The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-05
for the possibility that presented itself ap.

Andy! Andy! ne yelled, running TO
where the others were yet raiding the
larder. "B'jee, do We know what this
ship it? She's a regular foatin arsenal,
that's what she is!''
How do you make it?" placidly asked
the Buckeye. Sudden heavy meals made
him sodden.
How? Look at her freight. She's
loaded with machine guns under her
forward hatch and, b'jee, she may have
dinnymite in the other hold"
WHAT said Andy. Are we up
against dinnymite again? That reminds
me- and he fished from his pocket
dirty clay pipe.
But Reardon fell on him and snatched
it away.
Don't We see? Don't We see?" he al
most screamed. Here we are, loatin'
around on a big ship full O powder and
guns and the Americans and .Spaniards
huntin each other all over the face Of
the cart. Bjee, there may be one of
them after us nown' And he rushed out
on deck again to see.
Now it so happened that some five
miles away to the north of the Lotus,
where the morning haze had not thor
oughy cleared there rode dim, gray
vessel whose commander and crew had
sworn allegiance to the government.
She had been there since daylight, for
her. commander carried certain orders,
and the eyes of her officers were on the
freighter. But the men on the Lotus
had not noticed her, so engrossed were
they with their personal comforts. The
sight of her now sent chilling paralysis
into the spine of Mr. Choky Reardon,
who, when he could get back his voice,
shrieked the name of his maker in
shriI treble and called on his fellows to
look In the panic that ensued many
things were said. Some of them were
Observation-Disclosures of them were totally
irrelevant. The two deserters were par
ticularly distracted. Private Archer ran
about the deck and cried little. Private
Morley tugged vainly at a 14-foot steel
lifeboat and cursed the day he entered
the service. Andy, the Buckeye, said
things about both of them which might
have led a stranger to the facts to be-
lieves that they alone were to blame for
the affair, while Choky Reardon grouped
them ALL himself included, into a COM
posite anathema upon the elimination
of which he choked impotently. When
he recovered conference it was to give
speech to an idea.
''B jee-jee!' he spluttered, 70 jee! Wen
run away! That's what wen do! Well
run awayw Then, as the other stared at
him wonderingly: Whats to stop u.s.
There's steam half up! Hey? Why not?
Hey?"
"Why. Choky," cried the Buckeye, in
amazement ."Are We nutty? How can we
work big ship like this, MANI"
Sure we cant Don't 1 know. We've got
TO! It's that or swing They'll prove us
spies now, sure. tell you, run loco
motive over the Dope road once, till I
got trun out for bein too swift. An l
fired on the old Santa Cruz out of New
Orlins. bjee, and I'll run this boat, too,
or bust it, You fellers can fire, the Dago
can oil, and tween us all we can keep
her goin' somewhere. If that boat don't
ketch us by night she'll never do 1t after
that, fer Wen dodge 'er in the dark and
sneak
He grabbed the French boy, who was
standing near, and pushed him down the
engine room steps. the others following.
Into the fireroom they went, Choky set
ting an example in activity that Sston-
ished them.
"See, herev he cried, grabbing a clink-
er hook and punctuating his words with
vigorous actions. Watch me! Get this
crust off the other fire. See! this way, and
then spread your coal like this. Look
out there, Dago, do you want to get
burnt? That's it, Now then, coal up, all
of you Look you soldier-You'll not need
that blouse, no, nor the shirt either. Take
them off and hurry! Quicker QUICKER!
Quicker!ll Bjee. If you had Barney Sulli-
van at your back, you'd know what 1t is
to coal in a rush-that's right Andy, do
you bring 1t from the bunkers while the
others fill in-Keep your door shut, you
over there-how do you expect to make
steam and your heat all coming out the
front" The pride of the trade was on
him There. now-keep 1t up-Tm off to
the machine, and you soldier, you that
knows so much about running boat, you
come up when l call YOU'LL want you
on deck when we start Come, boy"
He grabbed the boy again and dragged
him up the steps to the engine room,
rushing to the oil tank he caught up two
hand oilers. thrust one into the bewilder-
ed young Frenchman's hand and with
motions and gestures, indicated that he
must assist in the general greasing. He
dabbed at every hole he could find, point
ed continually to what he was doing and
then drove the youth around to the other
side and set him to work. The boy was
apt and did as we'll as his teacher.
Reardon rushed into the fireroom again,
swore at Private Morley for stopping
10 wipe the sweat from his forehead. a5-
iured Andy for the love of life not to
slacken his gait, opened door after door
10 look for spots, cursed screamingly
when he saw one. shoveled coal like
mailman, and ran back again to the engine
room TO scan the gage, to curse the boy,
to wipe the joints, to test the high-pres-
sure valves, to tighten rivets. to try the
steam-oiling apparatus, to do thousand
ana one necessary, yes, and unnecessary
things In the space of five minutes. When
the gage reached the hundred mark he
ran down and turned on the blowers, and,
calling to Private Archer to follow. ran
up to the bridge, where he expounded all
he knew of the steering gear (Which was
not much), and left Archer with Ideas of
gong signals which were decidedly at va
rance with the code.
Back In the engine room Reardon
made the boy go down and carry coat
to the feeders and then. after few pre-
lminary taps and tightenings, turned
cautiously the wheel OF the starting gear
She came over slowly, aVd, at the nrst
revolution he turned the main valve tin
he could feel the lurch Of the high-pros-
sure cylinder as the column of vapor cx-