Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-09-04

The mate ran forward, and with
the help of the, carpenter tore. off
part of the hatch covering and sprang
to the ladder. AS he climbed down.
young Malcolm peered aimlessly over
the hatch
Bring down lantern" cried the
mate, and Malcolm, galvanized into
activity by fear, seized a lantern from
the alleyways and clambered down
into the hold.
The mate ran toward the iron door
in the bulkhead, which had been left
open, and pushed it to.
"The light here-quick!"
And the boy brought it.
BLAST them!-oh, blast them!"
roared the mate. They've put the
bolts on the wrong side. In five min
utes we'll all be in kingdom come"
/ He stumbled for the ladder, wild
with terror. Yes, every one would
be drowned, and he, too, with the
cruel, cold water sucking him down.
He dropped the lantern and began TO
pull himself up the ladder.
Suddenly he stopped. An idea had
Il
thinkable thought-the door could be
closed from the other side. He hung
Imply on the ladder, and in his mind
ragged tornado of conflict.
/ Oh, to be out of this awful ship,
safe once again at home! But the
mate had said that all were lost.
That" meant him, too. And if only
that door were shut, all could be
saved. Great beads of sweat broke
out on his forehead. He groaned and
writhed about like one on the rack
Then he began to descend slowly. He
stopped again on the last rung He
chung to the ladder as a drowning
man to rope. He could never let
go. Why was he not going up the
ladder? There were boats left. He
had seen that. He could fight for a
place, and be saved. He was SO young;
not old, like the mate and captain.
They must give him a place.
| All at once he loosened his hold and
ran blindly for the door. On the way
he tripped and fell heavily on his
hands and face, cutting and bruising
them. He lay half stunned for
minute. moaning from the pain. then
raised himself and crawled the rest
of the way. He passed through the
door, and with feverish haste shot
the great iron bolts. The boy was
alone in his tomb. He leaned against
the bulkhead, sick, sick to death.
Why had he done this? He did not
know. They would be saved now, but
he-o! God. no more light or life for
him! His poor dry lips moved con-
vulsively, and his hands beat aimless-
ly on the iron wall. He would go
back. Hope returned with rush. He
would die in the open-with others
around him. It would be good to die
thus, not in this hell of darkness and
desolateness. He unshot one bolt and
fumbled for the other. Then. with a
low moan, he cast himself from it,
driving his teeth into his lips in his
agony.
1t was not to be. He was too great
a coward to live. He could only die.
He would pray. But he could think
of nothing-nething but the "This
night when lie down to sleep" he
had learned at his mothers knee.
j To sleep-oh, he would sleep long!
There was to be no waking this time.
Long shuddering fits shook his
frame as he felt the icy fingers Of
death rising inch by inch. He
screamed and raved, dashing his head
against the iron, that death might
come quickly. He plunged beneath
the water, only to come up again,
fighting madly for life. Then there
was a long drawn sob, and then ST.
lepce.
The captain. stood on the bridge, a
figure of stony despair. The land
could never be reached with water
pouring like torrent into the for
ward hold. He cursed his negligence
in overlooking such frightful
blunder. 1t was going to cost 200
lives, and he must not be among the
saved. The Pride of Asia was get
ting low in the water, but he could
not understand why she was not sink
ing more by the bow. She was vibrat-
ing from the engines, pushed to their
highest pressure, for the firemen
stuck gallantly to their posts. Five
minutes went, and ten, and then,
with sudden shock, she took ground,
and all were safe.
4 Next morning, young Malcolm was
missing, and the sorrowful news was
sent to his father. 1t was thought
he had fallen overheard when the
ship grounded, and he could not
swim.
A week afterward, the divers en-
tered the forward hold, and found, to
their establishment, that the bulk
head door, which they had expected
to find open, was closed.
! They forced(it open, and against it
was floating the body of boy.
i Old Capt. Malcolm comes often to
the little graveyard by the sea. In