The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-05-10

Etter his EMPLOYEES property, but he
had an unfortunate habit of making
himself hated in the process.
Over that initial episode of washing
the coal CRIME from the ships outer
fabric he had already come into init
mate contact with his crew. The tired
deckhands had refused duty. Clumsy
old Murgatroyd had endeavored to
force them into it by the time honored
methods and had been knocked down
in the scuffie and trampled on, when
up came Kettle, already spruce and
clean, and laid impartially into the
whole grimy gang of them with deck
scrubber. They were new to their lit
tie shippers virtues and thought at
first that they would treat him as they
had already treated the fat old mate
and as a consequence bleeding faces
and cracked heads We're plentiful. and
curses went up, bitter and deep, in half
the tongues of Europe. But Kettle
still remained spruce and clean and
aggressive and untouched
1t takes some art to thoroughly IL re sh
n dozen savage full grown men With a
light broom without breaking the stick
or knocking off the head, and the crew
of the Sultan of Labuan were not slow
to recognize their captains ability. But
at the same time they were not in
spired with any overpowering love for
him. In the course of that night an
iron Delaying pin whisked up out cf the
darkness and knocked off his cap as he
stood on the upper bridge, and just be-
fore the dawn a chunk of coal whizzed
up and smashed itself into splinters on
the wheelhouse wall not an inch from
his ear. But as Captain Kettle replied
to the first of these compliments by
three prompt revolver shots almost be-
fore the thrower had time to think and
rushed out and caught his second as
sailant by the neck scruff and forced
him to eat every scrap of coal that had
been thrown the -all nation crew de-
cided that he was too ugly to tackle
usefully and tacitly agreed to let him
alone for the future and to do their
lawful work, the which, of course, was
exactly what Kettle desired.
By this time the Sultan of Labuan
had run down the Cornish coast, had
rounded Lands End and vas standing
off on a course which would make Fin
istere her nc~t landfall The glass was
sinking steadily. The scascape was
made up Of blacks and whites and lu-
rid grays; but, though the air was cold
nd %hn
worse than need have been expected
for the time Of year. The matches were
off, and good strong smell CT coal gas
billowed up from below and mingled
with the sea scents,
With all a northern sailors distrust
for 'dago," Kettle had spotted his
spruce young Italian second mate as
Gedge's probable tool and watched him
like the apple of his eye. No mans
actions could have been more innocent
and normal, and this, of course, made
things all the more suspicious. The
cocks and could arrange disasters to
machinery, were likewise eX officio sus-
picious persons, but as it was quite i'm
possible to overlook them at all hours
and on all occasions he had regretfully
to take them very largely on trust.
Blundering, incompetent old Murga-
troyd, the mate, was the only man on
board in whose honesty Kettle had the
least faith, simply because he consid-
cred him too stupid to be .intrusted
with any operation so delicate as bar
ratry, and to Murgatroyd he more or
less confided his intentions.
81 hear there's a scheme ON board to
scuttle this steamboat" he said, "be-
cause she's too expensive to run. Well,
Mr.. Gedge, the owner, gave me orders
to run her, and he told me he made a
profit on her. I'm going by Mr.. Gedge's
words, and I'm going to take her to
Port Said. And let me tell you this:
If she stops anywhere on the road and
goes down, all hands go down With