The morning news., 1899-04-30

| drunken ruffian commit some overt act
| against HamlltOn's life, without doing him
! actual damage, seemed an impossi5ility.
Had Crane been any other passenger.
| he would have STOPPED his drunken riot
| ings BY taking away the drink But
| Crane sober might be dangerous. whilst
! Crauze Upsy was merely a figure of rid
| icule.
| Al some twenty ports the Flamingo
came TO an anchor six miles off shore
| and hooted with her syren till lighters
came off through the surf and the shall
lows with cargo.
There was a small ferrying business
| doing also between neighbOring ports in
unelean native passengers, who harbored
| on the foredeck and complained of want
OF Difference from the crew. Crane pass
cd insults 90 casual strangers who came
on board, and did not know bis little ways
and the casual strangers tried to knife
MIN, but We're always knocked over in
me mex OF time by some member Of the
tlamingo's crew. Kettle tried hard to
interest Hamilton in the mysteries Of hold
stoWage IN order to keep him under his
immediate eye. But Hamilton bluntIy
confessed to loathng anything that was
at an useful. and so he, perforce. had to
De ieit 70 pick his own position under the
awnings.
It was off one of the ports of Yueatan
toward the Bay of CamDeacbv tbot
Cranze chose 70 fan overheard. The name
oil the place was announced by some one
Wheh they brought up and CranZe asked
Waere Il was, Kettle marked 1t off with
leg OF the dlviders on the chart "Yu-
ealan.' said Crane. that's the ruined
cities shop isn't IT? Gum, there's a ruined
city all hot and waiting. Skipper, 1 shall
90 ashore and enlarge my mind"
You can so if YOU like" said Kettle.
/
as soon as ever I get the cargo out.
wait for no man. And mind not to get
upset IN the surf The water round here
swarms with sharks, and l shouldn't like
any Of them to get indigestion"
If you go ashore" said Hamilton.
you'll be marooned as safe as houses.
The place reeks of fever, and as your
present state of health is distinctly rocky,
you'll catch it. Look here, don't be an
ass"
Hamilton looked at Capt. Kettle under
his brows. win you advise me-" he said.
what I ought to do?'
Il should say it would be healthier for
you to let him have his own way"
Thanks, said Hamilton, and turned
away. I'm act on that advice"
Now, the few next movements of Mr..
Cranze are wrapped In a certain degree
of mystery. He worried very busy third
for his pains he was elected forcibly from
the engineers mess room, where it was
supposed he had designs on the whisky;
and he was rescued by the carpenter from
an irate half-breed Mosquito Indian. who
seemed to have reasons for desiring his
blood there and then on the spot. But
as to how he got over the side and into
the water, there is no evidence TO show
There were theories that he had been put
apf Of afrse
was an idea that he was trying to get into
a lighter but saw two lighters, and got
into the one which didn't exist But he
was there in the water. There was an
ugly sea running, and he couldn't swim
couple of lifebuoys, one after the
other nit him accurately on the head,
aud the lighter cast off and backed down
to try and pick him up. Meanwhile there
was great industry amongst the black tri-
angular dorsal fins that advertised the
movements of the sharks which owned
them underneath the surface. All hands
crowded to the rail, and shivered and felt
sick at the thought of seeing him gobbled
up
Then out of the middle of these specta-
tors jumped Hamilton, aud lit on a nice
sleek wave crest feet first in and explosion
of spray. Away scurried the convergiAg
sharks fins, and down shot Hamilton out
of sight.
What followed came Quickly. Kettle,
with a tremendous flying leap. landed
somehow on the deck of ie lighter with
bones unbroken. He cast a bowline on 10
the end of the main sheet, and. watching
his chance, hove the blight cleverly into
Hamiltons grasp. As Hamilton had come
up with Cranze frenziedly cluthching him
round the neck, Kettle was able to draw
his catch toward the lighters side with
out further delay.
heavy fusillade of Jumps of coal from
the crew kept the sharks at distance, at
any rate for the moment. Kettle heaved
in smartly, and eager hands gripped the
pair as thy swirled up alongside and
there they were on the lighters deck.
splitting, dripping and gasping. But here
came an unexpected developmnt As soon
as he had got back his wind, Hamilton
turned on his fellow passenger like a very
fury, hitting, kicking, swearing, and al
most gnashing with his teeth Aud
Cranze, stricken 10 a sudden soberness
by his ducking. collected himself, after the
first surprise, and returned the blows With
a murderouS interest.
But one of the mates who had followed
his captain down on to the lighter, took a
quick method of stopping the scufie He
picked up a cargo sling, slipped it round
CranZes waist, hooked on the winch chain
and passed the word to the deck above
Somebody alive to the jest turned on
steam, and of a sudden Cranze was pluck
ed aloft, and hung there under the derrick
sheave struggling impotenuy, like some in
sane jumping-jack.
Amid the yell of laughter which fol-
lowed. Hamilton laughed also, but rather
hysteically. Kettle put a hand kindly
on his wet shoulder. Come on board"
he said. IF you lie down in your room
for an hour or so, you'll be all right again
then You're bit overdone. l shouldn't
ike you to make a fool of yourself
Make a fool of myself?" was the bit
ter reply. I've made a bigger fool of
myself in the last three minutes than any
other man could manage I'm a lifetime"
I'm get YOU the Royal Humane Socie-
tvs medal for that bit OF a Job ANYWAY
Give me a nice rope to hang myself
with" said Hamilton ungraclously, that
would be more TO the point. Here. for the
Lords sake, let me b., or / shall go mad"
He brushed aside all help. clambered up
the steamers high black side again. and
went down to his room.
That's the worst of these poetic na-
lures" Kettle unused, as he too got out