The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-18

although the pitch between the deck
planks dubbed in the heat of the
morning sun but the man gazing mood
lily at the water did not notice it,
He was recapitulating events as they
had lately occurred on board
The steamer was a single screw
tramp, the kind that plies from ocean
to ocean satisfied with any paying
cargo and any destination. Her last
port of call had been Rio de Janeiro,
and she had gone there from Calcutta
by way of Good Hope. While off the
Andaman islands in the Indian ocean,
she had picked up a wretched Punjabi
adrift in a small boat. He said that
he was all that was left of a ship load
OF Mecca pilgrims, wrecked on the
way from Jeddah to Madras. But be-
fore he died two days later he confess
sed that in reality he had escaped from
plague-infested ship bound for the
mouth of the Ganges. There was con-
sternation on the tramp for many days
after the Punjabi died, and disease did
not Immediately manifest it's presence.
Perhaps the cooler latitude held IL in
check. They got a clean bill of health
at Rio, where the girl took passage for
New York and congratulated them
selves on their escape. But when the
Atlantic the scourge suddenly broke
out on board, killing the crew one after
another with awful rapidly At first
they tried to continue on their course
since one port under the circumstances
was as good as another, but at last
they were unable to make any port at
all, because they died so fast that
panic laid hold of them and no one was
in condition to work the ship. They
hanlxn6 nd at haF loaf
occupied themselves chiefly in watch
ing each other die. And so it came at
last TO the day of the captains funeral
when no one was left alive but the girl
passenger and a quartermaster.
She had been a ministering angel to
the sick, and diminishing numbers had
forced him at last to become scullion
in general to the living and the dead.
But their intimacy had been occasioned
by too much horror to permit conf
dences. Now, however, they were alone,
with nothing to do or to think of that
was not equally the concern of both.
She found him young aud good to look
at and the latent possibilities of the
situation made her nr nls. Once or
twice as the crew dieG Hl one by one.
this very situation had occurred to
her-she had even wondered who might
be left alone with her. but she had put
the thought aside as one puts away the
memory of a bad dream. He, gazing at
her covertly, half OWNED her thoughts
and pitied her heartily, for the refine
ment of her upbringing was apparent.
He suddenly resolved to set her at ease.
That she needed reassurng was evil
dent from her startled manner when
she saw him walk toward her.
We'll" he began, seating himself on
the rail in front of her and plunging
into his subject; the situation looks
somewhat lurid, i suppose, butt
might be worse, you know"
She did not answer.
II mean," he continued, chat we are
somewhat out of the track of vessels,
but we are drifting westward toward
the Windward Islands. 1t will only be
a matter of time until we sight one OF
them. Luckily, we have a good boat
under us and provisions enough to last
months, If necessary"
''Months!" she gasped, Mortified mt
the prospect. "But-can we not do
something; can we not-go some
where?''
I'm afraid not. The crew numbered
nineteen, and you know they banked
the fires when they got down to eight,
and that fire hole-well, / wasn't
brought up to live in such a climate.
However we may be sighted by some
rtner vessel, in which case / win ask
=" captain TO take you off"
h11 y5u--2"
r' r. l!e smiled cpriously. i have