Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-08-13

l was eager to show Miss Robertson
the change in our favor and brought
her on deck.
She looked up at the bright stars and
exclaimed in a rapturous- voice:
''Oh, Mr.. Royle, God has heard our
prayers"
But though the wind had abated, it
still blew a gale.
sent the steward forward to see if
he could get the galley fire to burn, so
as to boil some water for coffee. All
he did, however, was to get wet
through.
Invent to the pumps and sounded
To my CONSERVATION 1 sound there
were nine inches of water in the ship.
l was so much startled by this dis
covery that for some time stood mo-
tionless. Thinking that one of the
plugged auger holes might be leaking
l resolved to visit the hold and exam
inc.
Taking lamp made my way over
the cable-ranges, STOPPING to clear the
hammocks and swung myself into the
hold.
Here I found myself against the
water-casks, close against the cargo,
and just beyond was the bulkhead be-
hind which the boatswain had hidden
when Stevens bored the holes.
Carefully throwing the light over the
walls presently perceived the plugs
or ends of the broom stick protruding,
and going close to them l found they
were perfectly tight, that no sign of
moisture was visible around them.
1t may seem strange that this discov-
cry vexed and alarmed me. And yet
this was the case.
1t would have made me perfectly
easy in my mind to have seen the water
gushing in through one of these holes,
because not only would few blows of
the mallet have set it to rights, but it
would have acquainted me with the
cause of the small increase of water
in the hold.
Now that cause might be sought else
where.
Was it possible that the ~apprehen-
siOns l had felt each time the ship had
taken one of her tremendous headers
were to be realized?-that she had
strained a butt or started bolt in some
ungetatable place?
Here where L stood, deep in the ship,
below the water-line, it was frightful
to hear her straining.
The whole place resounded with
groans and cries as if the hold had been
filled with wounded men.
What bolts could resist that horrible
grindlng-could hold together with
waves beating upon it the force of
which was to be calculated by hun
dreds of tons.
scrambled upon deck and the boat
swain joined me.
told him l found nne inches of
w in tho hold In n1sTlo1. tn no
tain that no mistake had been made
we went together and l held the lamp
for him while he sounded the we'll.
He dropped the sounding-rod and
holding it up to the light after with
drawing it found that there was frac-
ton over nine inches.
IAN increase of three inches since
the afternoon"
"Well, there's nothen to alarm US in
that, is there, Mr.. Royle?" he ques-
toned. perhaps it's one O my plugs
as wants hammerin'.
mo, they're as tight as new ket-
tle," L answered. Il have just come
from examining them"
''WelI, all we've got to do is to pump
the ship out. and, if we can, make the
pumps suck all right That'll show US
if any things wrong"
This was just the proposition 1 was
about to make; so l went into the cud-
dy and sung out for the steward; but
he was so long answering that L lost
my temper and ran into the pantry,
where found him shamming sleep.
l started him on his legs and had
him on the main-deck in less time than
he could have asked what the matter
was.
Look herer l cried, eff you don't
turn to and help us all to save our
lives, I'll just send you adrift in that
quarter-boat with the planks out of her
bottom! What do you mean by pre-
tending to be asleep when | sing out to
youP"
And after abusing him for some time
to let him know that 1 would have no
skulking, and that if his life were
worth having he must save it himself,
for we were not going to do his work
and our own as well, and l babe him
lay hold of one of the pump-handles,
and we all three of us set to work to
pump the ship.
If this were not the heaviest Job we
had yet performed, it was the most
firing; but we piled our arms steadily
and perseveringly, taking every now
and then a spell of rest, and shifting
our posts so as to vary our postures;
and after pumping L scarcely know
how long, the pumps sucked, whereat
the boatswain and l cheered heartily.
"Now, SIR" said the boatswain, as
we entered the cuddy to refresh our
selves with a drain of brandy-and-
water after our heavy exerions, 1--WE
know that the ships dry, leastways,
starting from the ships bottom; if the
wells sounded agin at half-past ten
it's now half-past nine-that'll be time
enough to find out if any things gone
wrong"
Miss Robertson came on deck and
said she was afraid there was some
thing wrong when she heard the pumps
going.
81 should tell you at once if there
was any danger threatened that way"
| said. There was more water in the
ship than l cared to find in her, and so
the three of us have been pumping her
OUT
II Uroe h. ,,,o11 Il,