Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-06-11


swan like o CHIP IN q lantarn pieturs
Carnfarth swgrc aloua, aud Captain
Kettle TT fresh cigar Those q the
mougrel crew VIC were ca deck vent
below TO pack iacir hays
"Well. SIR, said Kettle eheerfuliy.
there we are That's o Spanish gun
boat with searcLl ght, All complete. "
lilo screwed ap his eyes and gaaaa astern
medi;atively She's g5t the heels ON
us. too, by about Eve knots ! should
shy. Just look at the flames coming ont
Of her tunnels. Aren't they last giving
her ginger down in the stnkehole-
Shooting will begin directly, aud the
other hlackguards ashore have apparent
ly forgotten all abcat as. There isn't a
light anywhere.
"What are you going to dog asked
Carnforth
Follow out Mr.. Gedges instruo-
tions, sir. and put this cargo ON tho
beach Whether the old sultan goes
there, too, remains 70 be seen.
"That gun5oat will cut you of in "A
quarter Of an hour If you keep on this
course.
with that extra five knots she CAM
do as She likes with us, SO shan shift
my helm Il would only lock suspi
rious "
Good Lordi'' said Carnforth. "As
If our being here at all ism { suspicion
itselfln
BUT Kettle did not answer. He had
Go use his own expression, got his wits
working under forced draft, aud ho
could not afford time for idle speoula-
ton and chatter. Ii was the want of
the answering signal ashore that upset
him. Had thatshowod against the black
background of hills he would have
known what TO do.
Meanwhile the Spanish warship was
closing up with him hand over fist, and
u decision was necessary. Anyway tho
choice was poor one. II no surrender
ed, ho would be searched, and with that
damning cargo Of rifles pud machine
guns and ammunition under his hatch
es it was not at all improbable that his
captors might string him up out OF
hand They would have Iight ON their
side for doing so. The insurrectioDists
WCIO ilOb iGNREbAGNE GSAAiENA&btss Ah~
would stand as filibuster confessed
aud as such would be due TO suffer I'M
der that rough aud ready martial law
which cannot spare time to feed and Jail
prisoners. On tho other hand, ii he rB-
fused to heaye TO tho result would be-
equally simple. The warship would
sink him with her guns inside dozen
minutes and, reckless daredevil though
he might be, Kettle knew quito well
there was no chance Of avoiding this
With another crew he might have boon
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
tho stock hold his present set Of men
were all below packing their belongings.
into portable shape, and he knew quito
we'll that nothing would please them
better than to SEQ him discounted.
Carnforth was neutral He had only bis
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 ia q very tight
place.
Still the dark shore ahead remained
unbeaooned, and tho Spanard was rae
ing up astern, lit for battle, with her
crew at quarters and the guns run ont
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 ohewed on
the cigar butt and dark rings grew UNI
der his eyes. He could iave ragged
aloud at his impotence.
The war steamer ranged up along
side, slowed to some 60 revolutions so
as TO keep her place, and an officer on
the top of her charthouse hailed in u
Spanish:
"Gunboat ahoy. Kettle bawied
back, "You must speak English or 1
can Z be civil to you
"What ship is thats"
Sultan Of Borneo; Kettle, master;
out Of Shields.
"Where for?''
"The Havana.
Promptly thequery came back, "Then
what are you doing in here2'
Carnforth whispered q suggestion,
Fresh water run out; condenser water
given all hands dysentery, put ia here
to fill up tanks. II thank you, sir, =
said Kettle in the same undcrtone "I'm
no hand at lying myself, or ! might
have thought Of that before. And he
shouted an excuse across to the spokess
man on the charthouse roof.
To his surprise they seemed TO give
weight to it, There was a short consul
tation and the steamers slipped along
over the smooth black waters OF the bay
on parallel courses.
tHave you got dysentery bad
aboard?' came the next question.
Once more Carnforth prompted and
Kettle repeated his words look at my
decks, I" said he. ''All my crew are be-
low. I've hardly man to stand by
me.
There was more consultation among