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

/ The barometer in the cabin was regis
tering steady fall; the sky was bank
i ing up with ugly clouds.
! Kettle had handled sheets and braces
and hove the vessel to so as to steady
her as they worked, but she still labored
heavily in the sea, and beneath them
they could hear the leaden swish of wa
ter in the floor of the hold. Their
( labor was having it's effect, and by
/ infnitesimal graduations they were
countsracting the list and getting the
ship upright, but the wind was worse en-
ing, and it seemed to them also that
| the water was getting deeper under
their feet and that the vessel rode more
sluggishly.
| So far the well had not been sounded.
| It was no use getting alarming statis-
tics to discourage oneself unnecessarily.
But after night had fallen and it was
| impossible to see to work in the gloomy
hold any longer without lamps Captain
! Kettle took the sounding rod and found
eight feet.
He mentioned this when he took
down the lamps into the hold, but he
did not think it necessary to add that
as the sounding had been taken with
| the we'll on the slant it was therefore
considerably under the truth. Still he
sent Dayton Philips and the trimmer
on deck to take spell at the pumps
| and himself resumed his shovel work
alongside the others
| Straightaway on through the night
| the six men stuck to their savage toll,
| the blood from their blistered hands
reddeniug the shafts of the shovels.
| Every now and again one OF another of
them cholsed with the dust and went
to get a draft of lukewarm water from
the scuttle butt. But no one staid over
| long ON these excursions. The breeze
| had blown up into gale. The night
| overhead was starless and moonless but
every minute the black heaven was
| split by bursts of lightning, which
| showed the laboring DISNEY lied ship
| set among great mountains of breaking
seas.
| The sight would have been bad from
a well manned powerful steamboat;
| from the deck Of the derelict it APP
preached the terrific The men with
the shovels worked among the fright
ened squeaking rats in the closed in
| box of the hold.
There We're four on board the ship
during that terrible night who openly
owned to being cowed and freely be-
walled their insanity in ever being
lured away from the M 'poso. Dayton
Philips had sufficient self control TO
keep his feelings, whatever they were,
unstated, but Kettle faced all difficult
| ties with indomitable courage and
smiling face.
81 believe, said Dayton-Philipps to
him once when they were taking
spell together at the clanking pumps.
you really glory in finding yourself in
this beastly mess.
1--WE shall pull through, tell you. y
"Well." said Day Phillips, 81
suppose you are man that's always
| met with success. I'm not. I've got
laundering bad luck all along, and if
there's hole available get into it, =
| Captain Kettle laughed aloud into
the storm. 'Mel'' he said s'Me in
luckl There's not been man more
dashed and kicked by luck between
here and 90 years back. suppose God
thought it good for me. and he's kept
me down to my bearings in bad luck
ever since l first got my captains
ticket. But he's not cruel. Mr.. Philips,
and he doesn't push man beyond the
end of his patience. Ny times come at
last. He's given me something to make
up for all the weary waiting. He's sent
me this derelict. and he only expects
me to do my human best, and then
he'll let me get her safely home.
"Good heavens, skipper. what are
you talking about Have you seen Vi
sions or something2" i
"I'm man. Mr.. Philips. that's al
ways said my prayers regular all
through my life. I've asked for things,
big things, many Of them, and I'll not
/! deny they we been mostly denied mo. I
seemed to know they'd be denied. But
in the last week or SO there's been
change. I've asked on just as earnestly
as knew how, and seemed to hear
him answer. 1t was hardly voice.
and yet it was like voice. 1t appeared
to come out Of millions of miles of dis
lance. And heard it say: Captain.
l do not forget the sparrows and I
have not forgotten you. / have tried
you long enough. Presently thou shalt
meet with thy reward. -
Dayton Philips stared. Was the man
going mad7
"And that's what it is. sir, that
makes me sure shall bring this vessel
into some port safely and pocket the
salvage"
'Look here, skipper, . said Dayton
Philips, 'you are just tagged to
death, and I'm the same We've been
working till our hands are raw as
butchers meat, and we're clean tired
out, and we must go below and get
bit of sleep If the ship swims, SO much
the better. If she sinks. we can't help
it. Anyway we're both of us too beat
to work any more. l shall be seeing
things myself next .
"Mr. Philips, !" said the little sailor
| prava1v SsT know vou 1op,t mann onu