The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-03-13
AN ENGINEERS YARN.

on the bridge watching the downward
sweep of the tropic dusk. "It puts me
in mind of a theater sunset he was
saying; "they always go by the run,
And that was Il pretty theatrical bit you
had i'll the engine room," he said to my
chief, who bad joined u.s., We had found
all the nuts but one off the connecting
rod head. Had another half turn been
made, our engines would have been a
scrap heap.
"Only once has it happened BEFORE"
said my chief, "ard there was a grand
tableau, as you call it, but not in the
engine room. Our stem and three wall
eyed junks were the actors. 1t was up
there" jerking his head northward,
"There was nothing but a thousand odd
miles of water and a busting of islands
between us and Hongkong."
The mate held "a lighted match tt the
chiefs pipe and set him drifting on with
the current of his yarn.
you see, it was years and years ago,
and l was second in a local boat-Rong-
kong to Yokohama. We were the first
to employ Chinese fremen. We had been
repairing and had put on a fresh crowd,
all except one, Ii Chin. 1t was near
monsoon time, and the second day out
we were sitting as we might be here,
but there vas no sunset on view. 1t had
been hazy all day, and we were watch
ing the moon rising-just past full. 1t
locked as if some one had Dashed one
side off the true. 1t got up to the haze,
big and blood red, like a fire balloon at
old Cremorne. A mean, staggering swell
had set in. SO oily that it had no more
go to it than the slush i'll a greaser's
bucket. We were all pretty we'll hipped
and morose, being company for no one
except the sea, and that-well, that
looked as if it wanted to be sick and
couldn't. Ii Chin, who was decent for
a heather, was in charge below.
"My chief was sitting or the rails,
and somehow he went over the side.
You know pretty we'll how things like
that galvanize everybody. Lose him?
No, The oily swell saved him, for the
old man ran the boat straight back in
her own wake, which was marked out
like q dusty road at night through a
hilly country. Well, we came to where
he was yelling and got him out. By all
law the old man ought to have got into
a splitter, but instead of that he said:
Look here, Mr.. Gamwelr-that
was my chiefs name-I knew some
thing had to happen to this cock eyed nc
side up looking weather, but l don't be,
lieve this is the only thing tonight
"And we all said together, That's
just what | was thinking, sir, as they
do at church when the parson pipes out.
"'Then send her ahead again, and
let's get it done with he said.
"'Give her steam, LiChin!'I shouted
down the skylight. Lii Chin looked uI
and chittered:
".'Hi, no talkee talkee! Come chop
chop So went down to him.
81 was pretty green in those days,
and whatever came within a hair
breadth Of happening made me feel as
squeamish as if it had come off. OF
course you grow out of that, but then
felt my hair creep. Our high pressure
connecting rod was on the down throw,
with only a single nut on! She had
the old style engines, remember, and
when they went on a burst they wen,
handsomely-no tinkering up. New en-
gines. perhaps new ship, maybe ever
new hands. However, we began to screw
up-at least the chief did. He'd only
trust himself. Presently he showed 6
nut under my nose.
"'That your trademark he asked.
The nut was Clipped and scribed with
bad spanner marks, which I repudiated,
Gin what followed l can never quite
settle Ii Chin's share in the programme.
This was how we were after we had fix,
cd all tight again: Ii Chin was leaning
through the eccentric rods, with the
lamp. was half out the crank pit, ant
the chief was at my back. He had the
spanner. All in n breath he dragged
me backward, fiat, my head cracking OF
the plates, and I saw the spanner 81
spit through the standards. 1t didn''
hit any metal. but something soft. TheI
he clapped his hand OH my face and helC
me stone tight, and something cam
down and rubbed by my chest, scratch
ing memo more-and through his fin
gers I could just see the crank movirg
but it had passed me. If any one be
lieves that engines haven't souls, jus
you stick him i'll the crank pit and lie
her GO, only dead slow and just to clea
him. That converted me.
He dragged me right out, kissing il
my ear:
whip up on deck! Tell 'em to shoe
OH sight any who leave the stokehole!
He slammed the iron door tween tn
boilers and us and turned Oh Lii Chin
who was still holding the lamp and hat
him by the throat before he could finish
"'No Robbery, all samee white man.
As l jumped past the starting platform
I saw ono of the new stokers lying OF
his back. bis face a thing of horror
That was the soft thing the spanner hit
and you know what size a connecting
rod takes.
"Both mates and the old man wer
on the bridge watching something ahead
All in a sweat, | sang out my massage
and the old man never asked why o
wherefore, but popped in the chartroor
and slipped a revolver in the secon
mates hand. saving: