The National tribune., 1903-07-23

s.-S
i'amiico Sound.
Its an almighty wonder that they last
ed till we even got out of the river, said
Sam Leiferts, the engineer, as he and the
First Mate-Andy Greenville-reported
the fact to DIR. Brookes, and gathered
about him and the Deacon in obvious
consultation. Never saw such ram
shackle old collection of patched pipes and
| .cycIs i'll my life. The owners never
wanted her to get back, and old Billings
intended to lay her bones on the Ocracoke
sand-bars. for his friends, the Hatteras
wreckers to pick. He's skipped out to
| them now. There's not a meaner nest
Of beach-combins murderers and sea rob
bers from Halifax to the gates of burn
| ng brimstone.'
How i'll the world did he get in with
| themy' asked the Deacon. ''Of course,
he's thick with all the rascal push out in
| Injianry-but lnjiannys Il good way from
here
70, he's been East long enough for
| that answered Greenvile.
There's probably Il community among
| rogues just the same's there's a communI-
ty among saints reflected the Deacon.
| The children of the devil know each other
as quickly rs the children of light
"1f had my way Il lot of these shoddy-
ties who are numbering and drowning peo-
PIE to get rid of their old ratty tubs at
Il big price would be shot tomorrow morn
ing, said First Mate Andy Greenville
wrathfully. Its simply frightful the
things that are happening right along.
| Last week the Gen. Lyon burned up off
lIatteras, with nearly the whole of Il resi
mcnt that'd been clear through the war.
You heard about the explosion of the Sui
tana, on the Mississippi. with all those
prisoners from Andersonviile on board.
Every day something is happening with
these cd hulks. | said to myself when
| | looked ut this meas!y rattle trap that
Id rather take my chances with my old
regiment 1T the front, but orders are or
ders, and I'm taking them. now. since Eve
gone back to sailing, just as l used to i'll
| the army
Same here" said Engineer Lefferts.
who still limped from the wound which
caused his discharge. The men who own
| these vessels have no more souls than cata-
mounts. | said to myself as soon as
looked into the engine-room that I'd a
! heap rather go into Il fight than take her
| outside the banks. In the sound here 1t
| is as smooth sailing as Il mill pond, and
| my best hope was that we'd keep inside
and run up the sound to Oregon Inlet,
which would leave only about 50 miles to
run to Cape Henry, when we'd go inside
again. If we ran out through Hatteras
| IU!el, anu lTieu lO 20 iiOuuu Cdpe hat
| teras, our chances would be about as good
as those of an egg i'll load of brick
| bats" 1C nl
| What did you say the nature of your
breakdown ISL" asked DIR. Brookes.
IAN arm has broken. 1t looks to me
that it was put there to break, for the
crack is an old and bad one, and the arm
must have been put in before starting on
this last trip 1t is different piece of
| taI tha nf tho It
must We been picked up from somewhere
to be put in"
How long will it take you to repair
it?"
"A good while, I've got to drill through
the broken parts, and bolt brace on.
Sandy Baker and some of the other sol
diers are giving me what help they can,
which is u great deal, for Sandy Baker
knows more about machinery and tools
than all those dumb roustabouts put to-
gether, though they've been working
around an engine room all their lives, and
| this is the first time he was ever on a
ship"
.Werl. we're at least in no danger, lying
here" said the Assistant Surgeon. The
worst is the delay. Even if you can't re-
pair your engine We may signal some pass
ing steamer to take US in tow"
Don't be so sure" answered the First
Mate. 'Old Billings run her away over
toward Chicamacomico Island, clear out
Of the path and the sight of the usual route
of vessels. He said he was going to keep
her inside, and make for Oregon or New
Inlet. l agreed with him that it would
be safer than to go outside through Hat
teras Inlet. and go around Cape Hatteras,
as most of the vessels do. But that's
taken us away north-clear out of sight
Of their path. What's still WORSE, we're
entirely too near the reefs Of Chicama-
comco Island to be laying to without
power, with this northwest wind constant
ly drifting us nearer. And the wind seems
rising, too"
And we may drift on that land there?r
inquired the Deacon with a look at the
low, long line of Chicamacomico Island
which stretches its narrow barrier of sand
and stunted trees for so miles along the
North Carolina coast, to shut off the shall
low, quiet waters of Pamlico Sound from
the worldwide sweep of the turbulent At
lantic. you say that bad people live
over there?"
bad as they make EN-" said Engi
neer Lefferts. "Id liefer fall into the
hands of n tribe Of Comanches than theirs
The Comanches will sometimes take pris
oners, and there's a show of getting away
from them. But not them fellows over
!, there. They were bad enough before the
war. They've been wreckers and robbers
from Inelr great STiuuidlueTS uOWIJ anu
sea -rapscallions from everywhere flot ed
there Since then they've been reinforced
by deserters from the navy and convicts
escaping from the rebels, until IL you hung
every man over there you wouldn't put the
rope amiss single time A decent man
can't live among them. They're afraid ev'
cry minute he's alive that he'll peach or
EN-"
Were getting nearer the land" said
the Deacon. -"Even since we begun talk
ing we've come closer, for l can begin tc
make out the shapes of different trees
which / couldn't before"
The Engineer hurried down into the hold
to look after the progress Of the work
Sandy Baker and his assistants had made
. great progress. The holes had been drill
ed, and pieces Of wrought iron bent to the
required shape were ready to bolt on the
broken arm. This was done, the whistle
blown in gIadness, and the Fernando
, Wood started once more along the placid
waters Of Pamlico.
The gladness was only too brief, how
ever, for they. had not gone more than q
couple of miles when a pump-rod buckled
and it was getting into the afternoon when
the work Of replacing it with another was
finished, and the engines started again.
Next, an old patch on one Of the boilers
, started, and soon leaked so profusely that
there was no help for it but to draw the
fires, run off the water, and lot the boiler
cool, until man could 60 inside an6
tighten the rivets.
/ IL