The morning call., 1893-04-23

step or two that carried me to the door and
pronounced WHIPS name.
He drew close and said, What DO you
think of this?"
1T is awful" said l.
sit might have been worse than awful"
he exclaimed; "the ship has been struck.
Luckily the thunderbOlt went overheard.
Had 1t gone through the bottom we should
have followed it; nothing could have saved
Us. But it's all right with the old hooker;
the wells just been sounded again and she's
as dry as q rotten nui.''
l looked at him eagerly; nv heart all Mt
once grew so full that felt l must speak
or shrek out. l set my teeth on my lin ana
bit till tasted blood. and clenched my
hands till nay arms stiffened as though | had
been poisoned, while | turned my head that
he might not see me. He said 81 must he
of. Why don't you 60 to bed? There's
nothing to keep You up. A fine night'H be
coming along by eight bells and they'll be
making sail" With that he went up the
ladder.
I had barely arrested speech In myself; ;
but for that supreme effort | should have
warned him and he would at once have car
ried the news to the captain.
l stood in the door gazing at the ship that
flashed out aud vanished. no longer scared
by the flames and the thunder; l could think
of nothing but what tomorrow was to bring
forth. Men in scores lay below in the prison
quarter, stricken in m0iiOnless logs by
lIISht. were lneg anu Tile llk6 oil IHelN cap
able oil victorious uprisal? And SUPPOSE
the ship seized, what was TO follow? [
dared not think how the cOnvicts might
serve those who were not or them. | ked
myself, if they put Tom in charge OF The
ship whatwil he do with her, and how will
he act so as to escape from the ruffians and
secure his own liberty? Then | thought
to myself, he IS an innocent man now,
though suffering as a criminal; but If the
ship IS seized by the convicts he'll be taken
as having helped them, as being one of the
go, as being the one that naYigated the
ship afterward and who was as anSwerrbIe
as any OF the rest for all that happened.
He will then be criminal in terrible earn
est. Indeed the business might bring him
to the gallows; but then, thought |, lie Is a
convict now IN any case; he cannot be
worse of; he never can, he never would
return home. Whatever happens cannot
blacken his future; the darkness over
which that lightning is flashing is not
deeper; If the conyicts rise he may escape
aud get his liberty, free himself from his
felon's clothes and hide with a changed
name in foreign country. Or, cried my
heart, God grant that ! may be spared 10
escape with him wherever lie goes!
Thus ran my thoughts; after all these
years l put them duly aud cOldly, but they
boiled in me then; they we're as the cleo
trio fluid itself while l stood in the doorway
OF that cuddy, mechanically watching the
great fabric OF the ship glancihg oGt green
and violet and yellow TO the lights of the
storm over the bow.
Shortly after II the sky cleared in the
south; the clouds rolled away in black
masses into the north, and the moon shone
out and the sea was again beautiful with
her light. A soft wind blew and tie decks
grew busy with the life of seamen's figures
running here and there, aud pulling.
and dragging. and making sail 10 the
noise of hoarse cries and ch0ruses
The steward lurched up to ME and his
breath filled thu atmosphere around with a
smell of spirits. He said with hiccough,
You can turn in" so l went below and lay
down fully clothed in my bunk, but not to