The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-11-06
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:: !" The Raiding Of :.
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$ Donna ClOtilde :: ::
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BY OUICLlFFE HYNE ~ ~ y


like parcel of cats as the ropes rem
dered through them, there was a shrill
whistle from the officer of the watch,
and half a dozen men from various
parts of the decks came bounding
along to interfere.
Captain Kettle let go both falls to
overhaul as they chose and picked up
greenheart Delaying pin out of the pin
rail and stood on the defensive. But
the forward fall liinked and jammed,
and, though the little man fought like
a demon to keep off the watch till he
got it clear, they were too many for.
him and drove him to the deck by
sheer weight of numbers. He had
cracked one mans forearm in the scuf-
fle, laid open another's face and
smashed in the front teeth of a third,
and they were rather inclined to treat
him roughly, but the red haired skip
per came up and by sheer superior
strength picked him up, kicking and
struggling, and hustled him off below,
whether he liked it or no.
The lifeboat dangled, half swamped,
from the forward davit tackle, and all
hands had to be piped before they
could get it on board again, and by
the time they had completed this job
there was another matter handy to oc-
cupy their attention. A fireman came
up from below, white faced and trem-
bling.
'"The yachts half full of waterw he
said.
Now that their attention was called
to it they noticed the sluggish way she
rode the water.
"She must have started a plate or
something" the fireman went on ex-
citedly. 1--WE got both bilge pumps
running, and they won't look at it.
The waters coming in like sluice."
Carpenter" sang out the red haired
man, ''come below with me and see if
we can find anythingH' And he led the
way to the companion. Between decks
they could hear the water stopping
about under the flooring 1t seemed
bad, an almost hopeless, case.
Instinctively the red haired man went
to his own room to pocket his valua-
OiCS, anu NY q CulACC AC WAS luOFGu "
lift up the door of the floor which COW
cred the bath beneath it. All, there
was the mischief! The sea cock which
filled the bath was turned on to the
full, and the iron tub was gushing wa
ter on every side. The next stateroom
was empty, but the bath cock there
was also turned on to the full, and aft
OninO rOI1n6 tho shin nd Evol
tering Kettles room (and covering him
with a revolver) and turning off his
water supply he found that the sea
had been pouring inboard from no less
than eight separate apertures.
"And this is your work, you little
devil, I supposew said the red haired
man savagely.
Certainly" said Captain Kettle.
"Shoot me if you like, put me ashore if
you choose, but don't grumble If you
find me deuced ugly passenger I'm
not in the habit of being made to travel
where don't wish"
That afternoon Kettle contriyed to
set the yacht afire in three separate
places, and good deal of damage was
done (and night had fallen agaim be-
fore the scared crew managed to extin-
guish the flames, and this time Donna
Clotilde interviewed. She asked for Ket-
ties parole that he would attempt no
further mischief and when this was
fatty refused incontinently put him in
irons. The lady was somewhat tigerish
in her affections
A second time Captain Kettle man.
aged to get the yacht in blaze at the
imminent peril of immolating himself,
and then, from lack of further oppor-
tunity to make himself obnoxious. Law
quiet in his lair till such time as the
yacht would of necessity go into harbor
to coal. The exasperated crew would
cheerfully have murdered him if they
had been given the chance, but Donna
Clotilde would not permit him to be
harmed. She was young woman who
up to this had always contrived to have
her own way, and she firmly believed
that she would tame Kettle in time.
When the yacht passed the straits,
she had only four days more coal on
board. and the executive (and Kettle)
expected that she would go into Gil
braltar and lay alongside a hulk to re-
bunker. But Donna Clotilde had other
notions. She had the yacht run down
the Morocco coast and brought to an
anchor. So long as she had Captain
Kettle in her company upon the wa
tiers she did not vastly care whether
she was moving or at a standstill
You cannot escape me here" she
said to him when the cable had roared
from the hose pipe and the dandy
steamer had swung to a rest. "The
yacht is victualed for a year, and 1
can stay here as long as you choose.
You had far better be philosophical
and give in. Marry me now, and liking
will come afterward."
Kettle looked at the tigerish love and
resentment which blazed from her
black eyes and answered with cold po-
likeness that time would show what
happened, though, to tell the truth, in
dOmitable though he was as a general
thing, he was at that time feeling that
escape was almost impossible. And so
for the while he more or less resigned
himself to captivity.
Under the baking blue of a Mediter-
ranean sky this one sided courtship