Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-01
CHAPTER XII.
A DERELICTION.



Eight bells-midnight
The lookout in the crows nest forward
chantcd his last melancholy AIS we'll"
and gave way to the relief from the next
watch. He climbed down by tho cleats
in the iron mast and wen to the starboard
door in the forccastle. Other men follow
ed him. jumping like cats along the
streaming decks. and others came a little
later, dingy fellows, with neck clouts like
dishcloths, who went in at the port door,
these last being the goats of shipbOard-
tho fircmcn and trimmers-who were di-
vidcd oil from the more high caste deck
hands by fore and aft bulkhead.
The third mnte and the quartermaster.
too, from tho upper bridge were replaced
10y another quartcrmaster and another
mate, and they also went to the places ap.
pointed for them, and the snorcs of their
breathing soon ratified against tho bunk
coamings. Only two men on the Port
hdes who were not on the roster of duty
ssssDd that windy morning first watch.
Under the Ice Of the canvas shelter Cap
tain Kettle sat huddled on his campstool
In style which no man could distinguish
with certainty between wakefulness and
sleep, and below in his room. which open
ed OIL the main cabin and was next the
bling in something which the laws of ma
tions would stigmatize as felony, and that
Of complex degree.
There were two bcrths in the room-the
upper one against the window port. which
he slept in. and the lower. which contain.
ed two spread out portEantcaux. Beneath
this last were drawers, in which the can.
tain steward kept table linen, disuscd
corks. the carpet which the chartroom
sportcd in harbor and other articles Of
ships use. Cambel had two of these
drawers out on the floor, ana from the re.
cess Of their site had drawn two fine green
-iik covered wi.,s.
lie discntanplcd the coils, taking care
| TO avoid u kink, and then unscrcw I'd the
porcelain switch which governed the
rooms electric lamp. Beneath were GER
| tain pieces of metal Undecided in ulcanite.
Patrick Cambel gave his arms prelimi-
| nary stretch, u bare wire terminus in each
hand. His fingers were trembling, as
whose would not have been in the same
/ situation.
He noticed IL and commented to himself
ON the circumstance.
That's excitement, I suppose; excite.
| mcnt pure and Understandable Not be.
Ing man Of stone. I can't help acing
| thrilled with the majesty Of the moment.
the sublime vaguencss Of my knowledge
of what will happen when "a current flashes
through these wires I'm not n coward.
People who write about other mems feel.
ings when death is beginning to payv them
On the shoulder write mostly from the
imagination, and so far as I've seen they
all do IL wrong. I've been there. I've
felt that bony touch more than once. and
so Know. A man isn't of necessity ter
rificd. Phantnsms Of his past deeds do
not invariably lash before him, nor does
he niways lose his nerve and move as n
wayward automaton. l can't speak for
Others, but what 1 personally have felt
gong 10 happen and curiosity about
VIVA. VIII come aiterwaro: III seems to
.ne ''',' " thinking man WIN TIE amol'
, .on y. ''o",e sno"'u never rear oea'h'
v INC "e''u' nc "ecoiH.S "iser imam
~, ,r.o "''"s rc''''n,i' Vi 'ie human race.
ih'Io arc men SNOW Who'h physica!
unssr '"rhe INTO hstp'es> mass Oh PAT
p.'"',"E no'vs '.n' ior instance. Is
"' y, '"sc' -. 'o.e' -ne shiiieu grim
oo,c, give hnser 10 nave
i"'ouure 'hcii III III! shoes Just now ana
iorce MN 10 couple 'hese" wires anu spring
,ne MINIS Win ms own ia,, White myers.
e.e-y. 'ein! ocIic.e-.ne eNPe-
''e"'e "'",u 'uan "i,i' "o'ics'' An 'here
goes one oeiL iime up
nroush iuii IN the ",nu inc TENOR
lang Vi .nc sn.p oeii e' ',i uowI, 10 MN