The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-03-31

and then they found that she nae. set
tied on her broadside into little gully
on the sea floor where current had
carried silt over her till she was almost
covered out OF sight. They buoyed her
when she was found, and that day
went off In Cameron's boat and tried to
see If could make her out from above.
But she lay in sixteen fsthoms, and the
water was gray with mud from them
working below. Looking down into it
was like peering through mist.
The Cleaner swung at her anchor
over the Western ocean swells, and the
sun bleached her awnings to the white
ness Of new-fallen snow. For myself,
but for one thing, 1 never had such an
easy time on full pay during all my sea-
going. There was no work to do. A
lot of grog was served out, coast-fashion,
at eight bells; and the slop-chest to-
bacco burned slowly and cost only two
shillings pound. But there was one
thing worried me, aud that was Miss
Bradbury. She had joined at Liver
pool as rosy lassie as one could wish
to meet, and here she was getting
whittier and thinner every day. You
could almost see the flesh slip away
from her bones, and she'd an appear
ance of scare and worry about her face
that made one sick to look at. All
hands saw 1t; there was no avoiding
such thing; but they put it down to
anxiety about Cameron.
The pair of them were openly en-
gagged to marry by this time, and l
must say the way that he and the other
dtvyn boz xunn N IN
the water was warm, but it was fairish
deep, and never saw men stay down
longer. They never seemed to give in
while they had strength to lift hand,
and when they came to the surface and
had their gear taken off they'd be al
most fainting with WEAKNESS from
what they'd gone through. And it
wasn't one-day occurrence either.
They were always the same, and the
weeks slipped away till they had run
into month, and still none of the gold
had been brought to the Cleaner.
The silt was the trouble, it seemed.
AS fast as they dug it out, just 80 fast
did it Glide down again into the steam
er's bowels, and the strong room, which
Law right down against her keel, could
not be come at. OF course, one I'M
derstood that Cameron's reputation de-
pended upon his bringing off this sal
wage Job successfully, but don't see
the force of man killing himself, and
| told him so more than once. l fam
cied at the the time that Miss Bradbury
was telling him the same every day;
but he didn't take any notice of either
of us, nor did Storey, the other diver;
and the pair worked themselves to
rags.
A stopper was put on their game,
however, in way they did not expect.
The steward brought word one morn
ing that the Captain wanted to see me,
and turned out of my bunk and went
on deck. He seemed in a bit of a
worry.
"Mr. Storeys had stroke" says he.
'I'vo told that man a dozen times to
take drugs, sir" said I, land he never
would"
"Drugs are all very we'll for US,
Mac" says he, "that have ordinary
stomachs, but drugs wouldn't have
saved Storey what he's got, and that's
paralysis"
"My certie'' said l.
"It's true" said the old man. ut
took him whilst he was in the boat.
Cameron had just gone down, and
Storey was going to follow when he was
seized. They took off his helmet and
brought him back, and he's down in
his room now with half of him dead and
no speech left.
"It's a complaint, I've heard, that
often does seize divers"
''It does if they stick to the trade toe
long. Well, Mac, Pm wanting some
one to take his place, and 1 give you
first offer. It'll mean 95 week above
and beyond your present pay, ano
there's nothing to hinder your earning
it,"
'Nothing that see, sir; Storey ant
I are just in build, and 1 can wear hi
suit"
every well, then just give me you
hand for half minute and look me il
the eye."
did that.
"Now," said he, "you're servant o
the Corinth Salvage Association, ant
I'm another. Your father was gen
tleman, wasn't hep"
"He was that, sir, and one of tn
most honored Free Kirk ministers il
Scotland"
"Then you must be gentleman, too
though dare say you are not Away
treated as such. Now swear to me
Mac, on your honor as "a gentleman
that you'll be true to those that are EN-
ploying you"
looked him in the face and did
cheerfully. When a man treats m
properly (and God knows few enough
of them have tried it) he's got fellow
to work for him he ought to valu
highly.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
WHILE escortinn u ladu ho.,a tn