The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-01

he felt and to state mis- 2uture Intentions
with regard to soap and water They led
him forward, where his ioorrif1ed ship
mates stripped and put him in his bunk
to driYel himself into the sleep of utter
exhaustion and idiocy. He awaked twelve
hour later, and though he still gibbled
when spoken to,often repeating the words
of the speaker-he showed no signs of
BRAIN mind or soul behind the words.
They found that he could pull rope If
put in his hands, and would Delay when
told. He could not be trusted at, the
wheel but learned to express himself on
seeing a light. and became available on
the lookout If properly watched he could
paint tar down rigging, sweep and scrub
the deck, but could do no work requiring
the intelligence of a pack mule. Yet, In
spite of the embargo on his tongue, he
could sing the songs he had known in a
soft, plaintive voice which moved these
rough men to tears; and in spite of the
terrible experience that had wrecked his
mind he displayed no more fear of Mr..
Arbuckle; he never avoided him, but
would smile into his face with the inno-
cent candor of a babe
| What Mr.. Arbuckle thought of his
handiwork found no expression in his
manner or discourse. He was still the
strict, arbitrary, profane critic of the
crew that he was before. What Capt.
Haskins thought could be surmsed by
the fact that he spoke no more to his
mate, and entered the incident in his
official log. The men were less guard
| ed; boldly announcing their intention to
throw him overheard If he went much
| farther, and warning Mr. Arbucke In
! any event to be prepared for legal pro-
| ceedings on shore-which did not in the
| least affect the officer at the time, this
| being the last gossip given him by
George on the night of his ducking.
| 1t was whe nthe anchor was dropped
off Tompkinsvile. Staten Island, that
| he broke out again, 10 wind up the
| passage with a proper assertion of his
! dignity. A slight mistake on the part
of one of them in paying out chain, and
the scowling approval of the mistake in
| the faces of the rest induced him to
lay about him with a handspike and
when he had finished three only of the
| crew-Tom, Martin and George-could
stand erect. Even the cook was disabled.
When he left his galley to join the row,
he was met not by a pistol shot-simply
| by the swinging handspike, and the hand
which held that sharp carving knife was
crushed.
Canvass had been furled while towing
up the bay, so when the pilot had been
put ashore in the dingy, the work of the
day was done. and all hands went to a
! late supper-served one-handed by the
cook When he had cleared off the dishes
from the cabin table, Mr.. Arbucle, cour-
ageous and confident from his recent VIC
tory, reminded the Captain of his pre-
expressed desire to be paid off before
docking
you want your pay, do your" asked
the indignant little Captain, heatedly
you want to quit me now 10 escape
arrest, and leave me to dock this vessel
with three men. You'll get your money
tomorrow, and you'n get it in the pres
ence of the policeman who arrests
you"
The argup,a,,+ Qua o,,oxro1 ...Li.L -
lowed need not be detailed 1t ended
in a crashing blow of the six-foot officers
fist on the temple of the five-foot Cap
tain. The little man reeled, sat down
on a stool, slid off and stretched him
self on the floor with the deliberati ton
of man preparing for sleep, while Mr..
Arbuckle, breathing loudly and deeply,
looked down on him with angry eyes.
But as he looked, the anger left his
eyes, and his breathing though still
loud and deep. changed its character
| He examined the Captains head. There
was no outward sign of injury, and he
felt for movement of the heart The
breast was warm, but as rigid as the face
with its staring eyes. He stood up
then sat down on the stool and looked at
the man he had killed.
He had barganed to receive his money
and discharge before docking If he killed
q man on the passage. Here was the
dead man, where was the money?
He procured keys from the capita in $
! pocket, lighted the lamp in his room.
searched his desk and found, not only
money enough to pay off all hands but the
account of wages due each man up to the
| end of the following day, and their dis
charges, signed by Capt. Haskins, his
own stating that as mate he was V. G..
| VERY good. He counted out the MONEY
due him, signed his name to the account
pocketed the money and discharge ard
locked the desk. AS far as the world was
concerned he was officially paid off as
mate of the Warrior. Then, lifting the
corpse to the bed in the room, he turned
down the lamp and sought the deck
1t was a dark wintry evening, with cold
| rain and a colder wind out OF the north
which froze the rain as 1t fell Deck,
rail and rigging were already coated with
ice. and overheard large cakes of 1t, frag-
ments of the Hudson river pack, were
floating seward on the swift tide. The
vessel was alone at the anchora ge, moor
| ed beyond easy haling distance from the
shore, and all lights were turned out fer
ward except the riding light in the fore
rigging. The stopped figure of Martin,
standing the first anchor watch, showed
dimly in the darkness at the forecastle
door, but the rest of the stricken men
were undoubtedly in their hunks. 1t was
| an ideal night for murder and its concomi-
| tants. but, cold as IL was Mr.. Afbuckle
perspired profusely. He climbed the poop
steps and looked over the stern, where the
dngey, Juggling at its painter, bobbed and
rocked on the black water below Long
| and silently he unused, and often mopped
his brow with his handkerchief; then his
musings found expression.
Wont do" he muttered. Doctors
would know he didn't drown. Adrift In the
dingey, may be-no oars-frozen TO death?
| But l need the boat for an abb. Frozen 10
death-how? Falls overbosrd-floats long
enough to freeze. Good-a life buoyi
Some one thorws II. Who? l must be
ashore. One O. the men-the idiot. He
could throw it, and do no more. l must
come out just in time TO hear cries for
help, climb aboard, miss the skipper, find
the life buoy gone and raise hi Idiot on
anchor watch. When is he on watch?
But / can arrange that"
He removed life buoy from the quarter
rail, entered the cabin by the after COM
panionway and drew the cork ring over
the head and shoulders Of the body, twist
ing the stll pliable arms and fingers
around 1t to hold II in place. Next he
| "a r,.iad fbp hn1V i'm and rpsfad II against