The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-21
Tbe Ships N7dpen1ure.
BY W. CLARK RUSSELL Copyright le9qby mocur.

30 he went to the hatch and asked
the two men how they felt. Then an
sWered with curses swearing they'd
nave hove the captain overheard before
he should ha' poisoned them.
He was mad, said Hardy. "T knew
1t, and wondered you didn't see 1t and
ask me to act. He has poisoned me and
stolen my sweetheart away to her de-
struction, but we'll schase the beggar
the moment we are able
They growled out something and he
looked down the scuttle sailor had
lighted the slush lamp; some man, per-
haps, who was less i'll than the others
on recovery, or who had the best sense
then about. Hardy descended and stood
under the hatch, looking round him.
would not like to say how many men
were here because I do not know what
the owner Of the ship chose to think
her complement. Hardy might have
counted eight or ten men, in hunks, ham
mocks, or seated on their sea-chests.
The faces he saw were ghastly, as though
this ocean parlor were plague-stricken.
He went from one to another to see II
all We're alive, and they all proved so.
The swing of the flame flung shadows
like contortions here, and Hardy felt sick
with the drug, whose effects were not yet
expended. Some breathed deep; the hu-
man respiration threaded the subdued
moan of water.
whats been done to us?' said man
sitting chest.
We've been drugged by lunatic
who's carried off my sweetheart" an
swered Hardy. There's to be a shift of
weather, and the ships under all plain
sail and aback, and the helm lashed.
Any Of you here able to come on deck
and swing the yards and take the wheel?'
The devil one! So Hardy climbed with
laden limbs through the square hole and
walked slowly aft, and sat down on the
skylight.
The Newfoundland came out of a
shadow and lay at his feet. fair light.
with power of painting jetty strokes that
sided upon the pale planks, flowed from
the moon. But the broken orb was hazy,
and the mates eyes saw the darkness of
wind gathering in vapor in the west Or
thereabOuts. So the breeze that had been
steady all day was to harden sooner or
later out of its quarter, and the ship
under all plain sail lay aback to it. But
Hardy felt too weak to move the wheel,
even if by so doing he could have helped
the ship; nor, though she could have
swung to fill her breasts with canvas,
which would have been impossible he'd
have let her lie as she was because, with
the yards trimmed as they stood, he
couldn't have shaped a course for the
direction which he believed the madman
had taken.
He sat and thought and waited. It was
miserable to see the dead figure of Candy
lying there, and miserable when he
turned his head to see the dead figure of
the sailor beside the wheel. What an un-
paralleled act! How deep and cunning
beyond all credibiIity, and yet as true as
the misty radiance floating in shimmering
folds upon the dark and silent heave!
His brain was every minute clearing, and
! he realized more intently as the time
| slipped by, that if yender shadow meant
heavy weather, the girl was lost, unless.
a passing ship had picked them up; but
| how would Hardy know?
In about half an hour one of the fig
ures at the fOrecastle rail came slowly
aft. He stopped and bent over the two
! forms lying abaft the galley. Hardy
| heard him speak to them, and he could
| just catch the murInur of their replies
! They had therefore come to- and no doubt
would be sitting up and moving about
! shortly.
f, The figure that had left the forecastle
rail came along, and Hardy saw it was
! the bo2tswain. The man went to the
body Of Candy, and looking round said in
hollow voice:
! ''Is he dead?''
LAY, stone dead; and so is yonder,"
replied Hardy.
What took him to do it?" asked the
| why does madman tear up his
| clothes?" replied Hardy. How are those
fellows in the waist there?"
''They's reviving," answered the boat
swain. "He must ha put plenty in.
| Dommed if ever I was treated like this
| before by the capt'n Of a ship. Tell you
what, sir, there's weather comm along,
and he cast the eye OF an experienced
| sailor up aloft at the canvas and then at
| the moon, at which he shook his head.
| Yes, her broken face had taken
| glutinous reddishiloo< as though she was
smear Of pink currant jam, and heI
| light was gone out of the sea. There was
| no more wind but It was thckening west
wards and you might look for a slap of
squall any moment, the Shrek Of the shot
| Of the storm gun sweeping betwixt shroud
| and mast, and the ship lay aback under
| all plain sail, and there was no Ionge.
| light Of moonshine on her canvas.
Just see if we can't get men enough
| to brace these yards square," said Hardy
I'VE can let go and cIeW up and Wan till
| the men are strong, enough to stow the
| canvas; but if we lie like this something
may come to whip the masts out of her.
But it was full half hour before
hands enough could be collected, and
they all seemed as though freshly awak-
ened from the cnmps debauch; their
knees shook their heads lolled. they
| operated upon by slow machinery Yet
the business in a fashion, was con-
trived. They clewed up the royals and
topgallant sails, they hauled up the
mainsail, they let go some jib and stay
sail halliards. and they brailed the miz-
zen to the mast. The least dead of the
poor fellows took the helm, and the ship
with her head to the eastward, with
much flap of canvas aloft, bowed slow
! ly over the black run of swell Her
pace was very slow because the wind
was 'i-ht and all the canvas she showed
to it were two topsails and her fore
course.
This was as Hardy desired, because
the moon was slowly vanishing like
dimming stain of bloody ooze and it
| promised a black night. If he had held
! the ship moving under all her wings
| she would have passed the boat if she
had not run her down, for it was his
| conviction, heaven inspired, and how
prophetlcaliy right he was in that we
all know and yet for some hours it
remained very quiet, though black as
| the inside of a coal sack. Again this
was as Hardy could have prayed for as
| this raven serenity promised security to
| the boat, and if it lasted till daybreak
| she might be in sight
The mate and, another man placed the
| two bodies on the quarter deck side by
| side under the bulwarks, clear of the
| gear, and hid them under a tarpaulin. 1t
! would not havesbeen proper nor decent
| to have buried them out of hand for
| though Hardy had mo doubt that thew
were dead, he yet felt that time should
! be given to prove it; and so the two
| figures lay motionless under the tarpau-
| lin.
hn CT l.