Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-28


as iron tools were thrown on the fiool
plates and the boots of scared men smote
the rungs Of the ladders.
Cambel gave quick smile to himself,
as though he understood something, then
mounted look of concern ON his face.
and getting up from his chair crossed To
port and strobe up to the break of the
bridge deck. The captain. coming out of
the charthouse, Joined him. From the door
OF the alleyway beneath them rushed a
crowd of frightened men-trimmers, stok-
ers, stripped to the waist; engineers in
dungarce, all the human contents of the
lowest hold. Kettle singled out the chief
with his eye ard addressed him with sour
irony.
Afternoon, Mr.. Melee. Fine, isn't it.
for the time of year? Have your ours for
gotten they're paid to work this steam
boat up Mississippi river to a city called
New Orleans, or have they induced the
other watch to go below and give them a
spell:"
''Guid God, sir. dinna jestr' replied the
chief. "Ye remember what yon scoundrel
said on Liverpool dock WALTZ Weel, he S
been as guild as his words, sir. We've
found an internal machine already"
''Well?" drawled Kettle.
MAN, we may be blown to the sea floor
any minute"
Sea whisky! Sea grandmother
Man, sir, see with your own cen. BY
Gods guild mercy the donkeyman picked
it from among the Goals, or we'd be with
him this moment-or with the deevil."
Hand it up here" the skipper COM
handed shortly.
The burly donkeyman, half grinring,
half afraid, came up the iron steps and
handed the captain a box painted TO look
like knob OF coal. 1T was ticking when
l picked it up, sir, he said, but when /
handled it the ticking stopped -
The captain took the thing in his hand.
1t started on fresh cluck, cluck, and the
grimy men on the iron decks below
bumped their shoulders as though to bet
ter receive a blow and began to shuttle
away toward the bows. "Oh, 1t may be
something dangerous. said Captain Ket-
tie and hove his burden over the side,
''or it mayn't. Locked to me like a toy
to brighten Hats. There's only one man
with the pluck of roach among you, and
here's half Il crown for him.
Tho donkeyman's black forefnger knuc-
kled his greasy cap.
las fo- the -est, your mothers must
then sent you to a girls school to dry
nurse. You pack of bcauties Oh, you
white l;vered bobby hunted gems! II the
thing was found-well, found it was, and
the donkeyman brought it on deck. What
90 you want to foul the clean air for with
your foul, sinking carcasses before your
watch was outs Ill log every man of you
for this-yes, Mr.. Melee and MIR. Second
and Mr.. Third, I'll dirty your tickets for
you as well, or If you give me another
ounce of bother I'll take care you none of
you ever get another berth SO long as tho
universe holds water to carry shipping.
You cowardly hounds! Oh, you trust me!''
The men skunk back into the alleyway
again out of shot of the skippcr's tongue,
and the engineers, plucking up courage
first, led the way below. Some one clat-
tered shovel on a firebar. Instinct made
the trimmers obey tho signal, and they
went to the bunkers The firemen fol-
lowed, and the steam gauge remounted
before it had received any appreciable
check. 1twas all an affair of five minutes.
Kettle passed forefinger round the in
side of his shirt collar and strolled across
with Cambel to where the deck chairs
straddled in the shade.
They're holy crew, aren't they?"
Il think they're what we want. We
should be rather out of it with n plucky
lot who insisted on standing by US at a
PINCH
"Oh, don't you make any error about
that" replied Kettle. They'd have been
shaky anyway, but this bogus clockworl
devil of yours fixes them to a nicely. It'll
be every Jack for himself when the scare
comes and Davy Jones take the steamer
and the others. Oh, they'll run like a
warren of rabbits. The brutesp'
Kettle broke off abruptly and stared
modify over the gulf stream. A flying
fish got out of the blue water and ran
across the ripples like silver rat. A
school of porpoiscs snorted leisurely I'D
from astern and passed the steamer as
though she had been at anchor And the
tangles of gulf weed floated past like reefs
of tawny coral.
do you ever read poetry" the skipper
suddenly asked.
Cambel Slowed round his head and
stared. The idea of this vinegar moutbed
little savage talking of poetry very nearly
made him break into wild laughter. With
an effort he steadied his face and said
quietly, Sometimes
I'm glad of that. Somehow I hadp It
uareu ASK you before, but now l know,
Mr.. Cambei, like you all the better. 1t
gives US something in common we can
talk about without being ashamed. We
can't very well discuss the other matter
which binds us together and respect our
selves at the same time.''
Quite right. You and /, captain, are
shouldered to common piracy by the force
OF circumstances, but always Kick myself
when l think about it. There's no glamour
OF romance about our intended villainy
or the way it's being led up to-"
Not bit. Byron wrote about piracy.
but Byron was no seaman, and he didn't
know what hazing a crew meant. A
thief's dirty scoundrel all the world over
and always has been, and a sea thief, hav-
ing the scum of the earth to handle has
to make himself the cruelest brute on
earth II he wants to succeed. think it's
that which put me out Of liking with
Byron and all those poets who've written
about movement at sea. They give a
wrong idea of mems motives and actions,
and when they get talking on shop they re
that inaccurate and absurd they make one
tired. No, Mr.. Cambel, give me a land
poet, who talks about farms and prim-
n ~ l. Irx...