The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-20


IN induced to forcgo their sulhiness.
board by sheer weight of blows and
prestige, and the victors leaned on the
bulwark, putting and gasping, and
watched them swim away to their boat
through the clear water below
Set of blooming pirates said Ket-
tie.
But DaytonPhilipps seemed to view
the situation from different point.
"I'm rather thinking we are the pi-
rates. How about those three we've got
on board? This sort of press gang work
isn't quite approved of nowadays. is it,
skipper9''
"They no speakee English?" said
Kettle dryly. ssYou might have heard
me ask that, sir, before started to talk
to that skipper to make him begin the
show. And he did begin it, and that s
the great point. II ever you We been in
a police court, you'll always find the
magistrate ask, Who began this trou-
ble? And when he finds out, that's the
man he logs. No, those fishermen won't
kick up bobhery when they get back
to happy Portugal again, and as for
our own crowd here on board, they
aren't likely to talk when they get
ashore and have money due to them"
We'll | suppose there's reason in
that, though l should have my doubts
about the stone mason. He comes from
Sierra Leone, remember. and they re
great on the rights of man there.
"Quite so" said Kettle. ''I'll see
the stone mason gets packed off to sea
again in stolsehold before he has a
chance of stirring up the mud ashore.
When the black man gets too pampered,
he has to be brought low again with a
rush.
81 see," said Dayton. Philips, and
then he laughed.
:sSThere's something that tickles you,
sir?"
II was thinking, skipper, that for a
man who believes he's being put in the
way of a soft thing by direct guidance
from on high you re using up ire
mendous lot of energy to make sure the
Almighty's wishes don't miscarry.
"NIr. Philips" said Kettle gravely,
lit was understood when he let me
know l was to have this chance l was
to do my human utmost to carry it
through myself. God sends us all into
this world with hands and heads, and
he isn't pleased with a man who doesn Il
put these to their proper uses. -
| The three captive Portuguese were
brought up on deck and were quickly
induced by the ordinary persuasive
methods of the merchant service officer
to forego their sulkiness and turn to
diligently at what work was required
of them. But even with this help the
heavy ship was still considerably under
manned, and the incessant labor at the
pumps fell YEARLY on all hands. The
day, true to it's tickle nature, changed
on them again. The sunshine was
swamped by driving gray mist of
rain, the glass started on a steady fall,
and before dark Kettle snugged her
down to single topsails, himself laying
out on the footropes with the Portu-
guese, as no others of his crew could
manage to scramble aloft with so heavy
a sea running.
The night worsened as it went on.
The wind piled up steadily in violence,
and the sea rose till the sodden vessel
rode it with a very babel of shrieks and
groans and complaining sounds. To-
ward morning terrific squat pow
dered up against them and hove her
down, and a dull rumbling was heard
in her bowels. to let them know that
once more her cargo had shifted.
For the moment even Kettle thought
that this time she was gone for good.
She lost her way and lay down like a
log in the water, and the racing seas
roared over her as though she had been
half tide rock.
Then to the impact of heavier gasp
of the squall the topgallant masts went.
and the small loss of top weight seemed
momentalily to ease her. Kettle seized
upon the moment. He left the trimmer
and one of the Portuguese at the wheel
and handed himself along the streaming
decks and kicked and catl tint sst Of