The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-06-30


| s''To every man upon this earth,
| Death cometh, soon or late,
and though / know mine must come some
time, don't want to know when it is, be-
cause don't want to lose any pleasure fret
ting and waiting for it, What is to be will
be, and neither prayers nor tears will avail
to change it in the least. IF it is ordained
that | am to die tonight or tomorrow,
can't escape it, If I'd staid at home | would
have been killed by runaway horse or q
boiler explosion"
That's the talk" said O'Neil, and then
hummed:
| thrust to luck trust to luck,
| Sharc fate in the face;
Snure yer heart it must be aiZy,
| Ii it's IN the roght place.
"Dats so - laughed Karl. Lets take
it as easy as Stock does dere.'
Look ing in the direction of his glance they
saw Stock, who had established himself in a
warm comfortable spot behind one of the
great snoEestacks that rose thraneh the
deck He had found out a place where he
could boil some coffee. In one hand he had
u tin cup o. this and in the other half
loaf of bread and a large slice of savory ham,
into which he had bitten until he hal
smeared his face with the uuctuou5 lard
He was enjoying himself; earth lad no
higher pleasure for him than plenty Of bread
and meat and coffee, with nothing to do.
What does he cure" thought Bronson,
with touch Of envy, whether we are
going TO Columbus or California? whether
we have 4, 600 10. their ~, 600. or uice ueis
And, after all, his stupid Indifference is
superior to my philosophy 1t takes all my
,uiI 10 ct ind
ence, and / have to be constantly on my
guard to preserve if, while his, being natural,
is never likely to fail him"
O'Nel drew from his pocket four pieces
of strong cord, each with little stick at one
end and a loop 1T the other. lie handed one
to each of his companions and retained one
himself, saying:
''Bys tiem's turnkays (tourniquets). ]
found out the use of them on the plains,
where they have saved many JOor dIviPs
loiic. Ii one of yez should get shot through
the leg or the arm, 50 that yer i'll danger Of
blaydin' to death, you must put this around
your limb fashion. AID twist it up until
the blood stops runnin'. You must remim-
Der all the time that if the blood comes out
in spufts and jets it's an artery that's been
cut, and yOu must put the turnkey betwane
the wound and your heart; but if the blood
runs out steady and ayvenlike it's a vein, an
We want to put the turnkey on the other side
of the wound from your heart"
Walters blood chilled little as he lis
tened to this natter-ot-fact discussion of
wounds and death, but he slowed the pro-
tectiDgcord away in his pocket and took
diligent heed OF the instructions concerning
its use.
Suddenly thrilling yell, as of someone
in deadly fear OF pain, rang out from the
lower deck.
Then few hurried steps and splash in
the water, as of Il heavy body thrown in.
hundred voices shouted IN Man over
board Halt Stop the boat! Stop her!"
Everybody ran to that side. The boat
careen I'd as if she would upset The officers
drove a part of the men back to the other
side and she righted again
The loud gong bells in the engne-ro0m
rang with three sharp strokes, the great en-
gines stopped for an instant, and then reversed
their motion, and the huge wheels began
beating the other way. yawl was lowered
and rowed out in the direction Of where the
man sprang in, but the File knew the search
would be useless.
As they sprang to the side of the boat at
the first alarm they saw white, wan face,
with distended eyes, rise to the surface i'll the
middle Of "a boiling eddy The glare from
the furnace doors fell full upon the distorted
countenance. As il repenting himself OF his
rash act. the man clutched at the branches Of
an uprooted cottonwood floating by. He
caught them, but the brittle twias broke in
his hands. He sank, ard the tree floated on
over him.
The hopelessness of the search was so APP
parent that the yawl soon returned, and the
boat went ahead.
Inquiry developed that the suicide was
man OF highly-neryous organization, who had
been Frustrated bya sunstroke while working
on the Notifications ut Cairo. He was re-
covering slowly in the hospital, but when he
heard that his regiment had been ordered out
for battle, he stole away from the hospital
and marched OH board with it. AS the boat
moved ont into the river, and his comrades
became silent in contemplation of the coming
danger, thoughts of the impending battle be-
gan TO unsettle hiszweak brain. All around
him were set, expeetant faces. Many strained
their eyes for the1irst sign of the enemy's
presence. Others1 peered fxedly into the
gurgling water, as ii searching for some
| augury of their ffate. The officers moved
about in a constrained, anxious way, and
spoke only in undertones. His soul was
palsied with the dread of what was at hand
! He shut his eyes, and before them rolled n
panorama OF all the battle horrors of which
he had ever read or heard.
| 1t was maddening. lie could not endure
| it. He would not
He opened his eyes and looked upon the
hurrying waters. They invited him. Some
thing said to him that in their bosom was
peace for all this torture, and at the instant
he sprang to the rest they offered.
AS the File returned to their place sonor-
Gus snore arose from where Stock was sleep
ing the sleep of the man in whose heart is no
care.
Ten miles below Cairo the boats stopped
and made fast to the Kentucky shore. The
two gunboats anchored below them in the
middle of the stream.
Bronson came up from the lower deck and
said
Capt. Moore tells me that there will be