Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-05


"I've greaser down yonder who can
open the throttle, said McTodd gloom
lily, "hut he's got no notion of nursing
sick engines like these, and as like as
not he'll drive them off their bedplates
in a score of revolutions. Ye'd better
let me keep the engine room myself,
captain. Pm sick man, and I'm no fit
for fighting with my throat as dry as
it is now.
Captain Kettle poured out liberal
two fingers of whisky and handed it
across. "Now, Mac" said he, "wet
your neck and let's have no more Of
this nonsense. You'll have to fight for
your life inside of ten minutes. and
you'll II do it better sober. :"
The engineer eyed the whisky and
poured it slowly down its appointed
path. "Mon," he said. "ye've an a'ful
poor opinion Of my capacity. I'll just
be off and give yon cody greaser in
structions and get my side arms and be
with you again i'll 40 clock ticks.
II pity the niger that comes to hand
grips with McTodd," said Kettle when
the grimy man in the gray pyjamas had
left the charthouse. He's an ugly beg
gar to handle when he's sober as he is
now, Well get ready now, sir, if you
please You go to the after end of the
bridge deck with McTodd and the seq
ond mate, and I'll look after the forrard
end with the old mate and the second
engineer. When they try to rush the
ladder, McTodd will give them the
steam, and they'll never be able to face
it. All you and the second mate have
to do is to see they don't climb up over
the rail.
81 wish it could be avoided, - said
Cortolvin sadly "That high pressure
steam will scald some of them horribly. )"
1t will do more than that, ~ said
Kettle. ut will strip the meat clean
off their bones. .
II have lived among those men or
their sort for two solid years, and
many of them have shown me kind.
nesses.
"You should have thought Of that,
sir, before you came to me here in the
oharthouse. I"
II did think Of it, but couldn't be
renegade to my color, and SO l came.
But, captain, will you let me speak to
them? Will yon let me tell them that
their scheme is known and prepared
for? Will you let me explain to them
what they will have to face if they
start an outbreak"
Captain Kettle frowned. "You will
understand that am not frightened of
the beasts. he said
81 quite know that, !" said Cortolvin,
land / am sorry to spoil a fight. But
it is their lives am begging for.
VERY we'll, said Kettle, ''you can
fire away. | don't speak their bat, and
it is as well they should know from
come enc what they have to look for
ward to. Here's life preserver which
you may find useful It's the only
weapon have to offer you. My pistol
is the only gun we have in the ship. I"
The pair of them went outside the
charthouse and walked to the head of
the forward ladder. A steam pipe lay
on the deck planks. and the second en-.
gineer stood beside it with thumbs in
his waist strap. On the deck below the
pilgrims no longer squatted on their
carpets, but stood together in knots and
talking excitedly. Cortolvin clapped his
hands, and the sea Of savage faces turn
ed toward him.
There were representatives in that
mob from half the Mohammedan peo-
pies Of northern Africa. There were
lean Arab camel breeders of the desert,
jet black farmers from the great lakes
and the upper Nile, Hausas from the
western Sudan, limp fellaheen from
lower Egypt an Egba who had served
in the British police force at Lagos
merchants from the back of the Barbary
States, workers in metal from Sokoto
and weavers from Timbuktu. They
were not all holders of the title Of
hadji, for, though by the Mohammedan
law every male must make the Mecca
pilgrimage at least once in lifetime,
unless debarred by poverty or lameness,
it may be done by deputy, and these
deputies, fierce. truculent rutfians, who
had lived their lives among incessant
wars and travel, were perhaps the most
dangerous of all the lot.
They listened to their late associate
with momentary hush of surprise. He
spoke to them in fluent Arabic. He did
not appeal to their better feelings. He
knew his audience He said it was writ
ten that if they tried this thing, if they
attempted to capture the steamer, they
should surely fail, that all things were
prepared to give them battle and that a
horrible death awaited those who per-
sisted in their design, and then he tried
to point out the nature of the Saigon Is
defenses, but there he failed. 1t is i'll
work to explain the properties of high
! pressure steam to savages. A murmur
rose among them which grew. They
roared defiance, and then the great
| black mass of them rushed for the iron
| ladder.
Captain Kettle clapped whistle to
his lips and blew it shrilly. Now
then, Mr.. Cortolvin," he cried, ..away
with you aft to help McTodd. These
cattle here want something more than
talk, and I'm going to give it them. y
| In answer to his whistle steam had
been turned on from below. The second
| engineer unhitcbed his thnmhs from