Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-12-03
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BY COULSON KERNAHAN
Author Of Captain Shannon.""A Book Of n
Strange Sins. IA Dead Mans Diary" Etc.
CHAPTER |.
SEE A STRANGE SIGHT IN THE
CABIN OF TIE SEA SWALLOW.

i SEE A SlRANGE SIGHT IN THE
CABIN OF THE SEA SWALLOW.
1t was getting dark when / arrived
at Southend, whittier l had journeyed
TO join friend who was on board his
yacht. l had unluckily missed the
train by which was expected, so there
was no one to meet me at the station,
but knowing that my friends little
craft was to be some few hundred
yards off the pierhead, | made my
way to the beach, and hailing a wat er-
man who had just come ashore in ais
skiff, | asked him if he knew Mr. Ar
thur Duncan's yacht by sight.
NO. sir" he said. 81 don't know
Mr.. Duncan, nor his boat. What's ner
name?"
"Ah! That | can't tell you," 7 re-
piled. 81 know she's a ten-tonner and
yawl, and that she was to be OK the
pier-head, but her name l don't know"
That's all right, sir" said the inan
reassuringly. she's there yet The
tides just on the turn. If you'll Slmp
in | can put you alongside o hei in
twenty minutes"
He was as good as his word but
though as soon as we We're within ear
shot of the yacht | hailed her with
lusty Duncan. ahoy!" no one came
on deck in response to my summons.
Il suppose my friend has gone ashore
perhaps to look for me-and has
taken his skipper with him. He must
have done so, because | see that the
dinghy's gone. Never mind I'll go
aboard and wait for him." Saying
which | scrambled from the skiff upon
the yachts deck paid the waterman,
and dismissed him.
AS | had been up very late the night
before, and the strong air of South
end had made me sleepy, decided to
go below and have nap. My first idea
was to make myself comfortable upon
one of the cushioned lockers in the
cabin, but, thinking to play a practical
Joke upon Duncan, | disposed myself,
instead, in the empty space under the
sleeping berth in the o'castle, covering
myself with some old tarpaulins which
had been bundled there-I suppose to
be out of the way. The cabin was cur
tanned off from the fo'castle by heavy
arrange the tarpaulins and the hang
ings so that | should be able to see
what took place when Duncan entered.
That done, | settled myself for a sleep.
from which was aroused by the bump
ing of boat against the yachts side.
There was a scuffiing sound, as of
somebody clambering Oh board. A
voice which | did not recognize said,
Here you are, boatman," and , gruft
'"Tank'ee, sir" was followed by,
"Wish you goodnight" as the boat
was showed off.
The dip of the oars had scarcely
died away before another voice, which
was unknown to me, hailed us from
the water: Sea Swallow, ahoy"
Sea Swallow, it is" said the man
on deck, and soon second boat grated
against the yachts side and put pas
senger on board.
l was now beginning to feel rather
uncomfortable. Should it turn out that
the yacht on which | had so fooishly
concealed myself was not my friends
craft, after all, | should look extremely
silly when called on to account for my
presence there. Hence | need scarcely
say that | awaited the advent of the
newcomers with considerable anxiety
anxiety which was not relieved by
the fact that, instead of coming below,
they remained on deck talking together
in tones so low that I could not catch
their words.
By-and-by one of the two said,
"Here's another dinghy" and soon a
third boat ran alongside of us, followed
not long after by fourth and fifth,
which arrived simultaneously
Then when a sixth, and finally a
seventh, had put a passenger on board,
voice which | had not before heard,
sail:
Come, gentlemen; let us get be-
low" The tone in which the words
were spoken seemed to imply a com
mand rather than a request, and was
certainly not that in which u host
would address his guests.
But whatever might be the relations
Between the speaker and the rest Of the