The news & observer., 1897-02-07

SecluQeu DAY IN LHe SUuuutTul 0uDtll
shore, where the contraband of war was
to be run. Kettle calculated his where
abouts with niceness, and after the mid
day observation, lay the steamer to for q
couple of hours and himself supervised
his engineers, whilst they gave a good
overhaul to the machinery. Then he
gave her steam again and made his land
fall four hours after the sunset.
They saw THE coast first as a black
| line running across the dim gray of the
might. 1t rose as they neared lit, and
showed a crest frlnged with trees and
foot STEPPED in white mist, from out
of which came the faint below of surf
Capt Kettle, after a cast or two, picked
UP his marks and steamed in confidently,
with his sidelights dowsed and three red
lanterns in a triangle at his fOremaSt
head. He was feeling pleasantly sur
pTised with the easiness of it all.
But when the steamer had got we'll
into the blight of the bay, and all the
glasses on THE bridge were peering at the
shore in search of answering lights,
blaze of radiance suddenly fickered on to
her from aStern, and was as suddenly
eclipsed, leaving them for a moment
blinded by it's dazzle. 1t was a long
truncheon of hight which between the
heads of the bay, and they watched it
sweep away from them over the surface
of the fater, and then sweep back again.
Finally, after "a little more dalliance, it
settled ON the steamer, and lit her and
the ring of waiter ON which she swan like
a chip in a lantern picture.
Carnforth swOre aloud, and Capt. Ket-
IL ~.al. oeA
grel crew who were on deck went below
to pack their bags.
''Well, SIR" said Kettle cheerfully,
"here we are. That's a Spanish gunboaIt,
with searchlight, all complete" He screw
ed up his eyes and gazed astern medita-
tively-''Shes got the heels ON us, too by
about five knots, j should say. Just look
at the flames coming out of her tunnels.
Aren't they just giving her ginger down
in the stoke hold. Shooting will begin
directly, and the other blackguards "a
shore have apparently forgotten all a
bout us. There isn't light anywhere. :"
What are you going to do?" asked
Carnforth.
Follow out Mr.. Gedge's instructions,
sir, and put this cargo ON the beach.
Whether the old Sultan goes there, too,
remains to be SEEN"
''That gunboat will cut you off i'm
quarter of an hour if you keep on this
course"
with THAT extra five knots she can
do as She likes with US, so l shan't shift
my helm. 1t wouh only look suspi-
cious.'
Good Lordr' said Carnforth, as if our
being here at all isn't suspicion it self"
But Kettle did mot answer. He had,
ITO use his own expression, ''got his wits
working under forced draft" and he
could not afford time for idle speculation
and chatter. 1T was the want of the an
swering signal ashore that upset him
Had that showed against the black back
ground of hills he would have known
what to do.
Meanwhile the Spanish warship was
closing up with him hand over fist, and
a decision was necessary. Anyway the
choice was a poor one. If he surrender
ed, he would he searched, and with that
damning cargo of rifles and machine gums
and ammunition under his matches, it was
not ait all improbable that his captors
might string him up out of hand. They
would have right on their side for doing
so. The insurrectionists were not ''roc-
ognized belligerents;" he would stand as
% filisbuster confessed, and as such would
he due to suffer under that rough and
ready martial law which cannot spare
time to feed and jail prisoners. On the
other hand, if he refused to heaye to- the
result would be equally simple; the war
ship would sink him with her guns inside
o dozen minutes, and reckless daredevil
though he might be, Kettle knew quite
well there was no chance of avoiding
this. With another crew he might have
been tempted to hay his old steamer along
side the other and try to carry her by
boarding and sheer hand-to-hand fighting;
but excepting for those ON watch in the
stockhold, his present set Of men were
all below packing their belongings into
portable shape, and he knew quite we'll
that nothing would please them better
than to see him discounted. Carnforth
was neutral; he had only his two mates
and the engineer officers ts depend apon