sailoring of the type -we had known in our earlier days; but I am free to admit that I would -rather have had the steam winches--especially when it came on to blow -and we had to reef her down. - -The Chinks were allowed on deck from eight bells in the morning until -eight at night; and they were always getting in the way. - -Miss MacDonald and her aunt came on deck most of the time, and sat -wrapped in rugs near the wheel, where the old man entertained them with -tales of the sea. They were greatly interested in the Chinamen. - -I found my watch on the poop not at all disagreeable during daylight, -for Miss Aline was good to look at. She was of medium height, with -brown hair that curled in spite of the sea wind, and she was solidly -and strongly built, her figure having lines that told of sturdiness -rather than delicate beauty. But although she was not what one would -call fat, or even stout, she was certainly not thin, and her rounded -face was rosy with health. - -Her mouth had a peculiar gentleness of expression, and when she showed -her white teeth to me and flushed a bit upon recognizing the master -handler of fluent oaths, I thought her about as good as they come. I -was a bit embarrassed, but I was only second greaser, and as such could -not sit at the table with her, so I said little. - -I told Slade, however, that his hands were unfit to pass salt junk to -a lady--and, for a wonder, he washed them in fresh water before going -below! He was mate, and could sit in with the skipper, while I walked -the deck above and made mental comments upon the irony of fate that -shoved in a fellow like him to entertain a girl that he could not speak -to without stammering like a drunken man, while I----- - -It was in my watch during dinner that I had the first real chance -to see our coolie boss. The second week, after things had settled -themselves, and the routine of the ship took the place of the frantic -scramble to get things shipshape, I stood at the break of the poop, -which in the _Tanner_ was very low--not more than four feet above -the deck, as is the case in many schooners--and as I stood there up -popped Yellow Dog, the giant Chink, from the door of the alleyway to -starboard. The beggar was so tall that he was almost on a level with -myself, in spite of the difference in the decks, and I found his eyes -close to mine as he turned and saw me. - -"Have any trouble in the passageway?" I asked him, thinking he might -have been a bit mixed in straightening out that gang below in the -narrow space. - -He gave me a look, a slanting glance from the corners of his little, -screwed-up eyes, and then he turned his back upon me as if I had been -bilge water, and offended his senses. - -"Hey, Yellow Dog! What's the matter with you? Are you tongue-tied? -Don't you know enough of ship's etiquette to answer an officer when he -speaks?" I spat at him. - -"I tlakee captain man--not you," he sang, in his musical voice, and he -forthwith strode to the galley, where a Kanaka cook was busy with the -dinner. - -"You great big Yellow----" But there is no use of telling what I -remarked to him as he went along that deck. As the officer in command -at the moment, I was not a little offended by this high-handed way of a -common Chink, more especially as I was inquiring for the welfare of his -men. - -The cook heard my note of temper, and refused the giant admittance -to his galley's sacred precincts, whereupon Yellow Dog seized him by -the scruff of the neck, and tossed him into the lee scuppers. He was -about to pitch a pot of hot water on top of him, but I interposed an -objection to this action in the shape of a belaying pin which, flung -by my right arm under full swing, struck Yellow Dog fairly upon the -skull-cap, and, bounding off, flew overboard. - -The giant staggered, caught himself from falling, then he stood very -straight, and gave me a look that for cold fury expressed more than I -had ever dreamed possible in a Chink. - -"Killee you fo' that," he hissed. - -"Go on, do your killing, Yellow Dog," I snapped. "But take care you -don't get something yourself--and the next time I speak to you aboard -here, if you don't answer at once you'll find something else bounding -off your dome that you'll remember for a long time. Now send your mess -kids to that galley, and the cook will hand you out your rice and -long-lick." - -The men of my watch stopped work where they were, and grinned at the -big Chinaman. Their contempt for the race was more than my own, and I -knew I had the hearty approval of the sailors. At the same time I was -sorry that the thing had happened, for the Chinamen who were already -on deck passed the word along, and by the time I had finished talking -the whole gang of them were standing about, with looks upon their faces -that told of trouble. - -It was a bad beginning for a long voyage. - -Gantline came on deck as soon as he could finish his dinner, and wanted -to know what the trouble was about, but that was all he said. He -found no fault with my remarks nor with my actions. A ship's officer -must maintain discipline, and discipline cannot be maintained without -respect. - -Miss MacDonald came up with her aunt, and I went below to my dinner. -As I passed the door of the forward house leading into the cabin, the -stout Chink who seemed to be a close chum of the big leader glared -at me. He had a sinister face, with little slits of eyes that looked -slantwise, like the eyes of a wolf. - -His moustaches were thin and straight along his lip, until they reached -the corners of his wide mouth, then they suddenly dropped straight -down, and hung like the tusks of a walrus, two thin, black points -of hair about six inches long. They gave him the appearance of some -carnivorous animal, fierce, saturnine and dangerous. - -Instead of slamming him for his insolence, I pretended not to see him, -and passed in, yet the look stayed with me, and I remembered it at -intervals. He was a wolf, all right, a human wolf--but I was to find -that out later. - -"What do you think of our passengers--the coolies?" I asked Jack, the -steward, who sat at my mess next the carpenter, Oleson. - -"Watch them, Mr. Garnett, watch them," he warned. "I've seen some -mighty bad Chinks leaving the coast lately. These men belong to -tongs--hatchet men--and if you'll take my word for it you will -find plenty of long, black-barreled guns tucked somewhere in their -dunnage. But the hatchet is their game for those they have a grudge -against--hatchets don't make a noise at night." - -"They won't get about the decks in my watch, to use any hatchets, or -guns, either, for that matter," I answered. "I'll tuck them in snug to -bed at eight bells." - -"Hatchet's a bad thing at night," put in Oleson. "I'll put a heavy -staple on their door after they turn in." - -In my watch below I read ancient magazines until I fell asleep. In my -dreams I saw that stout Chinaman's face with the pointed whiskers and -slant eyes peering down over me. In his hand was a little, thin-bladed -hatchet, like a tomahawk, and as I reached up for him I awoke with a -start, shivering in spite of the heat. - -The door of my cabin was closed, and my window, or port, was but half -open, sliding as it did upon sills about five feet above the main deck. - -A shadow passed even as I looked up, but when I sprang out of my bunk -and slammed the glass open, there was nothing near the opening. - -Just twenty or thirty feet distant forward two of the crew were working -on some gear, and the light was still strong enough to recognize them -as Jim and Bill, of Slade's watch. Then the bells of the dogwatch -struck, and I went on deck, swearing at myself for a nervous fool. - -I refused to take a gun which hung over my bunk, hating the idea of -doing such a thing, for guns always spelled trouble in all ships I had -ever been in, and I hated the idea of using one. I went on the poop, -and Miss MacDonald was sitting there with her aunt, chatting with the -old man. - -"Keep her steady as she goes--sou'west half west," said Gantline, as I -came up. - -"Aye, aye, sir," I answered, and was about to go aft to the wheel, when -the young lady spoke to me. - -"I have just asked the captain to allow me to read a chapter from the -Bible to those Chinamen," she said, "and, if you will assist me, we -will gather them close together on the deck there"--pointing to the -main deck. "I can stand upon the edge and see them better. You don't -know whether they can speak or understand English, do you?" - -"I think they understand me at times," I ventured, "but I'm a bit -doubtful about the kind of talk you will toss them." - -"Toss them? What do you mean?" she asked. - -"Why, I mean--well, they understand the kind of English we use at -times--I don't know how to explain--it isn't a written language----" - -"I should sincerely hope not," said Miss MacDonald meaningly. - -"Yes, but, my dear, it is so expressive--I heard you talking to them -during dinner to-day," interrupted her aunt. - -I blushed a little. "Well, then, that's what I mean," I said. "I don't -want to say that I think you are wasting time reading to them--you know -they have a religion of their own--one that antedates ours--they won't -take it right." - -"That's a question we won't discuss at present," said Miss MacDonald. -"There are many Christianized Chinamen at home, and they seem to -appreciate it very much." - -"Always, if there's a pretty woman to teach them," I snapped. - -There was a silence after this. I had been rude, I suppose, but I was -only telling the truth. I went to the break, or edge, of the schooner's -poop, and called the watch, which had been mustering on deck. - -"Get the coolies aft to the mast," I ordered. - -The men passed the word along, and two or three Chinks who understood -English as well as I did came slouching aft. Gradually about two -dozen stood or congregated near enough to hear, but Yellow Dog and -his slant-eyed chum of the walrus mustaches seemed to decline the -invitation. - -"Couldn't you get the large man, their leader, to come also?" asked the -lady. - -"Not without dragging him lashed fast," I protested. - -"Very well," she said, with just a bit of temper in her voice. - -Gantline had gone below, and I was in charge of the deck until supper -was over. The reading would not take long, and the steward was already -bringing the cabin mess aft along the gangway. The young lady read -calmly, and with a peculiarly sweet voice, that attracted the attention -of the men, but not of the coolies. - -The Chinks stood about, and some gazed out over the sea, some grinned -openly up at her, with a smile that told of tolerance for an imbecile. -Miss MacDonald, senior, went below to prepare for supper. - -Before the girl had finished, Yellow Dog came aft, and gazed at her in -open admiration. He made some remark to his stout friend, and they -both smiled sardonically, but their attitude was not particularly -offensive. - -I found some business at the spanker sheet, and when I came forward to -where the girl stood, she was finishing. - -"There is only one way to treat heathen, Mr. Garnett," she said, "and -that is to be always kind, universally even-tempered, and gentle with -them. They have had a hard road for many generations, and take to -kindness, as all lower creatures do. They will only get stubborn if you -use hard words and roughness. I know something about their habits, for -I've taught the school at home, where we had twenty pupils, all grown -men." - -At this I protested. I confess I was hot. - -"If you are kind to them they will think you're afraid of them," I -declared. "If you mule-lick them, hog-strap them, and generally beat -the devil out of them, they'll do as you tell them--not otherwise. I'm -not running a school aboard here, if you please, and while I will give -you any assistance you want or can get, I go on the log right now that -as far as we handle these men, we must beat them and lick them into -submission. There's no other way at sea. It's brutal, but the other way -will turn out more brutal. I'm not responsible for them being in this -ship--but I'll see they get to their port of discharge, all right, if I -have to flay them alive!" - -"I think you are perfectly horrible--perfectly, brutal to say such -things," said Miss MacDonald. "Are all seamen brutes? Does the captain -stand for such things aboard here?" - -"There is only one way to do with cattle of this sort," I insisted. -"I don't want the job--I'd rather run in a bunch of snakes. But a -ship's bound to be run the way ships are run. There isn't any new way -to run a ship, believe me. It's all been tried out hundreds of years -before you were born. Perhaps some day, when we don't need ships, the -brotherly-love racket will work all right; but not these days." - -"I don't believe it, anyhow," said the lady, "and I'm amazed that a man -of apparent intelligence should say such things. You should do unto -others as you would have them do unto you--always." - -"Quite so," I assented, somewhat nettled at the idea that a young lady -should give me points on running a ship. "I always do, always do unto -the crew or those coolies the same as I would expect them to do to -me--if I was the same kind of rascal they are--and if our places were -exchanged. There can be only one man in charge of the deck, the watch -officer, and he's responsible for everything that happens. And if I -would be so bold as to give you a bit of advice, I should say to you, -for God's sake don't try any foolishness on those yellow-skins while -they are under my charge. It'll only make trouble, and there'll be -enough of that, anyhow, by the way things look." - -"What do you mean?" asked Miss Aline. - -"I mean that Yellow Dog, as the skipper calls him, that big Chink, is -not liking ship's discipline already. If you will go near the door -of the alleyway when they open it you will smell the fumes of opium -strong enough to knock you down. They don't pretend to obey orders, and -the company makes us carry them and take care of them like they were -babies. We can't even search them or offer any kind of protest--they'd -refuse to come if the contract was not drawn that way." - -"Well, be kind to them, be always lenient with them," said Miss Aline, -in a tone so different, so pleading that I gave up. "Don't yell at them -like I heard you to-day. It isn't dignified, it isn't right--you will -be good to them, now, won't you?--just try it and see if it don't work." - -"Ho, well, I'll try to do the best I can, of course," I answered, -thinking of the stout pirate with the hangers. "Yes, I'll try to -be just as kind as I possibly can--of course, I'll promise you -that--that's the skipper's orders, you know." - -The steward had already brought the mess things for the cabin, and -the lady went below to join her aunt and the old man--and Slade. The -mate was not standing for my line of talk, as I could see by the way -Miss Aline spoke, and it made me warm to think that a mate of Slade's -attainments should be so mushy as to snicker and grin when I told him -how things stood. - -"'Keep solid with the passengers'--that's one of the old rules in the -express steamers, you know--'keep right with the ladies,'" he said, -grinning at me when I mentioned the missionary work the young lady -had undertaken. "And, by the way, lend me a couple of your clean -collars--you won't need them right away, and I do." - -"I'll do nothing of the kind," I answered shortly. - -"Oh, don't get rattled because I've got the inside route. Don't be mad, -old man, because I've gained the weather of you. All's fair in the -game. And between you and me, if the Chink gets gay with you, bang him -on the nut for fair, and I'll slip in with you--if it's dark. But you -don't want to queer me below. Now, be sane, and come across with those -collars. I'm young and single--and mate, see?" - -"Go to the devil!" I answered, but I knew Slade would go to my room, -instead, and nail those white-laundered collars I had kept clean. - -That night, when I turned in, I found that, indeed, Slade had been -below, and had rummaged my things about most unkindly, taking my linen. -I turned in with a feeling of resentment at his luck in position, but -I dismissed the feeling quickly as the absurdity of the affair dawned -upon me, for, after all, I was not thinking of women at all, and had no -right to under the present high salary I was drawing. - -Rolling into my bunk, I was instantly asleep. In my dreams I saw that -walrus-looking Chink. His long black feelers hung down over me, the -points piercing my vitals like tusks. I gave a yell and awoke! - -The lamp was burning dimly, as it always did in my room at night, ready -for the sudden call to the deck, and I could see everything distinctly -the moment I opened my eyes. A face was just leaving the glass of my -window. I sprang out of the bunk, and peered out through the glass. At -that instant there was a heavy rat-tat-tat upon the door, and the voice -of Jim Douglas, of Slade's watch, called to me that it was eight bells, -and time to turn out. I threw open the door. - -"Did you look in through my window?" I asked him. - -"No, sir; I wouldn't do anything like that, sir," said the seaman. - -He was a good-looking young Scotchman of twenty-four, tall and strong, -with an honest face. I knew he was telling the truth. - -"That's all," I said, and he went on his way. - -I looked at the gun that hung over my shelf at the bunk head. It was -one I took off a dago named Louis, of my watch, and it was a heavy gun, -forty-five caliber, and long in the barrel. - -"Perfectly absurd to think of it," I muttered to myself. I pulled on my -coat, and started for the deck, when something, some instinct, told me -to take the weapon. - -"Sentiment be hanged!" I said out loud, and tucked the revolver in a -rear pocket. Then I made the deck, and found Slade standing at the -mizzen waiting for me. - -"We'll raise the land before morning," said he. "She's been running -like a scared rat all night. Keep a lookout, and when you sight -anything sing out to the old man--he'll be on deck probably, but he's -been acting queer lately, and you better watch him. We'll heave her to -for a pilot, and you know the rest." - -"All right," I answered. - -The soft, damp air of the trade wind made the decks soaking wet. The -low hum through the rigging added to the murmuring of the side wash. -The creaking of sheet blocks and slight straining of the gear were -the only noises that broke the stillness of the peaceful night. The -schooner was running along rapidly, heeling gently to the wind, and -everything drawing. The rolling motion was slight, for the wind was -strong enough to hold her steady. - -The voices of the watch forward sounded above the murmuring, and I -could see the glow of a pipe belonging to some one who disregarded the -ship's discipline sufficiently to smoke while on duty. I took my place -at the mizzen rigging to con the vessel, and stood there silently for a -long time watching the foam rushing past her, now and then gazing far -ahead to see if I could raise the lights of Pearl Harbor. The wind was -almost astern, and the headsails were consequently not doing much work. -I listened to the slatting, and then sang out: - -"Haul down the jib topsail and roll it up." - -"Aye, aye, sir," came the response, and the men went to the forecastle -head. - -Aft at the wheel the shadow of a man holding the spokes was the only -sign of life on deck. I took my place again at the weather rigging, and -waited for the report from forward. - -A heavier swell than usual rolled the schooner, and I turned to look -aft. At that instant something whizzed past my ear, and struck with a -chugging sound into the backstay. My ear stung sharply, and something -warm ran down my neck. I saw a form vanish behind the mast, and called -out. - -I knew I had been struck, and drew my gun, springing toward the figure, -which dashed silently across the deck as I gained the mast. I fired -at it without hesitation, and the fellow let out a scream, gained the -rail, and plunged over the side. - -I was at the rail in an instant, but saw nothing in the foam. A -moment's silence followed, and then a sound of steps and a rising -murmur of voices told me of the alarm. - -Gantline was on deck in less time than it takes to tell it, and he -roared out: "What's the matter?" - -Slade sprang from the door of the forward cabin, calling out that he -was coming. Men from forward rushed aft. Then, from out of the doors -of the alleyways, a stream of figures poured forth, flowing like a -black tide onto the main deck. A sudden roar of voices followed, and I -recognized the high-pitched tones of our coolies. - -"All hands--help! All hands aft--quick!" I yelled, and fired into the -black figures who swarmed up the poop and crowded upon me. - -As I fired, I heard the shrill screams of the elder Miss MacDonald, -and then there was indiscriminate firing. I yelled to Slade, and he -answered once. The crowd surged over me, and I was down, with a dozen -panting heathens on top of me. In a minute it was all over. Some one -passed a line about my arms, and, kick as I might, they soon had me -snug and fast. Gantline roared out orders from the wheel, and I heard -the crack of a pistol at rapid intervals. Then a roaring, surging mob -rolled over him--and there was the schooner luffing to under full sail, -her head sheets thrashing and the canvas thundering in the stiff breeze. - -They had taken her. We were overpowered, all right. The men forward -stood it out but a moment longer, and surrendered. - -When I could see again I noticed the giant form of Yellow Dog standing -near the wheel, and two of his men at the wheel spokes. He sang out -orders in his musical bass voice, and the sheets were quickly trimmed -in. The schooner now headed well up with the wind abeam, and pointed -away across the Pacific, far to the northward of Hawaii. Yellow Dog had -taken her easily. - -I was hauled below, and tossed into the forward cabin. Here I found -Slade lashed fast, like myself. He was hurt by a bullet that had torn -his thigh, and was bleeding. Upon a transom lay Gantline, trussed from -head to foot in line, and the old skipper was swearing fiercely at the -ill fortune that had overtaken his ship. - -I noticed a few Chinks standing near the door of the after cabin, and -they looked at us casually, seeming to regard us not at all. Then I -heard the soft voice of Miss Aline pleading with Yellow Dog. But of -course she might have pleaded with the sea with as much effect. Then -the sounds died away, and we lay there, waiting for daylight and what -might follow. - -Daylight came, and the schooner still held her way under all sail -except the jib topsail that I had hauled down before the fracas. She -now lay at a sharp angle, and felt the trade wind upon her starboard -beam. - -Yellow Dog came into the forward cabin. He stopped a moment near me, -then kicked me savagely, muttering strange sounds in his own language. -I told him fluently in good seaman's English just what I thought of -him, and if he did not understand me he was something dense, for I've -had every kind of human under the sun on my ship's deck, and I have so -far failed to notice any who could not understand me when I let off a -few pieces of literature or oratory. - -Yellow Dog seemed rather pleased than otherwise, for he called his man, -the walrus-mustached one, and grinned while they held a confab. I took -it that something choice would be handed me within a very short time. - -When I had a chance to ask the skipper, he told us we were within forty -miles of Pearl Harbor. From the way we nosed into the breeze, the -schooner was now heading northwest across the ocean, giving the harbor -a wide berth. - -"What'll they do?" I asked him. - -"Sink her, with us aboard--take the ten thousand dollars in the safe, -and make a get-away with it. They'll turn up ashore in some deserted -place, and that'll be about all. Then they'll divide the swag, -separate, and Yellow Dog will go his way--probably back to China. It's -not much money when you think of it for a white man, but it's a whole -heap for a Chink." - -After the day had well advanced we heard noises on deck. The foresail -was lowered, or, rather, let go by the run, the noise of tearing gear -sounding plainly. Topsails, staysails, and everything forward except -the jib were cut away. Then the spanker was lowered, and left threshing -about, half up, with the sheet hauled amidships. The jib was hauled -to the mast, and the schooner lay hove to in the trade swell, riding -easily upon the sea, and remaining very steady. - -We heard them getting out the boats, and there was much noise from aft -where the safe was fast to the deck in the captain's cabin. Finally a -terrific explosion took place there, and after that the noises died -away. - -"Blew it," said Slade. - -A smell of smoke now began to be apparently in the confined air of the -cabin. - -"Good Lord! Are they going to fire us?" asked the mate. - -"Safest way, I suppose. Knock a hole in her bottom first, set her on -fire, and then get out," I said. - -"But the girl?" asked Slade. - -"Oh, Yellow Dog will take care of her--probably take her along with him -in the boats." - -"Not if I know it. Man, do you know what that means?" he panted, -straining at his wrist lashings. - -"Well, it's a mighty bad outlook, but if you can stop it, sing out; -I'll help," I said. - -The smoke grew more dense in the confined space. The noise of hoisting -gear died away, and the shouts of men from a distance told that they -already had the small boats over, and were alongside. - -Slade strained away at his lines, and I did, also, but we were fast. -Gantline muttered on the transom, and began to choke with the smoke. -Suddenly a form burst into the room. It was Oleson, the carpenter. He -slashed at our lashings with a heavy knife, and in a moment we were -free. - -We dragged ourselves out on deck, crawling to keep below the rail, so -that we could not be seen from the small boats. Two