Evening star., 1898-07-30

what IA the WlfQ. ana nave chance to
save their own skins. You understand
what l mean?'
'Ay," grunted the mate.
We'll, just let word of it slip out-in the
right way, you understand
Aye, aye. Hadn't We better get them
matches on and battened down? She's
shipping it green pretty often now, and
the Weathers Worsening. There's a good
slop of water getting down below, and they
say IT'S all the bflge pumps can do to keep
it under"
Mrs. Meddle Murgatroyd," Kettle
snapped, are you master of this blame
snip or am L? You leave me to give my
orders when l think fit. and get down off
this bridge
"Ay." grunted the mate, and waddled
ciumsily down below.
The old mans suggestion about the
matches had touched upon a sore point
Kettle knew quite well that it was dam
gerous to leave the great gaps In the decks
uEdefended by planking and tarpaulin. A
high sea was running, and the heavily laden
coal boat rode both deep and sodden. AL
READY ne had put her a point and a half
to westward of her course SO as to take
the onooming seas more fairly the bow.
But still ne hung on to the open matches.
Ihe coal below was gassy to a degree and
III the ventilation was stopped 1t would be
terribly liable to explosion. The engine
and boiler rooms were bulkheaded off and
there was nc danger from these but the
subtle coal gas would spread over all the
smell hinted-and a careessly lit match
might very comfortably send the whole of
her decks hurting into the air. Kettle had
no wish to meet Mr.. Gedge's unsDoken
wishes by an accident of this sort.
However, it began to be plain that as
they drew nearer to the bay the weather
grew worse steadily. and at last it came
10 be a choice between battening down the
matches both forward and aft or being in
continently swamped. Hour after hour ket-
tie. in his gliStpOipg OilS<inS had hepn
stumDing backward and forward across
the upper bridge, watching his steamboat
like cat, and holding with his order
till the very last moment But at last he
gave the command to help the carpenter
carry it out. The men were horribly fright
eneG. 1t seemed to them that in that gale,
and with that running, it was insane
not to have battened her down long be-
fore.
The hands clustered on the lurching iron
dcc'is with the water swirling against them
waist high, and shipped the heavy hat III
covers and got the tarpaulins over, AMI
then the Norwegian carpenter keyed all
fast with the wedges, working like some
amphibious animal. half his time Inder
water
The Sultan of Labuan was fitted with no
cowl ventilatorS to her holds, and even
if these had been fitted they would have
been carried away. So from the moment OF
battening down the gas which oozed from
the coal mixed with the air till the whole
snip Decduic one HuSe explosive DCrlD,
which tn: r.erest spark would toucf, off.
Captain Kettle called his mate to hin. and
gave explicit elders.
You know wnat a powder hulk is like,
Mr.. Nate"
Aye" said Murgatroyd.
well, this ship is sight more danger
Gus, and We have got to take care if we
do not want TO go to heaven QUICK IT S
got to b. all lights out aboard this ship
till the weather eases, and we can Set
matches OFT again. Go round now and se5
it done yourself, Mr.. Murgatroyd, please.
Watch the Aoctor dowse the galley lire,
and then go and take away all the fore
castle matches SO the men can't smoke.
Put out the side lights the masthead light
and the binnatle lamps. The quartermas
ters must steer as lest they can from the
unlit card.
Aye aye Bur you don't mean the side
lights, too. do ye: There's a big lot Of
shipping mere in the bay, and we might
easy get run G1Wn-'' The old man caught
an ugly lock rom Kettles face and brohe
off. And sr In.h!!:iS some ancieE, sa:;
about "obeying orders if you break own
ers.'' he shuff1ed off down the ladder.
Heavier and heavier grew The squalls,
carrying with them spindrift which beat
like gravel against he two oil-skinned
tenants of the GOLFERS upper bridge;
worse and worse grew the sea. Great
green waves reared up like walls crashed
on board and filled the lower decks with
boiling, yeasty surge. The funnel stays
strings to the gale. Deep though she was
ia the water, there wers times when fer
stern hcaved up clear, and the propeller
raced in a noisy catherine wheel Of fire
and foam. On every side. ahead, abeam
and astern, were nodding yellow lights
jerked about by unseen ships over thun-
derous, unseen waves. II was regular
Biscay gale, such as all vessels may count
on in that corner of the seas one voy-
age out of eight, gale wiri heavy seas
in the midst of dense crowd of shipping
But there was nothing In it which sea.
manship, under ordinary circumstances,
could not meet.
Capt. Kettle hung on hour after hour
under shelter of the dodgers on the up.
per bridge, a small wind-brushed figure
in yellow oilskins and black rubber thigh
boots. About such '.breeze'' in an or
dipary way he would havs thought little.
Taking his vessel tltrpIgn it with the mic
imum of danger was only part of rhe
daily mechanical routine. But he stood
there a prey to the liveliest anxiety. The
thousand and one dangers in the bay ap-
peared before him magnifed. If the ship
for any sudden and unavoidable reason
went down the odds were that ne himself
and all hands would be drowned; hut at
the same time Gedge would be gratified in
SO easily touching the coveted insurance