Evening star., 1897-02-06


steamers bridge. But the space CT time
| was too small. The gunboat could not turn
with enough Quickness; on SO short a no.
| tfce the engines could not get her into her
stride again; and the shooting though we'll
fntentfoned and prodigious in quantity was
| poor in aim. The bullets whisped through
the air, and pelted on the plating like a
nalstorm, and one of them fiicked out the
pfains OF the Danish Quartermaster on the
bridge; but Kettle took the wheel from his
hands, and moment later the Sultan of
Borneo's stem crashed into the gunboat's s
unprotected side just abaft the sponsor Of
her starboard quarter gun"
The steamers thrilled like kicked biscuit
pcxes. and noise went up into the hot
night sky as of 10000 ooilermakers all
heading up rivet at once.
On both ships the propellers stopped, as
II Dy instinct and then, in answer to the
telegraph. the grimy collier backed astern
But the war steamer did not move. Her
machinery was broken down. She had al
ready got heavy list toward her wounded
side, and every second the list was increas-
ing as the water poured in through the
snattered plates Her crew were buzzing
with disorder. 1t was evident that the YES.
sci had but a short time longer to swim
and their lives were sweet to Them They
mad no thought Of vengeance Their yea
pens lay deserted on the sloping decks
The grimy crews from the stokehoIds pour-
ed up from below, and one and all they
clustered about the boats with frenzied
haste to see them floating in the water.
hands for the present.
Carnforth clapped Kettle on the shoulder
In involuntary admiration. by Godr' he
cr1ed, what daring little scoundrel YOU
are. LOOK mere. I'm on your side now, If
job?" ee Nie
I'm afraid, sir,' said Capt Kettle.
that the old Sultan's work is about done
Sne ns setthng down by the head already
Didn't you see those rats of men scuttling
up from forrard directly after we'd ram
med the Don? l guess that was a bit of
surprise packet for them, anyway. They
of the shooting, and they found themselves
In the most ticklish part of the Ship
ihere,s humor in the situation" said
Carn1orth But the case will keep. For
steamboat is swamping fast"
she Is doing that" Kettle admitted.
smell have lot of plates started for
rard, ! guess. But 1 think she's come out
her, and she's not exactly built for a ram
the beach?' MI ''-
TT There's nothing else for it," said Kettle,
WIN a sign. Il should like to have carried
those blasted Goals into the Havana II II
could have been done, just to show people
ours was bona fide contract. as Mr
Gedge said, in spite of its f1shy look. But
tnls Old steamboats, done her whack. and
tnat the square truth. 1t will take her
an she can manage to reach shore with
ury aocks. Look, she's in now nearly to
nt rel aoIecastle head Lucky the shores not
steep to here or else"
From beneath there came a bump and a
Idttle. and the steamer for a moment
matted in her progress, and a white-crested
wave suLged past her rusty fianks. Then
sne nIted again and swooped further in
WIN the propeller still squattering astern
ana tnen once more she thundered down
again into the sand and so. lifting and
snrf lFihg: Srlda made her way in through the
L. har
round, and she was beaten up the beach
proauslde on, with the green and white
water at times making a clean breach over
ne1. sne was past all control. More than
ohe vi tne hands was swept from her decks
ana reached the shore by swimming Rut
as the epb made, the hungry seas left her
STRANDED dry under the mornings light
anu crowd OF 1nsurrectionists waded out
anu cllmDed on board by ropes which were
thrown to them. They were men of everv
unit from the gray black of the pure Eegro to
Ihe sailoW, lemon tint of the pure -bloode6
Spaniaro. They were streaked with
WOUNDS, thin as skeletons, and clad more
with nakedness than rags. and SO woifisb
uid they look that even Kettle. Gallons
niue ruman though he was, half regretted
bringing arms for such a crew to wreak
vengeance on their neighbors
But they gave him small time for senti
ment of this brand. They clustered round
MIN with leaping hands, till the morning
sea FOWL fled affrighted from the beach.
nj
Cuba, and let every one remember it: alone
with his unarmed vessel, he had sunk a
warship of their hated enemies. and they
prayed MIN IN their fiorid compliment to
stay on the island and rule over them as
king. i oS
But the little sailor took them literally.
what's this?,' he said. You want me to
be your blooming king?" ~
Ell rev." they shouted; Gel rev de lbs
Cubanos" " io'
by James, said Kettle, "I'n do #.
was never asked to be king before. and
the chance may never come again Re-
sides. I'm out of a berth Just now and
england Will be too hot to hold me vet
awhile. Yes, I'll stay and boss you and
II you can act half as ugly as you look
We'll give the dons lively time ONLY re-
member, there's no tomfoolery about mo
II I'm king of this show, I'm going 10
carry full kings ticket, and II there's
any an =, man tries to NEEDLE without being in
vited. that man will go to his own funeral
before he can think twice And now we'll
Just begin business at once. on with those
matches and break out that cargo. I've
peen at some pains to run these guns out
mere; SO be careful in carrying them up the
beach; Jump lively, now, you bIack-faced
scum" A"eeo
Carnforth listened with staring ewes
sn VIVA. sort & OF broil was this truculent little
scamp going to mix in next? He knew
enough OF Spanish character to under
stand clearly that the offer of the crown
was merely an empty civility; he under
SsoOu SAou6h VI hettIe TO be sure that he
had not taken 1t such, and would assert
his rights to the bitter end And when he
thought OF what that end must inevitably
De. ne sighed over Owen Kettles fate.
But the person he was chiefly sorry for
just then was Martin Carnforth, M. P. He
remembered with clearness that few
hours before he had offered Kettle per
sonal service. and he saw no practical
means of avoiding the pledge.
Poor man, he'd lot to go through before
he got back to London town.
(The End