forms lay right in -front of a door--two of our men who had been killed. Not a sign of a -wounded Chink, or dead one, either. They had taken them along if there -were any. - -"I cut loose," said Oleson; "rubbed the lashings on a broken bottle -they left on deck near me. They've knocked a few holes in her, and -it's up to us to stop them up before the schooner sinks. She's on -fire forward--whole barrel of oil poured over her decks and lit up -before----" - -"Looks like they have her either way, then," said Gantline. "But we'll -try the fire first, and take a chance at her settling under us." - -I peeped over the rail and saw the boats--three of them--about a -mile distant. Then Slade and I ran below aft. The two passengers had -apparently gone with them, and the cabin was empty. Gantline, with -Oleson and six men left alive aboard, fought the fire, and we joined -them. - -Half an hour's work and we had the fire out, but it had played the -mischief with the running gear, having burned up plenty of line that -lay on the deck. Oleson and Slade went below forward, while Gantline -and I went after to find where they had knocked holes in her bottom. - -The sound of rushing water told us the position of the leak almost -before we reached the lower deck. They had not done much of a job, -having cut squarely into her just below the water line, trusting to the -fire to finish their work for them. - -Calling all hands, we jammed a mattress into the hole, and then passed -a tarpaulin down on the outside. Oleson spiked planks over the wad, -and we had a fair stopper on the place. Then we set to work to get the -canvas on her. - -Yellow Dog, finding that the schooner was not burning quickly, put back -in his boat to see what the trouble was. We were then at the gear, and -he soon saw us. His men sent the boat along with a will, and they drew -close aboard in a few minutes. - -We were now without arms, and he seemed to be satisfied that he would -get us without trouble. It was blowing fresh, and the schooner was -drifting bodily to leeward. - -We crammed the oil-soaked stuff from her decks into the donkey boiler, -and as the fire was already burning, and steam was almost up, we -waited, while some of us hoisted the headsails and swung her head off -before the wind. The mizzen was swayed up, and in a few minutes the -schooner was under good headway, sliding along at four or five knots, -and keeping the boat at a distance. - -"Now, then, my hearty, we'll soon fix you," said Gantline. - -Between moments of desperate work we had a chance to see that the other -boats were also coming back after us. At the present rate we were -holding our own, and Yellow Dog stood no chance to catch us, but he -kept on, and managed to get within a couple of hundred yards. - -From here he opened fire upon us with the heavy six-shooters, and we -heard the spat of the lead in the canvas, but for ourselves we kept -below the rail, and the power of a revolver was not enough to bother us -exceedingly. - -Soon Oleson announced that we could put the halyards to the winches, -and we sent the foresail and mainsail up in no time. Then we set the -spanker and had all the lower canvas on her. - -The schooner lay well over under the pressure, and we sent her along a -good ten knots, while we cleared up the gear and made things shipshape. -The boats were soon black specks in the sunshine. - -"Now, then, let's get to work on that yellow boy right," said the old -man. - -"No, don't let him get too far away from us," said Slade. "The two -ladies are in that boat with the big Chink, and we better attend to it -first." - -We hauled our wind and began reaching back, the boat with Yellow Dog -being kept right under the jibboom end. - -"I reckon I'll take the wheel and you go forward, Mr. Garnett," said -Gantline. - -"Will you run him down?" I asked. - -"Without any mistake at all--if you'll give me the course right when he -gets in close," said the captain. - -"But the ladies, the passengers?" said Slade. - -"We'll do the best we can for them--just as well to get killed that way -as to get away with those fellows, isn't it?" - -The men took to the idea at once, and we grouped close under the -shelter of the windlass, watching the schooner run. She was going a -full ten, and rising and falling with a rhythmic motion, her side, -where the patch was, being almost clear of the sea. - -Yellow Dog saw us, and knew what we intended to do. He swung his boat -around and pulled dead into the wind's eye, knowing that if we missed -him we would not get a chance to strike again until we beat well up -to windward of him. He would make it warm on deck as we came close, -and Gantline took the precaution to place a few boards against the -binnacle, so that he could crouch behind them when the firing began. I -was to wave my hand which way he should steer, and he was to keep me in -sight readily. - -We drew rapidly up to the boat. Yellow Dog stood up in the stern, and -held a long, black-barreled revolver in his hand. - -We crouched lower, and the schooner bore down upon the boat. I waved -my hand to starboard, and Gantline gave her a few spokes. Yellow Dog -backed water, and the boat would have gone clear of the cutwater, but -at that instant a heavier puff of wind heeled the schooner over, and -she luffed to a trifle, her cutwater rising upon a swell. - -Then, with the downward plunge, she shored through the small boat, -striking it fairly amidships. - -I was so taken up with the affair that I poked my head too far over the -rail, and a bullet ripped my cheek open, knocking me head over heels -with the shock. - -I scrambled to my feet, furious with the pain and excitement. The -fragments of the small boat drifted alongside, the after part going to -leeward, and dragging along the channels. I saw Slade spring upon the -rail for an instant, and then plunge overboard. - -Holding my bleeding face with one hand, I ran to the forechannels, and -saw Yellow Dog grasp the chains as they washed past. He had a mighty -grip, and that hand hold of his was a wonder. He drew himself into the -chains, and, without waiting, clambered up and over the rail, springing -to the deck right in front of me as I backed away. - -Oleson saw him coming, and so did a seaman named Wales. The three of us -closed on him, and dragged him down, and we rolled in the lee scuppers, -a fighting, snarling pile of humanity, while Gantline let the wheel go, -and ran to help us. - -Yellow Dog tossed the three of us off with the ease of a man throwing -aside children, and would have taken charge in another moment, but -Gantline, running up behind him with a handspike, swung the bar down -with full force upon that little skullcap, and the giant Chink -stretched out harmless. We had him trussed before the schooner had -stopped her headway into the breeze. - -Then we ran to the side, and looked for Slade. He was swimming easily -about a hundred yards astern, holding the form of Miss Aline with one -hand, and keeping her head clear of the water. All about were the forms -of swimming Chinamen. - -Quickly backing the headsails, we sent the schooner astern, drifting -down upon the mate. I made a line fast to a life buoy, and flung it far -out. After what seemed a long time, we finally had the mate fast to it, -and were hauling him in. Soon he was taken aboard, and Miss MacDonald -was carried below. Then we went to work trying to pick up the Chinks. - -Many of these refused to come aboard, preferring to die in the sea. -Some we caught and dragged up forcibly. We caught most of them, and -then hauled our wind for the two boats that were now almost out of -sight. - -Within a couple of hours we had the first alongside, and she -surrendered. In it was Miss Aline's aunt, and she was passed below -insensible. The other boat took longer to get, but we finally got -her alongside, and the men out of her. Forty-seven Chinks stood the -muster. We had lost ten of them and two of our men in the fracas. Miss -MacDonald came out of her faint, and from her room, where she had -locked herself. She fell into the arms of her niece. - -"Oh, the brave men, those romantic sailors, those heroes!" she cried, -in an ecstasy of joy, and she gave me a look worth millions. - -"Hush!" said Miss Aline. "Perhaps if those heroes had been a little -more gentle there would have been no trouble--but I am glad we are -saved. Mr. Slade risked his life for me." - -The Kanaka cook crawled from the lower hold, where he had hidden at -the first outcry, and the stewardess came from the lazaret. We came -into Honolulu that evening with the police flag flying, and turned the -big Chink over to the authorities for treatment. His lieutenant of the -walrus mustaches was missing. - -Miss Aline came on deck to look around. She saw Slade, and went to him. -What she said to him was none of my business, but Slade was a good man -and a good mate. Afterward she came to the mizzen where I stood like a -bandaged soldier. - -"I suppose you'll not make the rest of the voyage with us?" I asked. - -"Why not?" she asked. - -"Oh--er--I don't know; maybe you don't care so much for the heathen. -Brotherly love and kindness--fine theory, all right, but we're not just -ready to put it in practice--willing to wait, you know, until it comes -our way--perhaps a bit afraid----" - -"You are very much mistaken, sir," she broke in. "You will find out -your error, too, I think, before we get through. I am firmly convinced -that your own actions with that poor heathen are as much at fault as -his, and that if you had not treated him so roughly he would never have -done what he did." - -I grinned. I couldn't help it. Slade was winking at me from the door -of the forward house. Oh, well, here was a good woman gone wrong in -her theories, and I would not be insolent enough to disagree with her. -I let it go at that. I was willing to wait until she had finished the -voyage--for Slade's sake. He was a sly dog, that Slade. - -We found about two thousand dollars of the money taken among the men -captured. The rest was a total loss, and Gantline bemoaned his fate, as -it fell upon him to a certain extent. - -We cleared, leaving the big Chinaman to stand trial with two others as -accessories, and the police absolved me absolutely from all blame in -the matter. - - - - -PART II - - -"No loafing around the ship," I called to the little yellow chap who -was sitting near the spring line which held the schooner _Tanner_ to -the wharf at Honolulu. The man paid not the slightest attention to me. - -"Hey, there, sonny! Move out! Beat it; make a getaway, you savvy?" I -bawled in a louder tone. - -Then he arose, and instead of a young fellow I was amazed to find him -at least ten years older than myself--and I had been a ship's officer -some years. He walked slowly to the vessel's side, and gazed up at me -where I stood near the break of the poop, holding to a backstay. - -She was a modern, short-poop schooner. The sallow little man was not -a Chinaman, nor of Kanaka breed, but a full-blooded Japanese. He was -stout, strong, yellow of skin, and his black hair was too long for his -country's custom, sticking out from under the rim of a brown derby that -had seen its best days. His eyes were slitlike, keen little eyes, but -there was nothing repulsive in them. They attracted me. For one thing, -he had an open frankness, an honest and fearless look, and his face was -sad. - -"What you doin' on the dock, Togi?" I asked, eying him humorously. - -"If your august presence will listen, I'll tell you," he answered -easily. - -"Sure, Michael, let her go, and don't mind my gigantic--er--august -self," I sniggered. - -"In the first place," he said, "I'm not sonny, being, if your honorable -temper allows, a man of forty. If fine schooner says so, I go with -you as far as Tokyo. There I am the humble cousin of the Honorable -Baron Komuri, son of a Samurai, under the former emperor. I should -like indeed to sail with you, and will----" Here he stopped a moment, -hesitating. - -"Go on, king, old man; don't let anything stop you from telling your -yarn. Sing it out, and I'll listen if it breaks a bone." - -"No, no; not king, old man; just Mister Komuri--if your presence allows -me to correct. Your humble servant is but a plain man. Better be plain -man than dead lion, as your excellent books say. I accept plain man, -and go that way if so ship says." - -"We are not going to Tokyo, but if you see the skipper he'll take you -clear to Manila for a hundred or two yen. You savvy him yen. Must pay, -you know." - -"Ah, that is of what I wish to tell your honorable self. Allow me to -make myself so humble to tell I have not the yen you ask. I have not -anything----" - -"Nothing doing, kiddo; on your way," I said remorselessly. - -"But I sit on dock end waiting----" - -"Waiting for what?" - -"Waiting for two hundred yen to fly up and knock me dead. I wait and no -yen fly up to strike me on the cranium. Now I go with fine ship, and -work like plain man." - -"You have a sense of humor, king," said I, "and sink me if I don't try -to get you a job wrastling the dishes aft. How about it? Can you sling -the pots--are you a number-one pot-wrastler?" - -"I never wrastle; a little jujutsu sometimes when necessary for take -care, but I work at anything your august self tells. If honorable -commander tells me to wrastle pots, I try him so. I pretty good with -sword or short knife----" - -"Not so fast, king; this isn't a man-of-war; no fighting here. All the -fracasing done here is done by my august self and the other mate, Mr. -Bill Slade, both, as you say, honorable men, and some hustlers when it -comes right down to handling cloth in a blow. What I want--honorable -ship wants--is a man to give the eats aft--savvy? Bring in the hash -from honorable cook in galley--see? Set dish on table, wash dish off -table. You know." - -"But I am soldier--son of Samurai. I do not like dishwork; but if no -other way, I do mean work to get to Tokyo," he said sadly. - -"You're on," I hastened to say. "You're on, king, but in the future you -will be known as Koko. Savvy?" - -"As Mister Komuri," he interrupted, with a look from those slits of -eyes that called my attention. - -"No misters aboard here but my honorable self and mate. Rules of -honorable ship, you know. Sorry, but august skipper has discipline, -and you are soldier. You savvy? We'll compromise on Komuri. How's -that--just plain Komuri, steward, hash boy, hey?" - -"Your august self, yes; to common men, Mister Komuri, yes." - -"Get aboard, then," I said. "Go forward to the galley. The cook--that -big Kanaka there--he'll give you the line. In the meantime I'll square -it with the boss." - -Mister Komuri sprang over the rail, and made his way as directed. It -was easy to see that he had been in ships before, as what Japanese -hasn't, since they are a race of seamen. - -Our new member took hold without further orders, and I saw him not -again until the land was well astern, and we were on our way to Guam, -with forty-seven chink coolies below, and two lady passengers aft. - -This was the second part of our run, the first being from Frisco, where -we had shipped the coolies under the leadership of their gigantic -foreman, who had tried to take the ship and landed in jail for his -pains. The few thousand dollars we now carried in the safe aft was not -worthy of anxiety in regard to protection. Our voyage promised to be -uneventful. - -Among our crew were two new hands we had shipped at Honolulu to -help run the ship, also to take care of the Chinese we carried. Our -experience with the coolies had taught us that being short-handed was -not either good or safe. Our arms were now ready, being, as they were, -riot guns full of buckshot, and reliable six-shooters of heavy caliber. -This going out with nearly half a hundred Chinks with but three men in -a watch was all right if the Chinks were good, but we had found they -were not to be trusted. With the leader of the uprising in jail for -murder, and his lieutenant killed, we hoped for an easy life. - -We now had four men in watch, with the engineer for the ever-ready -steam winch bunking in his engine house with banked fires and enough -steam always ready to handle line. We were really carrying a full crew -for a schooner, and the expense of the engine was extra, there being -now enough men to handle her canvas easily without the aid of the -winches. - -One of the new men was a strange-looking fellow, who was neither dago -nor Dutchman. Just what he was I don't know, except that he was crafty, -watchful, and dodged all work possible. He had a way of looking at you -with eyes that seemed to fathom your inmost thoughts, an affected way -of appearing to understand, and his peculiar silences gave support to -the look. It deceived the old man. - -It deceived both Slade and myself at first, but afterward we grew more -discerning, peered deeper into his meaning, and saw--nothing. He was -just a petty, crafty sea lawyer who was looking for trouble to carry -back to the coast, where they love to get masters and mates mixed up in -courts for some violation of the shipping articles. - -This fellow's name was Dodd--Alfred Dodd--and he was called Alf by his -shipmates. Komuri seemed to sense danger the moment he jostled the -seaman in the gangway the first day out. I heard the row from the deck, -and it was short. - -"Hey, Jack," yelled Dodd to the regular steward we had signed on in -Frisco, "Jack, you seem to belong to the nobility now--can't hand a man -a pot of coffee during the mid-watch no more, hey? Let the king do it." - -"Not king; just plain Mister Komuri," purred our little helper, as he -grinned. - -"What's the matter?" asked Dodd. "Don't four-flush at your title, hey?" - -"Aw, give us rest," said Jack, who was good-natured and liked the -little yellow man, for Komuri did all his work now, and there was no -comeback. - -"I don't know if honorable sailor means wrong by four-flush," said -Komuri quietly, "but if he does the finger of Fate will point at him." - -"Wow! Fate will point at me! What der you think o' that?" sneered Dodd. -"Let's hope you ain't Fate, sonny, or I might p'int my own fair hand at -you in return." - -"If honorable seaman will step out to the fore end of ship I'll show -him just what a son of Samurai means. It will take short time." - -"Sure, king; I'll go you that explanation, all right. Come right along -while the watch are getting their whack. No one will notice us." - -Komuri jumped like a tiger without warning. He sprang upon the fellow, -and had a strangle hold of his wrist, and twisted over his neck until -I thought he was getting killed. I had to stop laughing to run up and -stop the fracas. Dodd was sweating with pain, and cursing furiously, -absolutely helpless. It was so quickly done that I wondered at it. Of -course, a strong man might grab the small fellow and jerk him out of -his shoes, but that was not Dodd. - -"Drop it!" I commanded, and the second steward let go at once, smiling. -"Now, get below, and quit this fooling," said I, and the sailor waited -for no further orders. "You can show me some of your tricks, you -Japanese juggler, when we have more time," I said to the little man. -"You interest me considerable. Get to the hash, and don't waste time -with a fool like that." - -Of course, it might be expected that a man of Komuri's parts would be -gallant, for it seems always the case when a man is able and unafraid -that he is sure to love with more passion than discernment. Komuri was -not an exception. - -Not being at the first table with the passengers, I had small -opportunity to see how he treated Miss MacDonald, but from what Slade -told me I was concerned. The small chap was always in attendance upon -the ladies when they were on deck. He was politeness itself, and he -busied himself with all kinds of little efforts to make them more -comfortable than they were. - -"If honorable ladies will allow, I fix the rugs in chairs," he would -say, and although the weather was tropical, a rug made a softer seat -when they took the air on deck, which they did nearly all daytime while -we ran our westing down beneath the tropic of Cancer. - -With a good full month or six weeks before us, and a fair wind on the -starboard quarter all the time, we had a stretch of water to cross -that put one in mind of steamers. The ship ran steadily day and night -at about from eight to ten knots an hour. We seldom touched a sheet -or halyard except to set it up, and the gentle heeling with the trade -swell made the voyage seem like a yachting trip. - -Komuri had much time to devote to the comfort of the ladies, and the -elder one seemed to like him very much indeed. He told them stories of -the warlike Samurai, and honor and self-respect stood out plainly in -them all. It was not a bad thing, except that he always seemed to be -something of a hero, and no steward either second or first should be -such a thing where there are seamen around waiting for the job. - -"I have always believed that you heathen were very able people," said -Miss Aline, "and if you were treated properly you would be just as -gentle and tractable as the European races." - -"Heathen," said Komuri calmly, "are those who do not accept your own -honorable views. Who knows which is right? It is a word we never use in -Japan." - -She looked at him a moment, and said: "You are quite incorrigible. I -hope you are not really bad, after all." - -"Honorable lady must see by how I do--not how I talk; she judge humble -self most true. Her heart right," said the Japanese, which I thought -was going some for a second steward, especially when I remembered how -Slade stood, or wished to stand, in a certain quarter. I thought it -best to let the humble steward see he was going far enough. - -"Say, king, old man," I interrupted, "Jack wants you to get busy with -the potatoes for dinner. He's waiting for the peelings." - -Komuri nodded to me respectfully. - -"At once, august mate, I go," he said, and went. - -"Quite a superior steward, that Japanese boy," said the elder lady to -me. - -"Oh, he's a wonder, all right," I assented; "but his place is in the -galley, and not on the quarter-deck--if I may be allowed to speak of -it." - -"And I do hope you will treat him kindly--not as you did the Chinese -man who went bad," said Miss Aline. - -"No fear of it--not the king. He wouldn't stand roughing--and don't -call for it. You see, while he goes with the Chinks altogether too much -for their own good, and talks altogether too much for his own, he is -not a Chinaman. Oh, no; he is far removed from the coolie Chinks, as -far as the skipper himself. He's just a plain little fighting man, that -a good-sized mate like myself could bite in two; but I know him--just -what he'd do." - -"Why, what?" asked Miss Aline. - -"I'd hate to tell you," I grinned. - -"You may be a good seaman, but you're somewhat stupid," said Miss -Aline, and I laughed outright at her humor. - -"What do you think of this fine weather?" asked her aunt to change the -conversation. - -"It's good as it goes, but it's the hurricane season, and we can't -count on it lasting all the way, you know," I said. "Maybe we'll hook -right into a typhoon before----" - -"Oh, you always want something rough, something bad," put in Miss -Aline. "I never saw such a man. Why do you always look for trouble? -Don't you find it often enough without hunting it always?" - -"Sure as eggs," I said; "but I'm only telling you what I believe, what -the signs show me. I'm not trying to frighten you at all." - -"I think you are perfectly horrid," said the young woman. - -"I hope I'm wrong, at least," I answered. But as I scanned the perfect -sky I felt that indeed I was trespassing upon the feelings of the -passengers too much, in spite of the fact that I had a mercury glass to -observe in Slade's room. - -The coolies came on deck in the daytime now, and sat in rows along the -waterways, eating their rice and chewing some sort of stuff to fill in -the interval between meals. They chattered a lot, and appeared not to -feel abashed at their former behavior. - -At these times the old man would come on deck--it being about the time -he'd take the noon sight--and gaze down at them dismally. He hated -Chinks, and their presence in his ship was more than he could get used -to. - -"What good are Chinks, anyway?" he would say. - -"Somebody's got to do the work in hot countries, and you can't always -get the blacks. They are just like mules, carabao buffalo, or jacks. -They'll work on ten cents a day and get fat; they don't know any -better," I'd tell him. - -But he would shake his old, shaggy head and mutter: - -"What good, what good, anyway?" - -As a matter of fact, they did no harm aboard besides befouling the air -of the alleyways with their eternal opium smoking. They had nothing at -all to do with the men forward, and the only person who appeared to -be able to hold intercourse with them was Komuri. He understood their -lingo or singsong way of telling it, and he would talk to them for -hours during the evening after the supper things were washed up, and -Jack, the steward, had turned in. - -I was a bit suspicious of this, for I don't like men of the after -guard to be intimate with either the crew or the passengers. It starts -something before long, and the voyage across the Pacific is a long one -if nothing else. Slade commented upon the Japanese often, and he rather -disliked our little second steward for his untiring efforts in behalf -of the ladies. Slade was a jealous man, although he was a seaman from -clew to earing, and his attentions to Miss Aline were more and more -marked as the schooner sped on her course. - -"Why shouldn't I get married?" he used to say to me when we had a -chance to be together, which was seldom enough. "Why shouldn't I get a -wife, and take up the simple life of the farmer? I've been through all -the hardness of seagoing, and I'm tired of it. What is a man, after -all, if he sticks to it? He gets to be a skipper of some blamed hooker -that'll make him a couple of thousand