The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-29

The Saigon carried a spar deck amid
ship, and and pilgrims were grouped in
two bodies fore and aft of this on the
iron plating of the fore and main decks.
The spar deck was officially reached
from these lower levels by a couple of
slender iron ladders, but it was not I'M
scalable to a fairly active climber. There
was an alleyway passing beneath the
spar deck, but this could easily be closed
by the iron doors in the two bulkheads,
which fastened inside with heavy clamp
, ing screws.
/ The chief engineer came into the chart
! house and hitched up his grimy pyjamas
and mopped his face with a wad of cot
ton waste. He looked meaningly at the
whisky bottle, but Kettle ignored his
glance.
'Well, Mr.. McTodd?" he said.
''I'm a ready for the pagans. sir, when
, ye're willing to gi' the word"
What are your engines like now"
"A wee bittie less, fit for the scrapheap
than they were dozen hours back,
burt not very much to boast Of" Mr.. Nc
Todd spat out into the sunshine. ''They re
the rottenest engines ever ! fingered, -
said he. "and that's what | think of
them. A man ought to have double my
pay to be near them. They're just heart
breaking"
you knew she wasn't the P and o
when you signed on"
Were neither of us here, Capt. Ket-
tic, because we were offered fatter
berths."
Kettle frowned. "Tll trouble you, Mr.
McTOdd, to attend to the matter in hand
, You have those steam pipes rangedT'
Both fOrrard and aft"
Commanding both ladders?''
"Just like that
"And you've plenty of steam?'
Eye can hear it burning through the
escape this minute if ven use your ears.
It's been vara exhausting work toiling
down yonder in that a'ful heat
"Well, Mr.. Cortolvin here assures me
that the niggers will begin to play up
the minute we get under weigh, so you
see we know where we are, and must
be ready for them. / shall want you
and the second engineer on deck, OF
course, so you must arrange for one of
your crew to run the engines till we've
got the business settled"
1--WE a greaser down yonder who can
open the throttle" said McTodd gloom
lily, "but he's got no notion OF nursing
sick engines like these, and as like as
not he'll rive them off their bedplatcs in
a score of revolutions. Ye'd better let
, me keep the engine room myself, cap
tain. I'm sick man, and I'm no fit for
fighting with my throat as dry as it is
now"
Capt. Kettle poured out liberal two
fingers of whisky and handed it across,
Now Mac" said he, "wet your neck,
and let's have no more of this nonsense.
You'll have to fight for your life inside
OF 10 minutes, and you'll do it better
sober.'
The engineer eyed the whisky and
poured it slowly down its appointed
path. "Mon," he said, "ye've an a'ful
poor opinion o. my capacity. I'll just
be off and give you coolie greaser in
structions, and get my side arms, and
be with you again in fourty clock ticks"
81 pity the Niger that comes to hand
grips with McTodd," said Kettle, when
the grimy man in the gray pajamas had
left the chart house. He's an ugly beg
gar to handle when he's sober as he is
uoN' we IL get Feduy now, SIT, IL you
please. You go to the after end of the
bridge deck with McTodd and the sec
ond mate, and I'll look after the for
rard end with the old mate and the Sec
ond engineer. When they try to rush
the ladder McTodd will give them the
steam, and they'll never be able to face
it, All you and the second mate have to
do is to see they don't climb up over the
rail-"
II wish it could be avoided" said Cor
tolvin sadly. "That high-pressure steam
will scald some of them horribly"
ut will do more than that" said Ket-
tie. ut will strip the meat clean off
their bones"
II have lived amongst those men or
their sort for two solid years, and many
of them have shown me kindnesses."