The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-11-18

by the collar, | led him to the main
hatchway and had the hatch taken of.
l then thrust him down, and swore
that | would keep him there until his
stubbornncss was broken. The hatch
was then put on, and l won't into tho
cabin. l suffered good deal that al
tcrnoon-not with any compunctions
for what | had done, but with my own
temper and bitterness. 1t made mo
mad to think that could not conquer
tnat boy-that L could not break down
his cool, stern opposition. But | will
do it, said to myself. BY the heav-
ems above me, I'll starvc him into it, or
he shall die under the opcrationr
After supper went to the hatch
way and called out to him, but ho re-
turned mo no answer. SO | closed tho
hatch and went away. At ten o'clock
| called again, and again got DO au-
swcr. l might have thought the ilog-
ging had taken away his senses had
not somo OF the men assured me that
they had heard him, not an hour be-
fore, talking to himself | did not
trouble him again until the next morn
ing; but went to tho hatchway after
breakfast and called out to him once
more. | heard nothing from him, nor
could | see him; | had not seen him
since put him down there. | called
out several times, but he would make
me no answer; and yet the Same men
told mo that they had heard him talk
that very morning. He seemed to be
calling for them to help him. IIo would
ask them for help, but he would not
ask me. | meant to break him into it.
He'll beg before he'll staryc,' |
thought; and SO | determined that he
should stay there. l supposed ho had
crawlcd forward TO the forecustlc bulk
head in order to make the sailors hear
him. Some Of tho men asked TO be
permitted to 90 down and look after
him, but | refused. | threatened to
punish tho first man who dared to 60
down.
EAT noon | went again, and as be
did not answer me this time, l resolved
that he should como to the hatchway
and ask for me ere | went any more
The day passed away, and when even
ing came again l began to be startled
thought of how many good qualities
the boy had; and | thought of his
widowed mother. He had been thirty
six hours in tho hold, and fully forty
hours without food or drink. He must
be too weak TO cry out now. 1t was
hard for me to give up, but if the boy
died there from absolute starvation, it
might go harder with me still. SO at
length made up my mind to 60 and
see him. 1t was not quite sundown
whom had tho hatch taken off, and |
jumped down upon tho boxes alone.
A littlo way toward / saw space
whero Jack might have gonc down.
and to that point l crawlcd on my
hands and knees. | called out here,
but could hear no answer. A short
distance farther was wider space,
which | had entirely forgotten, but
which | now remembered had been left
open on account of q break in the
flooring of the hold. which would have
lot anything that might have been
slowed thcre rest directly on the outer
planking of tho ship.
''To this place made my way and
looked down. heard tho splashng of
water, and thought l could detect
sound like tho incoming of tiny Jet
or stream. At first | could see moth
ing, but as soon as | became used to
the dim light | could distinguish tho
faint outlines of the boy at some dist
ancc below me. He seemed to bo sit
ting upon the broken floor, with his
feet stretched out against cask.
called out to him, and l thought ho
looked up.
{" Jack said, are you thercp'
"And he answered me, in faint,
weary tono:
:" Yes; help me! For Heavens sake,
help me! Bring men, and bring lam
tern; the ship has sprunk lcakp
81 hesitated, and he added in a more
Eager tone:
Make haste; can hold it till you
como back
81 waited to hear no more, but hur-
ried on deck as soon rs possible, and
returned with q lantern, and three mon.
leaped down beside the boy, and when
L saw it all l could hardly believe tho
evidence OF my own senses. Three of
the timbcrs were completely worm-eat-
On to the very heart, and ono Of the
outer planks had been broken, and
would burst in at any moment tho boy
might leave it. He sat there's with his
back upon it and his feet braced against
the cask before him. Half q dozen little
jets of water were streaming in about
him, and he was wet to the skin. | saw
that tho plank must burst in the mo-
ment the strain was removed from it,
so l bado my men brace themselves
against it before lifted him up. Other
men wore called down with planks and
spikes and adzes, and, with much care
and more trouble, we finally succeeded
in stopping tho leak and avcrting the
danger. The plank which had been
stove in was six feet long by eight inch
os wido and would have let in a stream
of water of this capacity 1t would
have been beyond our reach long ere
We could have discovered it, and would
have sunk us in q very short time.
knew 1t must be where tho iceberg had
hit us.
Jack Withers was taken to tho cab
in, and there he managed to toll mo
his story. Shortly after put him in
the hold he crawled forward, and when
his eyes became used to tho dim glim-
mer that came through the Headlights,
he looked about for a snug place in
which TO lie, for his limbs were stiff and
sore. He went to sleep, and when he
awoke he heard a faint sound, like wa
ter streaming throuah small hole. He