a year when he is too old to -enjoy spending it. Then he loses her, maybe, and then where is he? A -fit subject, for the sailors' home. No, I'm going to marry that woman -and get a berth ashore. You watch me." - -Of course, I encouraged him all I thought necessary. I even grinned -at times when I thought of the picture he would make as a husband of a -woman like Miss Aline MacDonald--after he had been on the beach for a -year or two. - -And so we ran our westing down, and drew near the one hundred and -sixtieth meridian to the northward of the Marshall Islands. Here the -trade failed us for a wonder, and began to get fitful and squally. At -times it would come with a rush, and then die away altogether, the -squalls being accompanied by rain. A mighty swell began to heave in -from the southeast diagonally across the trade swell, and it lumped up -some, heaving the schooner over and rolling her down to her bearings -when the wind failed to hold her. - -The glass fell, and the air became sultry, the sun glowing like a ball -of red copper in the hazy atmosphere. The squall clouds grew heavier, -and when the sun shone between them it sent long rays, fan-shaped, -through the mist. - -The old man came on deck, and viewed the sea with a critical eye. It -was nearly eight bells, and Slade was on watch. I came out and watched -them take the sun for meridian altitude--both of them sometimes did -this together--and when the bells struck off, Slade came down from the -poop, and joined me on the main deck. - -"What'd you make of the weather, old man?" he asked. - -"Looks dirty to me; glass falling and the hot squalls coming from that -quarter--whew! Look at it!" - -As I spoke a huge roller swept under the schooner, lifting her skyward, -and then dropping her slowly down the side. It was an enormous sea--a -hill of water full forty feet high--and it rolled like a living -mountain, a mighty mass that made nothing of the trade swell, and told -of some tremendous power behind it. - -The sea ran swiftly, with a quick, live feeling. As sure as death there -was awful wind somewhere in that peaceful ocean, driving with immense -force and resistless power. - -Slade looked askance at the topsails. As he gazed the old man sang out -from aft: - -"Clew up the topsails and roll them up snug. Put extra gaskets on them!" - -Then came the main and mizzen along with the outer jibs, and by the -time the watch had their dinner we were close reefing the mizzen and -taking the bonnet out of the foresail. - -Miss Aline was on deck, as the sudden motion was so extraordinary that -to remain below meant to be seasick. Her aunt came up from a hasty -meal, and clung to the poop rail and watched us work. - -"Oh, those gallant men!" she murmured to her niece. "See how they climb -like monkeys upon that awful sail. Romantic heroes! Yes, Aline, they -are wonderful, and the way that officer talks to them is a revelation. -Just hear him." - -I was at that moment holding forth to a couple of squareheads upon -the evident virtues of passing reef points properly, and I may have -slipped my etiquette a bit, for my language was such that I was almost -persuaded to follow it with action. But I had heard enough. I stopped. -The men went on lazily, growling at the work. - -"Reefing a ship in a dead calm," grumbled one, "ten minutes for the -eats, and then we'll loose these here p'ints out ag'in, and take the -sail to the winch." - -I was too angry to hear more. Here was an old lady putting me queer -with men who ought to know better than talk when they were expected to -hurry. At least they should not criticize their officers. - -"Get along, you Scandaluvian sons of Haman! Get those points in lively, -or the squall'll break before you know it--an' I'll be the rain, -thunder, and lightning!" I roared. - -I refused to look at the two passengers, and went to the forward end -of the poop, and looked down at the Chinks, who were seated in the -waterways eating their rice and long-lick--molasses. Just what to do -with these fellows seemed to me a problem. We could hardly lock them in -now, and if trouble came along quickly they would be in it, right in -the middle. - -The old man came from below, and gazed solemnly across the misty sea, -and I went to him. - -"How about it?" he asked. "Hadn't we better house them Chinks now, -before it's too late? They'll die of suffocation in those alleyways -with the ports shut fast--I suppose you shut the ports in, didn't you?" -he said. - -"Sure. Everything is snugged in below. Komuri saw to it. He knows how -to talk to the Mongolians--tell them they must keep the ports shut. -But I don't like leaving them on deck, even if it is hot enough to -roast potatoes on the deck planks. How's the glass, sir?" - -"Bottom dropped out of it somehow; mercury concave and 'way down. -There's some unusual disturbance knocking about this sea. There's -trouble ahead--typhoon season, you know. Nothing but wind moves that -awful swell. Look at that!" - -A hill of water rolled majestically onward, catching us under the -counter, and sending us along its great, smooth crest, then dropping us -again as we had hardly steering way under the short canvas. - -"I'd like to know which way it's coming--lay our course to drift out -of it, or run, but who knows--who knows before it strikes? I wish you -would see to the gear forward. I don't want things to get loose. And -take charge. No, sir; don't let anything out of the way happen while -you're on deck." - -I saw the old man was getting nervous. The low pressure and the -sultriness were telling on him. He knew what was coming well enough, -and fretted under it. It was hard waiting, even for an old seaman like -himself. Slade came on deck, and puffed carelessly at his pipe, gazing -about, and then going aft to chat with the ladies. He was always ready -to cheer them up. Nothing would happen--positively nothing. There -was no use of their getting nervous at the heavy swell. It had often -happened before--a heavy swell and no wind, 'way out here in the middle -of the Pacific. No telling where the storm might be, but, of course it -wouldn't be near us--oh, no. - -Oleson came aft to me. - -"Shall I lock in the Chinks?" he asked. - -"Yes," I answered. "Lock 'em up, put a padlock on both doors, and see -that they don't get loose again until this is over." - -Oleson went to Komuri. The Jap listened to him, and then repeated the -order, passing the word like a seaman should, without comment. The -Chinks followed him into their quarters in the alleyways, and Oleson -locked the doors on the outside, putting extra padlocks on them. The -alleyways were upon the main deck, and shut off from the lazaret by a -bulkhead. - -"If honorable mate will let me open those ports inside, Chinese men -will be able to breathe better--air very hot in there," said Komuri. - -"All right, king; go ahead. And if she lists over and drowns them like -rats in a trap you'll be the man to loose them--see?" I warned him. - -"I'll take care them, me," said Komuri. "If honorable ship, she turns -over, me, Komuri, will see to ports. Very hot inside there." - -I turned away and watched the horizon. The haze was thickening, and the -squalls were beginning to come with more force than before. A sudden -spurt of wind sang hoarsely in the rigging, and a drift of spray flew -upward. - -The men were still at work making things snug when I heard a murmuring, -a moaning, vast, filling the air, then dying away again. It was all -about us, seemingly upon all sides. Then again I heard a harplike note -of great volume. The horizon disappeared in the southeast, and the -blue-steel bank of vapor shut off the sunlight. It grew dark and gloomy. - -"She's coming along all right in a few minutes," said Slade, who came -near to me and passed on to his room. He came on deck in a couple of -minutes, with an oilskin coat buttoned fast about him, and he sweltered -in its heat. I still stood at the weather rigging. - -"Go get your rain clothes on," he said, coming to relieve me. - -"Nix! Let her go as it is--better wet with salt water than sweat," I -replied. - -The skipper came forward. He suggested that the two passengers go -below, and Jack, the steward, with Komuri to assist him, managed to get -them below without protest, although it was something like ninety-six -or seven in that saloon. - -A white streak spread upon the sea. The squall struck, snoring away -with a vigor that told of more coming. The spumedrift flew over us. -Then another, and another furious blast of wind bore down upon the -schooner, and she lay slowly over until her rail was submerged. - -In five minutes the hurricane was roaring over us, and the _Tanner_ lay -upon her beam ends while we struggled with the mizzen, and held the -wheel hard up to throw her off, the weight of the wind holding her down -with a giant hand. - -Yelling and struggling, all hands now tried to get that mizzen in. It -was a waste of time. I saw the skipper clinging to the boom and using -his knife upon the canvas, and did likewise. With a thundering roar the -sail split, torn to ribbons. We could not make ourselves heard in the -chaos of sound, but waved frantically our orders and helped as only -good seamen can. - -But the _Tanner_ refused to go off. She lay flat out with her -cross-trees in the lift of the sea, and she hung there. The -forestaysail burst with a crack that we heard aft, and vanished as if -it had been snow in a jet of steam. The bonneted foresail held with the -wind roaring over the top of it, spilling away, but still keeping full -enough to keep from slatting and bursting. It was the heaviest canvas -and brand new, and all the time squall after squall bore upon the -straining ship, roaring, screaming with the blast of a gun as the puffs -came and went. - -That wind was like a wall of something solid. To move in it was -enough to tax the strength. It pressed one against what was to -leeward--pressed him, held him and bore upon him like a weight of -something solid. To let go meant to run the risk of being blown bodily -away into the sea. - -We clung along the weather rail, and hung on with both hands, watching -the white smother fore and aft, but unable to look to windward for an -instant against the blast. The outfly and uproar was so tremendous that -all sounds were lost in it. I found myself near Slade and the old man, -all three clinging to the rail, and gasping for breath. The skipper's -gray head shone bare in the blast, and the white foam flecked it, and -dripped from his beard, his ruddy cheeks glowing red in contrast. His -teeth were set, and he was just holding on. - -For a long time we three hung there, and did nothing but try to survive -the fury of that hurricane. The forward part of the schooner was -blotted out, and I just remember that to leeward, where I could look, -the surge boiled and foamed clear up to the hatch coamings. - -I thought of the women below, and knew they were safe for the time -being. Then I remembered the starboard alleyway, and the ports that -Komuri had left open to give the Chinks air. The alleyway was now -completely submerged; the ports far below the surface of the sea, the -Chinamen were caught there like rats in a trap. - -The narrow space must even now be filling up, and I thought of the poor -coolies struggling against that door the carpenter had so securely -locked and fastened upon them. They could never break it open, for upon -it we had placed our safety against another uprising, and the double, -two-inch planks bolted crossways would stand more than the weight of -the crowd that would be able to surge against it. The alleyway could -fill entirely without any water getting below. - -I grabbed Slade by the arm, and pointed at the lower deck. - -"The Chinks--below--can't get out!" I roared against the hurricane. - -Slade grinned a sickly grin and nodded. Then he ducked his head -against the wind and bellowed back: - -"Can't help it--can't go there--sure death!" - -I fancied I could hear the outcries of the imprisoned men, but the -deep, bass undertone of the hurricane roared away overhead and swept -away the impression. - -It was sickening to think of it. Fully twenty men were in that -alleyway, and the four eight-inch ports were letting in four streams of -sea water, for the Chinamen would not know enough to jam them full of -clothes or anything they could get hold of, being little better than -animals in point of intelligence. - -If the schooner would only pay off she would right herself and let the -openings come above the sea level; but she hung there dead, beaten down -by a blast so terrific that it seemed like a solid wall of something -heavy tearing upon her and crushing her life out. It took the breath -away, and I found myself gasping, trying to get air to breathe, sucking -in the flying drift and spray, and choking, holding one hand over my -nose and mouth to keep from actually drowning in the smother. - -It seemed as if we had already been hove down a full hour, and I was -tiring. The schooner held doggedly broadside in the trough of the -sea, which was now appalling in height, and was breaking solidly over -her high rail and upturned side. We could not last much longer in the -dangerous position, and I began to believe we were lost. Our hatches -were closed, and no water could get below unless something gave way, -but it was certain something would go before long under that strain. - -I looked hopelessly at the man at the wheel, who had passed a lashing -upon his waist, and was straddling the shaft, clinging to the spokes -with desperation. I wondered if he still held the wheel hard up, but -knew that in her present knocked-down state it would make little -difference, for she would not steer without some headsail to swing her -out and off that mighty sea. - -I crawled along the rail, fighting my way hand over hand, passing the -skipper and gaining the edge of the poop. I yelled to Douglas, who was -the man straddling the wheel shaft, but he only shook his head and -ducked from the squalls. - -While I bawled for him to tell me what helm she carried, I was aware -of a figure crawling from the companionway to the after cabin. It -came creeping up just under me, up the almost perpendicular deck, and -it looked like a big monkey until it came right into me, and then I -recognized Komuri, our little steward. - -Komuri was yellow, a pasty yellow, and his wrinkled face looked old and -haggard. He was only partly dressed, and he clawed the rail frantically -for a hand hold. He looked the worst-scared Jap I had ever seen or -dreamed of. He climbed close to me. - -"Men locked in--all die--ports open," he screeched in my ear. - -"I know--can't help it--door under water--no tools," I yelled in -reply, and he howled something that ended in a screech that was -unintelligible, for over it all sounded that deep, bass roar, -thundering, booming, vibrating into chaos all sounds. - -I watched him, and he climbed past me, making his way forward with -amazing speed, considering he was crawling along a wall which had been -the deck. He made the break of the poop, and disappeared, going in the -direction of the forward house, although how he ever expected to get -there was beyond reason. - -Something made me follow him, and soon Slade and myself were at the -edge of the poop, and gazing down at the partly submerged door of the -starboard alleyway. While we looked, Komuri came climbing along the -rail of the ship, disappearing now and then under the solid water that -swept her, but, to our amazement, still keeping hold of the pins, and -gaining slowly toward us. - -In one hand he held Oleson's ax, and he was coming toward us, coming to -do a piece of work we had already given up as impossible. - -No word was spoken as Komuri struggled up to where we clung and gasped -for breath, half drowned in the rush of water. - -I passed the end of a line about him after a fashion, and he dropped -off to starboard down the steep slant, and instantly went under as a -huge sea fell over the schooner. - -We held the line. Then we saw him again, and he was hacking away at the -door, chopping at the lock and staple while he swung scrambling with -his feet against the planks. Slade thoughtfully dropped down other -lines, and made them fast. - -I could see little of what was going on. The seas were breaking over -us now with tremendous volume, and it seemed only a question of a few -minutes before the schooner must go down, anyhow, for she couldn't lie -on her beam ends very long without something giving way. - -The work of getting at those Chinks appeared to me now a useless labor. -We would all be where there was no caste, no coolies, in a short time. -And yet such is the habit of a seaman, he works on against certain -failure at times, when ordinary folk would accept the verdict and quit. - -I held Komuri until my arms were nearly paralyzed, and I was fainting -with exertion and lack of air. The first thing I knew of what he had -done was when a Chink came climbing monkey fashion up one of the lines, -followed by another and another, their yellow faces pasty and drawn, -and their pigtails streaming after them. They clung along the weather -side, and lashed themselves fast to whatever they could find. I saw the -dark figures of a couple fade away in the smother to leeward, and knew -they had gone to where all Chinks go sooner or later, but the rest came -up and clung for life there in the strident breath of the typhoon, and -the booming roar drowned out even their shrieks and yelps. - -I tried to haul Komuri up again, but could not. I howled for Slade -to help me, but he was separated by a row of Chinks, and couldn't -reach me. I hammered the nearest Chinaman over the head in frantic -desperation to make him haul line and save the little Jap, but the -fellow only ducked the blows, which were too weak to hurt much. - -Komuri, exhausted, could not climb back. He could no longer help -himself; and he was trusting to me to get him up from the white smother -beneath that was drowning him. The madness of my weakness came over -me. I had been a bucko mate with ready hand, and could take them by -and large as they came from the dock to the forecastle, but here I was -weakening, holding to a line at the end of which was the bravest little -man I had even seen, the gamest little fighter--Komuri, son of Samurai, -the fighting class of the Japanese. - -And Komuri was going to his death because I couldn't help him. On and -on I struggled with the line, bellowing curses, but I could get little -or no line over the pin, and I was growing surely weaker and weaker. - -Then I stopped, and tried to see if there was any chance to help, any -chance to save the little hero. I saw Komuri dangling in the foam, his -face upturned to me, and a smile upon his yellow, wrinkled visage. He -waved feebly to me, and I knew he was signaling for me to haul him -up--and was wondering why I didn't. - -"Oh, my God, you poor little devil!" I howled. "It's too bad--too bad!" - -A gigantic sea crashed over the schooner, a mountain of water. I passed -the line about my waist, and snatched a turn to keep from being washed -away. That was the last I remembered for some time. - -When I regained my senses I was lying on the deck, and Slade was -dragging me by the arm toward the cabin doors. The roar of the -hurricane still boomed over us--the wild rush of the sea--but it came -from aft now, and I knew they had at last got her off the wind, and -were running her either to hell or safety. - -Ten minutes later I was struggling up the companionway again to the -deck, where the old man was now conning her, and watching her run -seventeen knots an hour before a series of hurricane squalls that -simply lifted her almost bodily out of the sea. - -I saw we had passed the center of the cyclone, for we had the wind -almost directly opposite from where it was when we lay knocked down. I -got to the shelter of the mizzen, and from there watched the men at the -wheel hold her as she ran. Some one had loosed a bit of canvas forward, -but it had blown away, and the ribbon streamers stretched and cracked -until they vanished in the blast. - -"How'd you do it?" I yelled to Slade, who clung in the lee. - -"Squalls let up sudden--hit the center--she righted, and then ran off -when we hit the other side of it!" howled the mate. - -"Where's Komuri?" I howled. - -"Don't know--must have gone to leeward. Some Chinks gone, too--you came -near going." - -That was all I could get from Slade. But I knew all that was -necessary. Komuri had gone to the port of missing ships. He had died -as a Samurai should, facing his end fearlessly, fighting to the last -for others in the hope to save them, the ones he had tried to help by -giving them air and leaving their ports open when they should have -been closed. He had known his responsibility, and had done what we had -failed to do. - -There were three Chinamen missing, but our own men were safe. They had -got under the side of the engine house, where they were protected from -both the sea and wind. They clung there until the vessel righted, and -then turned to with a will to save the ship. - -We ran the _Tanner_ all that day and the following night, keeping her -before a mighty sea that almost overran us. She steered well once she -got off before it, and after we got canvas on her forward she was safe -enough. It had been a close squeak for all hands, and we breathed -easier as she ran out of the disturbance and came again upon her -course. A week later we ran her in behind the reef of Guam, and came to -anchor off the town of Agana, where we were to discharge part of our -cargo and the Chinese. - -In behind the barrier we ran her without further incident, and as -the wind fell we rolled up the canvas and let her drift into fifteen -fathoms before letting go the hook. - -The ladies came on deck for the first time since the typhoon, and gazed -happily at the beautiful island crowned with green, tropical foliage--a -welcome relief to the eye that had seen only the blue water for so -long. They were to leave us here, and we were to go on to Manila, -coming later to take them back upon the return voyage. It would give -them three months on Guam. - -"Where is our little Jap, Kamuri--we haven't seen him for a week?" -asked Miss Aline. "He was nice about getting our things together--we -really must have him help us ashore." - -"Hasn't Slade told you?" I said. - -"No. What do you mean?" she asked in surprise. - -"Komuri is dead--lost in the typhoon--he saved the Chinks," I answered. - -Both women gasped their surprise. - -"I am so sorry!" exclaimed the younger. - -"And he was so good," said her aunt. "I wondered why Mr. Slade hadn't -spoken of him before. I suppose it's because Mr. Slade feels that he is -now to be your guardian and must protect you from all ill news--oh, I -forgot--you hadn't heard. Yes, Mr. Slade is the man. He saved Aline's -life, you know, and they are to be married after we get back. Strange -he didn't tell you." - -I thought so, too. Slade was a sly dog--and he had used my collars, -also, in his wooing. I was--well, I was ready to congratulate any man -who could make up his mind to marry. - -But I turned away so abruptly that I thought I had to apologize to -Slade afterward, to keep from getting in a row with him. But Slade -understood, and squeezed my hand. - -"There's some of that port left over below," he said, and he led the -way down. - -He filled two glasses to the brim, handing me one. - -"To your health--and that of Miss Aline," I said stiffly, feeling that -there was something to say, or do. - -"No," said Slade slowly, thoughtfully, "to the best man." - -"Sure--to me, the best man at the wedding?" I said, in feigned surprise. - -"Oh, no," corrected the mate. "Not at all--although you are not so bad, -old chap." He raised his eyes and looked straight into mine. "We drink -to the best man in the ship--who was in the ship--to Komuri." - -And we drained our glasses. - - - - -AT THE END OF THE DRAG-ROPE - - -There were five men all told in the fishing schooner _Flying Star_. -I had known them all well, and had been shipmate with four of them. -Captain Johnny Sparks was a Dutchman, a "squarehead," but a good -seaman, and he had fished on the Hatteras Banks during three bluefish -seasons. His vessel was a Provincetown specimen--what used to be termed -the "Gloucester fisherman" type, before the decadence of that port in -the industry which once made it famous had ended its shipbuilding. - -She was a small vessel, much smaller than the modern Provincetown -fisherman, which has a short foremast, a mainmast planted almost -amidships, and sweeping canoe bows with overhang. No, she was of the -old type--two sticks stuck upright in her at almost equal distances, -marking her into three almost equal parts; a main-topmast sprung well -forward and stayed well aft to steady the "whip" of long and continuous -plunging into a lifting head sea. She was "chunky" in model, bows -rather bluff, almost like a coaster, and her stern was of the old-time -sawed-off pattern, sunk low in the water, an ugly stern for running in -a heavy sea when the lift is quick and fast. - -She was not worth over two thousand dollars, but Captain Johnny owned -half of her, and he had no criticisms to make of her behavior in heavy -weather. With a long, straight keel and full under-body, she was an -excellent sea craft, provided she was properly handled. - -I was mate of the passenger ship _Prince Alfred_ with Bill Boldwin, -running from New York to the West Indies, and as we ran on schedule we -often fell in with the Hatteras fishermen twice during a voyage. - -Johnny was fishing three miles north of the Diamond Shoal Lightship -as we passed him on our voyage out. He stood upon his quarterdeck -and waved to me. I was on the bridge, and bawled out I would have -some fruit for him on the return trip. He nodded and waved his hand -in appreciation, and his cook poked his head out of the galley and -grinned. His boats were scattered along the shoal, all hauling up -bluefish as