Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-08-02

DCiOW w poOh tooh e"hH
"Weli, sir," said Kettle cheerfully,
"here We are. That's . Spanish gun
boat, with searchlight, all complete. !"
He screwed up his eyes and gazed astern
meditatively. "She's got the heels on
us, too, by about five knots, should
soy. Just look at the flames coming out
Of her tunnels. Aren't they just giving
her ginger down In the stokehole.
Shooting will begin directly, and the
other blackpuards ashore have apparent
ly forgotten all about us There isn't .
light anywhere.
"What are you going to do:" asked
Carnfortb.
Follow out Mr.. Gedge's instruc.
tions, sir, and put this cargo on the
beach. Whether the old Sultan goes
there, too, remains to be seem"
"That gunboat will cut you of in
quarter Of an hour If you keep on this
COURSE"
with that extra five knots she can
do as she likes with rs, 80 shan't shift
my helm. It would only look suspi.
cious.
Good Lordr' said Carnforth. "As
IL our being here ut all isn't suspicion
itself"
But Kettle did not answer He had,
70 use his own expression. "got his wits
working under forced draft" and he
could not afford time for idle specula-
ton and chatter. IL was the want OF
the answering signal ashore that upset
him. Had that showed against the black
background Of hills he would have
known what 20 do.
Meanwhile the Spanish warship was
closing up with him hand over fist, and
a decision was necessary. Anyway the
choice was u poor one. II he surrender
ed, he would be searched. and with that
damning cargo Of rifles and machine
guns and ammunition under bis hatch.
~ il was not at all improbable that his
captors might string him mp out Of
hand. They would have right on their
side for doing so. The insurrectionists
were not recognizes belligerents. " He
would stand as q filibuster confessed.
and as such would be due to suffer un.
der that rough aud ready martial law
which cannot spare time to feed aud Jail
prisoners On the other hand. IL he re-
fused to heave to the result would be
equally simple. The warship would
sink him with her guns inside dozen
minutes and. reckless daredevil though
ho might be, Kettle knew quite well
there was no chance Of avoiding this.
With another crew he might have been
tempted to lay his old steamer along.
side the other and try to carry her by
boarding and sheer hand TO hand fight
ing, but excepting for those on watch in
the stock hold his present set OF men
were all below packing their belongings
into portable shape. and he knew quite
well that nothing would please them
better than to see him discounted.
Carnforth was neutral. He had only his
two mates and the engineer officers TO
depend upon in all the available world,
and he recognized between deep drafts
Of his cigar that he was in very tight
place.
Still the dark shore ahead remained
unbt aconed, and the Spaniard was rae
ing up astern, liz for battle, with her
crew at quarters and the guns run out
and loaded. she leaped nearer by faith
oms TO the second, till Kettle could hear
the painting Of her engines as she
CHASED him down. His teeth chewed ON
the cigar butt and dark rings grew un-
der his eyes. He could nave ragged
aloud at his impotence.
The war steamer ranged up along
side, slowed to some 80 revolutions so
as to keep her place, and an officer on
the top Of her charthouse hailed in
Spanish:
"Gunb boat ahoy." Kettle bawled
back, "You must speak English or l
can be civil to you.
What ship is that:"
"Sultan of Borneo; Kettle, master;
out Of Shields. -
Where for:"
1.-The Havana.
Promptly the query came back, "Then
what are you doing in here?"
Carnforth whispered q suggestion,
Fresh water run out condenser water
given all hands dysentery; put in here
to fill up tanks" 81 thank You, sir, /"
said Kettle in the same unL ertone I'm
no hand at lying myself, or might
have thought Of that before" And he
shouted an excuse across 10 the spokes-
man on tine charthouse roof.
To his surprise they seemed to give
weight to it. There was short consul
tation and the steamers slipped along
over the smooth black waters Of the bay
ON parallel courses
Have you got dysentery bad
aboard!" came the next question.
Once more Carnforth prompted and
Kettle repeated his words. Look ut my
decks" said he. "All my crew are be-
low. I've hardly man to stand by
me-"
There was more consultation among
the gunboat's officers, and then came
the fatal inquiry, What's your cargo,
faptain!"
"Oh, Goals" said Kettle resignedly.
"What, you're bringing Tyne coal to
the Havana?"
"Just GOALS" said Captain Kettle.
with bitter laugh.
The tone Of the Spaniard changed.
"Heave to at once, he ordered, "while
I send boat to search you. Refuse,
and I'll blow you out Of water"
On the Sultan of Borneo's upper
bridge Carnforth swore. "Eh, no, skip
per-" he said, "the games up. aud
there's no way out Of it. You won't be
o fool, will you, and sacrifice the ship
and the whole lot of us? Come, say.
man, ring off your engines or that fel.
low will shoot, and we shall all be
murdered uselessly. I tell you the
games up"
"By James," said Kettle. "is it?
Look there, and he pointed with out
stretched arm to the hills on the shore
ahead. "Three fresr' he cried. 1.-TWO
above one in triangle, burning like
Elswick furnaces among the trees.
They're ready for us over yonder, Mr.
Carnforth. and that's their welcome.
Do you think I'm going 70 let my cargo
be stopped after getting 1t thus far9"
He turned to the Danish quartermaster
at the wheel. with his savage face close
to the man 8 ear.
"Starboard, he said. Hard over,
you bung eyed Dutchman. Starboard
as fer az she'll CO."