Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-04-06


was a feeling man and took such an ac-
cident to heart.
SAY, ayr 1 responded And in 1
hoped with some of the old hands.
"Stand by!-let go!" and down dropped
the boat as the ship lurched heavily to
windward. A few powerful strokes
took US free of the ship and the anxious
faces hanging over the side.
Away we sped over the great green
hills, trembling a moment on their tops
and then gliding down, down into the
dark smother between them, till again
we reached the summit and had more
light; for the mist hung low on the sea
and it was so chill that it struck to the
bones.
l had taken my bearings with con-
siderable care before leaving the ship,
for although we had been quick in
throwing the ship aback, we had drawn
far past the man in doing So After
pulling thus for some time it seemed to
me that we must be near the spot Ac-
cOrdingly, | ordered the men to lay on
their oars. Just then a hail came to
us faint-like out of the mist on the
starboard bow. 1t made the flesh
creep. / felt a little SILVER run down
my back.
'''Twas the cry Of a molly" I said,
for I could see the men were scared.
And it did sound uncommonly like it
when the bird is frightened
INA, na," said an old Scotchman,
twas nathing O the kind; twas jest
like the kelpie Jennie Macalister an
me heerd down i the crook G. the
Feugh January come twalve year."
"Ay," said another fellow, sit be I'M
common speerit like. I'm thinkin', sir,
wi all respect, that Cockney 10, poor
chap, has gone down all standing by
now, and it nd be better to bout ship for
I'm kind O. particular like about meet
in such gentlemen o. fortune,
And ay," piped in another, ''they do
say as 'ow there be an awfu' sight O.
dead seamen in these here seas"
That was enough. Search farther
they would not. The fear of the seas
was in their hearts, and L might as
well have spoken to the oars; indeed,
the oars in their hands had more heart
than they
But now a new and more terrible
danger threatened US. We had lost our
bearings. The ship was nowhere TO he
seen; nothing but the fog chick as the
curtain over hell, as one of the sailors
remarked in his horror at realizing our
situation. To add to our danger. dark
ness was coming on. A yellow tint in
the westward showed that the SIM was
SINKING. 1t was only a lighter obsc11r-
lty III what was all obscurity.
we had been two hours awav from
the ship. So much l could lust make
out by the shine of the sun. And all
THIS uIne the great green seas rushed
out of the mist upon us, bore us m
and then rolled away into the darkness
astern. | now saw that there was no
hope Of gaining the ship before the
night closed in. The fog, l knew. was
settling deeper, and it struck me, too.
that the cold ives becoming more in.
tense. The Captains foreboding also
fell upon me with a chill, cooler even
than that murky atmosphere.
The men now sat quite still They
had shipped their oars and had given
| themselves up to that stolfd apathy
which is only despair in another guise.
L heard the teeth chattering in their
heads, and | knew that if we had 10
hight for dear life, as very likely we
should have if the wind sprang m.
they would be useless in their present
state.
Come, men," I said. as cheerily 20
my mouth could pipe the syllables, for
to say the truth felt more like singing
at funeral than piping to a dance,
DELAY that dOwn-haul and put a stop
per on those rattraps. We're not dead
yet; the fog can't last much longer, ana
the skipper won't leave us, be sure of
that"
This seemed to cheer them a bit.
cay" said the old Scotchman, "and
there's a moon the night, thank the
Lord for that. There's naethin' like a
bit O. moon to lift the cap O. a fog, and
kelpies are aye feared at the bright
round thing. They say they Gamma bide
the twa cen O. it."
cay, lads" bore up, "but Murdoch's
right" for had forgotten the moon;
''the sea'll be bright as a looking glass
by eight bells. And as for supper, we
must just tighten our belts a bit"
"a canny mons aye to the fore" said
Murdoch, land l jist looked after my
weam afore jumped into the boatie. .
And he produced five large ships bis
cults.
why" 1 said, as slapped my peck
ct, that's capital; Wen not do badly,
for that reminds me there's a good
dram for each of u.s.
had picked up a bottle of whisky
from the saloon table before leaving
the ship, in case there might be need
of it.
The men frightened up visibly al
this. One of them yentured a joke al
the speerit, but Murdoch stopped il
with a round turn.
NAY, nay, lad, dinna We laugh ct .