fast as they could. - -Four other vessels from New York were on the grounds, but I recognized -none of them. Our passengers gazed at the small boats tossing as only -light-built dories can toss in a lively sea; and they commented on the -fishing. - -As a rule, the average landsman thinks all fishing is done on the Grand -or George's Banks. They get the idea from writers who know these waters -well, and it never enters their heads that the northern banks are but -a very small part of the great Atlantic fishing grounds, where the -professional fisherman must toil to wrest his living from the salt sea. - -It was due to a Gloucester Yankee, though, that the great fishing -of Campeche Bank became known. Hove-to in a vicious norther a few -score miles off Galveston, the "cod-hauler" was driven gradually -off shore until he was far away from the land. Suddenly from a -fathomless gulf--he had had the perseverance to keep his lead going -at intervals--he fetched the ground in thirty fathoms, and gradually -shoaled his water. - -With a hook just above the lead, he soon began to haul up snappers, and -he came running into port a few days later with his schooner loaded to -her bearings with as prime fish as ever came out of the sea. - -Captain Johnny had fished there a year, but owing to the slowness of -the _Flying Star_ he had given it up until the steam patrol boat had -been put on to make the rounds and buy the fish on the grounds. It was -Johnny who had gone into Sabine once for water when Dick Hollister was -marshal. - -Hollister was a saturnine chap, who wore a heavy Colt with seven -notches in the handle, each notch meant for some beggar he had been -forced to perforate in the course of his strenuous career. He was -accounted one of the most fearless and able marshals in Texas. One -morning he visited the _Flying Star_, apparently looking for a man he -wanted for a certain episode in horses. He swaggered about the decks -with his Colt in full view, and caused so much interest that he -impeded the work. - -Johnny spoke softly to him--he always had a soft way of speaking--and -told him he must get ashore. The marshal turned and gazed at the little -"squarehead" in disdain; but Captain Johnny, who was sitting on his -hatch-combing, looked up with gentle gray eyes and pointed to the jetty. - -"You get avay--get oudt wid you, my friend. I don't got no time fer -wastin' wid circus-actor mens wid funny fringes and artillery dragging -mid dere waist belts--git!" - -And as the marshal didn't move, Johnny shied a coiled line at him, -hitting him somewhat violently in the body. - -Instantly Hollister drew his Colt. - -"You blamed little shrimp! if you do that again I'll plug you," he said -quietly, wiping the fish scales and salt water from his clothes. "Don't -make any mistake; I'm not your friend." - -Captain Johnny was especially blue and sad that morning, so he gazed at -the marshal, while his hand reached for a heavy sinker. - -"If you ain't my friend, fire away not; if you are mine friend, you -shoot me, for I'm tired enough wid dis business, an' I don't vant do be -livin' always, forever, yet. Shoot, mein dear friend, shoot--or if not -mine friend, den take dis!" - -And he tossed the pound lead with such precision that it stretched -Hollister flat upon the deck before he could take good aim to do more -than rip the collar off Johnny's coat with his fire. When he came to, -Johnny was bathing his head where the sinker had cut him, and pouring -good whisky down his throat. - -"You are mine friend--but a poor shot--take another drink with me, and -den go. Here's your blunderbust--you interrupts de vork on de deck--git -oudt!" - -And yet there was a lot of energy in that sturdy form standing there -upon the deck of his undermanned schooner waving his acknowledgments to -me upon the bridge of the liner. Yes, Captain Johnny Sparks was a good -seaman. May the deep ocean hold him gently in its eternal embrace, for -he loved it--loved it as only a true seaman does! - -We made the run south, and were coming up with a full complement of -passengers from Jamaica, when we began to notice a definite change in -the weather. It was the hurricane season, September, and the heat was -oppressive. The passengers lay about the decks in chairs all day and -half the night, getting what air the ship made with her rush of fifteen -knots an hour through the quiet sea. We ran along through the Passage, -leaving Cape Maysi out of sight before dark, and rapidly hauling up -under the lee of the Great Inagua Bank. Here in the smooth sea night -fell upon the ocean, and I went on the bridge for the first watch. - -As I came into the pilot house to sign the order-book for my course, -Captain Boldwin called my attention to the glass. It had fallen rapidly -during the last few hours, and was now dangerously low. - -"Keep a good lookout," he said, "and call me at the first signs of a -change." I signed the order-book, and he went below. - -How many times has an officer signed that order-book before even going -on the bridge? And how many times has the said officer made an entirely -different course from that signed for? But then steamship companies do -not supply ships and coal for their officers to study navigation. It -would not look well on paper. Every officer of a passenger ship is a -licensed master, a captain; and no first-class company will ship any -other kind of man to go on the bridge to take charge for the watch -of four hours, for during that time the ship is absolutely under his -command, and it is necessary that he shall be a skilled navigator, -capable of taking the ship along just as safely should accident befall -her commander. For this responsibility he receives from seventy-five -to a hundred dollars per month; and half of the passengers whose lives -he holds in the hollow of his hand for half the night look upon him as -little better than a ship's cook! - -We appeared to follow the low barometer, or it to follow us, for when -daylight came we were still running smoothly across the Atlantic with -nothing but an oppressive heat and mugginess to warn the landsman of -the low pressure. - -"There's something coming along behind us; something there astern that -will probably make things howl," said Boldwin, as he came on deck in -the morning. - -The sun was brassy in a coppery haze, but it was clear enough to get -a good sight for longitude. I called off three good sights, took the -note, and went below to work the longitude before breakfast. On ships -running across the Gulf or Florida Stream from the southward, bound for -New York or some port south of it, there is every necessity for getting -the westing accurate. We always found that, running diagonally across -for the Diamond Shoal Light vessel, we were set about twelve miles to -the northeast while running at from twelve to fifteen knots. This was -almost a regular fixed factor, but in heavy weather it was not always -safe to run full speed inside of it. - -To make to the eastward of the lightship was well enough, but to fetch -to the westward was the one thing that has always made Boldwin nervous, -and rightly so. If he missed it going to the eastward, he would pick -up some other landfall to the northward, if he was too far off; but if -he missed it going to the westward in a driving gale, when it was too -thick to see half a mile--well, we had never done so yet, and had no -reason to pray for the experience. - -We were a fast liner, full of fruit and passengers, and we could not -stop for anything on the run up. With fifty thousand bunches of bananas -below, we must drive the ship to her destination as fast as she could -go, and neither hurricane nor calm must stop her. The company seldom -kept a seaman long who brought in fifty thousand bunches of ruined -fruit, some of it twelve hands, and most of it more than eight, selling -at retail at nearly a dollar a bunch. - -Two years before, Boldwin, after being hove-to for thirty-six hours -in a gale, had brought in his ship laden with fruit he had taken under -protest, the "yellow" being plainly in sight at the ends of more than -half the bunches. He had docked, and a score of men had waded about -for several days up to their hips in a mess which, once seen, causes -all lovers of bananas to eschew that fruit forever afterward. Banana -juice will cut the steel plates of a ship's side almost like diluted -sulphuric acid--but they gave him another chance. - -It was late in the afternoon of the day we had run clear of the land, -when the first signs of the hurricane of September 19, 1903, made its -appearance. The swell began to roll heavily from the southeast with a -curious cross-roll from the westward, making a peculiarly uncomfortable -sea for a steamer running northward. It dropped away from under our -counter, and the _Prince Alfred_ dipped her taffrail almost to the -unruffled surface. Then she would rise upon it, and, as it lifted well -under her underbody, she would roll to port and throw her stern so high -that the starboard screw would race in a storm of foam at the surface, -shaking her tremendously, and annoying the passengers who happened to -occupy after-staterooms. - -When the second officer, Smith, came on duty, I made my way aft to take -a look over things--to see that the small boats were securely lashed; -that gratings and gear were in place, for it was evident that we were -to have a piece of dirty weather. A large, fat, pale-faced woman poked -her head out of window and demanded that I have the starboard engine -stopped at once, as it was too racking on her nerves. She declared she -had stood it as long as she could, and would lodge a complaint with -the president of the company immediately she got ashore, if her demand -were not complied with instantly. I started to argue the case, but she -cut me short, exclaiming that "they never did such things on the French -boats." - -All the gear was in order aft, and I had just made my way to the -bridge, when the Captain called my attention to a haze gathering to the -southward. - -"The glass is starting down again--dropped two more tenths," he said. -"We'll run foul of something before eight bells. Looks like it was -following the Stream along to the northward; it usually does." - -A heavy, blue-black bank of cloud, smooth, and swept into an immense -semicircle over the southern horizon, but rising fast, told of the -beginning of trouble. Half an hour later we began to feel the squalls, -which came suddenly and with vicious spurts of fine rain. - -"According to old Captain Valdes," said Boldwin, "if you place your -back to the wind, the center of the blow is to the left, or port side, -and a bit behind you. This breeze is coming in from the east'ard good -and quick, and it looks like we'll fetch the center straight and fair -the way we're heading." - -"Would you stop her and heave her up?" I asked. - -"Stop her? Not as long as she'll swim. What do you think we are--a -sand-barge? Stop a liner running on schedule with a fortune of bananas -lying below? Get those ventilators trimmed, and put three covers on -the after hatch and lash them fast. We'll run her. Who do you think -would take this packet out the next voyage if he hove her to?" - -As it was only too evident that it would be my chance, I said nothing. - -The light grew dim as the gray pall of the storm quickly overspread the -sky. The dull gray light made the sea appear queer and dark, with the -great heave now running quickly, as though a mighty power were working -close behind it. The tops of the breaking combers had a peculiar lift -to them as they met the cross-swell, and the racing of the starboard -engine became more and more violent. A terrific squall bore upon the -ship, seemed to almost lift her bodily before it. The roar of the wind -whirling through the heavy standing rigging told of its velocity, and -then we waded right into the thick of it, with the _Prince Alfred_ -lurching along eighteen knots an hour over a sea which was torn into a -white and gray world that ended, so far as our vision was concerned, a -few fathoms from the ship's side. - -Boldwin was standing on the bridge, holding to the rail, and leaning to -the blasts as though it took his whole weight to bear up against them. -I came close to him. - -"Get every one ... below! Lock in ... passengers!" I caught his words -with my ear ten inches from his mouth. "Cover ... hatches ... all fast." - -I knew what he meant. When the _Prince Alfred_ closed down her cargo -there was something unusual happening. Making my way down the bridge -steps, I got the men of the watch together. It was tough work, for the -sea was now ugly, and we were running our weather-rail down at each -roll, and scooping up plenty of water which she sent across her decks -to leeward. To stand up without holding on meant to be blown bodily -against the lee rail at the risk of going over. - -It was an hour before I got back to the bridge, and when I did so, the -squalls were becoming more frequent, and more and more violent, but -there was no shift yet. It soon grew dark--a black dark--and we tore -along into the blackness, unable to see two fathoms ahead. As yet we -were outside the Stream, and consequently not in the usual line of the -coasters, which are the dread of the liner's officers, for nothing -is so uncomfortable as the sudden raising of the dim and sometimes -half-extinguished lights of a schooner on a thick night while tearing -along before a gale. Having the right of way, the sailing vessel has -nothing to do but keep her course, while the steamship, with but a -few seconds to spare, swings quickly to pass, sometimes missing a -catastrophe by a few feet. A poor red light on such a night cannot be -seen twenty fathoms. - -Before midnight the shift began. It came from the southward--a bad -sign, for it told plainly that we were nearing the center of the -disturbance; and as we were heading diagonally across the path of the -storm, we were almost certain to bring up in its dread vortex. As chief -officer, it would have been a bit out of place for me to suggest the -thing the ordinary seaman would do--that is, heave to and work out of -it. Boldwin stood on his bridge and kept her going. - -And yet it had to come. Before daylight the sea was terrific--the -squalls coming with furious rushes, shifting, and hurling a frightful -sea. A huge, lifting hill of water broke high above the taffrail, and -roared a full fathom deep over the quarter-deck. The crash shook the -steamer through her whole frame. It was as though she had struck a -solid rock. The white glint of the foam showed through the blackness, -but the dull, thunderous roar drowned all other sounds. - -Boldwin went to the speaking tube in the pilot house, called to the -chief engineer to stand by to heave her to and watch the engines as she -came into the trough. - -"We'll have to stop her," he said; and I nodded assent. - -In the pilot house the clanking of the steam steering gear sounded -dully in the deep, sonorous undertone of the gale outside. - -Boldwin waited but a moment, and then gave the order: - -"Hard over, sir!" cried the quartermaster; and the rattling clank -of the engine sounded the signal for me to take advantage of the -opportunity to get outside by the lee door. - -If it had been blowing before while we were running, it was now a blast. - -The _Prince Alfred_ laid down her whole five hundred feet of steel side -into that sea, and the crash of the mighty hill that swept her shook -her as though she had been struck amidships by the ram of a battleship. -The forward funnel guys parted, and I had a momentary glimpse of a -great pillar of iron going over the side to leeward. Then she began to -head the sea, and no human could face the storm of flying water which -swept the bridge. - -With heads down, gasping for breath, Boldwin and myself gripped the -bridge rail. The flying atmosphere tore past us. We dared not loose our -grasp for an instant, and to get back to the shelter of the pilot house -was impossible without following the iron rail aft. - -After a thunderous rush of quick and vicious squalls, there was a -sudden lull. A giant comber showed ahead, and its white and foaming -crest lifted clear into the night. She buried her whole forward deck, -and, as the water cleared, we could see about us. The dull snore of a -giant sea sounded close aboard. It was uncanny, this sudden stillness, -full of a palpitating murmur and pregnant with an ominous power. - -"Right in it!" gasped Boldwin. "How does she head now?" - -"Southeast by south," I answered. "The next squall will probably come -from the northwest." - -"Well, I guess we'll swing her while it's still--Lord, what an awful -sea!" - -The _Prince Alfred_ came slowly around with her engines turning at -half speed. The high, leaping hills of water seemed to come from all -directions at once. They fell upon her decks and shook her up a -bit, but did no damage. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. A distant -murmuring sounded over the torn sea. - -"Which way?" asked Boldwin nervously. - -A puff of cool air blew straight in our faces; we had not noted how -sultry it was, for we were soaking wet and exhausted. The puff blew to -a breeze. Then came a spurt of rain and a faint flash of lightning. In -a minute we were facing furious squalls, and the _Prince Alfred_, with -a full head of steam, had all she could do to keep steering way with -her nose pointed straight into the blast from nor'-nor'-west. - -It was in the gray of the early morning, while Boldwin and I were still -on the bridge, and the second and third officers were in charge of the -saloons quelling the panic, that we sighted something dead ahead. The -squalls were still whirling over us with longer intervals between, but -with still undiminished vigor. The great sea began to show in front now -through the dim light, and it was all the full-powered liner could do -to hold her own head to it. To swerve to either side meant falling off -into the dangerous trough, with the hazard of not being able to regain -her course. Even as it was, we had to more than once slow the port or -starboard engine to enable her to point her nose straight into the -hurricane. - -Upon the crest of a giant hill of water something showed black. It was -a momentary glimpse, but Boldwin and I saw it instantly. It was close -aboard and, as we yelled to each other and strained our eyes ahead, -we made out the thin line of a mast. Boldwin dropped on his hands and -knees and was blown to the pilot-house door. I waved my hand to ease -her to starboard a little. Just then a sea struck us heavily upon the -starboard bow, and held her with its rush. The next moment the shape -ahead was high upon the crest of a mighty sea, and I recognized the -stern of a vessel outlined against the gray pall. - -I looked over the side. The foam was lying dead with us, showing we -were not going ahead more than a knot or two. Boldwin saw it also, and -knew that to slew his ship now would mean to get struck a blow in the -side which in that sea would probably prove fatal. He thought of his -passengers. They must be considered first. Whatever was ahead was going -to hit us, and it was due to those we had aboard that it must strike -us as fairly upon the stem as we could land it. God help them, we must -save our own! - -We plunged headlong into the trough, and right above us upon the -following crest rose the stern of that sailing vessel. She was plainly -in view now; so close that I recognized the sawed-off shape of an -old-time fishing schooner. Upon her main a bit of rag like a trysail -showed white. She was heading the sea at the end of her sea anchor, a -long drag-rope, and as her deck showed, I saw she had been badly swept. - -There was no one in sight. She was going astern fast, much faster than -we thought, for even while Boldwin tried to edge to starboard, and did -all he could to swing his ship without getting his head thrown off with -the sea, the stern sank just ahead of us in the hollow of a sea, and -our stem rose above. I leaned forward and held my breath. The _Prince -Alfred_ fell headlong into the hollow, and just as we struck I read the -name _Flying Star_ painted large and white right across the transom. - -A dull grinding thud, which shook the _Prince Alfred_ but slightly, was -all that came to us. A sea swung the wreck to port, and as she heeled -and settled, I saw Johnny Sparks spring from the companionway, followed -by several men. The next instant a great comber roared over them and -the schooner disappeared, leaving nothing above the foam to show where -she had floated a moment before. Something caught in my throat. I shut -my eyes, and held my head down for I don't know how long. - -We came into port four days later with Boldwin on the bridge, his face -lined and haggard. Below, thirty thousand dollars' worth of bananas -slushed about in a ghastly mess, in spite of the pens and shorings. But -the passengers were happy. Women in gay dresses came on deck and smiled -and chatted, and children romped and played. The captain did not look -at me--he had not since the collision--but he spoke to me for the first -time. - -"See that everything is shipshape when we dock," said he, "and then -meet me at the company's office at four o'clock. I'll probably not take -her out next voyage--take a lay-off for a while--understand?" - - - - -PIRATES TWAIN - - -At last I was back in the regular liners of the Prince ships. My work -on the _Heraldine_ had been appreciated by Lord Hawkes, the manager, -and his lordship was no piker. - -He refused Boldwin my company when that worthy but thirsty skipper -asked to have me back in the old _Prince Alfred_, where a certain lady -whom I admired greatly was stewardess. - -The new _Prince George_, twenty-five thousand tons and a -twenty-two-knot vessel, was wanting a first officer, and old man Hall -was somewhat disposed to give me "a chance," as the saying is at sea -when an officer applies for a berth. - -"You may report to the captain to-morrow at the dock," said his -lordship, and our interview was at an end. Boldwin looked sour, for I -had been a good mate to him, and he wanted me badly, but the manager's -word was law. - -I found the giant liner all that modern improvements could make her. -From her six-hundred-foot keel to her four immense funnel tops, she was -a beauty. - -It would take a week to describe her many qualities, and I must admit -it gave me a feeling of responsibility when I stepped upon her flying -bridge and looked her over. - -There I would be in command every four hours, and when I gazed over her -immense length and breadth it seemed indeed that I must be a person of -some small ability to hold the job. - -No flippant remarks here, no joking about the passengers or the -company. It was silence and dignity. - -How I stood it at first is more of a wonder to me, when I look back -at the time, than the actual work, for really a ship's officer is not -considered a mighty position, even though he does hold the lives of a -couple of thousand folks in his keeping during his watch on deck. - -But I was not too old, and had ambition, for some day I wanted to have -a little farm of my own and raise chickens and hogs--the true ambition -of every seaman I ever met--and I wanted to ask a certain lady to run -the said farm for me, or rather do the cooking, which is probably the -same thing. - -Our crew was shipped by the agents. Old man Hall had nothing whatever -to do but act as overseer of the navigators, which same were myself and -a second officer named MacFarland. - -Mac was a good seaman, although he had never been in sail, but had -risen from the apprentice school of officers established by the company -to train men for its ships--and they were of course all steam. - -I must admit he knew more of express ships than I, but I had ten years -more sea duty done, and I was something of a windjammer in my time. -This gave me the rating with the older men who had served the same way -in the old sailing vessels. - -We knew each other, and could depend always upon certain things in each -other that no school could develop the same way. I sat at the head of -the chief officers' table, and I bought a book of table etiquette to -get the lay of the whack just right. - -It taught me many things I hadn't learned in a ship's forecastle, and -soon I was able to speak to the prosperous-looking passengers without -feeling that my tongue was in the way of my teeth. - -We carried three hundred first-class--that was some when you think -of it--and we often herded fifteen hundred to two thousand in the -steerage. Four hundred seconds added sometimes put our total complement -over three thousand souls, counting, of course, our crew, stokers, and -waiters. - -You will realize at once the inability of a chief mate getting even the -slightest acquaintance with hundreds of the people who used the _Prince -George_ for transportation across the ocean, and, if I could not get -a line on them, it was equally impossible for the pursers, pursers' -clerks, and stewards to do so. - -Mr. Samuels, the head purser, had a memory that was said to be -infallible. He said he never forgot a face. Of the million or two -people he came in contact with during his runs, he boasted that he -could always tell if he had ever seen one of them before. - -I didn't believe it, of course; but, then, pursers have a way that -many seamen can't understand, anyhow. - -Being an express ship, and carrying the first-class mail, we also had -an express safe. This was built into the body of the vessel, and was -like the new bank safes, with solid steel doors and time locks. - -Two watchmen took charge, alternating night and day, and the massive -doors were not to be opened by any one alone. In that safe we often -carried three or four million dollars in solid gold bars or gold coin. - -Sometimes the banking houses of the United States shipped as much as -two million at a time in coin. Precautions were of the modern banking -sort, and the giant safe caused no