Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-17

every face we could reach with savage
fury, but none turned to hit again. They
scrabbled at the boats gunwales with their
hands, and those behind tor he leaders
back. l could have beat in th-ir faces in
my hate; butt cnuld not bring myself to
bullet.
The boat was Hftcd from Is bed and
swung cupboard. The steamer mad ceased
10 ron, and III" seas We're coming green on
her bridee-de' k rail The hoa was Hoa led
almost before thc fails wcrr i,t 20. and a
wave came up and sWaycI her clear. The
crowd shTieked and drew back up The slant
ing decks
l leaned up against "a davit. my breath re-
turning 20 me in lub,rrd pants But tha
swedish mat" left me. and ir ever murder
showed in a mans cNs ! saw 6; cleaning
from his then; ana shricks coming through
The darkness tnli What his fury WAS doing.
lie. at any rate. | told myself. would die
warm.
But the lust Cor manning hi '.rt mo
The last Of tn" boats had cau, and th,,
women and children who wcr. left had got
10 die with us men. aud With th who
were infinitely less than niy1. Tho ~tckrts
wcr" sim spouliug up m unv..t-iaI series
from the upper bridge. and ono I saw tho
puF-cr pass me-, laun'y as of l.,rC, with 4
Iii cigar i'm his fingers ana an assur-
ahcc between has teeth that all would 10
Won. But ] hroded him little The chill OF
death was nipping me with is -lSFJrs. and
IN, hopeless minutes were drag: ing ont in
Their" were women left, and l had got 10
stay.
Then of a sudden there burst on: a roar,
and a clang Of iron. and II gush II Scalding
steam; a~i The decks ripped and splintercd,
and the steam rushed down in gray. peeling
clouds. No, not that death. l Naulted the
rail. and sank.
The instinct of the swimmer is curious,
l had gone over the side quite satisfied that
escape was hopeless. and Intending TO
drown with one long plunge. But no sooner
III IL low
the old instinct made me strike put Tor the
surface. But could not reach e.. | SWAN
on for what seemed to be minutes. hours,
years, thousands of years, my arms aching
the veins Ike 10 burst through my skin.
And then il came upon me that the steamer
had SINK and / was being dragged I'm her
swirl down, down. down TO IN" dark sea
floor: down, down, where it was too cold
down. down.
/ opened my eyes and blinllnG- blinked
again, and saw dimly the rough s"a living
room Of fishers. 1t was wans""t"d with
hunks round To the rudder-case, and on the
forward bulkhead was n fireplace. resplen-
dent with br3ss ] imagined was In one
of the hunks. but was not very certain
about it, and coughed inquiringly. Some
body came to my side. I pond"rcd - while,
and then remarked, II seem, somehow, to
know that coat"
IT'S yours" said the some one DON'T
you remember? I'm Mable NanrcuHan."
This was more satisfactory. / woke
further and inquired, where's The other
MTS.-er-I forCet?'
'Codrington," said voice from one Of
tho hunks. Here"
l was getting on. I'm afraid you must
have lost all your clothes" was the next
thing that occurred to me.
Yes, said the voice, and such lovely
diamonds"
Then came a torrent of sohblng. and be-
tween sobs: oh. how could ] bo horrid
as TO think Of such thing now. There are
only sixty picked up, they say. And all
those other poor people drowned. Isn't it
awful to think about
Very probably" l said. "But we've
saved our own skins and I don't think
We've anything to be ashamed Of. II wasn't
my fault that some one gathered me up,
though.
Then man came I'm and stared at me
thoushtfully-a fisherman iii clumsy sea
boots and brown patched oilskin.
"Closish squeak you've had, mister"
said he. slowly. We've just passed that
about seven foot OF her bow gone ana look
ed pretty sick. | tell you. We hailed her,
To know If sh" wanted anything hut she
SAID, No. Got her steering gear fixed UP
again and was going to put in Portsmouth.
shes Welsh collier bound there. Rum 60
TINS has been. Where was your steamer
Haven't a notion"
We'll what We're her water-tight bulk
heads dCing?''
Very sorry. but l can't tell you."
II m, said the man. Then what co
You know about it?'
Nothing" said l. Except that I'm here
at present. and that Just now I imagined
j was drowned"
Well said the man, you won't do
much toward dirtying any poor beast of a
SAILOR ticket at the inquiry. that's one
blessing. I'll send you in a can of tea and
then you'd better sleep. Were standing in
Tor PenzaRce, to bring the news because
there ought TO be a reward kicking about
ana by the time you wake We should he
there. So long