The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03

them running. It's the one chance Of my life,
Mr.. Cortolvin, and the one chance of his. and
what is put before us. Show him where the
sillcr comes in, sir, and then stand by and you'll
sec Mr., McTodd work miracles"
Cortolvin went below and Kettle turned to
The old mate. "Mr. Murgatroyd. =" said he, get
a dozen hands TO rouse up that new manila out
give YOU, tho .afterdeck TO yourself, I'll have
to bargain with that fellow oyer there before
we do anything, and thsrell he little enough
have everything ready to begin to tow. Woll
Aye, aye" said the mate. but It won't
do to tow with wire, Captain, through what's
coming. There's no give in wire. A wire
hawscr would jerk tho CUTS out of her in fifteen
Kettle tig htcned his lips. Mr.. Murs@.
NfSSiHtRh;cr Do sSSq Want HSi dic G% MOI from a nlS" %oirlc sS1,.
told you to rouse up the manila. You will
back the wire with q double bride Of that,
Aye, aye. grunted the mate, but what
am l TO make fast tot Them hollands aft might
be- stepped in putty for a, the use they are;
coming. 1 believe they'd draw If they'd a fish.
ing line made fast to them"
II should have, thought you'd been long
enough at sea to know your business by this
time" said Kettle unpleasantly. Dye think
that every that trades has a bran
We'll" said the mate s%ullenly, I'm waiting
to be taught"
after hatch, and you won't come and tell me
that's drawn while this steamboat stays on the
wnter top
Aye, aye" said the mate, and stepped into
his slippers and shutied away; Capt. Kettle
walked, briskly to the centre Of the upper bridge
crisp orders to the iascar at the Wheel, and the
Saigon moved in perfect obedience to, his will.
Ahead Of him the great slatecol9red liner
lay motiOnless on the oily sea. Her.rail was peo-
pied with the anxious faces of passengers. Busy
deck, hands were stripping away the awnings.
sun helmets and trim uniform Of white drill,
talking together anxiously.
1.-The, little saigon curved cur 3D. up from asterni
propeller, brought up dead, SO that the bridges
OF the two steamers were level and not more
and. as Kettle had intended, the Germans no.
ticed II and commented. Then began a barter
.Howdy, Captain" said Kettle. II hope it's
heats been very great, Has it knocked over
4 large, bearded man made reply. I'VE haf
seeh a slight mishHp nit der machinery, Captain.
"oh, that's ali right. Thought it might be
YOU. The breeze may come away any minute
now, and you've the shore close aboard and
you'll be on i: il you don't get your steamboat
under command again by then; and have q big
prise me il you don't drown all hands"
Capt. Kettle put q hand on the telegraph, as
though To ring on his engines again, but the
bearded German, after a preliminary stamp OF
But for the moment the opportunity Of speech
was taken from him. The passengers were
either English or for the most part understood
that tongue when spoken. and they drank in
every word that was said, as Kettle had in
tended, and now they surged in a writing,
ders. and demanded that assistance should be
hired. let that cost what it might. There was
eDsd MAXIM nnTnaT S a h ,ha S Gn1Tg, ao snipm 1nat f Ri ys5
and explained and reasoned for fully a dozen
moments before he quelled it; Then, painting;
he came once more to the end of his bridge and
addressed the other steamer.
Dose PASSENGERS vos nervous said he, be
rain sduall, SO | ask you how mooch would you
take my rope gnd tow me to Alden or periml.
way f for me sa C%ap M ! Red sea's w fna1 : / " come
from, and my owner cabled me to hurry and get
to Zanzibar.'
We'll, say 100000, as your passengers seem
so anxious
hat not Rhodes. on der shecp!.'
well. Captain, take the offer or leave It. In
not a tooT9at, and I'm in a hurry TO- make my
utes longer it'll cost you 100000 to be plucked
The shipmaster on the other bridge went into
a frenzy Of expostulation; He appealed to al
Capt. Kettles better feelings; he dared him
But Kettle gazed Upon, the mans eesticu
lating arms and listened to his frantic ora
did not reply by so much as a single word
When the other halted through breathlessness
hand toward the fearsome heavens. with
their lurid lights. and pointed to the bumpi1e
tremble, and. he let those argue for him. Tn,
eiam3r Of the passengers rose again in tn,
iiner bea to osS yiefd. aif lie ef thre eHe 1 1aP his arm ql In r.
token OF surrender, and a hush fell upon tn,
scene like the silence OF death.
My company shall pay you hondred tous
ton dot you make me ruined man
II have been ruined myself, - said Kettle
| ~ ~ tp,nu md ny fttrp fnr r. . ~
thing seems to be come now. I'll run dow
closer to you. Captain. or do you bid, YOU
You've no time left to get n boat in the water
Inc WING may come away any moment now;
All the insouciance had gone from him. HI
gave his orders with %crispness and decision
and the mates and the lascars jumped to ODE,
them. The horrible danger that was to com,
lay as an open advertisement. and they knew
that their only way to pass safely through it
and even then the chances were sliul-was Il
obey the man who commanded them TO thu
uttcTnoSt.
The connection between the steamers hac
been made. the snaky steel-wire hawser hat
been pulled in, through, a stern fair lead by tn
Saigon winch. and the old mate stood read!
with the snackle which would link II on to tn,
manila;
The heavens yielded up an overture like tn
echo Of a Titan's. grOan. Hurry, there. yo,
slow-footcd dogs came Kettles voice iron
The lascars brought up the eye of the haw
ser and Mnreatroyd threaded i on the pin o
The shacklc. Then he cried A fast. ant
picked up IA spike and screwed home the pin II
its socket. Already the engines were on tn
move again, and the Saigon was stcaming ahea,
on the tow line. 1t was a time for hurry.
The air thickened and grew for the momen
II anything more hot, and the tornado race
down upon them ms a black wall stretching IA
across the sea, with white water cleaning an,
c%hnrning at its foot. It hit the steamers like
solid avalanche. and the s~pindrift in IL cut IN
faces Of the men who tried TO withstand 1t as
whips had dashed them.
The coolie quartermaster chung to the Sal
! CONS wheel spOkes, a mere wisp Of limp hu
manity, incapable OF steering or Of doing any
thing else that required a modicum of rationa
. thought. The little steamer fell away befor
the blast like a shaving in a dry street; tn
tonnage OF the tornado heeled her till her lie
scuppers spouted green wafer, and she Nigh
well have been overturned at the very outset
' But Kettle beat the helpless lascar from hi
hold, and smoked the wheel hard up, and tn
engines, working strongly. brought her roun
> again in a wallowing circle to face the torren
I of hurricane.
4 She took five minutes to make that recovery
D and when she was stcaming on again, head I
the thundcrous gusts, the tale OF what she ha
+ endured was written in cas-! lettering. o
. both fore and main decks the bulwarks wer
3 gone level with the covering boards: the rafii
8 OF crates, harness casks. Rangplanks and so o
that asmall trader carries in view to the SIX