Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-07-02


ng. and you may have an accident"
Tazzuchi lowered his voice. ITO tell
the truth. I'm going to pay a surprise
visit. want to make sure those chaps
below are doing the square thing. II
they aren't, there'l be q row, and
they'll use their knives"
"H'mw said Kettle. 1--WE got no use
for your local weapon as general
thing, but at pinch like this I'll bor-
row a knife of you, and If 1t comes to
my one cutting my air tube you'll find
can use it pretty mischieyously."
II wish you wouldn't Insist on this"
aid Tazzuchi persuasively.
"I'm going to, anyway"
"I'm going down merely because It's
ny duty"
"That's the very same reason that's
taking me, captain. I must ask you
not to make any more objections. I'm
. man that never changes his mild,
once it's made up"
Whereupon Tazzuchi shrugged bis
shoulders and gave way.
Now" thought Kettle to himself,
that mans made up his mind to kill
me If he gets glimmer Of chance,
and, as I'm not going to get wiped out
this journey, he'll do with a lot Of
watching"
Captain Owen Kettles nerve and In
domitable courage were never more Sc
| xrtn In 70
scent in the diving dress. The world
beneath the waters was strange and
dangerous to him; his companion was
q man against whom he held the black
est suspicion; the men at the pump
(whOse language he did not understand)
might at any moment cut of his air
supply and leave him to drown like a
puppy under bucket. They hung the
weights over his chest and back, and
Tazzuchi signed to him to descend.
Kettle hitched round tke sheath knife
to the front Of his belt and signed, with
politeness, "After you"
Tazzuchi did not argue the matter.
He got on the ladder and climbed down
out Of sight. Kettle followed. The
chill of the water crept up and closed
over his head. He reached the end OF
the ladder, slid down a rope, and when
he reached the bottom he sank up to
his knees in inpalpable mud. He could
foggily see Tazzuchi few PAGES away
waiting for him, and he went up to
him at once. II the men in the boat,
acting on orders, cut his mir tube, he
wanted to be in position to cut
Captain TaZZuohis also with prompt
| ness.
However, everything went peacefully
Just then. The Italian set off down a
track in the slime, and Kettle waded
laboriOusly after him. 1t was terrible
| work making passage through that
white, glutinOus ooZe, but they came to
| the wreck directly and, working round
her rusted flank, stood beside great
shallow pit, where two weird looking.
gray sea monsters showed In dim out
line through the dense fog Of the wa
| ter.
The two newcomers stood for long
| enough before the two workers OBJ
served them. But one Glanced TO look
up and see them watching and logged
the other with his spade, and then both
frantically beckoned the visitors to
come down into the pit. TaZzuchi led,
and Kettle followed, wallowing down
the slopes of slime, and there ut the
bottom, In the dim, milky light, one
| of the professional divers slipped
shovel into his hand and thrust 1t
down till it Jared against something
solid underfOOt.
It was clear they had come upon the
gold boxes, and they wished to impress
upon the visitors, in underwater dumb
show of triumph, that the find had only
been made that very minute. Ponder.
ously booted feet did dance Of ecstasy
in three feet of gluey mud, and mean-
while Kettle, with hand on the haft
of his knife, edged away from this un-
canny demonstration lest some one
should slit his air tube before he could
prevent it.
He had seen what he wanted; he had
no reason to wait longer. The gold
boxes were there, and II they were not
brought to the surface and carried hon.
estly to Suez the matter would have to
be fought out above In Gods open air
and not in that horrible, choking quag-
mire of slime and water. And so, still
guarding himself cannily, he got back
again to the boat and almost had 1t In
him to shake hands with the men who
eased him of that intolerable helmet.
Now, far be 1t from me to raise even
a suspicion that Captain Owen Kettle
resented the fact that he had been rob-
bed of a scuffie when the little salvage
steamer actually did bring up in Suez
harbor with the specie honestly locked
in one of her staterooms. But that he
was violently angry he admits himself
without qualification. He says he Kick
ed himself for being such bad judge
Of men.
The Parakeet was in there when they
arrived. rebunkering for the run home,
and Murray came off as fast as crew
could drive his boats to inquire the
news.
He accosted Tazzuchi with vigorous
handshake and "Hello. Fizz-hookey,
old man! How goes II? Who'd have
thought Of seeing you here? Howdy,
Captain Kettle? Had good fishing|
"Do you know Captain Tazzuchi?'
Somewhat. Why, We were both
boys on the Conway together"
"Youre making some mistake. Cap
tain Tazzuchi is an Italian"
"Oh, am L" said Tazzuchi. Not
much Of the dago about me except the
name."
"well, you never told me that be-
FORE"
"You never asked me that know Of.
+ speak about enough Of the lingo to
carry on duty with, and l serve on an
Italian ship because l couldn't get a
shippers billet on anything else. But
lpm as English as either Of you. Great
Scott! Captain Kettle, can't you tell q
dago yet for sure"
Murray laughed. "Well, come across
and discuss 1t in the Parakeet. I've got
case Of champagne on board to wet
my new ticket"
"stay half a minute" said Tazzuchi;
well Just get those boxes Of gold down
into your boat, Murray, and ferry them