comment. - -The other safes of the purser and captain were just plain, every-day -affairs, and seldom held more than a few thousand dollars. These were -very different from the "through" safe. - - * * * * * - -I had been in the ship four months before I noticed a man who sat at -my table. He had made a voyage with us the first run I made, and I -remembered him as a clergyman who had relatives abroad in Europe, but -who was himself an American. - -He was a very dignified man, about fifty-five years of age, and he -knew a great deal. I enjoyed talking to him, for he told me of many -places and events that were most interesting. But he never at any time -discussed religion, or even spoke of subjects relating to it. - -Once on his second trip over, he came to my room, and presented me -with a box of fine Havana cigars and, although it was against custom, I -asked him in, and he came. - -We smoked while I should have been sleeping, but I was not by any means -overworked, and I rather enjoyed his society, flattered of course that -a man of such vast experience and learning should single out the chief -officer for a companion. - -But then I knew many folks looked upon a master navigator as a likely -person to know, and was not very much surprised, setting it down to his -good taste and discernment--for I had gone a mile or two myself in my -day, and had seen a few things both ashore and afloat. - -Once I remember he talked of finance and the great gold shipments that -were disturbing the country. He had followed the administration in its -effort to curb a panic that was threatened, and spoke of the money we -carried in gold coin that was for the purpose of staying a run at that -time upon a banking house that had many foreign affiliations. - -"The express safe is generally full, is it not, during times like -these?" he asked. - -"Yes, we carry millions every voyage now," I answered, and noticed that -the Reverend Mr. Jackson made a peculiar grimace as if amused at the -news. - -The conversation immediately drifted off to Cape Town, where the -minister had lately spent much time, and he soon left me to my slumber -and cigars. - -I noticed that he had remarkable hands, immensely strong, as though he -had done much hard work, and afterward I wondered at a small tattoo -mark on his wrist just beneath the edge of his cuff. He had powerful, -hairy wrists, and the blue mark showed very indistinctly through the -black hair, but it caused me to think of him as a strange man. - -I asked him about it the next day when at the table, but he made an -evasive answer, smiling at my compliment to his strong physique. - -"I was something of an athlete in my younger days," he finally -admitted, "and you must not think that because of my profession I live -a sedentary life. I work very hard among my parishioners, and play golf -a great deal. Of course, you, as a seaman, would hardly appreciate the -mysteries of this manly game." - -"I confess that it seems rather tame," I admitted; "seems like a poor -sort of 'shinny' we used to play in America when I was a lad." - -"My wife plays it also, and she is very strong and agile from the -exercise," said Mr. Jackson; "I hope you will meet her next month when -I return, as she will probably go to London with me." - -I expressed pleasure at the thought, and noticed that Doctor Jackson -was really quite a good-looking man, and there was no reason in the -world why he should not possess a very pretty wife. - -His clean-shaven face, lined, it is true, as though he had spent much -time at physical exertion of the heavier sort, was handsome enough. A -large, high nose, not badly shaped, set in between two steel-blue eyes, -wide apart, and his mouth, although thin-lipped and hard-looking, was -not ugly, and his teeth were large, even, and snow-white. - -Altogether he was a man of strength and character from his appearance, -and I remembered him for his kindness--and cigars. - -Three weeks later, upon the return voyage, he came aboard and told me -he would bring his wife aboard the next morning, and was just then -seeing to his room, which was amidships, and upon the lower or main -deck, just above the express room and over the steel safe. - -He asked me if I thought the noise from below would disturb them, his -wife being a nervous woman and irritable. I knew no sounds of any -consequence would penetrate the deck, which was steel, and assured him -that the voyage would be most pleasant, as the time of year was fine -upon the western ocean. - -The next day I was too busy to notice the couple, but when we were at -sea and had made our departure, allowing me to go below to dinner, I -found that Doctor Jackson and his wife were seated at my table about -midway down the row of seats. - -The minister nodded to me, and his wife smiled pleasantly. Her back -was to the ports, and the light was bad, but I saw that she was about -thirty, and very masculine in her appearance. - -She had a very good complexion, rosy and healthy, but her face had a -peculiar hardness, a settling about the corners of the mouth that boded -ill for any one who crossed her temper. I made up my mind to feel sorry -for the doctor. Her voice I could hear very indistinctly, but it had a -sort of hardness, a suppressed tone of assumed smoothness which I did -not like. - -At eight bells that night when the day's work allowed me to get my time -below, I met them as I left the bridge. The doctor introduced me to -the lady, who stood tall and commanding in the darkness. She murmured -something indefinite, but acknowledged me without offering her hand. - -I believed this coldness was more cultivated than natural, but, as I -had learned since being in express ships that ladies did, or did not -shake hands, according to their training, I passed it up for what it -was worth. - -Doctor Jackson seemed a bit annoyed at the strained feeling, but I saw -no reason why a woman, a wife of a minister, should find much in common -with a seaman, even if he did happen to be the chief mate of the liner. - -Our ways would naturally be different. Her topics of conversation would -not fit in with mine, and I was mortally afraid of offending her by -some sailor's slip in my tongue. - -I really was glad when they left me to go to my room, and I hoped that -I would not have to entertain them any more than the rules of the -liner's etiquette called for. - - * * * * * - -The next day the doctor informed me that his wife had succumbed to the -rigors of the sea and the motion had made her deathly ill. I saw her no -more, and it was the fifth day out when the steward came to my room at -night and asked to speak to me privately. - -"The couple in Room Sixty-two will not allow their bed to be made up -nor any one to enter. Doctor Jackson said to see you and it would be -all right; but you know, sir, it's against the rules not to allow -inspection. If you will attend to the matter, it will take the weight -off the old man--he tried to enter, but he was told he could not, owing -to the lady's indisposition." - -"Aw, they're all right," I said. "Tell the captain I know the old -sky-pilot well, and that he's a minister who has been across twice -before with us. I'll go down there myself to-morrow and inspect. Give -the doctor my compliments and tell him I'm sorry the rules make the -inspection necessary." - -"There's a strong smell of whisky, alcohol, sir, all the time, coming -from the room--don't know what it can be, but I'm afraid of fire. It's -probably some of those patent traveling stoves they use for heating -certain medicines or something." - -"Well, cut it out--I'll go down in the morning--that's all," I said, -and then I turned in and forgot all about the incident. - -The next day when I went below, I found the doctor and his wife waiting -for me. The lady had her face wrapped up in towels, and the doctor was -reading, sitting near the bed, which was a brass one, bolted to the -deck. - -I excused myself, and was just on the point of leaving when I noticed -the smell of alcohol. It was mixed with one similar to the heated odor -of a red-hot stovepipe, burning metal. - -"Have any trouble with the lights?" I asked. - -"Oh, no, everything is all right--one of the electrics broke and made a -little smell--no, all is as comfortable as one could wish, thank you," -said the doctor. - -"I suppose you'll go the route all the way up?" I asked. - -"No, we'll transship at Queenstown--there's a yacht waiting for me -there, and we'll take her for the rest of the way to the African coast, -by way of Gibraltar. You might help us with our luggage to-morrow--our -little trunk is very heavy, you see." And he tried to raise one end of -a small steamer trunk that was allowed in the room. - -"Oh, that will be all right--the steward will fix you up--I'll see you -before you go," I said, turning away. - -"I hope so," returned the doctor, with a most peculiar intonation in -his voice that made me look at him. But he was now turning the leaves -of the book again, and a moan from the bed made me hesitate no longer. - -I left them, and sent word to the head steward to see to my friends -getting ashore in the morning. - -As we entered the Channel, the passengers who were to go ashore came on -deck. Doctor Jackson and his wife appeared at the gangway, and waited -quietly for the boat. - -The lady was now wrapped up in shawls, and her face was heavily veiled. -The clergyman himself seemed a bit nervous, but they finally went over -the side with their luggage all right. - -What he had told about that steamer trunk was no joke. Two assistant -stewards could hardly lift it. - -Bound with iron and stoutly strapped, it seemed as though it would -burst of its own weight before it was placed in the lugger that -would take it ashore or rather to the small schooner that lay a few -miles distant and which the doctor had pointed out as the vessel he -had chartered as a yacht to take them on their summer cruise to the -beautiful Mediterranean. - -I waved my hand, and then went below to turn in, for the last night is -always a bad one for the chief mate when making the land. - -"Bang, bang, bang," came blows upon my door, followed by a yell from -without. I expected to find the ship in collision, and leaped from my -bunk half asleep. The express messenger stood without, accompanied by -four assistants and the steward, the purser, and the second officer. - -"Safe blown, sir!" yelled the messenger. "It's bloomin' well half -empty, sir! Nearly a quarter of a million gone. Party from above--you -knew them, the steward says!" - -I ran with them to Room Sixty-two, and burst in where the captain stood -gazing at a hole in the deck. He turned to me, but said nothing. The -rug which had been placed over the opening was thrown aside, and there -lay a hole eighteen inches wide right in the floor. - -Upon the sides the charred wood told of some fierce heat to which it -had been exposed. The heavy steel plate beneath had been melted and -burned as if the blast of a volcano had seared it. - -Ragged-edged, melted, and bent lay the plate, and beneath it again -lay the hole in the express safe right in the treasure room beneath. -Down and through all led the seared hole. Some mighty heat had melted, -burned, and blown away the plates of hard steel. - -I leaned over, and gazed down into the room where the gold had been -packed in the short, stout boxes of the bank. It was scattered about, -thrown all around in confusion as though the robbers had at last given -up all hope of getting more out. - -They had taken all that two men could lift or carry for a few rods, -stopping only at the limit of their endurance; and, though the amount -was not so large as the express messenger had at first stated, it ran -well over one hundred thousand dollars. - - * * * * * - -For a moment I stood staring from the hole to Captain Hall and back, -too amazed to speak, while the old man looked at me keenly. - -"Nice little job," he commented dryly. - -"The doctor and his wife--do you think?" I asked. I was beginning to -see light. - -"Wife, thunder! That was a young man of tremendous strength," snarled -the express messenger. "Look how he used that electric burner--look how -he bent and tore at the plate--he was a giant--had the current on his -hot chisel all day--that's the smell you noticed. Probably the two -most expert safe-crackers alive, and our outfit gave them the chance -to work the hot knife, burn their way in where they never could have -blown. They connected with the light--got current enough to work with, -and covered up with the rug----" - -"Well, we won't waste time seeing how it was done; we'll get a move -after them", said the old man. "Jump on deck, and blow the siren--blow -the alarm for fire, police--set the signals----" - -I was gone before he had finished, and by the time the uproar was well -under way I had time to gaze toward the little schooner the doctor had -marked out as his yacht. - -She was still lying at anchor, but beyond her and about five miles -distant lay a fishing schooner with very tall spars and a very able -look. She was hoisting her foresail, and I could just make out that she -was getting under way at once. - -I waited no longer. Jumping to the upper deck, I yelled for the crew -of the first cutter, boat number one, and gave the signal for her men. -They came scrambling as to the drill, and as they came I yelled to -young Smith, the third officer, to get arms and join me. - -He dashed into his room, and came back with a heavy revolver. The -express messenger came up while we were lowering away, and handed me -another. - -"We'll go with you," he said. - -"No! No use loading her down with men," I replied; "we want to get some -speed on her--row six oars double banked, and that'll fill her up--you -can come, you, Smith, and myself--it won't take a ship's crew to get -them--lower away," I called, and the boat dropped. - -We followed, and in less time than it takes to tell it we were going -through the sea at seven knots an hour with the best-drilled boat in -the ship. Three men aft armed, and that was all. - -It was a bright summer morning, with almost no wind, and I was certain -that we would soon overhaul the runaways. The schooner lifted her -anchor, and stood out to the westward and southward, and soon appeared -to be making good headway. - -"By Jupiter, she's got a motor in her!" said Smith. - -She was going ahead, almost straight in the eye of the wind, just close -enough to keep her sails full, and she was moving a good five knots. -She was a good four miles distant, and we would have to do some fine -rowing to catch her. - -I looked my men over, and wondered if they could stand it. They pulled -steadily, and the boat went along swiftly, but even a heavy ship with -an engine has a distinct advantage over oars. - -The schooner's motor was but an auxiliary, to be sure, but five or six -knots under motor was something desperate to catch by rowing when we -were so far astern. - -At the end of another mile I was getting anxious. Our bearings were not -changed to any extent, and the third officer looked askance at me. - -"Give it to her, bullies--there's a hundred apiece if we get them," I -said, and swung my body with the stroke of the oars. This had an effect -upon the men. A hundred dollars was more than three months' pay. - -They put their weight upon the ash, and the boat fairly lifted under -the strain. The sweat began to pour down their faces, and the wind died -away, until the swell ran oily and smooth. - -"Give it to her," I cried again, as we gained a little. - -The two men at the bow oar swung mightily upon it. There was a sharp -crack. The bow oar snapped off at the rowlock, and the boat eased up -her speed, leaving two good men idle. - -"Great snakes!" howled Smith, and the express messenger looked at me in -despair. - -"We can't catch her now," he muttered. - -I knew it was true. We were now dropping back, and I kept on only -because I felt that it would not do to give up. I scanned the sea for -signs of a boat. - -There were some fishing to the northward, and it was our only chance. I -swung her around toward them. - -"We've got to try for one--maybe there's one with a good motor in her," -I said. In a quarter of an hour we were up to one boat, and saw she was -not fit. We swept past without slowing up. - -"Any boat about here with a strong motor?" I asked, as we came close. - -A fisherman waved his hand to the northward. - -"Boat up there--_Seawave_--she's fast; what's the matter?" he replied. - -But we were gone without further words, and soon came to the boat. She -was long and narrow, built like a seiner, only not so heavy. Two men -sat in her with lines out I hailed them as we came up. - -"Want to catch that schooner out there," I yelled, pointing to the -vessel. "Give you a hundred dollars if you land us alongside--quick." - -"Got the money?" asked the man who appeared to own her. - -We came alongside without delay, and I felt rather foolish for a -moment. But the express messenger had the cash with him. He handed it -over without a word, and the fisherman turned quickly to his engine. - -The other man pulled up the anchor at once, and in half a minute we -were under way, with the motor roaring out its glad sound in a series -of rapid shots that were like the discharges of a rapid-fire gun. - -"Take the boat and follow," I called to the men, and then Smith, the -messenger, and myself were away in the wake of the schooner that was -now a good five miles off and going steadily seaward. It would be a -chase for fair. - -"Can you make it?" I asked the owner, who sat in his oilskins at the -engine. - -"Sure t'ing we make 'em--'bout two, three hours, if the gas holds out." - -We were now going along at eight knots and running steadily. After -all, there's nothing like machinery to get things done. - -"This is something like," said Smith. "There'll be some shooting inside -of an hour if the signs hold." - -The messenger said nothing. The men of the boat had not asked a -question. They had taken us at our word, and were doing what they could -to put us alongside. - -Perhaps it would be different when we came to close quarters. We had -better tell them what our errand was before they stopped the motor -at the beginning of hostilities. They might take us for what we were -after--burglars, and spoil our chance to make a catch. - -We drew near the schooner after two hours' chase. The land was lost -astern, and we had run fully fifteen miles off shore. - -The breeze began to freshen, but not enough to give the schooner her -full, or even half, speed. She plugged along steadily at about five -knots, and we drew up close enough to see a man at the wheel and no one -else on deck. - -Smith and the messenger told our skipper how matters stood, and the -fisherman seemed to hardly relish the game after he knew it. There was -certain to be trouble. - -"Schooner ahoy!" I yelled, as we drew near enough to hail. - -The man at the wheel paid no attention until I had repeated it several -times. Then he turned and asked us what we wished in no pleasant tone. - -"You stop your engine and let us board," I yelled. "You have two -robbers aboard, and we want them in the name of the law." - -"Who are you?" asked the man, spitting over the rail. "Go away--I don't -know you." - -"Run alongside--we'll jump her," I said to the skipper. The messenger, -Smith, and myself drew our revolvers, and stood ready as the small -craft came up to the main channels. The schooner kept right along. We -sprang aboard without meeting resistance, and gained the deck. - -"Where're your passengers? Don't fool with us," I snapped. "There's an -old man and a young one dressed as a woman." - -"Oh, Doctor Jackson and the young feller--they're down below--asleep. -What do you want with them?" - - * * * * * - -We wasted no time talking. All three jumped down the companionway and -into the little cabin. Doctor Jackson was in a bunk, apparently fast -asleep, and a young man, whom I instantly recognized as the "wife," lay -reclining upon a transom. - -"Well, what's the row--what's up?" asked the young fellow, rising at -the sight of three armed men. - -"We want you--you know what for," said the messenger quietly. "Don't -make any trouble--we won't stand it--come right along back with us, you -and the other fellow there." - -The doctor awoke, and sat up, seemingly amazed. He expostulated, was -dumfounded at the charge, couldn't understand it--we must all be -crazy. Two men came from forward and joined our group. It was all -hands, just three men and two passengers--five in all to work the ship. - -"Stop the engine," I ordered, "and either come with us or turn the -schooner back, and we'll go with you." - -They turned her around, and stood back toward the shore. On the way, -while one of us stood guard over the two, the rest searched the -schooner for the treasure, for the trunk. There was not a sign of gold -anywhere aboard her. - -We took turns, but found nothing, leaving not a bolt hole unsearched. -It was disheartening, and looked like we had lost, after all. - -"Well, what do you make of it?" I asked the messenger. - -"Looks like they got us right, after all," he said; "we haven't the -slightest clew to the money, and won't get it after they once get in to -the police. They'll buy their way out, for there's not the slightest -evidence they did the job, although I know it was them as well as they -themselves." - -"Plant it, you think?" - -"Sure as death, they dropped it somewhere, and they only know just -where. They'll take a chance at going up for a spell, doing their bit, -and then getting the cache. It's on the course out somewhere, but just -where who knows? We're out of sight of land now, and it'll take a -wizard to locate it on the schooner's course." - -"That's right enough," I asserted, "but how about trying them for a -confession?" - -"Go ahead," he replied gloomily. - -I put it right up to the doctor. I promised him complete immunity if he -would just tell where they had dropped that four hundred and odd pounds -of gold. - -The pair simply grinned in amusement. It seemed to tickle them -immensely. - -"And so you'd be a party to a felony?" asked the doctor, with great -regret in his tone. "I didn't think that of you, captain--you surely -disappoint me greatly. Now, if I knew where the gold lay, I should -tell you at once, but warn you not to touch it, for I don't believe in -mixing up with things of this sort. The men you are after must surely -have taken the stuff on the previous voyage--or some other time----" - -"All right," I interrupted, "if you want it that way, you'll get it. We -have enough evidence to send you up for twenty years at least--direct -evidence." - -"I hate to hear you take on in this terrible manner, my dear captain, -but I don't see what I can do about it. What makes you think I had -anything to do with that gold?" - -It was of no use. They would not talk about it. I began to study the -schooner's course and try to figure out where in that vast area of -sea they could have let the stuff go overboard with the certainty of -getting hold of it again. - -In a short time we met our own boat being rowed rapidly after us, and -then we took her in tow and dismissed our motor boat, which had been -dragging along at the main channels. The men had earned their hundred, -and they departed, highly pleased at their luck, which represented more -than a month's profits fishing. - -As our boat came alongside, we were hailed joyfully by Jim Sanders, the -coxswain, during my absence, and he held up a long line, at the end of -which was fastened a small buoy. The other we saw was fast to the small -trunk. - -"We found it all right", said Jim. "We was rowing along fast after -you, an' suddenly my eye catches sight o' this here float. I grabs it, -and up comes that trunk fast to the other end in about ten fathoms of -water. That trunk is sure some heavy, and I reckon it's got the stuff -in it." - -"Very good, very good indeed," cried the messenger. "Now things look -better." - -"Yes," said the third officer, "this is what we are looking for--no -mistake." - -"Hoist it right on deck," I said, and a line was passed to it. It was -all two men could do to get it aboard. When it was safe on the deck, I -went below and saw the doctor. - -"We have the trunk with the gold all safe--now, what have you to say?" -I said. - -"Indeed?" asked the doctor, in surprise. - -"Not really, say not so," remarked the younger man, in mock alarm. -"Why, then you seem to have what you've been after, what you are -looking for. If that is all, you better let us turn the ship about -and continue our journey. Why didn't you say you were looking for that -trunk?" - -A yell from the deck told me something was not right. I came up the -companion, and looked out, holding my pistol ready for trouble. The -messenger was standing at the side of the trunk. So also was Smith. - -Two men had just opened it, and had dumped a lot of old iron and bolts -onto the deck, where they lay in a pile of rusty, wet junk. - - * * * * * - -For a moment I gazed in amazement at the littered deck. Then I smiled. - -"Do you suppose we could have made a mistake by any possible means?" I -asked the express messenger. - -"Not by any chance, not a chance. This is a plant--why should they sink -this trunk with a line and buoy to it? It proves beyond all doubt they -have got the stuff somewhere. They dropped it, hoping we would stop and -haul it up, and they'd gain just so much time by the device." - -"Then where in Davy Jones is the swag? Where could they have hidden it?" - -"That's for us to find out--I don't know." - -As we came in, a dozen boats came to meet us. The police took charge, -and the two prisoners were ironed and taken ashore. The schooner was -put in charge of detectives, and no one allowed aboard her. - -We went back to the ship in our boat, and reported the capture of the -men, but the loss of the money. Whereat Captain Hall was so angry that -he would not speak to me that day. I felt that I had done what I could -and that I was not at fault. - -I could do no less--nor no more, for that matter. I went below, and the -ship went on to her dock, the passengers were sent ashore, and the dull -routine of the lay-up began. - -I had some time now to myself, and studied the situation carefully. -It would be a month before the trial, and we would have made another -voyage before then. I was served, however, with a subpoena to appear -as a principal witness, and I put the paper away and took up the study -of the case with vigor. - -The three men aboard the schooner who had acted as crew were not in the -game. That was evident, for they proved to be just plain fishermen who -had chartered their craft to the doctor upon an agreement made on his -former voyage. He had planned the coup, and made the vessel ready for -the getaway. That was certain. The men were discharged. - -Every portion of the schooner capable of hiding a gold piece was -thoroughly probed. Even her masts were bored at intervals, and she was -hauled out and her keel searched for a hollow that might contain the -treasure. Everything that men could do was apparently done. But not a -sign of gold. - -The two men, the doctor and his accomplice, were sent to trial, and had -the best lawyer in England to defend them, a man who did not work for -small amounts. I noted that fact and waited. - -They were sent up for two years each solely on the circumstantial -evidence that they had occupied the room above the safe on that voyage -and that if any one had committed the theft upon a former voyage it -must necessarily have been discovered, as the safe was thoroughly -cleaned and refilled with a new cargo of gold for that single trip. - -The schooner was sold at auction by the fishermen who owned her, as -they were afraid to run her under the continual scrutiny which the -company put upon her. She was broken up and her gear sold for junk. -That was the end of her. - -It was thoroughly believed that the treasure was planted somewhere on -the course we had taken during the chase, and many fishermen dragged -the sea on that line in the hope of reward. But nothing came of it, and -a year passed. - -The time came for the doctor and his pal to get out, for the law which -cut the prison term to one-half for good behavior was now in force. I -watched the papers, and tried to keep posted, but nothing was printed -about the convicts. - -One day the doctor and his partner came aboard just as we were leaving, -and spoke pleasantly to me. They had taken second class and return to -New York. It was pure nerve, I thought, but the regulations allowed -them the privilege, as they might not, under the "undesirable-citizen" -act, be allowed to land in the States. - -They took no pains at all to hide their identity, and greeted me most -cordially when I met them on deck the first day out. I asked them about -their sojourn in Dartmoor, and they talked freely, telling of the -rigors of prison life. - -"But it is all over now," said the doctor. "We will live our lives as -we always have, clean, honest, without fear and without reproach. We -were innocent, as you know." - -"Perhaps so--but what became of the gold?" I asked cynically. - -"Ah, yes, the gold," murmured the doctor. "To be sure there was some -doubt about the--what shall I call it?