The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-15

OF unknown dangers lay ahead Of hlm.
But the dangers he disregardcd; dangers
were nothing new 60 him Il was the
chance which lured him on. Chances 50
seldom came in his way. that he intended
10 make this one into a certainty il the
efforts of desperation could do it.
Alone Of an the six men on the derelict.
Capt. Kettle had knowledge of the sea-
mans craft; but for the present thews
and not seamauship We're required. The
vessel lay in pathetic help,essness on her
side, liable 70 capsize IN the first squat
which came along, and their first effort
must be 70 get her in proper trim while
the calm continued They pulled away the
hatch covers and saw beneath them
smooth slopes of yellow grain
As tho~lgh they We're an invitation 20
work, shovels were made fast along the
combings of the hatch. The six men took
these, and with shouts dropped down
upon the grain. And then began a period
Of Homeric toll. The fireman and the
coal trimmer set the pace, and with fine
contempt for the unhandiness Of ANA
tours. did not fan 90 give display of their
utmost. Kettle and Dayton-Philips game
~ kept level with them The Italian gau-
ger turned out to have his pride also
ana did not lag. and only the freedom
British subject from Sierra Leone endeav-
Ored TO shirk his due proportion of the
rights of man were regarded here as lit
tie as threats 10 lay Information before a
justice of the peace, and under the sledge
hammer arguments of shovel blows from
whoever happened to be next TO him, the
unfortunate colored gentlemen descended
to the grade OF Niger again, and toiled
and sweated equally with his betters.
The heat under the decks was sitting
and dust rose from the wheat In choking
10 Of he CirO1inqr chnV-
els was never allowed to slacl1en. They
worked there stripped to trousers, and
they understood one and all that they were
working for their lives. A breeze had
sprung up almost as soon as the Mposo
had steamed away and hourly it was
freshenins; the barometer in the cabin
was registering steady fall, the sky was
banking up with ugly clouds
Kettle had handled sheets and braces
and hove the vessel to so as to steady
her as they worked, but she still labored
heavily in the sea. and beneath them they
could hear the leaden swish of water In
the floor Of the hold beneath. Their labor
was having it's effect, and by infinitesimal
Graduations they were counteractng the
list and getting the ship upright, but the
wind was worsening, and it seemed 10
them also that the water was getting deep
er under their feet and that the vessel
rode more sluggishly.
So far the well had not been sounded
| 1t was no use getting alarming statistics
to discourage oneself unnecessarily. But
| after night had fallen, and it was impos-
| sible TO see to work in the gloomy hold
| any longer without lamps, Capt. Kettle
| took the sounding rod and found eight
| feet.
He mentioned this when he took down
| the lamps into the hold but he did not
| think it necessary to add that as the
sounding had been taken with the well on
| the slant, 1t was therefore considerably
| under the truth. Still he sent Dayton
| Philips and the trimmer on deck to take
a spell at the pumps, and himself resum-
ed his shovel work alongside the others.
Straightaway on through the night the
| six men stuck to their savage toll, the
| blood from their blistered hands REDEEM
| ing the shafts of the shovels. Every now
| and again one or another of them choked
| with the dust and went to get draft of
| lukewarm water from the scuttlebutt. But
| no one stayed overlong on these excur-
sions The breeze had blown up into a
| gale The night overhead was starless
| and moonless, but every minute the black
heaevn was split by bursts of lightning,
which showed the laboring, disheveled snip
set amongst great mountains of breaking
seas.
The sight would have been bad from a
well-manned powerful steamboat; from
| the deck of the derelict it approached the
| terrific. The men with the shOvels work.
| ed amongst the frightened, squeaking rats
! in the closed-in box of the hold.
| There were four on board the ship dur
| ing that terrible night who openly owned
| 10 being cowed and freely bewaied their
1 insanity in ever being lured away from
| the MPoso. Dayton-P Philips had suf1-
Gent self-control to keep his feelings,
| whatever they were, unstated; but Kettle
faced all difficulties with indomitable
| courage and a smiling face.
Il believe" said Dayton-Philips to him
once when they were taking a spell to-
| gether at the clanking pumps, you really
glory in finding yourself in this beastly
| mess. e"
I'VE shall pull through. 1 tell YOU
"Wen." said Dayton-Philips 81 sup
nose YOU are a man that's always met
with success I'm not. I've got blunder-
ing bad luck all along; and if there's a
hoe available l get into it,"
Capt. Kettle laughed aloud into the
| storm. Met he said. "Me in luck!
| There's not been man more dashed and
kicked by luck between here and twenty
wears back l suppose God thought it good
for me and he's kept me down to my
| bearings in bad luck ever since l first
got my captains ticket. But he's not
| cruel Mr.. Philips, and he doesn't push
a man beyond the end of bis patiese~ Ny
times come at last He's given me some
thing to make up for all the weary wait
ing: he's sent me this derelict; and he
only expects me to do my human best,
ana then he'll let me get her safely home"
Good heavens, skipper, what are you
talking about? Have you seen visions,
or something
''Pm a man, Mr.. Philips, that's always
said my prayers regular all through my
life I've asked for things, big things.
many of them. and I'll not deny they've
been mostly denied me. 1 seemed to know
they'd be denied. But in the last week
or SO there's been a change I've asked on,
lust as earnestly as l knew how, and
seemed TO hear him answer. 1t was hardly
a voice, and yet is was like a voice. 1t APP
peared to come out of millions of miles
of distance. And heard il say: Captain,
/ do not forget the sparrows, and l have
not forgotten you. ! have tried you long
enough. Presently thou shalt meet with
thy reward.
Dayton-PhHps stared. Was the man
| going mad?