The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-04
Ill.

| Now. although he had told me that he
| intended to steal the Shah, Capt. Blake
said nothing about his method and when
| he got to work that very night, l had no
idea that what was happening came from
| his hand and was the outcome Of his
knavish ingenuity.
| | had gone on watch at midnight, and
turned in and had been sleeping some
| hour and q half when the fireman came
| to rouse me.
He said, "She's half full Of water, sir,
and one Of the bilge pumps is broken
down. It's two-foot deep over our foot
plates already, and coming in like a mill
race. It'll reach the fires directly, sir
and then it'll be a case of Golden Shore
for all hands if we don't look out. She
must have started a plate as You said,
! sir, when she took the ground in the
pass yonder.'
or course the yarn about the plate be-
ing started when she struck ON the bar
ought to have given me hint. But it
did not. When a man is woke out of
sleep with news that the ship is settling
under him, he has enough to think of in
the present without bothering his head
about things of that kind; and / just
slipped on pair of boots and ran to the
engine room in pajamas, just as | was.
| The chief and the third were hard at
work at the broken bilge pump, but it
wasn't easy work, because every time
she rolled down that side, a good ten foot
of water soused over their ears. The
water was gaining, there was no his
| take about that; you could feel the
steamer grow more sodden with every
roll, and it was clear enough that with
the one steam pump we had working
we could not keep her afioat another two
hours. The stakehold was full of steam
from the ashes falling into the water,
and presently the splashing began to hit
the bottom Of the fire-bars, and the steam
grew worse. Then the fires started to die,
and the gauges fell so that you could not
see them. We did not stop the engines.
They slowed by degrees, and brought up
Of themselves. And then the drowned
rats, we went out on deck The chief
and | were the last to go; there was
nothing else to be done.
There was a snoring breeze, with a
stiffish sea running. 1t wasn't cold, be-
cause we were in the thick Of the gulf
stream, but the night was as black as
coal with driving rain, and not a bit in
vitiug for boat cruise. However, there
was no help for it; Knowles and the two
other mates and the carpenter had got
tIe two life boats swung out; the stew
ards and the cook were victualling them;
and the hands were hidden to tumble in
without any more delay. A tailor could
have seen that the old Shah had not very
much longer to float.
| / wasn't going to lose the things l had
bought out of the slop-chest, so l had
it in my mind to go below and put them
together. / had got to the head of the
companion to do this, when Capt. Blake
came out of the chart house with the
light from inside shining full on his face
He was as cool as a fish and smiling.
"Ah, Mac" he said, "glad to see you
are keeping your head. I'll remember
this in your favor afterwards. Say, just
slip into the chart-house here. will you,
and take charge of a bag of bullion :?
Carry it with you to the port life boat,
and If you get it safely ashore you shall
have ten per cent. as salvage for your
pains. Come right in
/ stepped into the ichart-house, the