The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-26

80 III IN
you hear me. Get dolon off my bridge"
ed himself, though when the moment
of trial came and his thews and ener
gies We're wanted for the saving of hui
man life he quickly showed that this
Capua had in no way sapped his eff
cheney.
The steamer had as has been said,
carried foul weather with her all the
way across the Atlantic from the river
Platte, as though it We're a curse in
ficted for the cruelty of her steve
dores. The crew forgot what it was
like to wear dry clothes. The after
! guard lived in a state of bone weari-
ness. A harder captain would have
still contrived to keep them up to the
mark. but the man who was in SUI
preme command was feeble and unde-
cided, and there is no doubt that Wig
| ilance was dangerously slackened
A fog, too. which came down to cover
the sea, stopped out all view of the
sun and compelled them for three days
to depend on dead reckoning, and after
set the steamer unduly to the west
ward
Anyway, be the cause what it may,
Kettle was pitched violently out of his
bunk in the deep of one night, just aft
er TWO bells, and from the symptoms
1 which loudly advertised themselves it
required no expert knowledge to tell
that the vessel was beating her bottom
out on rocks to the accompaniment of
a murderously heavy sea. The engines
stopped, steam began to blow off nois-
lily from the escapes, and what with
that and the cries of men and the
clashing of seas and the beating of
iron and the beast cries from the cattle
decks the din was almost enough to
split the ear. And then the steam siren
burst out into one vast below of pain,
which drowned all the other noises as
though they had been children's whis-
pers.
Kettle slid on coat and trousers over
his pyjamas and went and thumped at
a door at the other side of the alley
way.
Miss Carnegie?"
t'Yes."
"Dress quickly"
II am dressing. captain"
; "Get finished with it and then wait
I'll come for you when it's time
1t is all very well to be cool on these
, occasions. but sometimes the race is to
!, the prompt. Captain Kettle made his
way up on deck against a great ava
lanche of water which was cascading
down the companionway. No shore
) was in sight. The ship had backed off
, after she had struck and was now roll
ing heavily in a deep trough. She was
low in the water, and every second
wave swept over her.
No one seemed to be in command A
dim light showed Kettle one lifeboat
wrecked in davits and disorderly
] mob of men trying to lower the other.
: But some one let go the stern fall so
t that the boat shot down perpendicular
: ly, and the next wave smashed the
5 lower half Of it into splinters. The
e frenzied crowd left it to try the port
S quarter boat, and Kettle raced them
across the streaming decks and got just
u IL
t Delaying pin from the rail and laid
/, about him viciously.
/ Back, you scum he shouted "Ge,
n back or III smash in every face among
!; you. Good Lord, isn't there mate OF
r a man left on this sinking farmyard
e Am to keep off all this two legged
g cattle by myself?"
n Hbav fopoht an tba lilo al u,o+,,
|. swirling waist deep among them Will
d every roll, the siren believing for hell
r overhead and the ship sinking under
J. their feet, and gradually, with tn,
l. frenzy OF despair, the men drove Kettl,
u back against the rail, While others O
q them cast off the falls of the quarte
$. boats tackles preparatory to lettin!
s her drop. But, then, out of the dark
y ness, up came McTodd and the steam
'e er's mate, both shrewd hitters and mel
5, not afraid to use their skill, and one,
y more the tables were turned
% The other quarter boat had been low
u cred and swamped; this boat was TIN
?. only one remaining.
u "Now, Mac" said Kettle, "help tn
= mate take charge and murder ever.
- one that interferes. Get the boat il
u the water and fend off, I'll be off be
= low and fetch up Miss Carnegie. w
s. must put some hurry in it. The oil
s. box hasn't much longer to swim. TAX
y the lady ashore and see she comes t
Ii no HARM"
y fro BE Continued
a