The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-30
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) THE WRECK OF
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) ) The CATILEBOAI.
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< BY cUTCL1FFE HYNE.
8 COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY cUTc11FFE nYNE.
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BY cUTCLIFFE HYNE.
,pyR1aHr, 1900, BY cuTc11rrE nYNE.


keep a seat for yersep, skipper"
You needn't BOTHER" said Kettle. 81
take no mans place in this sort Of tea
party" He splashed off across the
streaming decks and found the cattle
boats captain sheltering under the lee
of the companion wringing his hands.
"Out, you blitherer," he shouted, "and
save your NANCY life! Your ships
gone now. You can't play hash with
her any more" After which pleasant
speech he worked his way below, half
swimming, half wading, and once more
beat against Miss Carnegie's door,
Even in this moment of extremity he
did not dream of going in unasked.
She came out to him in the half
swamped alleyway. fully dressed. rs
there any hope?" she asked.
well get you ashore, don't you
fear
He clapped an arm around her waist
and drew her strongly on through the
dark and the swirling water toward
the foot of the companion. Excuse
me, MISS" he said, ''this is not famil-
iarity, but have got the firmer sea
legs, and we must hurry"
They pressed up the stair, battling
II with great green cascades of water,
and gained the dreadful turmoil on
deck. A few weak stars cleaned out
above the wind and showed the black
wave tops dimly. Already some Of the
cattle had been swept overheard and
were swimming about like the horned
beasts of nightmare. The din of surf
came to them among the other noises,
but no shore was visible. The steamer
had backed off the reef on which she
had struck and was laundering in deep
water 1t was indeed time for hurry.
1t was plain she had very few more
minutes to swim.
Each sea now made clean breach
over her, and passage about the
decks was a thing of infinite danger,
but Kettle was resourceful and strong,
and he had grip round Miss Carnegie
and hold on something solid when
the waters wrenched him, and ne con-
trived never to be wrested entirely
from his hold.
But when he had worked his way
aft disappointment was there ready
for him. The quarter boat was gone.
McTodd stood against one of the dav-
its cool and philosophical as ever.
You Internal Scotchman, you've let
them take away the boat from your
Kettle snarled. II should have thought
you could have kept your end up with
a NANCY crowd like that"
81
SThe boats in the wash below there,
at the end of the tackles, with her side
Il stove in. She drowned the three men
that We're lowered in her because
4 they'd no. sense enough to fend off,
s'That comes of setting lot of farm
ers to work steamboat
ssAweel," said McTodd, steamers
have been lost before, and have it in
mind, captain, that you've helped"
By James, if you don't carry civil
tongue, you drunken Geordie, I'll knock
you some teeth down to cover it!''
ooh, owed you that" ssaid Nc
q Todd. But now we're quits bided
& here, Captain Kettle, because thought
"a you'd maybe like to swim the Teddy off
to the shore, and at that can bear a
useful hand"
3 Mac" said Kettle, 81 take back
what l said about you're being Scotch.
"A You're a good SOUP He turned to
the girl, still shouting to make his
voice carry above the clash of the seas
and the below of the siren and the
noises of the dying ship: Its our only
chance, miss, swimming. The life
buoys from the bridge are all gone.
} looked. The hands will have taken
them. There'll be a lot of timber float
ing about when she goes down, and
we'll be best clear Of that. Will you
trust to us?"
Il trust you in everything" she said
Deeper and deeper the steamer sank
in her wallow. The lower decks were
: swamped by this, and the miserable
cattle We're either drowned in their
stalls or washed out of her. There
/ was no need for the three to jump
They just let go their hold. and the
next incoming wave swept them clear
of the steamers spar deck and spurned
! them 100 yards from her side.
They found themselves among a
ueFu OIL uOdClnS cdCCle, some QfOWneu
some swimming frenziedly, and with
the inspiration of the moment laid hold
of couple of beasts and so supported
themselves without further exertion
1t was no use swimming for the pres.
ent. They could not tell which way
the shore lay. And it behooved them tc
reserve all their energies for the morn
ing, so we'll as the numbing cold and
the water would let them.
OF sudden the below Of the steam.
ers siren ceased. and pang went
through them as though they had lost
q friend. Then came dull, muffied
explosion, and then a huge, ragged
shape doomed up through the night
like some vast monument and sanL
swiftly straight downward out of sight
beneath the black, tumbled sea.
"Poor old girl" said McTodd, spit
ting out the sea water. "They'd fine
key of whisky down in her messroom.'
"Poor devil Of skipper" said Ket