The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-06-20


past some rocky islands, and there in
plain sight of them was a vessel hard
and fast ashore. There was no mis-
take about it. They both saw her
a steamboat of 1900 tons. And, what
was more, the other Portugee, Tonio's
friend, said he knew her. According
to him, she was the Duncansby Head
He'd served in her stokehold three voy-
ages, and he said he'd know her any
where"
"a dago's word isn't worth much for
a thing like that" said Kettle.
"Wait a bit. The pair of them stayed
where they were and looked at the rest
Of the watch on deck. The second
mate on the bridge was staring ahead
sleepily; the quartermaster at the
wheel was nodding and blinking at the
pinnacle; the lookout on the forecastle
was seated ON fife rail, snoring. No
one of these had seen the wreck, and
so they themselves didn't talk. Their
boat was running short of coal, and SO
she put into Glib here to rebunker, and
from another dago on the coal hulk
who came aboard to help trim they
got some news. The Duncansby Head
had shifted her cargo at sea, had pick
ed up heavy weather and got unman-
ageable and had been left by her crew
in the boats The mates boat and the
second mates boat were picked up.
The old mans boat had not been heard
Of. 1t was supposed that the Duncans-
by Head herself had foundered imme-
diately after she was deserted
"Yes; all that's common gossip on
the rock. Mulready was her skipper
]. R. Mulready. I'd known him years."
"Weel. poor deevil, it's perhaps good
for him he's drowned"
Eyes, l suppose it is. He's saved
sight Of trouble. D'you know, Mac,
Jimmy Mulready and l passed for
mate the same day and went to sea
with our bran new tickets in the same
ship-him as mate. me as second"
''The seas an awful poor profession
for all except a shipowner that lives
ashore"
"'Tis. Yes, that's true word; it is
And so Antonio and his mate told the
other dago that they'd seen the
wreck"
mot much. They kept their heads
shut. There was money in the idea If
it could only be worked, and Portu-
gee likes a dollar as much as a white
man. So there you have the whole
yarn. except that they got to know
that the Duncansby was on her way
home after a long spell at tramping
when she got into trouble and carried
all the money she'd earned in good
solid gold in the charthouse drawer"
sit sounds like a soft thing, I'll not
deny" said Kettle. "But why should
Mr.. Antonio and his friend come to
you?"
'They ran from their ship here in
Glib and lay low till she had sailed. 1t
was the natural thing for them to do.
But when they began to look round
them in cold blood they found them
selves a bit on the beach. They'd no
money. There's such a shady crowd
here in Glib that everythings we'll
watched. and they couldn't steal, so
there was nothing for it but to take
a partner into the concern. OF course,
being dagoes, they weren't likely to
trust one of their own sort"
"Not much. and so they came to
you?
''rhey knew me-" said the engineer,
"and | came to you because l knew
you. captain. I'm no navigator myself,
though ! can make shift to handle a
sailboat. so navigator was wanted. l
said to myself the man in all creation
for this job is Captain Kettle, and then
what should | do but run right up
against you"
"Thank you, Mac"
"But there's one other thing you'll
have to do. and that's buy, beg, borrow
or steal the ship to carry the expedi-
ton, because the rest of us can't raise
a blessed shilling among us. 1t needn't
be big outlay. That old p. and o. life
boat which l was talking about would
carry us fine. and l think three five
pound notes would buy her."
Every WE'LL" said Kettle. "And now
let's get move ON US. There's been
enough time spent in talk, and the
sooner we're on that wreck the less
chance there is of any one else getting
there to overhaul her before u.s."
1t would be improbable to follow in
detail the fitting out of wrecking ex-
pedition upon insufficient capital, and
SO be it briefly stated that the old life
boat, which had passed through many
hands since she was cast from the P.
and o. service. was purchased by dint
of haggling for an absurdly small sum
and victualed and watered for eighteen
days. The Portuguese. who still re-
fused to disclose the precise location OF
the wreck. said that 1t might take a
fortnight to reach her, and prudence
would have suggested that 1t was ad-
visable to take at least a months pro-
visions, but the meagerness OF their
capital fatty forbade this. and they
were only able to furnish the boat with
what would spin out to eighteen days
on an uncomfortably short ration. They
trusted that what pickings they might
find in the storerOom OF the wreck her.
self would provide them for the return
voyage.
With this slender equipment. then.
they sailed forth from Gibraltar bay,
an ObVious marty of advanfurara They