Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-07-09

upon his chest, 1t was always the same.
He was always ready instantly to spring
upon the alert. One dark night an iron
Delaying pin flew out of the blackness
of the forecastle and whizzed within an
inch of his sleeping head, but he reused
SO quickly that he was able to shoot the
thrower through the shoulder before he
could dive back again through the fore
castle door. And another time when a
powdering gale had kept him on the
bridge for 48 consecutive hours and a
deputation of the deck hands raided him
in the charthOuse on the superstition
that exhaustion would have laid him
out in dead sleep, he woke before their
fingers touched him, broke the jaw of
one with a camp stool and SO maltreat-
ed the others with the same weapon that
they were glad enough to run away
even with the exasperating knowledge
that they left their taskmaster undam-
aged behind them. So, although this
all nation crew of the Sultan of Borneo
dreaded the Spaniards much, they fear
ed Captain Kettle far more, and by the
time the steamer closed up with the is
land of Cuba they had concluded to fol-
low out their shippers orders as being
the least of the two evils which lay be-
fore them.
Carnforth's way of looking at the
matter was peculiar. He had all a
hearty mans appetite for adventure
and all prosperous mans distaste for
being wrecked. He had taken strong
personal liking for the truculent little
skipper, and, other things being equal,
would have cheerfully helped him; but
on the other hand, he could not avoid
seeing that it was to his own interests
that the crew should get their way and
keep the steamer out of dangerous wa
tiers. And SO when finally he decided to
stand by noninterferent he prided him
self good deal on his forbearapce and
said SO to Kettle in as many words.
That worthy mariner quite agreed with
him. "It's the very best thing you
could do SIR, he answered. cit would
have annoyed me terribly to have had
to shoot you out of 1Gischief's way, be-
cause you've been kind enough to say
you like my poetry and because I've
come to see, sir, you re gentleman.
They came to this arrangement on
the morning of the day they opened out
the secluded bay in the southern Cuban
shore where the contraband of war was
to be run. Kettle calculated his where
abouts with niceness, and after the mid
day observation lay the steamer to for
couple of hours and himself supervis-
I'D his engineers, while they gave good
overhaul to the machinery. Then he
gave her steam again and made his
landfall four hours after the sun set.
They saw the coast first as black
line running across the dim gray of the
night. 1t rose as they neared it and
showed a crest fringed with trees and
foot stepped in white mist, fron out of
which came the faint below of surf.
Captain Kettle, after a cast or two,
picked up his marks and steamed in
confidently, with his side lights devised
and three red lanterns in triangle at
his foremost head. He was feeling
pleasantly surprised with the easiness
of it all.
But when the steamer had got we'll
into the blight of the bay and all the
glasses on the bridge were peering at
the shore in search of answering lights
blaze of radiance suddenly flickered
on to her from astern and was as sud-
denly eclipsed, leaving them for mo-
ment blinded by its dazzle. 1t was a
long truncheon of light which spouted
from glowing center away between
the heads of the bay, and they watched
it sweep away from them over the sur
face of the water and then sweep back
again. Finally, after little more DIAL
lance. it settled ON the steamer and lit
her and the ring of water ON which she
swan like chip in lantern picture.
Carnforth swore aloud, and Captain
Kettle lit a fresh cigar. Those of the
mongrel crew who were ON deck went
below to pack their bags.
"Well, sir, said Kettle cheerfully,
there we are. That's a Spanish gun
boat, with searchlight, all complete. "
He screwed up his eyes and gazed astern
meditatively. "She's got the heels on
us, too, by about FIVE knots, / should
say. just look at the flames coming out
Of her tunnels. Aren't they just giving