The Republican journal., 1898-12-22

screaming of the wind which preve nted all
conversation. Silently they waite d-oue
hour-two hours-then Boston said
"This is getting serious. It's no squat.
If it WASH t so late in the season I'd call
it a hurricane. Pm going on deck"
He climbed the companion way stairs
to the poop, and shut the scuttle behind
him--for the rain was flooding the cabin
then looked around. The shore and
horizon were hidden by dense wall of
gray, which seemed not a hundred feet
distant From to windward this wall
was detaching great waves or sheets of
almost solid water, which bombarded the
ship in successive blows, to be then lost
in the gray whirl to leeward. Overhead
was the same dismal hue, marked by hur-
rying masses of darker clouds, and below
was a sea of froth, white and fiat, for no
waves could raise their heads in that wind.
Drenched to the skin. he tried the wheel
and found it free in its movements. In
! front of it was a substantial pinnacle, and
within a compass, which, though slug
gish, as from we'll worn pivot, was prac-
ticaily in good condition. blowing US
about nor west by vest he muttered, as
he looked at it straight up the coast.
It's better than the beach in this weather,
but may land us in Havana He exam
ined the boat. 1t was full of water, and
failing to windward, held by its painter.
Making sure that this was fast, he went
down.
| "Doc,'' he said as he squeezed the
water from his limp cork helmet and flat
tened it on the table, ''have you any OBJ
iections to being rescued by some craft
going into Havana"
Il have-decided objections"
$50 have |; but this wind is blowing us
there sideways Now, such a blow as
this, at this time of year, will last three
days at least, and L We an idea thai it II
haul gradually to TIE south, and west
towards the end of it. Wherein we be
then? Either piled up on one of the
Bahama keys OF interviewed by the Span
iards. Now I've been thinking of
scheme on deck. We can't get back to
camp for IA while-that's settled. This
iron HUH is worth something, and if we
can take it into an American port we can
claim salvage. Key West is the nearest,
but Fernandna is the surest. We We got
stump of foremost and lUdder and
compass. If we can get some kind of
sail up forward and bring her fore the
wind, we can steer any course within
thirty degrees of the wind line
But can't steer And how long will
this voyage take? What will we eat?'
YES, you can steer-good enough.
And of course, it depends on food, and
water, too. We'd better catch some of
this that S going to waste
In what had been the stewards store
room they found harness cask with
bones and d dry dust in the bottom. ut S
salt meat, | suppose, said the doctor,
reduced to its elements With the
handles of their pistols they carefully
hammered down the rusty hoops over the
shrunken slaves, which were well preserv-
ed by the brine they had once held, and
taking the cask on deck cleaned it
thoroughly under the scuppers-or drain
holes-of the poop, and let it stand under
the stream of water to swell and sweeten
itself.
"If we find more casks We'll catch some
more, said Boston; "but that will last
us two weeks. Now We'll hunt for her
stores. I've eaten salt horse twenty
years old, but l can't vouch for what we
may find here" They examined all the
rooms adjacent to the cabin, but found
nothing.
"Where's the lazarette in this kind of a
ship?" asked Boston. ''The cabin runs
right aft to the stern. 1t must be below
Us. He found that the carpet was not
tackled to the floor, and raising the after
end, discovered a hatch, or trap door,
which he lifted Below, when their eyes
were accustomed to the darkness, they
saw boxes and barrels-all covered with
the same fine dust which filled the cabin.
Don't go down there, yet, Boston, -
said the doctor. cit may be full of car
bonic acid gas She's been afre you
know. Wait" He tore a strip from
some bedding in one of the rooms and
lighting one end by means of a flint and
steel which he carried, lowered the smoul-
dering rag until it rested on the pile be-
low. 1t did not go out.
''Safe enough, Boston," he remarked.
. ''But you 20 down; you re younger.
Boston smiled and sprang down on the
; pile, from which he passed up box.
'Looks like timed stuff Doc. Open it,
and I'll look over here
The doctor smashed the box with his
foot, and found, as the other had thought,
that it contained cylindrical cans; but the
labels were faded with age. Opening one
with his jack-knife, he tasted the con-
tents. 1t was mixture of meat and 9
!, fluid, called by sailors ''soup- and bully -
and as fresh and sweet as though canned
the day before.
"We're all right, Boston, he called
down the hatch ''Here as good dist
as I've tasted for months. Ready cooked,
too.''
} Boston soon appeared. "There are
; some beef or pork barrels over in the
wing" he said, land plenty of this
canned stnff. don't know what good the
salt meat is. The barrels seems tight
but we won't need to breach one for 8
while. There's bag of coffee-gone tt
: dust, and some hard bread that isn't fit tt
, eat; but this'n do.'' He picked up thu
open can.
''Boston,' said the doctor, 'if thes.
barrels contain meat, well find it cooked
: boiled in its own brine, like this.'
= h.