The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-02-08

| over"
Captain Ireland. then It's your next
watch. an | hope you'll pardon IN old
mariner for plain speaking when 1t wns
needed"
Without word Alec left the cabin
and went ON deck. ace,
Through the whole Of that watch I
lay in my bunk brooding, brooding,
broodIng. To quarrel with my sworn
shlpmate, and about such q trifie too!
Fool that I was! That we had had a
serious wrangle and one whose conse.
qucnces might easily bode Ill for the
success OF our venture there was no
doubt, but on looking back on what
had passed I was almost rs much fog
ged as Willie Trchalion to know what
the cause OF It all was. Fool, I called
myself. and. again. fool!
Nep came to me and showed his cold
nose against my check. and I rubbed
his coarse. scrubby coat and coaxed
him to lie down. I was grateful to
him. for ! felt less wretched with n
companion. though he were nothing
but cat. But then Nep was not as
other cats.
After his watch was out Alec came
below. and by the dim light Of the horn
lantern which hung to the beams /
could see him pacing the other side of
the cabin thwart ships. He could not
see me, and I gave no sign of being
awake. Presently he began to smile
to himself, and then, turning his gait,
made straight for my bunk.
Jack, old boy. was the bigger fool
Of the two"
mo, Alec; I was by far"
mo. /. 1t was my throwing the dice
box through the port that started It."
II proposed the dice"
"Come, come; we won't dispute
again. I'll test you with Jacks OF ale"
We tied; I won, and from that mo-
ment the quarrel was never mentioned.
Next morning nine men were down
with fevers. several others were un-
doubtedly slckening for them, and the
rest were so scared that they wers
pretty sure to catch the Ill on the first
opportunity.
ihere was no wind to drive the fetfd
mists away. and SO we had to get n
bort and tow the Bristol Merchant up
stream by our own e1ertions. Any
thing was better than letting tho men
stand trembling in idleness. But 1t
was not till past midday that the stew
Ing air was tempered with a breeze
from the sen. which filled our sails md
gave us headway against the sluggish
current
For five days did we tow, pole and
sail through this awful canal. Nine
men died. Almost all were sick, and
but for the promise Of the pagan and
the dread OF Alec's pistol in the maga.
zine they would have turned the shiD's
peak to the sea again at any hazard.
On the afternoon Of the sixth day
we opened out into a broad. clear fow-
Ing river. and before nightfan we were
anchored In snug little bay with a
Rile- Of .bStGbt. .nelesaArss. .ttmpreu rne
men to brave q sudden death from
overcating.
None, however, was any the worse
for this change Of diet. though the sur
geon shook his head and suggested a
good bloodletting all around as a pre-
ventive Of possible evils. The sick
men, except one who was too far gone
to recover. mended as though under a
spell.
During our voyage up the mighty
stream we were able to revel in fresh
meat, too. for the forests abounded
In game, and the Devon and Somerset
men, who had poached scores Of noble
stays on brown, boggy Exmoor, sent
their clothyard arrows and the cross
bow bolts into many fine water buck
- he came from the deep covers to
case wonderingly with his great eyes
ON the strange craft that was furrow-
ing the surface Of his untitled river.
80 fat venison stews smoked In the
mess kids, 'and tough. brine fossiled
beef became but distant memory.
The navigation was easy, but slow.
Alec was cautious about going too fast
for fear Of picking up shoal ana get.
ting tightly imbedded on 1t, so he kept
the ship under easy canvas. very often
brailing up our courses altogether, un-
less there seemed every prospect Of
deep fa!rway.
Thirtyfour days Of this easy progress
brought us to the great cataract which
barred our farther advance. The pa
gan had told us Of 1t beforehand, and
we heard the thunder Of the waters
full day before we rose them. Anx-
ious, however, to satisfy ourselves that
the barrier really was impossible. we
held on until the current grew too
strong to force the ship against 1t un-
der sail alone. and then we bore away
into vast lagoon on the northern
| bank, formed by the back swirl from
the fall. and dropped our anchor in the
midst Of II.
| CHAPTER X.