The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-05
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: splendidly, and he could tell by her voice
! that she was doing well. He listened to
her while, and, finding everything all
right as far as he knew, he went on
deck to see how Archer was doing. The
j Lotus was racing like liner and heading
/ due south.
Five miles away in the north amaze
ment was reigning on the war vessel.
When smoke belched heavily from the
funnel of the Lotus, a lieutenant who
had been watching her since daybreak
hurriedly told his commander the fact.
1t made the commander stare. He was
in his cabin at the moment, perusing
official documents. He picked up one of
them and read 1t intently. Finally he
said:
THAT is curious. And you are sure no
| boats left her?'
| Not since the haze cleared. Besides
how could she steam away if the boats
had gomez" replied the lieutenant Then
he added suggestively: There is a schoo-
ner in the offing.''
"Ah," said the commander, relieved.
=. THAT, doubtless, is the reason. Well,
I we must keep her in sight"
And so when Choky Reardon, a few
minutes later, looked anxiously astern
and saw smoke trailing after the gray
vessel, he was sure in his mind that
| she was increasing her speed in the eff
| fort to catch them. This made him rush
into the fire room with limitations that
the work going forward there, far
! from being what it ought to be, would
| have to be increased in a ratio indi-
! Gated when their present exertions were
! contrasted with complete idleness. lie
used his own form of expression. of
/ course, and they understood him perfect
! ly. His TRADE of abusive encouragement
/ osr akN
eclipsed by the black blast of profanity
/ that came like the breath of the furnace
| from the hole below. II stopped his
/ panic and made him think, for in his
! day he had helped to drag men from a
similar black pit to the deck, where they
might have chance to recuperate in
much cooler tropical sunlight. It might
| come to pass where the toilers below
would prefer to be captured, for as the
! Buckeye said thickly and ominously-
Hell couldn't be hotterl' Something
| must be done
| 1t was plain to Reardon that watches
! must be arranged, and in such manner
| that the relieved man would have a
! chance between tricks to be menaced Wis
| IDLY by the nemesis in the north. Again,
| trusting the engine to Providence, he,
| Reardon, must take trick at the fires
! himself. He was sure this plan would act
as spur on the soldiers, but he was less
| sure of the Buckeye. He determined to
| relieve him first. They had been firing
| an hour. Morley must be made to last
| another hour, and in order to impress on
him more thoroughly the need of it, he
took him up to the deck and showed him
| the pursuing fiend, enlarging greatly on
| what would happen If that lengthening
trail of smoke were allowed to get near
er. Morley went back to work properly
| impressed. Andy was then allowed 10
| come on deck, where he took the wheel
! from Archer, who went back to the fires
Andy's knowledge of steering being lin
tied, he was told to keep the wheel as
| it was, until he saw any vessel ahead.
| when he was to report the fact down the
tube at once. Then after calling the boy
up to the engine, which he was made to
| oil again, Reardon went into the fire
room, where his experience was sadly
needed.
During that terrible day it seemed to
! the men on the Lotus that the hours
| which marked the watches off and on
were like successive heavens and bells
| In an eternity. When dusk came the pur-
suing boat was not more than three miles
away and when darkness fell over them
they saw the lights along the shore
Then Reardon prepared to execute the
remarkable maneuver which he called "a
sneak in the dark" First he extinguish-
ed every light on deck. Then he closed
all bulkhead doors and ports in the waist
for fear a stray CLEAN might somehow get
up from the fire room. Finally after
last look at the engine. he went up and
took the wheel himself
1t had clouded over with nghtfaH and
there seemed to be nothing to interfere
with the plan. He stood at the wheel
gazing at the terraces of light on the
other boat, from which the cleaning re-
Elections wriggled like long snakes over
the water toward the Lotus. He was
about to turn the whel hard over to
starboard when he was shocked by sud
den something which came upon him like
a blighting paralysis and stayed his hand
For moment he could not comprehend
| 1t fully. Then he realized. The war YES
sci was using her searchlght and 1t fell
full giaringly, vividly, convincingly on
the bridge of the Lotus There was no
escaping 1t. II was not to be shaken off.
No cloud could overcast it. 1t wrote its
warning in letters of fire all over the wall
of events IL seemed like an accusing
finger ready to follow him TO the end of
time and IL filled Mr.. Reardon with wrath
wrath which gathered its force and in
sane purpose from the revulsion that fol-
lowed the deeds of the day Although he
knew instinctively that the contention
could not be granted within the law. yet
somehow he felt that he had proved him
self man among men by the days work.
He who had ben a worthless tramp, a
very high priest of the unwashed a con-
slant and consistent sinner against the
code-he who had been these things
and in spite OF them had shown such gen.
eralship undergoing such terrible exer-
tion. displayed such intuitive thoughts
was he TO be denied the fruit of 1t, his
quiet freedom? No. MOI Not until they
had paid for IL thousand fold. AS he
/ thought II out quickly. his wrath b.azed
/ forth in words and back along that mar
! row shaft OF hight he roared vengeance
Lashng the wheel, he ran below and
called his companions from the fireroom
! i'm such tones that they came up TO the
deck wonderingly. They were startled a
seeing the light bearing on them from a
/ distant vessel but they were yet more
| startled at Reardon's manner. Andy
/ especially. to whom his comrades actions
! during the day had been a revelation. was
puzzled.