--the disposition of the treasure -that the robbers worked so hard for. That will always be a mystery." - -I thought differently. I had by the process of elimination long ago -come to the conclusion that the gold never left the ship in Europe. - -The strange way they had taken their baggage ashore, their ostentatious -manner of taking out the heavy trunk and lowering it over the side in -full view of all was evidently meant for a purpose. - -Why had they taken so much trouble to let all see its weight? Why had -they dragged it with them when, after all, it contained apparently -nothing but old iron? That it was to cover up the real effort of -disposition was growing more and more plain to me, but, then, where -could they have planted the heavy weight of gold? - -They could not have dropped it in mid-ocean--that was absurd. It did -not occur to me for a long time that the hour down the bay from New -York out to the lightship might suffice to enable them to cut into the -through safe, which, of course, would not be opened until the other -side was reached. - -It was upon a return voyage that an incident occurred that started my -line of research upon the American channel. - -I noticed that in going down the bay we were forced--owing to the great -length of the ship--close to the Southwest Spit Buoy. The turn here -is abrupt, and, while the tide runs swiftly, there is a certainty of -position always for a large ship. - -A smaller vessel might swing well out, but a vessel of the _Prince's_ -size could not. Then the idea of the buoys marking the line at close -intervals came to me. It was just what they would desire for marking -their cache. - -They could make a note of position, and drop their swag so closely -to an established position that there would be no trouble at all in -picking it up, even after a year's submersion. - -The trunk must have carried the hot-chisel outfit, the electrical tools -for cutting, and these the burglars had tossed into the sea at the -first opportunity, afterward filling the trunk with junk for a blind, -feeling sure we would think it held the treasure. - -I had studied the process of cutting with an electrical jimmy, the -melting of the plates, and I soon came to the conclusion that the job -was done, finished before the ship left soundings off Sandy Hook. - -The pair were seemingly not well supplied with money, and I determined -to watch them after they got ashore. By some strange freak the -inspectors passed them, and they disappeared in the city, leaving no -trace. - -"I want a two-weeks' leave of absence," I said to the old man that -night, "and I want it right away--I'll get the gold we lost or lose my -job. I'll take the third mate with me. Smith knows them." - -There was some trouble getting officers to fill our berths on such -short notice, but the old man had some faith in me, and let us go. -I drew a hundred dollars in pay, and we went right to Brooklyn and -chartered a fast and powerful launch. - -Then we ran over the course the ship always steered on her run out the -main ship channel, going close to the Southwest Spit Buoy. - -We did not come back to town again, but remained in the boat for two -days and nights, coming in only to get gasoline and supplies, and then -keeping right on the run in and out to sea. - -It was lonesome work, and we passed many small boats daily, but none -had the men we hoped for in them. - -The third evening, just about dark, we noticed a launch running for the -red buoy at the turn of the channel near Sandy Hook. We both were much -disguised, being rigged with false beards and uncouth clothes. - -In daylight no one would have recognized us thirty feet distant, and at -night we might have talked to our best friends without detection. - -As we came in, running very slow, we noticed a boat with two men in her -near the Southwest Spit Buoy. The boat had stopped, and the men were -doing nothing. They seemed to be waiting for something. - -We came past, sitting well below the gunwales of our craft, but -watching the other boat. When we came within fifty feet Smith sank -below the coamings. - -"That's them all right," he whispered. - -I watched the pair from the corner of my eye, and headed away from the -vicinity, keeping well down in our boat, and showing nothing but the -back of an old battered hat. - -It was the doctor and his pal, and they were at work. They stood back -and forth across the channel a few times, and one of them held a line -towing astern. It was evident that they were dragging a grapnel over a -certain part of the channel marked by the buoy and bearings upon Sandy -Hook. - -Before we were half a mile away, they were hauling in the drag, both at -it with all their strength, and we knew they had struck something. - -It was necessary to decide at once what to do. If they had the cache, -we would find it; if they had hold of something else or were simply -playing to throw any one off the scent, they would keep their secret. -We decided to take the chance. - -I swung the launch around, and opened her up to the limit. In an -instant we were flying toward them at fifteen miles an hour, and -within two minutes were in hailing distance. They saw us coming, and -hesitated. That hesitation made me sure of our game. They would not let -go the cache unless something dangerous was about to happen, the danger -of losing it altogether being too great. Smith jumped up, revolver in -hand, as the launch came tearing up. - -"Hands up--stop that drag," he yelled. "We've got you, Doctor Jackson." - -A flash flicked the gloom, and a sharp "pop" sounded, followed by -another and another. Smith dropped his gun, and fell into the bottom of -the boat. - -"They got me," he gasped. - -Then he raised himself upon his knees and, while I headed the flying -craft straight for them and opened fire, Smith rested his revolver upon -the coamings, and shot the doctor through the head. - -Then the launch crashed into their craft, going at full speed, and her -sharp nose cut straight in a full foot and a half before she stopped. - -The young man who had shot my third mate was snapping an empty gun at -me as he went over the side into the sea. I stopped the engine, and -jumped for him. - -He dived, but as he came up I hit him over the head with a boat hook -that lay handy, and before he sank I had caught the hook into his -collar and dragged him alongside. - -Then I lifted him into our boat, and as his face came close to mine I -recognized him as the former "wife" of the doctor, the robber who had -masqueraded as a woman and who was evidently the electrical expert of -the pair. - -I passed a lashing upon him quickly, and then went to Smith. My poor -friend and shipmate was gasping in pain, lying upon the boat's bottom. -I examined him, and found two wounds, one through his arm and another -through his chest, both bullets being from a high-powered automatic and -having passed cleanly through. - -In a few minutes I had anchored the wreck of the launch which had -swamped to the gunwales, and was running for the fort at the Hook, -where I arrived fifteen minutes later, with Smith unconscious. - -Here I turned him over to the surgeon and, getting help from the -officer in charge, I ran quickly back to the buoy. The dead body of the -doctor was still lying in the swamped boat, and the men removed it. - -Then I got a pull upon the drag line, and was not surprised to find it -caught to something very heavy. Three men helped me haul it in, and it -came slowly. - -A bight of chain appeared upon the surface. We caught hold of this, -and hove it in also. At each end were iron boxes weighing at least two -hundred and fifty pounds each. In spite of our misfortunes I gave a -yell. It was the gold at last. - -Young Simpson told how it was done after he had been turned over to the -authorities. He had already been sentenced for the crime, and would -therefore not have to suffer again, having served his term. - -He told glibly how they had done the job during the two hours they -had after the treasure room was closed and the ship warping out and -down the channel. The time had been ample, and the rest of the voyage -was just to cover up, to throw us off the track. They had the cutting -outfit in the trunk that had weighed so heavy, and had taken it away to -throw overboard, which they did long before we came near them in the -schooner. - -They had kept the trunk, but when they saw we were after them they -had sunk it with a buoy, knowing that we would probably see it in the -smooth sea and were aware of the old smuggler trick of sinking treasure -down at the end of a fine line and small mark. - -Then they had decided to make no resistance, believing rightly that -the easiest way was the best. They had taken their sentence based upon -the circumstantial evidence in the case, and they were just about to -get their treasure when we nabbed them. They had originally intended -to get it in their schooner at their leisure, but we had stopped that. -The location of the buoy at the turn of the channel marking the run to -sea was a safe place to drop anything. It would hardly be disturbed for -some time. - -The heavy, small iron boxes had been made purposely for the work, and -the chains connecting them had been long enough to cover fifty feet, or -cross enough space to insure picking it up without delay when dragged -for. - -The old man smiled when I reported for duty, but was sad at the thought -of our young third officer, who would be an invalid for many days. - -"They are going to give him the first mate's berth in the new ship to -be out next season," said he, "and I'm mighty glad of it--he deserves -something." - -"That's correct--he sure does, he worked hard, and took risks--and -Smith is a good man anywhere, a good navigator also. But did you hear -anything about me?" I asked. - -"Sure; you're to stay right on here--chief officer, but they're going -to hand you one thousand dollars for taking one hundred and twenty-five -from the bottom--don't that satisfy you?" - -"Mighty well indeed--mighty well indeed," I replied. "Shake, captain." - - - - -THE JUDGMENT OF MEN[A] - - -I had rowed in for fresh beef. The weather was cold, the water rough -and when Wilson asked permission to go up town to get tobacco, I let -him go and made my own way to the ship-chandler's, where we men of the -sea usually bought our supplies and sometimes spent an hour or two -discussing primage freights and other things pertaining to shipping. - -There were two big five-masters lying just outside of us in the -channel and their masters were known to me. One of them had picked me -up at sea from a derelict and the other was Bull Simpson, well known -on the coast. Simpson was much given to gregariousness. Johnson was -companionable, but quiet, and I knew they would be in Jackson's store -that morning, for they would clear the next day. - -The day was in midwinter. The gloomy sky whipped by the nor'wester -showed signs of snow. How one hates snow at sea! The nasty white stuff -making the decks like glass, hiding everything from view. The harbor -was white with the scrape of the cold wind, and the salt water froze -where it struck in spray. Yes, I would go to Jackson's store. The -shipping looked too gloomy to contemplate any longer. I thought of the -frozen fingers handling canvas stiff as tin. - -The stove, a ship's bogie, was red hot in the back room. Simpson was -there, long, lean and solemn. So was Johnson there, but he was smiling, -smoking and so glad to be in harbor that it stuck out all over him. -Captain Cone, master of a tramp steamer, sat near and warmed his fat -toes, his pudgy hands red with frost. - -"Go back, they're all there," grinned Jackson to me, as I passed the -desk. "Thought you'd gone to sea--sech fine wedder--for gulls--what? Go -back an' set in, Cap; I'll come back for your order presently." - -"Hello, you look cool," said Johnson, smiling up at me from his chair. - -"Glad to see you--set in," said Simpson, making room for a chair near -the bogie. "Shake hands with Captain Cone of the _Prince Albert_--Cone -has a good tea-kettle for this weather--don't you wish you ran a tramp? -Please? No, I didn't hear that last----" - -I bowed to the Captain. A captain of a tramp was something new to us. -We seldom had any but sailormen in the group and British skippers -were always looked upon as a rarity. Still they were always welcome. -Cone stuck out his pudgy hand. I squeezed the fat fingers until he -winced and withdrew them. I never cared for pudgy-handed seamen--just -prejudice, a meanness, but it couldn't be helped. We can't help -everything, we must be human, and Cone took it good-naturedly--was way -above such things. He showed it by spitting voluminously at the bogie -and remarking it was very cold to go to sea. - -Simpson didn't like it at all. He showed it, grumbled something about -Yankees and stiff-necked folks, then subsided while I lit up and gazed -complacently at Johnson. We talked of various things until Cone rose, -buttoned his coat and went into the office to fill his order. Simpson -glared at me for a moment. - -"What's the use of being so damned short with the Britisher? What's he -done?" he asked. - -"It's what he hasn't done I object to," I answered. "Stupid, heavy -brute----" - -Captain Cone came back and extended his hand. "Good-by, -Simpson--good-by, gentlemen--hope you'll have better weather of it -to-morrow." - -I noticed that he held out his left hand; it was the left hand that was -so pudgy, so fat and soft. His right hand was gloved and the fingers of -the glove were stiff, straight. - -"Good day," I said, rising, "and good luck to you." Johnson nodded also -and the stranger withdrew, followed by Jackson who saw him to the door. - -"Wake up," I said to Simpson. "Don't think I meant anything, but these -Britisher tramp skippers are the limit. High ideals! lots of feeling! -Human as a beef and twice as heavy--after dinner. Where did he blow in -from?" - -"He came in for coals to take him to Brunswick--he'll load for lumber -there and go back home--hope he'll get a better reception than he got -here--he's a member of the English Masters' Association; you might have -been kind to him," said Simpson. - -"Was he the man they fired from the Association last month? Seems to me -I heard of a Cone--seems like he was accused of brutality or something, -lacks humanity--looks like it, anyway," said Johnson. - -"Yes, he was fired--yes--by God, he was," snapped Simpson, "and it -was just such judgment that gets lots of good men into trouble. -'Lacked human sentiment'--lacked human sentiment--well, that's a -charge for you! Hell! you fellows get narrower and narrower--I -happen to know Cone, knew him years ago--he was fired for losing the -_Champion_--'lacked human sentiment,' bah! Oh, now you remember him, -heh?" - -"Yes, we remember him--the man who lost a fine ship in collision in a -clear night," said I, with something of a sneer. "But that wasn't the -worst of it----" - -"Yes, you read the damned papers--you got a fine idea of it all," -snapped Simpson. The old seaman turned and spat viciously at the bogie -as if the poor old stove, red-hot, had done him some grievous wrong. -Then he turned scornfully to Johnson. - -"You remember the _Champion_? You know something about her, you ain't -so damned stuck about yourself. I happened to be aboard of her the day -she sailed, talking to Redding, her chief mate--Redding, that was lost -in the _Arctic_--yes, Redding was as straight as a string--and he told -me the details of that accident after he came from the hospital--too -late. He was nearly a year in the insane ward from a blow that smashed -his head, but he told me about Cone. - -"Yes, it was Cone who left his wife--so they said--left her, deserted -her and the children. It was Cone who acted in every disgraceful way -the old women tell about, Cone who raised hell and paid the devil -wherever he went, Cone who only got command of the _Champion_ after -pulling shares and playing the game for all it was worth--no, don't -tell me--don't, I say--I don't want to hear about what he did. I'll -tell you how he lost the ship, and you say you'll believe anything poor -Redding said--so would I. If there was truth in any man it was in Dan -Redding--poor devil." - -"Yes," I assented, "Redding was all right." - -Simpson scorned to notice me. He talked at Johnson, or rather talked -at me through Johnson, over him, and--Simpson could talk, talk like an -Admiralty lawyer with two noggins of rum under his ribs. Jackson came -in and took Cone's vacated chair. He rubbed his hands. Cone had been a -good buyer, had needed plenty of stuff--and he got it at the highest -rates. Jackson approved of Redding also, approved of him for the sake -of memory--Redding had always paid a full bill--never asked rake-off, -_pourboire_, "graft," or other money from him. - -"You heard all that stuff about Cone, too," said Simpson, sneeringly at -Jackson; "and I dare say you believe it like a good old woman you are, -but I'll tell you just how he lost the ship--if you believe Redding. - -"They cleared at daylight, bound for St. John's--had twenty passengers -first class and about seventy second--no steerage those days. Redding -said the weather was hell and something worse from the time they -dropped the land, and you men know how it is on the coast in the winter -time. The old _Champion_ came across and poked her nose into the fog -bank off Sable Island--bad place? Well, I reckon it is. Bad because you -can't tell where the devil you are and can't keep any kind of reckoning -in that current. That Sable Island bank is nearly as bad as Hatteras -for us windjammers. - -"Cone slowed his ship that last morning--according to Redding--slowed -her down to a few knots, made the passengers keep off the decks in -order to have peace and quiet aboard. One old lady didn't like it at -all. She insisted she had a right to go where she pleased aboard--told -the skipper so to his face and dared him to put her below. Some of the -other women folks followed her example--did Cone do it? Well, he just -called his quartermaster and told him to remove the objectionable old -women, told him to carry them below if necessary--and that square-head -did. Yes, sir, he just picked up the leader and carried her off in his -arms while she screamed and clawed him, calling to the men to save her -from the brutal assault. - -"Oh, yes, he got a nice name for that. The passengers told how -he acted, told how he brutally made his men remove innocent and -unoffending females--oh, what's the use? He was a brute and they made -it out plain--it was all published in the papers. - -"It was along about five o'clock and the sun must have been well along -to the nor'west horizon, tho' of course he couldn't see it in the -fog--that a horn blared out faintly right ahead. The man on lookout -heard it--for it was now quiet on deck--and the siren roared out its -reply. Then he got a faint blow right off his starboard bow, a blow as -if from a small fishing schooner. He kept along blowing regular blasts, -kept along very slow. - -"Right out of the setting sun a bit of wind seemed to make. It lifted -the bank enough to show him a four-masted ship standing right into him -not two hundred feet from his bow. She was heeling with the growing -breeze and going about six knots or better with just a white bone -across her forefoot. Cone rang off his engines. - -"It is in these moments, you know, that things happen. Had Cone rang -ahead full speed like Chambers did in the old _Lawrence_, rang and -shoved into her full swing, he would have either gone clear or cut -out enough to give her his stern on the turn and probably not sink -either ship. He kept to the rules by British force of habit of abiding -by them--and, well, the _Potomack_, under three skysails and shoving -along with four thousand tons of cargo in her, hit him fair upon the -side while he was swinging to port. The ship's jibboom reached over -and drove a hole through the deckhouse first, poked right through and -ripped off his blowoff pipe, letting the steam come roaring out of -her, and then the heavy forefoot sunk like a wedge fair in her, right -in the wake of her engines. It was the worst possible place to get -it--you know that--right in the wake of the engines and close enough -to the engine-room bulkhead to smash it so it was useless. Then it -cut, shore down under the water line, and there he was with a hole in -him big enough to drive in a trolley car, a hole and nothing but the -forward bulkheads to hold him up--no, he was badly hit, hit right in -the vitals, and the roar of the steam told him plainly that the ship -was going to be put to it to float. - -"Then came the usual panic. - -"Cone tried to stop it, tried to stem the tide of passengers. His -officers were good, but Redding was hit on the head by a block from the -maingaff vang and while Cone was trusting to him to take charge aft, he -set to work forward to get the boats out in ship-shape and seamanlike -order. His second was a new man--Billings--a blue-nose he knew nothing -about, but a good enough fellow to take charge. He and the third -officer stood the crowd back for a time and got the port boats over. - -"You see, it was smooth and there wouldn't have been much trouble, but -the passengers had a grouch against Cone, hated him. The women thought -him a brute and the men had heard so much from them about his private -life, his affairs, his general rascality, they wouldn't stand it any -longer. They rushed it and two were shot, one fell overboard and -another was badly hurt. These were the only casualties--strange, wasn't -it? Only passengers hurt were those who were trying to save themselves -from the brutal and overbearing Cone. - -"The _Champion_ settled quickly by the head, her nose getting well -down. This had the evil tendency of lifting her stern so high that the -boats couldn't be handled easily. It stopped the flow of the sea to a -certain extent, but it was too late to do anything to help that now. -The fireroom force came up, they were literally drowned out, forced to -quit, and the engineers came forward and told of the useless steam--not -enough to run the pumps. Then Cone knew it was get away while he could. - -"Cone stood on the port side of the flying bridge, stood there and -roared out his orders, wondering why Redding didn't respond to the work -cut out aft. He saw no boats going over where Redding should be tending -to them, and when the crowd finally surged forward he had to let them -come, had to let them get into the boats there. Oh, yes, he was charged -with not holding them back, not being able to command his ship, but -man, he had to let them come forward, it was only the fighting ones who -insisted in getting first