Evening star., 1901-05-04


these men had struggled for their lives
and dawn found them wet and weak with
out food and without an idea of their geo
graphical position. Their sail had split TO
ribbons. They sat with their feet in the
half-filled cockpit. fighting the water ineh
by inch, and yearning for the land whence
they had come.
Two Of the men wore the fatigue uniform
of the United States private soldier Inc
other two were ragged with the Wretcheo-
ness of the yagabond. All four looked uls-
reputable. He who sat on the port quarter,
lifting water over the side in an old ana
leaky slouch hat had the strongest race OF
the quartet, though he seemed the most
annoyed at the prospect.
"And to think we would get picked ike
this for a cursed tin soldier he said, wrath
FULLY ..He knew we wasn't spies-Spanlsn
spies at that Do we look like Span1ards'
hey me and You, Andy? What If we was
next the powder house? We didn't know
it. Did he think we'd go mohkeyln, VIII
death like that, If we'd knew it, hey?
"Ah, break away, Choky. and mind yer
hat" growled the other ragged one, SEN
tentiously The seemingly hopeless effort
to lower the water made him ill-humored:
What were you doing there anyho"f
asked one OF the soldiers curiously.
I'VE was a-doin' the Jersey summer re-
sorts. from Cape May up answered Choky
with a fierce grin. I'VE was a-Walkln
along Sandy Hook and got onto gov ment
ground without KNOWN it. And there we
was a smokin' our pipes and us s1ttln up
against that little red house and ton OF
dnnHAnite behind us. Then they goes ana
says were Spanish spies. b Jee, IL nad
that Teller that took us inf | had i'm
here In this boat and his little ticklin' gun
baynit with i'm, Td-Id-'
Yes! You'd. Ioud-what?' someWhat Il
derisively, inquired the one named Andy
Well I'd give i'm the he-cups.' replied
Choky after a collapse of explosive utter
anCe. .
1T is all very well for you fellows" said
the other soldier. 'If we do get ashore you
can prove YOU are only tramps. But with
US it's different. I've been thinkin' 1t out
over night. 1t would have been better,
Morley for you and me to go to Fort LeaV-
| enworth and work out the sentence they
gave u.s. We didn't do very much after all.
But breaking the jail and coming away
makes it desertion. It's desertlon, tnat
what it is, and now this Spanish war Is on
it may come to them condemnin' us to be
shot Oh. l wish we'd never left the jug.
and If you two hadn't come along per-
suading us that
Now look a-here young feller," inter-
rupted Choky. when We saw the chance
to break those bars and cut loose, who
was it begged to go long? An then when
he finds this boat on the beach, who tells
us TO get IN it an sail round to NY York?
Why YOU We chicken-livered ration steal
err 'Twasn't our fault If the storm blew
US out. near over ter Spain, maybe; An
YOU a-tellin' us you could sail a boat!'
There was more than disdain In Choky
| Reardon's voice. After silence Andy,
who in hobo circles was known as the
Buckeye" said:
.sI~suppose maybe Wen get picked up?'
Maybe" answered Reardon, but let's
get out the oars and row away from the
sun We'd ought to hit the United States
somewhere You, Morley and Archer, he
motioned to the privates. you two, bail.
Andy and nell row Bit
After an hour at the oar the Buckeye
got up and straddled the cockpit, one hand
pressed hard into the small of his back,
the other resting on the edge of the cabin
trunk to steady him while he remarked
that he had had enough of that for one
day" He was peering toward the west
when he said it. Suddenly as the boat
slipped down into a hollow he uttered
startled curse. Then when she came up
again he cried:
Say! There's a steamer. Right under
her nose we We're and never knew it!'
They all got up and looked. Sure enough,
it was a steamer, two miles away. A pale
thread of smoke rose from her funnel, but
she was not moving on her course.
| '.We'll be picked up all right, all right.
| He waved his wet hat and yelled. They
worked hilariously at the oars to hold their
| craft steady until a reScuing boat should
make it's appearance. The steamer drifted
down toward them, but when fifteen min
utes had passed and no boat came away
| some one suggested Jndt, d1ter all, per-
haps they had not been sighted
Then the Buckeye. who had been gazing
intently at the drifting ship, cried:
why, I can't see soul aboard. Give
another yell. All together, noW!"
Maybe it's fever ship and all hands
have died Off finally volunteered Private
Morley, who had imagination.
Fever. nothin" exclaimed Choky. And
her with steam up. Fever nothin'i 1 run
a freight hauler once on the Dope and
I've passed coal, too, on a gulf boat
Fever nothin, They're all below and they
| don't want us. Let's row around to the
| other side
They got down to the oars again and
| painfully worked the catboat around the
| bow of the steamer.
AS they passed her forefoot they looked
up and saw her name, Lotus, glded on
| the bow. When they swung to the star
| board side-she pointed south-they saw
| flight of landing stairs reaching from
| port aft of her waist-a plain invitation to
| boarders
We'll, this beats me" exclaimed Reardon
| ''Onct l went in to sleep in country choky
| Seemed the constable ID lost his keys, but
he found them suddent-like during the
night and he come round and locked me
| in. But this beats 1t. Look out now don't
let her bump or wen get spilled out.that's 3
| right, soldier, hold her off wit the oar
| till | get up. Now!"
The wash sucked them to the steamers
side and the ladder almost succeeded in
| stamping its foot on the gunwale of the
| catboat. One by one they caught the
steps and hauled themselves up the side
more by their arms than by their legs, for
! they were cramped from their long vigil in
| the boat.
| No one met them on deck, and they stood
| in a group awed by the stiffness and the
vastness of the ship. The very neatness of
| things held them in check, they were so
grimy In comparison. They peered through
| the covered alleyway which extended past
! the engine room in the waist. This passage
was lined with stateroom doors, but no
| one stood In it, and the forward deck was
| deserted. Finally Reardon, less impression
| able than the others, grunted and started
| forward. to be halted by a peculiar crunch
ing sound which made them look askance
| at one other. But. after all, 1t was only
| the landing ladder which had succeeded
| finally in stepping down through the bilge
of the catboat Private Morley looked over
| the side.
oh he cried. "she's smashed to pieces
| and she's sinking.''
| Then We belong here sure enough" re-
piled Reardon, turning and walking aft
You go forward, Andy, and see if you
can find anybody"
Morley and Archer followed the Buckeye
into the waist. Reardon entered the cabin
and explored systematically. He entered
one room after another, but saw little to
| interest him. On the lookout for mon ba