The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-10
The Skipper of Phantom lug.
"a Story from Answers. In Two Parts.)
PART II

"a Story from Answers In Two Parts.)
PART IL
Redshaw fingered aboard the smack
after Lottie Sanderson and Armstrong
had gone.
He sat on deck smoking his short clay
pipe and looking yearningly seward AS
soon as it was fairly dusk, however, he
began to bestir himself, lighted a ship S
lantern, and collected together few ar
ticles needful for a short sea trip. These
| articles he carried on board skif al
most Alongside. Then he loosened the
ropes adjusted the oars noiselessly and
glided out of the harbor into the open
sea. He now hoisted sail and turned his
| boats head in the direction Of Saltwin
| Sands.
The wind had freshened and the skiff
rose and fell and ran forward over the
dark waters with increasing speed. AT
| first the clouds overhead were dense and
lowering, but scarce had Redshaw got
clear of the harbor when the night show
ed signs of Frightening, and the curious
moon occasionally looked down upon the
| little craft out Of black, ragged clouds.
The CLEAN lit up Redshaw's face, reveal
| ing a look of intense greed. Once or twice
| the man glanced over his shoulder like one
who half breads pursuit; but his more
frequent look was directed to seaward
with an untiring search.
An hour-two hours went by, when
faint ray of light fell athwart the water
| a short distance ahead.
| At the same instant Redshaw sprang
to his feet and peered eagerly over the
bow. Presently the boats keel grated up
on sand-bank, bringing the skif to
gradual stop. The man found himself in
two feet of water, and with his seaman's
knowledge of the bearings there was no
reason TO doubt that that his boat had
ran upon the sand-bank for which he had
designedly steered.
1t was low tide, and the moment he had
made the skiff secure, he began to wade
through the surf toward the light which
now glimmered hard by. He soon grew
convinced that it came from ships cab
in. Suddenly he stopped.
''Wait a bitp'
He pulled a bowie knife from his pocket,
opened the dagger-shaped blade, and
clinched the handle between his teeth.
Then he stepped forward with a look
Of purpose. The light soon proved to be
one that came from a cabin window on
the port side Of an old tugboat. Redshaw
caught at bit of rope, and hauled him
self hand over hand up the boats side
until he could peer into the cabin.
A strange sight met his glance. The
light of a swing lamp fell upon a small,
wrinkled man in pilot cap.
He stood in water up to his knees, and
he laughed with a shivering sort of laugh,
and plunged his hands into the water and
ished up handfuls of sovereigns that gilt
tered the more through being wet. The
old skipper gloated over each handful as
he flung the coins with a clinking sound
N q I'd m Low
with his head.
Redshaw chung to the rope, staring like
one spell-bound at the weird figure. Then
he climbed noiSelessly on deck. and crept
round to the cabin door. He found it
open. With stealthy tread he descended
the ladder, the bowie knife now behind
his back, tightly clutched in his right
hand. a villainous look in his eyes.
But of a sudden-at the very moment
that Redshaw crouched down with intent
to make his spring-the grim old mariner
fixed his glittering eyes fearlessly upon
him.
The man paused, once more completely
aghast, deprived of all volition.
''Ah, You've come, have you-come to
claim Tiny gold?" cried the skipper as
he shivefed and laughed again. mo, no
I amt dead vet, mate. The tides been
and turned, just in the nick o time. It
were a-washing clean over the deck at
nightfall, when I sent that ere bottle
adrift. and 1 thought as how 1 was a
drowned man. But it's been running out
ever since, the tide has, undermining
out, till it's give me the chance to touch
my gold-touch 1t once more!''
He broke into a wilder fit of shivering
laughter now, and bending down, plunged
both hands into the water. At the same
instant Redshaw regained his will power
and leaped forward. But as he lifted his
knife with the thought 20 strike, master
full grip was put upon his wrist, and he
was thrown back upon the ladder, crush |
ed and stunned by the fall.
When Redshaw recovered consciousness !
he found himself lying in the bow Of the !
little skiff, still at anchor upon Saltwin /
sands. A gray, foggy dawn was breaking |
over a calm sea- He raised himself upon |
his elbow and looked around. A disman- |
tied craft was drifting before his eyes up |
on the flood tide. Her stern was turned |
directly toward him, and upon it he read, |
painted in large, white letters:
PHANTOM TUG"
as it vanished into the mist.
It was Armstrong who had saved Ben
Tarbuck from his mates treacherous
blow. The Phantom was subsequently
towed into Saltwin Harbor. But Tarbuck
never fully recovered from that night up
on the sands, and before Lottie had be-
come Stephen Armstrong; wife the skip
per died, leaving the bulk Of his wealth
to his preserver.
Redshaw never showed his face inside
Saltwin harbor again; though, had he
acted honestly, he might possibly have
shared his mates good luck: but in his
after Tarbucks gold, he
had lost all.