Evening star., 1898-07-30

| Whatever, Dut ne mad a most thorough
| objection to being in any way Mr. Gedse's
| catspaw.
Twice they had near escapes from be-
ing run down. The rrst time was from
sodden. blundering Cardiff ore steamer
| which was drifting north through the thick
of it, with very little of herself showing eX-
| cept two stumpy masts and brne-H ashed
| smokestack. She would have obviously
| drowned out any lookout on her foredeck.
| ard the bridge officers got too much spin
| drift in their eyes to see with any clear
| ness. But time is money, and even Cardiff
| ore steamers must make passages and so
her master drove her hliEdiy ahead full
| steam, slap-slop-wallow, and trusted that
! other people would get out of his way.
| Kettles keen eyes picked her up out
| of the sea mists just in time. and ported
his own helm. and missed her sheering
| bow with the Sultan of Labuan's quarter
| by short two fathoms. a touch that
I insane turmoil of would have sent
| both steamers down to the shells and the
| touch, and so each went her way with
| merely a perfunetory interchange of
| curses which were blown into nothingness
by the gale. Escapes on these occasions
| don't count, and it is etiquette not TO
| speak about them ashore afterward.
The second shave came from big,
white-painted cape liner. which came up
| from astern, lit like thcater and almost
| defying the very gale itself. Her lookouts
| and officers were on the watch for lights.
| But the unlit collier, which was half her
| time masked by the seas, ike balf-tlde
rock, never struck their Eatice.
Kettle, with all a shipmaster's sturdy
dislike for shifting his helm when ne le-
| gally had the right of the road, held on
till the great knife-like bow was not d
score of yards from his taffrail- But then
he gave way, roared out an order TO the
quartermaster at the wheel, and the Sui
tan of Labuan fell away to port. AS If
the coal boat had been d magnet, the cape
liner followed, drawing nearer hand over
| fist.
| Changing direction further was as dan
gerous as keeping on as he was, so Kettle
bawled to the quartermaster to steady on
that, and then the great white steam hotel
suddenly seemed to wake to her danger
and swerved off on her old course again.
So close were they that Kettle fancied he
could hear the quick, agitated rattle of
her wheel engines as they gave her a
hard down" helm. And he certainly saw
officers on her high upper bridge end peer
ing at him through the drifting smoke
with curiosity that was more than pleas
ant.
Trying to pick out the old tubs name"
| carrying no lights. By James. / wish some
of those dandy passenger-boat officers could
try this low-down end of the tramping
trade for Bit
Night went and day came, gray and wet
and deSolate. The heavier squalls had
passed away, but whole gale still remain
ed, and the sea was, If anything, heavier
The coal boat rarely showed all of herself
at once above the water. Her progress was
succession of dives, her decoration (when
she was visible) a fringe of spouting Soup
pers. Watch had succeeded watch with
the dogged patience of sailormen, but watch
after watch Kettle hung on behind the
canvas dodgers at the weather end of the
bridge He was red-eyed and white-cheek-
ed his torpedo beard was foul with sea
salt. He was unpleasant to look upon, but
ne was undenably very much awake, and
when the accident came (Which he con-
cluded was Mr.. Gedges effort TO raise the
coal boats insurance) he was quite ready
to cope with emergencies.
From somewhere in the bowels of the
ship there came the muffied boom of an
explosion. The bridge sprang up beneath
his feet so that he was very nearly wrench
ed from his hold, and the iron main deck
which at that moment happened to be free
of water, rippled and heaved as a tin bis
cult box moves when it is kicked. There
was a tnkle of broken glass some
deck
He looked forward and he looked aft.
ana TO mis- surprise saw that both matches
were still in place, and that very little ac-
tual damage was visible and then he had
his attention occupied by another matter
From the stoke hold. from the forecastIe
ana from the engine room the frightened
crew poured out into the open, and some
scared wretch cried out to lower away zem
boats"
Here was a situation that needed dealing
with at once, and Kettle was the man to do
1t. From beneath his oiskins he lugged our
the revolver, which they knew so painfully
already, and showed it with ostentatfon
BY James, he shouted. do you want to
be taught who's captain here? I'll give
cheap lessons If you ask
His words reacher them above the boot
ing and brawl of the gale and they were
cowed into sullen obedience.
Carpenter. take a couple of men and
sway below with you and see what's broke
You blessed split-trousered mechanics
away down to your engine room or I'll come
Thl
MS watch get tarpaulins over those broken
skylights. Where's Mr. Murgatroyd? In
MS bunk, l suppose, usual; not his
watch; no affair of his if the ships blown
to heaven when he's off duty Here. Won
steward, go and root out Mr.. Murgatroyd"
Ihe men hustled about their errands and
the engines, which had stopped for a min
ute, began to rumble again. Capt Ket-
tie paraded the swaying bridge and await
ed developments.
Presently a bare-headed steward fought
nus way up the bridge ladder against the
tearing wind and bawled out some startling
news: Its Mr.. Murgatroyd's room that's
been blown up, sir: made a 'orrid mess of:
Chips says he picked up is lighted pipe in
the alleyway, sir, an it must "a been that
that fired the gas
The blamed old ttickhead," said Kettle
savagely.
"'E was arskin for you, sir" said the
mate, though we couldn't rightly make out
what e said
He won't be pleased to see me- Smok-
irg, by James, was he?"
The mates burnt up like a piece OF
coke said the steward persuasively a'G
cawn't last long. It's a marvel 'ow 'e's
alive at all. sir!"
The carpenter came up on the bridge.
Dose blow-up was not so bad for der ole
ship. sir She nod got any plates started
dot I can see. Dey have der bilge pumps
running, but dere's nod much water Und
der mate, sir. He say he would like to see
you. He's in YER bad way"
"All right" said Kettle, "I'll go and see
him. He called up the Italian second mate
onto the bridge and gave over charge of
the ship to him. and then went below. The
gas explosion had made havoc of all wood
work and fittings, but apparently the iron
sheathing of the ship was still undamaged
The scare of the crew was quieting down.
and with the sailors instinct of tidiness
they were commencing to make fast the
larger fragments Of wreckage which were
rafting about amongst the slop of water
and coal, and broken crockery, to the dane
ings of the ship.
The author of all the mischief, the stupid
CLEAR THE WAY.