places and taking charge that got hurt. - -"The _Potomack_ lay to and sent in her boats, sent in four big -whaleboats and one dinghy. The water wasn't rough--any good boat would -live a long time--and Cone let them take off his passengers as fast -as they could. He was well scored for it afterward; they told how he -couldn't do it himself, and if it hadn't been for the _Potomack_ he -would have lost all his passengers. - -"When the _Champion_ settled Cone was still standing there on the -bridge, standing there and he knew what it meant to him. - -"'You'd better go along, sir,' said Billings, 'we're going in the next -boat.' - -"But Cone just looked at him for a minute, just stood there watching -things and saw the last passenger get away. - -"'You hound,' the fellow yelled, 'you cowardly rascal--you insulter of -women!' - -"You see, passengers get excited in such cases, get to lose their -heads. Cone never even looked at him, never took his eyes from the -settling ship. - -"The engineer force had gone, the only men left aboard were the -quartermasters and mates. Cone spoke to Billings. - -"'Get Redding and the rest--get in the boat, I'll come along in a -moment.' - -"The _Champion_ was settling fast now. The roar of the steam and air -from between decks was deafening. Billings didn't quite get the words, -but he knew he was told to go--and he went. The third officer found -Redding lying with a broken head and dragged him to the side, lowered -him down and started after him. Just as he did this, there was a -ripping noise from below. It was like a tearing sort of explosion, a -rending. Cone had disappeared from the bridge and they waited no longer -but shoved clear. At that instant the _Champion_ surged ahead, lifted -her stern and dropped--she was gone. - -"The suction whirled about, sucked the boat first one way and then -another, bringing her right over the foundering ship. Billings saw a -form jammed under the topmast backstay, saw a hand clutching something -white and he reached for it as the topmast went under. - -"It was Cone. It was the skipper. - -"They hauled him into the boat and he still clutched that thing in -his hand. He had been drawn under, been badly strangled and he was -unconscious, but his hand hold was firm and no one took notice of what -he held. It was the photograph of a woman. - -"Billings didn't know anything about him; didn't know but what -the tales told were true--so he took the thing away from him and -said nothing about it; but Redding knew, Redding knew after he saw -it--months afterward when it was shown him--too late to stop the nasty -stories--oh, yes, it was the picture of his wife. - -"Of course, Cone was living alone, had many affairs--so they said--and -it would not do to drag a woman into his ugly life. He had gone into -his room to get it--the picture--gone in to get it with that ship -sinking under him, the unsentimental and brutal Cone--oh, well, what's -the use? - -"Yes, his hand was jammed between the backstay and the mast and -Billings just got him clear in time--funny, is it? Well, I don't know, -some men wouldn't have been so particular over a photograph, would have -used both their hands to fight clear with--what? But then, that's what -you call sentiment. No, you wouldn't expect it from Cone, wouldn't -expect to find it in a seaman with ruddy cheeks and quiet manner, soft -and a bit fat----" - -"No," said Jackson, "you wouldn't expect a thing like that from Captain -Cone--that's right." - -"No, you expect sentiment from the thin, poetical, big-eyed, tender -men, the men who slush and slobber it over at all occasions. You find -women looking for it in the tender talkers, the soft-spoken, the -amorous--oh, hell! did you ever see a man who looked the part--what?" - -"I've sometimes had my doubts concerning heroes," said Johnson, "but -they are--the real ones--generally most common-looking, most quiet and -unassuming; but that Cone--well, he is a hard dose to swallow, and -that's a fact." - -"Well, treat him decently when he comes back," said Simpson. - - * * * * * - -Some years later I met Cone at the dinner given by the Manager of the -Southern Fruit Company to the Captains of the West India fleet who ran -the steamers chartered under contract to fill the winter schedule. -There were as usual many British vessels in the trade, some Norwegian -and a few American, including myself. - -Cone had passed entirely out of my ken and this time I took his hand -with the feeling that perhaps I had done the man an injustice by the -human judgment passed upon him. He was a very old man now and his hand -was still in a glove to hide the deformity which the accident had -caused. He looked very much the kindly old-time shipmaster, bright -of eye and vigorous to the last. He sat near me and remained silent -during the opening of the somewhat formal repast. The Manager had been -discussing some subject, for he seemed to wish to follow it at once. - -"A thing's either right or wrong," said the Manager didactically, as he -looked over the gathering. He paused for the effect of his words to be -felt. He loved platitudes, although the leading man in his business and -a millionaire. "A thing is either right or wrong," he repeated, "and -a man is either right or wrong. There's a difference between them as -plain as between black and white." - -Captain Cone squirmed in his chair. He had listened to this sort of -thing before from the Manager. The Company, the greatest shipping firm -in the whole world, had paid him his salary, given him his liner and -here was the Manager setting forth again against the manner of trusted -employees who should know these self-evident truths. He interrupted. - -"In fifty-five years spent knocking about the world upon every sea, -I've come to a different conclusion," said he quietly. - -It was so different from the usual applause, the applause which -had already started and which would follow the Manager's splendid -appreciation of the obvious. Several diners--there were twelve at the -table--looked up quickly and wondered at the Captain. - -"What--what do you mean?" asked the Manager softly, amazed at the -interruption. He had been coming to a point where he expected to -hurl a smashing argument against the methods of some men who handled -millions, and here he had been held up by a Captain, an employee of -his Company. There was a silence, awkward, impressive--and the old -seaman felt it, causing him to blush through his mahogany tan. He had -committed himself, and he was essentially a modest man. - -"I don't know exactly how to explain," said the Captain slowly. "These -questions of human analysis are so very subtle, so elusive--I am only a -sailorman after all, and perhaps I see things differently from the view -taken by landsmen. There is much in the point of view. But it seems -that I am still reasonable, still logical--and I am able to perform my -duties even though I'm seventy." - -He paused, passed his brown hand across his grizzled forehead, where -the hair still hung thickly. Then he let it drop slowly down over his -beard and his eyes seemed to have an introspective look. He spoke very -slowly and with considerable hesitation as one not used to the ready -flow of language, words every one of which had a meaning. - -"There was a small matter," he continued, "which called my attention -to the human judgment. I don't know how to tell it, but--well, you -remember Jones, Captain Jones, who had an interest in the oil ships? -Yes; well, I was thinking of him. - -"Jones was one of the first oil carriers. That was before the Standard -took charge. I had sailed with him as mate long before the war. -He got a great tank ship--lost her. Then came the squeeze of the -Consolidated, then the death of competition--and, well, Jones lost one -thing after another. Froze out. They made him watchman at the office, -made him night watchman, a man who had once run a ten-thousand-ton -oiler, a man who had made them millions by his care and industry. Then -he sank to the gutter and on forty dollars a month he tried to wrest a -living for seven children--four of them girls. You know the old story, -the sordid details. Jones had to take on liquor once in a while. He -would have gone mad without a drunk at least once a month. He figured -that it was best to get drunk than go mad, best for his family. It's -all well enough to talk, for the chicken-souled loafers who preach -to their flocks and then get their living through the generosity of -silly women, to call poor Jones a drunken reprobate, a useless loafer, -because he drank. But the red-hearted men, the men who knew him, knew -what he was suffering, knew what weight was pulling him down. In two -years he never bought a suit of clothes. He never spent anything -upon himself--except at certain times he felt that he must undergo -relaxation, must get away from himself--then he would get drunk, very -drunk. - -"His wife--oh, yes, he had his wife. She knew him, knew what he had -gone through--she saw he got enough money for rum, helped him, stinted -herself, slaved, worked--well, she did everything a poor, high-spirited -woman could do." - -Cone paused, took a drink, a mere sip, from his glass of water, -then pushed it from him. The looks of the guests annoyed him. A -prohibitionist from Maine glared at him and made him uncomfortable. -There was a half-suppressed sneer upon the lips of the Manager, but he -was a gentleman--and a host. - -"Yes--I was speaking of his wife," he went on. "She helped him, held -him up with a mighty soul, a tremendous strength for a woman. All -through the dark and gloomy life he led, sleeping in the daytime and -wandering about the desolate offices at night, she was always ready, -always willing to lend a hand, steadying, guiding, always sound in -judgment and above all ready at all times to make any sacrifice for -either him or the children--yes, she was a great woman--may the God of -the sea hold her gently where she lies in its bosom--dead? Oh, yes, -she died long ago. The worst of the affair came about when Jones fell -sick. He finally broke down under the awful strain, couldn't stand -it--no, the liquor didn't hurt him, he was used to that. It was the -despair, the dead weight of crushed hopes, the knowledge of an old -man unable to make good against the tide, the tide which was sweeping -his children down to hell. The oldest girl was twenty and forced to -work at a place where--well, never mind, it was the same old sordid -story of a young woman staying, sticking out at a place where it was -impossible for her to come out as she went in. Ruin, and hell for her -afterward--convention, we call it--but what's the use? She was the old -man's favorite, and it hit him very hard, very hard indeed. - -"Yes, I remember it very well. Poor old Jones, captain of a -ten-thousand-ton ship, owner of a quarter interest in one of the -biggest commercial enterprises in the world--six children and a wife -starving on forty dollars a month and the seventh child--yes, it -was pretty bad, especially bad for Jones, for he had done nothing -to deserve his fate, nothing but fight a combination which knew no -mercy. The relentless, implacable cruelty of corporations is well -enough known to you gentlemen. Their laws are like the laws of -Nature--transgress them and you must die. The laws of life are supposed -to be just, therefore it is probable that those of some corporations -are so likewise--I don't know. But they had smashed Jones. Crushed him -down--yes, there he was at forty a month, trying to forget, trying to -do something to keep his family alive, and then under the heaviest -strain he broke one day--broke and went down." - -Many of the guests at the Manager's table had now resumed their -poise. Some at the farther end resumed conversation, overlooking the -story-teller and wondering a little at his bad form to monopolize the -talk of the complaisant dinner humor. But some of the men nearest -the Manager still listened and the old Captain watched them with his -dark bright eyes, eyes which seemed to sparkle like diamonds in the -light. They were the eyes which had pointed the way to many millions -of dollars' worth of cargo, many thousand passengers, and they watched -over them through many a wild and stormy night upon the bridge of his -ship in mid-ocean where the mind has much time to ponder over the -methods, the ethics of the commercial human. - -"I found him at the hospital," went on Cone. "He was shaky, but he -fought his weakness back and went home at the end of two weeks to find -his wife down with pneumonia and the house full of famished children." - -Cone stopped speaking for a moment and gazed across the table at the -polished buffet, seeming to see something in the mirror back of it. The -Manager looked up, saw his gaze and spoke: - -"I know there's lots of hardships, Captain," said he, "and I don't lay -it all to the drink habit. Let your glass be filled--what?" - -"Pardon me," said the old seaman. "I am old and forgetting my -story--I was just thinking a bit. This is not a temperance lecture at -all--no, no, that is not what I was thinking of." And he gazed at the -prohibitionist across the board who was fingering his napkin. - -"No, the thing that I was coming to is this. Jones found things in a -desperate condition at his home. He must have money. It was an absolute -necessity to have medical attendance at once for his wife, and he -dreaded the free ward of the hospitals--he had gone into one once -himself and knew what it meant. He must have money for his children." - -"A man might steal under those conditions without being very bad," -interrupted a man sitting next to him. - -"That isn't what he did," said the old Captain. "He met a friend on -the street while on his way to a pawnshop--and the friend heard his -tale. His friend was a bank messenger, at least he was carrying the -proceeds of a ship's cargo in a bag. You see, in those days, captains -were allowed to collect freights at certain points, being in the -companies, and these moneys were carried aboard the ship until she -reached her home port. Sometimes there were many thousand dollars. This -friend had been with Jones in the old days and he knew his history. -The money he carried was freights from an oil ship just arrived. There -was fifteen thousand dollars of it in gold, and it was the property of -the very corporation which had squeezed Jones and ruined him. Well, -the friend did the obvious, did the human thing. He opened the bag -and gave Jones just five hundred dollars in gold and then went along -to try and fix the matter up with the firm--it required lying--that -is bad; it required many other things which we will not discuss here, -but they are eminently bad, bad as they can be--and by dint of lying, -and pilfering, and--well, the friend made good the loss without ever -getting found out--yes, a horrible example, I admit. He made good the -five hundred and no one ever knew he was a thief. No one knows to this -day--except--anyway, Jones saved his wife, and at the end of the money -the friend helped him to buy into a schooner and he got command. They -paid twenty-five per cent. in those days and he pulled out making -enough to save the rest from abject poverty." - -"But you don't mean you approve of that fellow, that thief who -appropriated other people's money, his employers' money, do you?" asked -the Manager in amazement. "The thing for him to have done was to have -gone to the firm and stated the case, told of the poverty of Jones, -told how he should be helped. No human being would have refused him." - -"On the contrary, the friend did just those things--afterward--and -as I said before, corporations know no laws but their own. They are -relentless as the laws of Nature, as implacable as the laws of health. -Go where there is cholera, get the germ into your system, and you -will understand what I mean. No human feeling, no sympathy--nothing -will save you but your own powers of resistance. You will necessarily -die unless you can stand it. Most people die. And it may be right to -have things this way--I don't know, I don't set up as a judge; I am a -sailor. But I am human--and I don't hate my neighbor, I don't look upon -my friend as my enemy. Perhaps I am wrong. Still the thief in this case -suffered much. He was for years afraid of being found out. That shows -the whole horrible futility of it all. He suffered more than Jones, -for Jones knew from where the money came, knew it was money which by -his judgment should have gone to him anyway. Jones refused to pay it -back and wanted to publish the fact that he had gotten even with the -corporation to the extent of five hundred dollars. - -"Of course, he didn't do it. The friend persuaded him not to, and when -he went into the coaster he forgot to talk about it even when under the -effects of his drinks. - -"You see, it was about that time the insurance troubles came about. -Marine insurance had a tumble owing to the loss of several heavy -ships and other matters not worth discussing now. You were badly hit -yourself, I believe,"--and the old Captain nodded to the Manager, -who smiled acquiescence--"you told me at the time--if I remember -rightly--that one more vessel gone and you would go to the wall. - -"The friend owned shares in that schooner, owned more than half of -her, and he it was that let her go out, made her go to sea after -her policies ran out. He would not stop her carrying, for it meant -laying her up and Jones would have to go ashore again until things -straightened out. It was the hurricane season and she had to go light -to Cuba. - -"I remember something of the affair, for I happened to be on the dock -when she sailed. Jones was standing aft giving orders, and his wife, -with her three daughters, were below in the cabin. It was a pretty -picture of commercial life, a picture of a man doing his work with his -family or part of it around him, and I almost envied him his place. -What does an old liner skipper ever have of domestic life? Never gets -home, never sees his wife but once or twice a year, and the company -never lets her go aboard the ship at all if they can help it. Well, -she sailed out that August day, and the next thing we heard of him was -that his schooner was driven ashore during a gale. She rammed up on -one of the Bahamas, Castle Rock, I believe, and then broke up. Some of -the crew and his daughters were saved--he and his wife went down--lost -before they could get them ashore. - -"And so there it is--did the men do all that was right or did they -do all that was wrong? That's the question. Where is the line of -demarkation, where does the wrong leave off and right begin, or how is -the mixture to be sifted down? We go by rules, we must play according -to rules or the game becomes chaos. But do the rules always hold, do -they always cover every emergency? I don't know, but I believe there is -bad, or what is called bad, in all men, also there is good--it depends -upon the man--not the rule." - -There was a long pause. The Manager gazed curiously at his guest. - -"You say the schooner went ashore on Castle Rock?" - -"I said--well, it was somewhere about there, I don't know exactly," -replied the old seaman, annoyed. - -"There never was a wreck on Castle Rock that I ever heard of," said the -Manager, eying the old Captain curiously, "but there was the _Hattie -Davis_ that was lost on the Great Inagua Bank--she wasn't insured, I -believe." - -"Yes, she was lost on the Great Inagua," assented the Captain, leaning -back, as though the story were closed. - -"You had a large interest in her, I believe," said the Manager slowly, -"and I recollect, now, you lost all in her----" - -"The light was not so good as it is now," quickly put in the old -seaman. "It used to show only in clear weather--and it's almost always -clear through the passage--I remember how the passengers used to be -glad when we entered the passage coming up from Cuba in the old Panama -ships--rough in the tumble off Maysi when the wind holds nor'east for -a spell." - -The Manager was gazing at the old skipper strangely. Then he suddenly -turned and started to discuss other matters with his guests. The -dinner went along without incident and afterward we arose to go to the -smoking-room for our cigars. - -"Come along with me, Cone," said the Manager, "I have a new orchid I -picked up I want to show you; you always liked flowers, you know." -Afterward I passed them and overheard the Manager saying in a low -tone--"Well, you always had a hell of a reputation, Cone, anyway, -but under the circumstances--well, there might be some sort of -justification. You are too full of that damned sentiment for any -business whatever. Still, I'll admit that it isn't so much what a man -does that matters--that is, it doesn't matter so much as _how_ it is -done--and _who_ does it." - -And so this was Cone? This was the master who had earned a reputation -for some very queer things as seamen see them. I remember the old days, -the words of poor old Simpson who had long gone to the port of missing -ships. Sentimental Captain Cone, stout, grizzled, bronzed, the man who -lost his hand holding to the picture of a wife who had been false to -him and who had accused him of many things too hard to print. It was -strange. - -I suddenly felt I would like to see Simpson, to acknowledge he was not -so far wrong after all. - -"The judgment of man is not good," I said in answer to some question -relative to nothing concerning Cone, and with this platitude upon my -lips I went home. - - - - -ON GOING TO SEA - - -We sat together upon the quarter-deck under the awning of the _Harvest -Queen_. My own ship lay in the berth opposite, and I had come over for -a quiet smoke with Captain Large. He sailed in the morning, and was -bound for Frisco around Cape Horn. I would not see him again for a year -or two--probably never; but he and I had sailed together and I had been -his mate. We talked of things, confidences, the talk of old shipmates -who know each other very well, and who are passing to know each other -as memories. I had shipped five apprentices, two sons of prominent men -in the shipping circles of New York, and I wondered at the outcome. - -"I never take them any more," said Large. "I took one out of here a few -years ago, and--well, I don't care to repeat the job." - -"But the boys are good--signed on regular--what can they do?" I asked. - -"I don't know, but I'll tell you what one did in the _Wildwood_ when I -took him to China. I don't know how to explain it. The strangeness of -it all, the peculiar development that came about under seeming natural -causes--hereditary, you will say, and perhaps that is right I have -often studied it over, often lain awake in my bunk wondering at it all, -what peculiar ideas grew in a brain that was almost human--almost, -for when you think of what he did you cannot believe he was quite so, -even though his father was the President of the Marine Association and -had commanded the best American ships in his day." The old skipper sat -quiet for some minutes and seemed to be thinking, studying over some -problem. His cigar shone like a spark in the warm night, but the smoke -was invisible. I waited. Apprentices were new to me. I had not had much -chance to study the training of youth. My own way had been rough. I had -at last gotten my ship after a life of strenuous endeavor and often -desperate effort, and I wanted to learn all I could. Men I knew. I had -handled them by and large from every part of the globe, and discipline, -iron discipline, was a thing my ship was noted for. She had a bad name. - -"You see," said Large, his deep voice booming softly in the night, -"there is something intangible that a human being inherits from his -forbears. We look at the successful man as a target to aim at, an -idol we point out for youth to emulate. We don't always analyze the -greatness. A successful man is often so from the stress he puts upon -others. He will not stay in equilibrium. He keeps going on up, up -beyond the place his own production entitles him. He becomes predatory, -but unlike wolves or felines he preys upon his own kind. - -"When President Jackson of the Bengal Line asked me to take Willie, -his son, I did so with the feeling that it was an honor conferred upon -me, the captain of one of the ships. Jackson had earned his position -by his own efforts and fought his way up to the top. I remembered him -well enough when he was a master, but he was now President of the Line. -He had a very sinister reputation in the old ships, but that was all -forgotten now. - -"Willie came aboard looking like a physical wreck. He was a slight -youth of fifteen, stoop-shouldered, pale of face, but with the eye -of his father, and the peculiar settling of the corners of his mouth -noticeable in the old man. 'Be sure you bring him back safely,' said -his father, giving me a look I long remembered. 'Be sure you take good -care of him--and bring him back.' I didn't quite know what he meant. I -don't yet; but I know why he said it. I began to think of it before we -were at sea a week. - -"Yes, he was only a boy, a mere lad, but he was all of his father--his -father as we remembered him in the South Sea. Degenerate? He was the -ablest lad of his size I ever saw. He stood right there on the main -deck the day we went out and took little or no notice of him while the -tug had our line. He was signed on, mind you, signed on regular, so -as not to excite the comment of 'pull.' Hell! why do they send boys -to sea when the shore is the place to train them? He stood there and -saw me looking at him, thinking of the words 'be sure and bring him -back'--yes, I would. - -"'Say, Cap, dis is fine. Let's put de rags on her an' let her slide. -I wants to see her slip erlong--t'hell wid towin', says me,' and he -came up the poop steps on the starboard side to chat with me--a thing -no one, as you know, can do aboard a ship without a reprimand. Every -one heard him talking to me. He yelled it out in a shrill voice--yes, -talking to me, the captain, on the poop. 