The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-02
THE FOUNDERED GALLEON.
By wEATHERBY UHEsNEY AID
ALIOK MUNRO.
Copyright, I'm. by the Authors.1

kNoRtEkButv 4oSss W tu0 AutuOTDl
Tine pace wnere tney a,a snis wore,
facetiously called the "engine room,"
was situated a little abaft 'midships
and lay Immediately above the keelson.
It was dark. for the supply of condensed
gases for the oxyhydrogen light was
limited. and, as Dr. Tring pointed out,
one does not need light to push and
pull at crank which cannot get ont
Of position Moreover. it was the stuff
lest place in the ship and, by universal
consent. the most Objectionable Save
Tor the lookout and steersman in the
coming tower, all hands were in this
engine room when the Eureka was un.
der weigh beneath the surface, though
even when the six Of them were work
ing their hardest her pace was desper-
ately slow.
Cain Lavsrsha. whose services above
the surface had been almost valueless,
hero fell into the knack at once and
professed himself quite contented with
his occupation. 1t was mcnotonous, and
he liked monotony, and there was no
brain effort required. The rest toiled
because they had to, and tried to keep
their spirits up by remembering the
golden end which their hopes told them
was coming to the weary labor.
1t was not the first spell which came
90 unkindly. The conditions of work
ing were such that even that was, Of
course, not pleasant. But then no one
expected it to last for long. and SO all
endured 1t cheerfully. But when it
came to be day after day and day after
day, and when the days heightened out
to weary weeks, the loathing with which
they approached the endless toll became
90 great that even stolid Cain Laversha
began to grumble, and when he lifted
up his voice in complaint the case was
bad indeed
The work, however, was not without
the occasional excitement of unexpected
peril. Once, when the Eureka was ris-
ing to the surface, but still far down in
the abyssmal depths, something jammed
in one Of the pumps. Tom Jelly and
Hans Spiedernichel, who had gone to
man the forward pump. came tumbling
aft again with horror written on their
faces and announced what had &C.
CURED. The fear Of death came upon
every one Of the listeners. Even Cain
Laversha, whom nothing up to that
point had moved into any expression
either Of pleasure or Of pain, dropped
his ham colored face into the hollows
Of his hands and groaned aloud.
"Zusan Pierce" he moaned, "Zusan
Pierce, be lost to zee, an the warm all
goes to Abel. This be tarrible end
tarrible. wear I shall ha mt ZEE, Zusan
Pierce. I bain't able to die quiet like
thikky."
Hold your din, you great fooll" said
DR.. Tring angrily on hearing the tail
end Of this lament, land go and put
some beef into the break of the pump"
Something may smash IL we put too
much force into it, )" hazarded Guthrie,
land if it does the water will come in. !"
IF It does" replied the doctor in
husky whisper, ait will be quickly over
with us. That will be better than stay
ing where we are using up our store Of
oxygen and then sitting helpless till we
choke by slow degrees. Cor
Guthrie went with the others They
and strained at the break Of
the force pump. heaving it up and down
against a pressure upon which their
combined might made no impression.
But at last something gave way. lA-sre
was rush Of water. They stopped
their efforts and listened. Then.
"Hochr' cried Spiedernichel, who was
lying with his ear clapped up against
the iron plating. "Hochl It wass &C.
gushing out Of herl"
They turned to the pumps again. Re-
lieved Of the obstruction, these worked
freely once mere, and in a very few !,
the Eureka was at the sur.
face.
What exactly had gone wrong was
never found ont for certain. but Dr.
firing conjectured that fish or some
other sea animal had got pinned in one
If the valves and so prevented its work
ng. Be that as 1t may, the danger was
l fearful one, and, when the Eureka did /
,ome to the surface, she lay there for
:wo days before DR.. Tring and the cap
ain could bring themselves to order
mother descent
And once, too. they encountered an.
'ther submarine peril that none Of them
lad counted upon. Fish there were in
,lenty in the upper stratum where the
daylight penetrated, and, as has already
'een said, they were by no means shy,
nut came swimming and shooting
round the ketch. evidently full Of Gu.
iosity to see what the strange thing
night be which had come into their
oman. But in the heavy depths be.
ow, where the soft CLEAN which filled
he upper regions gave place to coaly
lackness, no life whatever was to be