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


to, through no fault of HE own. You're
young, and you re full to the coamings
with confidence I'm older, and know
that luck may very well get up and hit
me, and I'll be wanting helping hand
myself. It's a rotten, Indispensable
trade, this sailoring. You might just
call the carpenter and get the cover of
that smaller lifeboat.
"You think he'll get crew, then,
sir, and not our deckhands3''
"Him? He'll get some things with
legs and arms to them if he has to whit
tie 'em out of kindling wood. It's not
that that'll stop Cappie Kettle now, me
lad"
Presently Kettle came back.
! "Well, captain, he said, 81 got a
fine crew to volunteer. if you can see
your way to let me have them. There s
fireman and trimmer, both English.
There's third class passenger, dago
of some sort, think he is, that was a
gauger on the Kongo railway; a negro
stonemason, and there's Mr.. Dayton
Philips. That'l make good, strong
ships company
Dayton hilippsl" said Image.
"Why, he's an officer in the English
army, and he's been some sort of resi-
dent or political thing up in one of
those niger towns at the back there.
What's he want to go for"
''Said he'd come for the fun Of the
thing"
Captain Image gave grim laugh.
"Well, think he'll find all the fun
he's any use for before he's ashore
again. Now, Mr.. Strale, hurry with
that boat. You're to take charge and
bring her back, and, mind, you re not
to leave the captain here and his gang
aboard if the vessels too badly wrecked
to be safe. -
The word was sshurry. The third
mate Tended off the boat while Kettles
crew of nondescripts scrambled I'M
handily down to take their places. The
negro stone mason who had been a
stowaway refused stubbornly to leave
the steamer and so was lowered igno-
miniously in a bowline, and then, as
he still objected loudly that he came
from Sa' Leone and was free British
subject, some one crammed bucket
over his head, amid the uproarious
laughter of the onlookers.
Ahead of them the quiet ship shout
dered clumsily over the rollers, now
gushing down till she dipped her mar
tingale, now swooping up again, send
| ing whole cataracts of water swirling
along her waist.
The boat was run up cannily along
side and Kettle jumped into the main
chains and clambered on board over the
bulwarks. CHOW, pass up my crew.
Mr.. Strake, said he.
"Im coming myself next, if you
don't mind" said the third mate.
''Must obey the old mans orders,'' he
explained as they stood together on the
sloping decks. "You heard yourself
what he said, captain
swell, Mr.. Mate" said Kettle grim
ly, 81 hope you'll decide she's sea-
worthy, because whatever view you take
of it here I'm going to stay"
The mate frowned. He was young
man, he was here in authority, and he
had great notion of making his au-
thority felt. Captain Kettle was to him
merely down on his luck free passage
nobody, and as the mate was large and
lusty he did not anticipate trouble So
he remarked rather crabbedly that he
was going to obey his order, and went
aft along the slanting deck.
1t was clear that the vessel had been
swept, badly swept. Ropes ends stream
ed here and there and overheard in ev-
cry direction. and everything movable
had been carried away eternally by the
sea. But the hatch tarpaulins and the
eomr.nions we,s still in place, and.
though it was clear from the list (Which
was 30 great that they could not walk
without holding on) that her cargo was
badly shifted. there was no evidence SO
far that she was otherwise than sound.
| The third mate led the way down ia
the lazaret hatch. He got his fingers in
the ring and pulled it back. Then he
whistlsd. "Haf full of water" he
said. II thought SO from the way she
foated. It's up to the beams down
here. Likely enough she'll have started
9 plate somewhere. 'Fraid it's no &c
for you, captain. Why, if breeze was
to come on half the side Of her might
drop out. and she'd go down like q
stone"
Now, to Kettles honor be it said
(seeing what he had in his mind), he
did not tackle the man as he knelt there
peering into the lazaret. Instead he
waited till he stood up again and then
made his statement coldly and deiber-
ately.
'"This ships not too dangerous for
me, and I choose to judge And if
she'll do for me, she's good enough for
tho crew I've got in your boat. Now
want them on deck and at work with
out any more palaver.
''Do you, by gad'' said the mate,
and then the pair Of them closed with
out any further preliminaries. They
were both Of them well used to quick
rough and tumbles, and they both of
them knew that the man who gets the
first grip in these wrestles usually wins,
/ ord onoL 4,;o5 ~ -.