Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-28

before you came to me here in the chart
house." az
4 did think of it; esut II couldn't be
renegade to my coloraand SO I came. But,
| captain. will you let me speak to them?
VIII you let me tell them that their scheme
is known and prepared for? Win you let
me explain to them what they will have to
face If they start an outbreak"
Capt. Kettle frowned.- sfou will under
stand that I am not frightened of the
Il quite know that said cortolvin. land
I am sorry to spoil sight But it Is their
lives I am begging for"
VERY WELL said Kettle, "you can fire
away. I don't speak their hat, and it is as
well they should know~fronr some one what
they have to look forward TO. Here's life
preserver, which you may find useful It's
the only weapon / have to offer you. My
pistol is the only gun we have in the ship"
The pair of them went outside the chart
house and walked to the head of the for
ward ladder. A steam pipe lay on the deck
side 1t, with thumbs in his waist strap. On
the deck below the pilgrims no longer
squatted on their carpets, but stood to-
gether in knots, and talked excitedly. Cor
tolvin clapped his hands, and the sea Of
savage faces turned toward him.
There were representatives In that mob
from half the Mahometan peoples Of north
ern Africa. There were lean Arab camel
breeders of the desert, Jet black farmers
from the great lakes and the upper Nile.
Hausas from the western Sondan, limp
fellaheen from lower ESypt, an ESDa VINO
had served IN the British police force at
Lagos merchants from the back Of the
Barbary states, workers in metal from So
koto, and weavers from Timbukhtu. They
were not all holders Of the title of hadjI.
for though by the Mahometan law every
male must make the Mecca pilgrimage at
least once in lifetime. unless debarred
by poverty Or lameness 1t may be done by
deputy And these deputies, fierce, true
ulent ruff1ans, who had lived their lives
amongst incessant wars and travel. were
perhaps the most dangerous of all the lot.
They listened to their late associate with
a momentary hush Of surprise. He spoke
to them in fluent Arabic. He did not APP
peal to their better feelings; he knew his
audience He said it was written that If
they tried this thing, If they attempted to
CAPTURE the steamer, they should surely
fail; that all things were prepared to give
them battle, and that horrible death
awaited those who persisted in their de-
sign. And then he tried to point out the
nature of the Saigons defenseS, but there
he failed. 1t Is Ill work to explain the
properties of hgh-pressure steam to saw
ages. A murmur rose among them, which
grew They roared defiance. And then
the great black mass of them rushed for
the iron ladder.
Capt. Kettle clapped a whistle to his lips
olvin," he cried, away with you aft to
help McTodd. These cattle here want
something more than talk, and I'm going
to give it Them
turned from below. The second en-
gineer unhitched his thumbs from his
waist belt, took lump of waste in each
grimy hand and lifted the iron pipe. 1t
was well jointed and moved easily, and he
turned the nozzle of it to sweep the lad
der. In that baking air the steam did not
condense readily; It travelled three yards
from the nozzle of the pipe before it be-
came even thinly visible, and it infringed
upon the black naked bodies and burned
horribly without being seen.
AT first they did not finch. With
dreadful valor they faced the torment and
fought with each other to be first upon the
rungs, and then, when those in front
would have held BACK the mob behind
pressed them irresistibRy coward. In a mo-
nent or so the first rank began to go down
before that whitening blast, and then 9TH
ers trod on them and fell also, till the hill
OF writhing black humanity grew to half
the height of the iron ladder And In the
meantime Others of the pilgrims were try
ing to storm the bSdgA deck at other
points. but OH the porRsida, the gray-head-
ed old mate fighting bareSark with an ak,
and knuckle buster. battied like wild cats
to keep the sacred planking inviolate.
what was going on at Abe after end of
the the Saigon they could not tell. From be-
mind them came theoroap of the fighting
Hausa, and the savage War cries of the
desert just as they rose up from before
their faces. But in its first flush the fight
was too close for any manis thoughts 70
wander from his own, irhufediate adverc
s3ries. sd' IL as - E-71I--l ~
1t seemed however. that the battle was
over nrst In the after part of the steamer,
and whether this was because the attach
there was less, heartfui or because Mr..
McTodd's artillery was the more terrible.
cannot now be known. The question was
debated much afterward without coming
to decision. But any way. by the time
Captain Kettles adversaries4 had ceased to
rage against him, Cortolvin was free to
come and stand by his side as interpreter.
The wounded lay sprawltng and writhing
about the iron decks below them; the sur
vivors-and scarcely one of these was with
out his scald-huddled against the fore
CASTLE and the grimy second engineer held
the steam pipe upward SO that gray pail
hung between the Saigon and the sun.
Now, SIR said Kettle, kindly trans
late for me. Tell those animals to chuck
all their hardware over the side, or I'll
sausages.''
Cortolvtn lifted up his voice in sonorous
Arabic IT was written he cried. that
the gsilour should prevail 1t is written
cast your weapons into the sea. 1t Is writ
ten, moreover. that those of you who do
not on this instant disarm shall taste again
OF the screening breath of Elbis
stream OF weapons leaped up through
the air. and fell into the swells alongside
with tinkling splashes.
1T would be a WEAKNESS to guard you."
Cortolvin went on. Swear by the beard
-
tempt against this ship or we shall gaol
you fast in DEATH"
A forest of trembling black hands shot
up before him.
I'VE swea arp they cried.
"Then 1t is written that you keep your
VOW said Cortolvin. s"God is greati See
now to your sick" He turned to Kettle.
and touched his ragged turban, after the
manner of an officer reporting, THE mu-
tiny Is ended, SIR" he said.
Captain Kettle swung himself lightly on
to the upper bridge and telegraphed fun
speed ahead to the engine room. The pro-
peller splashed in the oily swells. and the
Saigon gathered weigh. Sullen and tremb-
ling. the pilgrims began to tend their hurts,
and presently McTodd. with a large cop
per kettle in his hand. descended among
them and distributed oil and surgical ad-
vice.
"There were none actually killed at my
end" said Cortotvin.
II dropped four" said Kettle. II had
to. 1t was either me or them. And my
old mate axed half q dozen before they
let him be. Wed a tight time here whilst
1t lasted
1T will require good lump Of bach
shish to explain it all satisfactorily at Kos