The news & observer., 1897-02-07

| lie Dfeface0 MS feIlldrkS Dy SllBH
exhibition of craftsmanship. He Gu
away the vein which showed dimly OF
the foretopmast truck with a single bul
! let, and then, after dextrously reload
> ing his revolver, lounged over the white
rail of the upper bridge with the weapon
in his hands.
! He told the malcontents he was glaC
of the opportunity to give them his
views on matters generally. He in
formed them genially that for their per
sonal wishes he cared not one decimal
of jot. He stated plainly that he had
got them on board and intended by theil
I help to carry out his owners instruc-
| tions, whether they hated them or not
| And finally he gave them his candid
assurance that if any cur among them
presumed to disobey the least of his or.
ders, he would shoot that man neatly
through the head, without further pre-
amble.
This elegant harangue did not go home
to all hands at once, because being q
British ship, the Sultan of Borneo's
crew naturally spoke in five different
language, and few of them had even q
working knowledge of English. But the
look of Kettles savage little face as he
talked, and the red torpedo beard which
wagged beneath it, conveyed to them
the tone of his speech, and for the time
they did not require a more accurate
translation. They had come off bic
with the intention of forcing him Gf
necessary with violence). to run the
steamer there and then into an English
, port; they went forward again like Il
pack of sheep, merely because one mau
had let them hear the virulence of his
bark and had shown them with what
accuracy he could bite, if necessary
"And that's the beauty of a mOngrel
| crew." said Kettle cOmplacently. I'll
they'd been English, I'd have had to
shoot at least two of the beasts to keep
my end up like that"
You're a marvel" CarnfOrth ad-
mitted. I'm a bit of a speaker, myself
but l never heard man with IL gift of
tongue like you have got"
"Im poisonous when spread myself,
said Kettle.
II wish was clear of you," said Carn-
forth with an awkward laugh. What
ever possessed me to leave the yacht
and come on this cruise can't think"
"Some people never do know when
they're well off," said Kettle. "Well,
sir, you're in for it now, and you may
see things which will be of service to
you afterward. You ought to make
your mark in parliament if you do get
back from this trip. You'll have some
thing to talk about that men will like
to listen to, instead of merely chattering
wind, which is what most of them are
put to, SO far as / can see from the
papers. And now, sir, here's the stew
ard come to tell us teas ready. You go
below and tuck in. I'll take mine on
the bridge here. 1t won't do for me to
turn my back yet awhile, or else those
beasts forrard will jump on us from be-
we aren't looking"
The voyage from that time onward
was for Captain Kettle period of con
stant watchfulness. 1t would not be true
to say that he never took off his clothes
or never slept; but whether he was in
pajamas in the chart house, or whether
he was sitting on an upturned ginger
beer case under the shelter of one of the
upper bridge canvas dodgers, with his
tired eyes shut and the red peaked beard
upon his chest, it was always the same,
he was always ready instantly to sprins
upon the alert. One dark night an iron
Delaying pin few out of the blackness
of the forecastle and whizzed within an
inch of his sleeping head, but he reused
so quickly that he was able to shoot the
thrower through the shoulder before he
could dive back again through the fore
castle door. And another time when a
powdering gale had kept him on the
bridge for 4S consecutive hours, and Il
deputation of the deck hands raided him
in the chart house on the supposition
! that exhaustion would have laid him
out in a dead sleep, he woke before their
fingers touched him, broke the jaw of
one with camp stool, and so maltreat-
ed the others with the same weapon that
they were glad enough to run away even
with the exasperating knowledge that
they left their taskmaster undamaged be-
hind them. So although this all-nation
crew Of the sultan OF BorReo dreaded the