The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-21
PART I.


gin with, she wore the red, white and
blue of Uncle Sans Quartermasters
Department on her two big buff fun
pels and flew the British ensign.
The greatest incongruity of the
whole outfit was that of the ships
captain and his first mate. The cap
tain was an ex-Royal Navy officer OF
the frequent bluff beefy, seagomg
type, with voice like sea lion an
a hand like the fiuke of a whale.
The mate, on the other hand, i'm
pressed me as being the mongrel
strain of two fine breeds. 1t was not
easy to form an idea of what nation
atty he belonged to. One Instructive
ly felt him to be a type without being
able to say what. Some thought that
he was an Egyptian, others Mongol,
a few sized him up as q down East
Yankee. Whatever he might be. he
certainly possessed all of the ear
marks of gentleman both in appear
ance and behavior. 1 never knew
of but one person that gagged him
correctly for what he was, and that
was myself.
TO one who had made the study of
arthropology that 1 had the man was
absorbingly interesting both mentally
and physically. He stood about six
feet in heigh and might have weighed
early in the morning taking a bath
s under the deck hose. and noticed that.
when standing naturally, his arms
hung well clear of his hips, reminding
one of the figures of the men pictured
in Egyptian hieroglyphics.
His face was the most sinister that
have ever seen on any man, savage
or civilized. The hair. straight coarse
and black, typically Indian, was
brushed away from brow broad and
intelligent enough but carved straight
across without the slightest Supercil-
larry arch Underneath a pair Cf heavy
brows there shone a pair of cold me-
tallic eyes as fierce and unblinking as
an eagles. His nose was aquiline ana
kcenly chiseled, and his mouth, thin
Tipped and compressed, was cut
straight across his face like cash.
The mans actions were as striking
as his appearance. He seemed in
capable of slowness or elaboration.
Once i saw him reach for a loose roll
of marlin stuff that was lying on the
deck at the same time that one of the
sailors stopped to pick it un. The rope
was off the deck, thrown into the
bosun's chest near by and Mcl<im on
his way aft before the sailor had
Strengthened his back again.
One could see at a glance that the
transport captain hated the sight of
the mate, having, no doubt, the usual
British navy suspicion and dislike or
anything that acted Independently AMI
of it's own volition. The captain was
forever growing and fault-finiing, and
/ often wondered just what effect it
had upon the mate, for his face was
as immobile as a mask, and he would
simply salute and get to work to rem
edy the matter. The clash which l
,plainly saw was imminent came at
last, and in a most remarkable mar
ner
The captain was just finishing his
morning inspection of the ship, made
in company with the quartermaster,
captain, doctor and aids. AS they came
through the forward alleyway to
reach the deck he noticed a small
puddle of water formed by the con-
densation of the moisture on a wafer
pipe overhead.
The mate was standing by the star
board bits at the foot of the COM
paniOnway leading to the deck above.
"Mr. McKim" growled the captain.
The mate was at his side in three
quick steps.
'Why don't you keep the water off
the deck? What dye think this is
a fiShin' smack or a Sound coaster?"
"You don't want the pipe parcelled,
so il can't be helped, sir" replied the
mate. He said cant with the broad
Maine accent. 1.-THE pipes cold and
the airs hot, so the waters bound to
CONDENSED"
"Ho!-very interestin'!" sneered the
captain "Well, mister mate, l want
10 tel, ye that it will be helped, by
-, or the deck IL be gettin' as
rotten as the crew. Get out the Way!
He stepped across the puddle, and
the mate leaned back against the
bulkhead to give him room to pass,
Whether it was by accident or design
1 do not know, although | suspect the
latter but the burly brute of a skip
per, although the ship was steady
and there was plenty of room, deiib-
erately planted his great heavy-soled
boot on the mates instep. at the same
time brushing him roughly with his
elbow.
heard a low soft gurgle-the
sound of a cat when stroked-ani
saw the mates hands flash up to the
captain's waist just above the belt. 1t
simply looked as though he had
grasped him instinctively TO take the
weight from off his foot but the next
instant there was below OF pam ana
fright that fairly shook the deck. and
the captain came lurching through
the door and reeled over against the
rail-. The high color had left MS lace,
and it was drawn and tense.
INV God!" he gasped; my Cod!
/ turned to him instantly, and no
ticed that his shirt on both SIDES OF
his body was blood-soaked. glanced
for a moment toward the mate; ms
hands were hanging empty at ms
sides. and his face was eXpresslon!eSs'
but Just for an instant L caught the
fiat red CLEAN in both eyes. The cap
tain was getting paler, and the per
SEPARATION stood out on his face IN
beads. I pulled up his shirt ana 70
nv astonishment found not the cut
that l expected, but a great sem-clr-
cular tear through skin and adlpose.
The mate had torn the nesh apart
with his hands!
No one seemed to know just what
course to take in the matter. The ac-
ton was so grotesquely inhuman that
if didn't seem to fall under any deh-
mite Jurisdiction, SO the captain quar-
termaster decided to let the matter
drop until we reached Manila ana
then ship a mate more canny in ms
actions.
The next day I was leaning on the
rail watching the little flying fsh
scattering out under the bows, Wneh
I was conscious of a light tread pc
a