The Republican journal., 1901-08-01
THE TWO TRAMPS.

a superabundance of patience. The
surplus expression of Mr.. Jameson was
at times particularly appalling, and
covered more than half of his story.
The pith of it was this: The crank
shaft of the tramp Tudor has long since
seen and ended its better days, and
having lately been severely worked by
the hard-driven engines, had from sheer
and utter WEAKNESS of an taxed
old age, fallen into sections on the floor
ing of the engine room.
When the expansive account was
finished, Captain Bennett put a ques-
ton to the engineer:
Can you fix her up, and how long
would the job take?"
The engineer thoughtfully applied a
wad of grease black waste to his per-
spring forehead to awaken his intellect,
leaving a beautiful coal-colored mark
where he had rubbed, and then an
swered:
Impossible to say how long the job
would take to fix
Then We'll need to look out for a
tow" asked the captain, and raised his
eyes inquiringly around the horizon in
search of any steamer that it seemed
probable they would have to call upon
for assistance.
That's what you'd better do" an
swered the engineer surlily; and he
shaded his eyes and gaZed into the far
off afternoon sunlight, seeing the word
sack written large over his job in the
Tudor I've done the best | can," he
added, after pause. 'I've driven her
a clean ten knots right through from
Jatfa and confound it I'D have
done it all the way to Liverpool but for
that lazy lump of a second"
well, it's no use crying over spilled
milk" said the philosophical tramp
skipper.
Spilled machinery, you mean, groWl-
ed the irate Jameson.
He seated himself on the casing of a
steam winch pipe to consider the sltua-
ton. and stared gloomily into the depths
of purple that ran in swollen periods
across the bay; while Bennett paced the
tramp's deck forward of the chart room,
fuming at the fate that had brought his
ship to a standstill, and waiting for
definite decision from the engineer.
'Iook here, sir" said that worthy me-
chanic: Il might get her to 60 under
one engine. It has been known to be
done Only once she started she'd have
to keep on going, and you couldn't go
astern. Stop her and we'd be long
enough in starting her afresh.
And if you can't manage the one
engine businesS?" inquired Bennett.
Wed have to fit another shaft. We
have a spare one in the No. 3 hold.
60 ahead, then, Mr.. JAMESON; that S
the tune Try her at that
Then the engineer strobe away, and
Bennett mounted to the upper bridge;
and while, below, the levers and ma
chinery worked to the jerk of kissing
steam, and much personal enunciation
tloated up to the captains ears, he
watched anxiously for any solitary puff
of smoke or sign of a steamer. In front
of the foremast head he had hoiSted two
cork tenders as intimation to vessels
that his ship was not under control;
though, indeed, no vessel came thell
way For two hours the Tenders had
swung lazily to the heaye of the Tudor
when Jameson came on The bridge and
delivered his verdict in a rusty voice
and Bennett listened with the feelings
of despair that comes to man who
sees his only means of livelihood flying
from him
It's no use," said the engineer. ''We
can't get the cylinder to work. Wei
have to mend the job. I'd like all hands
if | can have them. The job may take
three days, or it may be a week"
Hang it, muttered Bennett, sticking
his hands deep in his pockets. "A
week? And the oranges will be rotter
before we get home Just the luck OF
first voyage skipper
During the dark hours the Tudor
with two red lights swinging from hel
masthead lamp halyards, tumbled about
the ugly seas of Biscay Bay in grin
solemnity and loneliness.
Two gaunt and very ragged-looking
trysails and staysails ballOoned from hel
spencer and foreStays. Such sails woulC
hardly have been of use to any up-to
date mail boat. much less to the Tudor
built as she was on the splendid lines OF
the average dividend paying tramp; in
deed, she provokingly turned her t1at
bows to all points of the compass, an(
wallowed and poked in the shimmerine
crested swells the whole night through
Her enraged skipper watched her move
ments as he paced athwart the bridge
His anxiety grew as time dragged on
and not without cause. The barometer
was falling, and the clouds heaping ul
in the northwest.
About midnight, when the breeze
gathered heart, two sailing ships came
out of the north and crept swiftly, with
red eye cleaning from each hull, until
they worked abaft the Tudor's beam,
then vanished like weird spectres. But
no steamers came, and the night trailed
through to dawn and daylight.
Not until the Tudor had lain at her
own sweet will full twenty-four hours
did anything show up to lessen Captain
Benefits anxiety. 1t came in the shape
of tub-bowed, fat-bottomed, stump
masted, rolling, big tramp, that wallow.
ed up from the southwark through the
long seas, dipping her ugly nose as she
came, and exhibiting round, rusty
side to the glinting red of the sinking
sun.
The stranger, no doubt seeing the
signals flying from the Tudor's mast
head and span, and interpreting them
as the promise of something that lay
rich to his hand, sent belches of smoke
from his lean and fve-colored funnel,
and bore down to the helpless ship with
all his might. He came shooting to
within a mile of the Tudor, then slow
ed his engines and rolled slowly to with.
in couple of ships lengths of her.
whats the matter, cap'in? Engines
broken down."