The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-30


in him.
The holes We're promptly plugged and
the wei sounded. Two feet of water
was made. Pumps were manned and pres-
ently sucked. proving all tight and well
with the auger holes.
mere was an omtnous growl OF wonder
ana temper among the men as they piled
~, ,lle DiaAes or stood near. waiting to re-
HeNe tne pumping gang. The captafn
called me and asked II / had anv sus.
picion.
None, sir" 1 answered. L can't i'm
aslhe any man aboard capable of SO dia-
bohcal d crime
went below at eight bells-that is. at
o CLOCK IN the morning-first taking care
70 20 the rounds Of the after part of the
SNIP very carefully looking into each ca
pm and peering and listening. Somehow
hau fancy that there might be a stow
away on board, intent on a criminal pur-
pose, IN league, for all knew. with some
one interested in the vessel to do fraud
the Underwriters. Seeing and hearing MOTH
ing withdrew 10 my berth and turned in.
slept soundly and at o'clock turned
OUT and went on deck. The first person I
met was the boatswain, Matthews. He
SAID TO me: THE captain seems to have
made up his mind, sir"
ION WHAT"
As TO the man who's holed the ship
nave they discovered him.
Jacksons in irons. That's all I can
say SIR ne answered. and with a singu-
lar expression of incredibly and temper
in his face
Just then the captain came out of the
cuddy and Matthews went forward
MI. Fletcher" said Capt. Jortin, beck
onlnS me to him, and speaking in a low.
IeNel Voice, we shall be able TO prove
that Jaekson's the man who attempted
to scuttle the ship
lndeed?' said J. vastly astonished.
Jackson was an able seaman i'm INV
watch. l had always found him a re-
spectacle, willing, alert sailor What in
that man has excited your suspicion
sir?"
1 heard him muttering the other day."
said ne, when he was at work on a sail
stretched along this poop. Every time
l passed he glanced askance at me ana
muttered. 1 don't like the mans looks
Re has hanging face. Then again. yes
terday afternoon he was observed to 20
forward as though he had just come out
Of the cuddy."
wv no saw this sir"
1t $ So he ans Wered abruptly. with
a short, sDiritless stare at me, and then
stepped to the pinnacle
In the course of that morning 7 asked
the steward If it was true the man JacJs-
son had been seen to walk out of the
cuddy' He answered that happening to
come up through the steerage hatch he
mad seen jackson going forward close
from the cuddy front as though the man
had just stepped from the cuddy itself.
We'll, but" said l. you were in the
steerage, and had he been there with am
anger you'd have seen him. wouldn't
you?'
Il don't think it was him that did it,"
said the man
looked hard at him; for to be sure. if
the thing was not the work of n stow
aWay-of some one hidden in the steer
agc-it must at least be the act of a
person living aft with access, without
suspicion to the cabins
From 10 o'clock till bells in the after
noon watch we were employed i'm over
hauling the vessel. We probed every
nook and Granny of her from the fore
peak to the lazaret. diligently seeking
likewise for any signs of hidden man
in the steerage-all TO no purpose. The
villain, whoever he was, must certainly
be one of the ships company.
For my part, l suspected the steward
and so did Shirley, the carpenter; Mat
thews did not know what to think. The
captain stalked apart. gloomy and silent.
That evening in the first dog watch
was in my cabin smoking a pipe, turning
over in my mind some scheme for pro
tecting our lives by stationing a watch
day and night aft, and wondering If Can't.
Jortin would see his way to some arrange
ment of this sort, when the steward
knocked on my cabin door and walked IN
The fellow addressed me civilly, with an
air of reluctance and establishment
He said Capt. Jortin had just given him
instructions to lock me up in my cabin
where 1 was to consider myself as under
arrest. on suspicion of attempting to scut-
lp oh " Ic l.
regularly. I'm sorry, sir" added the
fellow, Ito have to do this duty
So saying he closed and locked the door.
and l heard him withdraw the key.
l think it was about $50 when the stew
ard unlocked the door and entered with
tray of food, some cold water. and few
gills of rum in a pannikn.
He seemed very shy in his manner and
was for making haste. l babe him tell the
captain 1 was an innocent man and beg
ged for an interview. He promised to de-
liver my message.
"And 1 will ask you" said I ito re-
member should they sound the well and
find the ship taking in water that I am
locked up here and helpless"
He said, "Ay, ay, sir" and left the
cabin, turning and withdrawing the key
as before.
On the evening of the third day of my
imprisonment I was startled out of a nap
by disturbance in the cuddy outside. 1
heard q. tramp of feet and the growing
sound of seamen's voices. l thought
mutiny had happened, and listened with
my heart beating hard in my ears.
Presently my door was struck upon
and the handle violently tried. Then the
voice of Matthews bawled for the stew
ard to bring the key. In a few minutes
the door was flung open.
Matthews stood in the doorway. At
least two-thirds of the ships company
were massed around him.
Come out sir" said the boatswain.
We've discovered who's been trying to
sink the ship"
"Who?"
"As 1 liv to tell yer, it's the captain
himselfr' cried Matthews, bringing his
right fist into the palm of his left hand
with a mighty report.
Half an hour before this time the stew
ard had observed the captain come out
of his berth and enter the steerage.
There was something strange in his walk
and his aspect. The flush of the sunset
was upon the skylght, the steward saw
very plainly.
The captain concealed something that
resembled large parcel under the breast
of his coat. The steward resolved to fol-
low him, saw him go into the cabin where
a. no nd nv