Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-03-06
THE DERELICT
By ouToLIFrE HYHE.


By 0UT0LIFFE HYHE.
Copyright, 1899. BY cuteliae Hyns.l
i .[coSrISuxp.1
There were 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 q
smiling face
| al believe" said Dayton-P Philips 10
him once when they were taking a
spell together at the clanking pumps,
"you really glory in finding yourself in
this beastly mess
I'VE shall pull through. i tell you. y
| well" said Dayton-P Philips. 81
suppose You are a man that's always
met with success. I'm not I've got
laundering bad luck all along. and II
there's hole available get into It
| Captain Kettle laughed aloud into
the storm. "Mei" he said ''Me in
luckl There's not been man more
dashed and kicked by luck between
here and go years back. l suppose God
thought II good for me. and he's kept
me down to my bearings in bad luck
ever since / first got my captains
ticket. But he's not cruel Mr. Philips.
and be doesn' push a 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 somethingf"
"Im a 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've been mostly denied me j
seemed to know they'd be denied. But
in the last week or 10 there's been a
change. I've asked on Just as earnestly
as | knew how, and ! seemed 70 hear
him answer 1t was hardly voice,
and vet il was like voice. 1t appeared
TO come out of millions Of miles OF dis
tance. And heard IL say: Captain.
do not forget the sparrows. and l
have not forgotten you j have tried
You long enough Presently thou shalt
meet with thy reward
Dayton Philips stared Was the man
going madf
And that's what ii 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 a.
butchers meat, and we're clean tired
out. and we must go below and get
bit Of sleep. II the ship swims. so much
the better. II she sinks. We can't help
it. Anyway we're both Of us too beat
to work any more. / shall be seeing
things myself next
"Mr. Philips. said the little sailor
gravely, 81 know you don't mean any
thing wrong, 80 take no offense. But
I'm a man convinced I've heard the
message ! told you with my own I'M
derstanding. and it isn't likely any
thing you can say will persuade me ont
II it / can see you are tired ont, as
you say. 80 go you below and get q
spell Of sleep But as for me, I've got
another 90 hours wakefulness in me
yet. if needs be. This chance has merci-
fully been sent in my way. as I've said.
but naturally it's expected Of me that
l do my human utmost as well to see
IL through"
"It you stay on at this heart break
ing work. 30 do l. said Dayton Philips,
and be toiled gamely on at the pump.
There he was still when day broke.
saving up and down like an automaton-
But before the sun rose utter weariness
had done its work His bleeding fingers
loosed themselves from the break. his
knees failed beneath him. and he fell
In an unconscious stupor Of sleep on to
the wet planking Of the deck. For half
an hour more Kettle struggled on at
the pump. doing double work. but even
his flesh and blood had its breaking
strain. and at last he could work no
more.
He leaned dizzily up against the
pump for a minute or 30. and then
with an effort he pulled his still IN
conscious companion away and laid him
on the dry floor Of deckhouse There
was a pannikin Of cold stewed tea slung
from a hook in there and half a sea
biscuit ON one Of the bunks He ate and
drank greedily and then went ont again
along the streaming decks to work. 30
far as his single pair Of hands could ac-
complish such a thing. at getting the
huge derelict once more in sailing trim
The shovels meanwhile had been do
ing their work. and although the list
was not entirely gone the vessel at
times, when a sea buttressed her up.
ioated almost upright The gale was
still blowing. but it had veered to the
southwark. and on the afternoon Of
that day Kettle called all his hands on
deck and got her under way again and
found to his joy that the coal trimmer
had some elementary notion OF taking
q wheel.
81 rate you as mate" he said in his
gratitude, land you'll draw salvage
pay according to your rank. was go
ing to make Mr.. Philips my officer.
but
Don apologize, said Dayton-Phil-
ipps. 81 don't know the name of one
string from another. and I'm quite con-
scious of my deficiency. But just watch
me put in another spell at those internal
pumps"
The list was Of less account now, and
the vessel was once more under COM
mand of her canvas It was the leak
which gave them most cause for anxi-
ETY.. Likely enough it was caused by
the mere wrenching away of couple
of rivets But the steady inpour of wa
ter through the holes would soon have
made the ship grow unmanageable and
founder If it was not constantly attend
ed to. Where the leak was they had not
a notion. Probably it was deep down
under the cargo Of grain and quite un-
| gatahla hut ANYWAY IL demanded q