'See here, young man,' I said -to him, 'you mustn't talk to me while I'm on deck. Go down on the main -deck, and when you want anything, you ask the mate--he will talk with -you or get you what you want--you understand? It's not the thing to -ever speak to the captain of a ship without permission.' - -"'Aw, fergit it, cully! Don't youse make no mistake erbout me. I spoke -fair an' civil to youse, an' if youse don't want to answer you kin go -to hell, you stuck-up old fool! D'ye git that right?' he said shrilly. - -"Well, you can imagine what that sounded like to the men. Twenty of -them were grinning and both mates aghast. I was the master, a man known -the world over as a 'driver.' There was nothing to do but take the lad -in hand at once. - -"'Take him forward and rope's-end him,' I said to Bowles, the second -officer, a man weighing two hundred pounds and a 'bucko' of the -strongest type. You remember him, the toughest mate afloat? - -"But Willie looked up at me with a sneer. - -"'You try it, you sea loafer. I'll sweat youse fer it if youse do. You -ain't de whole thing aboard here. Youse don't know me, I guess.' - -"I had to do it. The affair had gone too far. Bowles grabbed him by -the collar and lifted him off his feet, and he let out a scream like a -wildcat--a most unearthly shriek. Bowles whipped him good and hard, -tanned him so he could scarcely sit down; but he just cursed and swore -at the officer, telling him what he'd do to him afterward. He got an -extra lick or two for this. Bowles paid no attention, but went back to -his station to attend lines. Half an hour later he was standing at the -rail when I saw a form shoot out of the galley door and drive a long -knife into his back. He sank down without a word, and Willie stood over -him ready for the finish. The mate knocked him down with a belaying pin -before he could kill. - -"It was a terrible thing, an awful state of affairs beginning within -five minutes after the tug had let go. It was uncanny. A young boy -doing such things aboard a ship. I would have put him ashore at -once, but remembered the articles he had signed and the words of the -president of the line. I hesitated and the opportunity was lost----" - -"I would have made another," I interrupted. "I would have sent the -young villain to prison at once. No good could possibly happen from -such an agreement, no good come from a horrible little devil like that." - -"I don't know. I don't quite know yet what to make of it all. -According to the usual rule there could be no good from a boy who -would deliberately commit such a crime; but we men who know life, the -real life, know that rules are not good to follow. You know that. I've -tried to figure it all out, but there is no answer, no accounting for -the strangeness of character that develop under certain conditions. We -tied Willie up while he was unconscious from the blow of the pin, and -instead of putting Bowles ashore we endeavored to bring him around. I -took him aft and sewed up the cut. It was an awful wound, but Bowles -was a very strong man. It took a month before he could get about the -deck again. We had run clear to the equator. - -"In the meantime Willie had had another run in, and I had him brought -aft to have a little talk with him, to try and explain to him how a -ship must be run, the iron discipline and the custom of the master not -to associate with any one, either boy or man, from forward. - -"'Aw, cut it out, cully--cut de langwidge! It don't go none wid -me--see? I comes aboard dis ship an' gets it in de neck de foist round. -Den I slings inter de bloke wot does the trick--'n by rights I ought -ter take a fall outer youse, Cap--'n I've a good mind to do it, too. -Dem sea tricks don't go none wid me.' - -"'But don't you know I could hang you if I wanted to? Don't you know -my word is law here? I am in absolute command. If you don't follow the -rules of the ship I'll have to punish you severely.' - -"'Nothin' doin', Bo, nothin' doin' at all. Youse kin cut all that sort -o' talk out when youse chins wid me--see? Say, Bo, whatcher take me -fer, anyways? Er "come on," er what? Whatcher t'ink I am, anyways, -hey? Go tell de little choild stories to yer gran'mother--don't -spring dem on me, don't try to hand me nothin' funny--I'm a MAN! An' -don't youse t'ink youse kin take de call of me, neider, Bo, fer youse -makes a mistake mixin' it wid me! I'm a fightin' MAN--me fader'll -tell youse dat, an' dat's why he sends me wid youse when I might -be goin' to school. De old man is a lulu, an' I am his son, Bo, a -son of a dog--nothin' yaller in de breed; 'n if youse t'ink you kin -razzle-dazzle me you'll sure fall down. Youse take dat from me, Bo! -D'youse git it straight?' - -"'I'll turn you loose if you'll promise to do the right thing from now -on,' I said. - -"'Aw, no, Bo, I don't have to promise nothin'. Youse ain't got me right -yet. I ain't no child. What de hell's the matter wid youse, anyhow?' - -"'All right, then, you'll stay locked up until the end of the voyage -and then I'll turn you over to the police, and----' - -"'An' you'll pay like hell fer that 'f I does. Youse see!' he snarled. - -"Well, what could I do? What would you have done under the -circumstances? The boy was not afraid. I knew his breed too well. I -knew his father. He would not suffer the smallest infringement of what -he believed to be his rights. He would resist to the death. He had -gone with a gang of young ruffians and had developed a certain sense -of what he believed to be right. He saw no law but that of absolute -equality; and there is no such thing. He was at fault. It was absurd -for men who ran a ship whose name was 'hard' to allow a little boy to -take charge, a little fellow not weighing a hundred pounds. I decided -to give him a real whipping--a whipping that would make a permanent -mark in his memory. I hated to think of it--hated to really believe -it was necessary, for there is nothing so horrible as whipping a -man--and the lad was a man in his own opinion. There is absolutely -nothing so soul-killing, so fearfully degrading. I prefer the bloodiest -fighting always to the cold-blooded lash. I have seen men lose their -self-respect under the degrading stroke of the lash; and a man without -self-respect had better be dead. I studied the case and remembered his -father. He was a small man physically--I never knew a big man make a -good seaman; but he could take charge of a ship, no matter what kind of -creatures were forward, and he never spoke but once in giving an order. -The father had the same idea in regard to right and wrong--he never -forgave one, never forgot. Yet he had been a staunch friend of mine. He -had many friends who swore by him--and he was always to be relied upon, -you could always count upon him no matter what the cost to himself in -any emergency. It was his idea of duty--and he feared nothing at all. - -"It was just a week later on a hot day when I had gone below to work -the noon sight that I became aware of a pair of eyes looking at me from -the top of the companionway, and as I looked up I gazed right into -those of Willie; but it was along the blue barrel of my own forty-five -caliber six-shooter. The gun had always been hanging close to my bunk -head--ready for emergencies. - -"'Bang!' The shot came without a second's warning. The bullet tore -through my arm. I sprang through the bulkhead into the forward cabin -just as the second shot ripped me across the neck. I was rushing for -the doorway to the main deck and the third shot threw splinters in my -face as it hit the edge of the door. Willie was coming right along -behind me, and firing as he came--and I--well, I confess it, I was -running for my life. I heard his yell of derision, a shrill scream---- - -"The mate heard the firing, and as Willie came through the doorway he -kicked him in the back and knocked him over. Then he jumped upon him -and stamped all but the very life out of him by driving his boot-heels -into his face." - -I shivered with the intensity of the tale, the horror of it all. The -old man sat silent in the gloom and the spark of light from his cigar -end flared and faded as he drew upon it. He was thinking of the past. I -waited. - -"Well, what was I to do? I was a man, a ship master, and here I was -with my arm shattered by a heavy bullet from a mere boy--or devil! What -could I do? - -"Yes, then I whipped him--whipped him until the men turned away. I will -not tell you of it--it was too horrible. - -"It was four weeks before I could get about the deck from the effects -of that pistol shot. I had little medicine aboard. There I was limping -about with a broken arm, and there was Bowles limping about with the -tendons of his back cut through. It was awful. The men grinned. Yes, -the men grinned at us. I had an extra padlock put upon the stateroom -where Willie stayed, and he was kept tight after that. - -"At the end of a month Willie was all but dead. The terrific heat, -the gases from the cargo and the close confinement told upon his weak -frame. I saw that he would not last much longer. He would die in the -ship, and I remembered the words of his father--'bring him back; be -sure and bring him back!' There was an old man in the crew named Jim. -He was half fish and the rest salt and rope-yarn. He offered to take -the boy in hand and try to train him. I let him have a chance, always -having him close at hand to stop any trouble with a pair of irons. And -when he turned in the boy was locked up again. But there was no talk -of doing right, no promise to be fair or obey orders from the little -chap. I saw he would break out at the first opportunity and refused to -give him one. I had old Jim read the Bible to him every day to see if I -couldn't get him interested in religion. He liked that part of the Old -Testament where it is especially bloody and deals with the desperate -fighting of men, but when it came to other parts he lost interest. - -"'Say, cull, do youse believe dat yarn erbout de whale--say? Aw, gwan! -don't spring nothin' funny on me, Bo. Gimme some of de hot stuff or -cut it--see? Dat kid David was de stuff! Gimme some more o' his work, -or let it go at dat. He might have hove de rock an' hit de giant in -de neck--but I doubts it; but maybe so, maybe so. Dat giant warn't -no bigger'n Bowles, I reckon--'n I c'u'd do fer him easy enough, as -youse know. Yes, I c'u'd a dun up dat giant all right wid any sort er -weaping--knife or rock--I'm a sort o' giant killer myself----' - -"'You ain't got de nerve to do nothing like that, boy. Shut up and -listen!' said Jim. - -"'Say, Bo, don't youse make no mistake erbout me noive. I got de whole -gang of youse beat to a gantline. I c'u'd stick youse all back in de -lazereet an' not half woik. Aw, say, Jimmy, youse ain't got me measure -quite right--see? Guess onct more, old boy; but go erlong an' read some -more of de fight to me. I likes it all right.' And so they would chat -together and I would listen to try and fathom the boy's mind. It was -peculiar. And yet under it all was that vast ego, that immense regard -for the opinions of others--not alone himself--he was too young yet, -but for himself was the greatest, the self-respect. He was a leader, a -boy with a soul--you may laugh when you think him a fiend, a perfect -devil, if you will, but he was all right in some things. - -"I was more afraid of Rose, my mate. - -"Rose was a quiet man, a driver, and he had struck down the boy and -beaten him to a jelly. The boy never alluded to it, never spoke of -it even to Jim. That's where the danger lay. I felt that they would -finish the fight when I let the lad loose, and dared not do so for a -long time. Once when Jim had the boy on deck I caught Rose gazing at -him with a peculiar steady light in his eyes. He just stood looking -at the boy for nearly a full minute--then the lad turned and looked -right into his eyes with the same peculiar steadiness--a stare that -was unblinking, yet not strained. Willie had those light eyes, almost -colorless, like his father. So had Rose, and they told each other so -plainly what was behind their eyes that I almost smiled; but it was no -smiling work, even if there was a boy in it. Rose showed plainly that -he would wring the boy's neck at the first outfly, and was regardless -of consequences. Rose was not a man to trifle with, yet when you -remember that I was shot and the second mate cut, there was reason -for the chief to throw out all sentiment. And so I kept Willie under -Jim's care until we reached Hong-Kong. Then the old seaman wanted to go -ashore and take the boy with him, promising not to go near a grog-shop. -You can't trust a windjammer ashore after a long voyage, no matter how -good a man he is. Jim came back to the ship that night the worse for -wear, and told a tale of the boy slipping away from him in the streets. -The man was drunk and I had him sent down in irons. Then I sent out a -call for the police. - -"They found Willie, who had wandered off while Jim was drinking. The -boy had walked the streets all night, not caring much about the ship, -and because a Chinaman would not cut off his queue and make him a -present of it, the boy had jumped him with a knife he had procured and -tried to take it by force. The interference of the police was all that -saved the boy's life, for the man's friends helped him hold the lad, -and they were just in the act of cutting his throat when help arrived. -I was almost sorry for the interference, but I remembered the words of -his father. - -"Jim being unable to take further care of him for the present, I locked -him up myself and turned in, being tired from the night's work. The -next evening I saw Mr. Rose dragging Willie aboard the ship. How he got -adrift I don't know, but he carried in each hand an oil can, while the -mate, holding him, forced him aboard. - -"'Say, Bo, whatcher think I done--hey? Just watch dat junk dere lyin' -in de next dock--see? Aw, chee, dem Chinks is de limit. Dat feller -what got me in Dutch last night is aboard dere, an'--well, you jest -watch him now and tell me what youse t'ink o' me, anyways. I remembers -him, but most all Chinks looks alike to me. Anyhow, I fire her up fer -fair--you watch her--see? Oh, say, Bo, what a pipe----' - -"Even while he spoke the black smoke poured from the fated junk. She -burned like a box of matches. She was full of camphor wood and grease, -and she fired the entire dock, burning six other vessels and making it -so hot we were forced to warp into the stream. - -"No, I didn't give the boy up. I suppose I might have done so and seen -him hung properly. I said nothing, and Rose was a very quiet man. -The damage he had done apparently took the lad's mind off his former -troubles, and on the way home I let him go back to his watch. He took -to the rigging like a monkey. I will say here he was the best sailor I -had ever seen. There was nothing he could not learn about seamanship. -He would always take the weather earing in a blow and no man dared to -send him in. When Jim was on deck the old seaman kept him under his eye -in case of trouble, and Mr. Rose was always most vigilant. The mate had -determined to kill the lad at the first sign of danger. I tried again -and again to win his confidence, but he seemed to look upon me as his -enemy. He refused to take me for a friend, and my little talks were -futile. - -"'Aw, tell it to yer gran'mother,' he would say to me. 'Don't try to -stuff me, Bo. Youse had your innings at that--now fergit it before you -git inter the soup ag'in. I knows youse, an' I ain't done wid youse -yet, either--see? Youse done me dirt--youse done me when I first come -in de ship. I ain't decided just what I'll do to youse yet, but youse -better keep yer eye liftin' fer me. Don' try to razzle-dazzle me none. -I ain't afraid of youse at all. You ain't got de noive to do me--see? -But I got it in fer youse all hunk, now don't make no mistake erbout -dat. I'll let youse off easier the better we gets erlong--see? If we -gets erlong all right I may let youse down easy--if not, I'll kill you -as sure as I breathe, an' that goes as it lays. Do youse git it right?' - -"Here was a boy, now sixteen, telling the master of a ship he would -kill him if things were not to his liking. What do you think of it, -anyway? I never could work it out I couldn't lock him up any more for -it would have killed him--and I must not kill the lad--I don't know---- - -"The whole affair was insane. It was grotesque. But there was my -shattered arm, and there was Bowles limping about--that fire at -Hong-Kong--and I must bring Willie back home. I'm telling you a true -story. I'm telling you of a boy, an apprentice. - -"When we struck the rough weather of the high latitudes Willie was -happy. He was worked out to a gantline by Jim, and he was beginning to -run the men a bit. It was amazing and absurd to hear that kid yelling -orders to the men aloft. Slack-away' or 'clew up,' whatever the order -was, and he was very smart. He could beat the best of them to the royal -yard; and he was taking pride in it. His voice was at that stage when -it cracks and goes into a treble, and no one laughed. Even the mate -watched it all with gloomy eyes, never saying a thing, and never even -smiling. And it was amazing how the men obeyed him. If a man failed -to do so, only an apology and the reception of a kick upon the stern -would save him from a fracas, for Willie kept right after them. Yes, -he inherited all the masterly qualities of his father. He was a wonder -at seamanship. One day a dago didn't like the way Willie trod upon his -feet when they were both hauling a brace. They mixed, and it was the -closest shave for the lad. He came out with a bad cut, for the dago -at sea takes to a knife like a babe to milk. That night, while in his -bunk, the dago was slammed over the head with a handspike, and we had -to keep him off duty until the ship docked. - -"When we came in Jim brought his charge aft to sign off, as is the -custom, you know, for their slop chest accounts. Willie came up. - -"I haven't got much against you, Willie; you owe me for a couple of -plugs of tobacco, but we'll let that go," I said. - -"'No, we don't, Bo; youse charge it all up right an' proper. Den I got -a small account agin de ship--which I'll settle right now----' - -"But old Jim was too quick for him. - -"'Take him forward and keep him in irons until we get in. We'll get -inside before dark,' I ordered. You know how it is when a ship comes -in. The land sharks were there in swarms, but among them was old man -Jackson waiting for his son. They went away hand in hand, the old man -never even speaking to me--I always thought he knew. - -"Our cargo was valued at about half a million. It was nearly all -Jackson's, as he owned the greatest shares in all the ships. We docked -and were forced to lay right behind a barge loaded with dynamite, -nearly two tons of it ready for taking out in the morning to blow Hell -Gate rock. - -"Bowles had gone ashore with the rest, and Rose had stepped up the -street for a 'first night' off. He was not due until midnight. I always -suspected the second officer or the dago--I don't know, only neither -of them ever showed up again. They both had seen the President of the -line take his son, his young hopeful, away with him. They both had -suffered much from his hands. Perhaps it was revenge--to try to get -even with the father for the son's sins. Anyhow, I had hardly turned in -that night, leaving old Jones, the shipkeeper, on deck, when the old -fellow ran below and told me the ship was afire forward. I turned out -instantly and was on deck. - -"The ship was burning like a beacon from the foremast to the t'gallant -forecastle. She seemed to be spread with oil. Jones was seventy and -unable to do much. I ran forward and yelled for help. In ten minutes -the engines were playing a stream upon the ship and a fireboat was -flooding her from aft. Jackson came down on the run to see his vessel -being destroyed and his cargo vanishing in black smoke. He had had -trouble with the insurance, and he was worried. Then while he stood -upon the dock and spoke to me as I stood upon the rail amidships, I was -aware of a small figure near him. - -"'Aw, say, Bo, youse better get away from there--cut out, see? There's -powder to blow youse to hell and back right there in that lighter. -Youse ain't got more'n a minute, cully. Better git gay wid de lines.' - -"Then I recognized Willie. He had come down to see the blaze and was -calling attention to the thing we had forgotten for the moment. - -"'Call de watch, an' I'll lend youse a hand.' - -"I called for Jones to slack off the after lines, and then I ran as -far as I could into the smoke and managed to cast off forward, getting -nearly drowned with the engine water. Jackson came aboard and worked -like mad. The stern lines were cast off, but before we could do -anything the ship began to swing right down upon the barge. The slip -was too narrow to get the dynamite past the vessel, and there she was -now surging ahead upon it. She had both blocked the slip and surged -into it. I began to yell to the men standing about to get away from the -place before the explosion. They had crowded about as close as they -could to see the fire, not knowing anything about what was on the barge. - -"Jackson rushed aft and howled to the fireboat to pass a line, as the -wind was now blowing her slowly across the slip and right upon the -dynamite. Every one who could understand me began to run. The dock -cleared off quickly. Then, just as I was about to jump ashore myself, I -heard a voice close to the rail. - -"'Aw, say, Bo, give me a heavin' line--I kin swim acrost the slip--den -hurry up an' bend de hawser, youse can heave her over easy enough. -Don't get nutty.' - -"I saw Willie standing there, and without further ado I threw him the -end of a small line. He jumped in without a word and swam rapidly -across the narrow stretch of water to the other dock. A man on the pier -reached down and took the line from the lad. I had already bent on the -hawser, and it went across lively. Then taking the end to the midship -capstan, I got old Jones to hold the turns while I walked her around as -fast as I could. - -"But I was not strong enough to warp a heavy ship across a slip even -in still water. The ship surged ahead slowly in spite of all I could -do, and Jackson grabbed a capstan bar to help. It was a poor chance at -best, but we worked on. I caught a glimpse of a slight figure working -upon the deck of the barge, throwing cases of powder overboard. A man -appeared with him, but I could not take time to see much. The boxes -were cases of about a hundred pounds each, and they were rapidly -going overboard, and with the tide through the dock. Minutes passed, -but nothing happened. We seemed to be getting way upon the ship, and -Jackson swore and strove mightily to save her, with no thought of -leaving even in the face of a terrific explosion. We would have gone -clear all right but for the fact we had our port anchor over and -hanging from the cathead. We had warped the ship clear of the barge, -and her bow swung over, the line being too far aft and the fire and -water too dangerous to work in forward. The fluke of the anchor swept a -pile of boxes--about three hundred pounds---and then came the crash. It -was terrific. The fluke was clear of the ship's hull by several feet, -but it was blown through the deck, the five-thousand-pound anchor flung -like a toy through her side. She shook from end to end. We were all -blown flat, stunned, although we had many feet of solid vessel between -us and the blast. - -"When we came around from the shock of the explosion Jackson had the -pleasure of seeing his ship without a bowsprit, her nose blown clear -off, but the fire was blown out. There was not even much smoke left. -The barge had entirely vanished. - -"The firemen came aboard afterward, and so did many shipmasters, whose -vessels lay in the vicinity. Jackson met them dumbly. He said nothing. - -"'Good thing they got the dynamite overboard quick enough,' said -Captain Smith of the _Sunnerdun_. 'That boy, whoever he was, was all -right. The watchman ran away just before the smash.' - -"'What boy?' asked a fireman. - -"But it was no use to tell us what boy--we knew, we felt, it all along. - -"Yes, that was the end of him. He had tried to save the ship, his -father's ship--and he had done it when men failed--I don't know--I -can't judge him. Old man Jackson left without a word, and I never saw -him again." - -The old seaman paused, and the night showed his cigar end flaming -again. I sat there thinking over the tale, the true tale of that boy, -for I knew Large was telling me only facts. It was all very strange, -all like a horrid nightmare the old seaman had suffered from; but it -was not a dream, it was the truth about a boy, just a rough, tough boy -whose ideals had been a bit peculiar. I looked over across the berth -at my own ship, where five boys were already signed on for the voyage -around the Cape, and I began to wonder if I had done a wise thing -to ship them. Then I determined right there to give them some extra -thought and study, to try to fathom what lay behind their "going to -sea." - - -THE END - - - - -FOOTNOTE: - -[A] Copyright, 1911, by Doubleday, Page & Co. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: - - - Text in italics is surrounded with underscores: _italics_. - - Incorrect page numbers in the Table of Contents have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been retained from the original. - - Inconsistencies in spelling and punctuation have been standardized. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Chief Mate's Yarns, by Mayn Clew Garnett - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHIEF MATE'S YARNS *** - -***** This file should be named 55723.txt or 55723.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/7/2/55723/ - -Produced by David E. 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