Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-03-11

Steward md me Just tried t. wake
'em up" the engineer went on. Nd
the mates past talking still.'
: Il reckon it nd do us heap Of good
to have a drink of that same" growled
sailor, with avidity.
mo you don'tr' yelled the bos'n. dis
tractedly. mo liquor for you. Amt
we 'ad enough?"
1.-THE pits wide open for them guz-
zlers,' said the engineer in chilly rage.
'The old man was a good sort till the
mate got a-hold of him. The mate
always was bad one, anyhow"
$50 he was" assented the bosn.
''The old man always stuck right by
him, though. Always held him his
job. Always stood between him and
the fellows ashore that wanted to fire
him. Always said he was a smart
seaman. and never let ON to the own
ers that he drank Now he's got his
pay, and we're drawing it along of
him. Look at thatr'
The group looked as the bos'n
sprang to the aid of the man at the
Wheel A huge boiling wave rose
straight up put of the ocean and
scared in black majesty while the
Oracle Jordan wallowed helplessly
and her emptied sail Slated tiselessly.
Still obedient to her helm the little
steamer turned sullenly to mount this
precipice of water. She thrust her
nose into its huge flank, and then, as
the weight of it throttled her, the men
in the pilot house threw themselves
together on the wheel and chung
there.
The bos'n was the first to get back
his power of speech. Were going
ashorep' he shouted.
The engineer looked a question, and
sailor tossed him an explanation
"That was a breaker in shallow wa
ter"
AS they waited for the next, while
the engineer yelled down the engine
room speaking tube, the door leading
from the cabin opened. 1t showed the
gray, sodden face of the mate. They
did not greet him. He stepped slowly
in, and they saw that he was wiring
ing wet. He slid across the deck to
the plunge of the ship and pushed his
face out of the window. The day had
come in gloom, and the gray mist and
driving scud shut all view few yards
from the side. From the welter to
windward rose another wall of hiss
ing water and fell crashing on the
decks of the Oracle Jackson. The
mates face flushed and he dragged
the men, thrown down by the impact,
to their feet. Then he seized the wheel
and motioned to the engineer to APP
proach. "Steamw he ordered, thick
ly. Were goin' ashore:.'i Steamw
The throb. of the engines changed
to a steady beat, and the steamer
found herself for an instant. The
mate handed the wheel over to the
bos'n and sailor and tore off his
jacket and shirt till he stood before
them naked to the waist. Then jump
ing between them with Numbered
order he drove the spokes around and
the Oracle bucked over a low, scud-
ding wave that had sucked her down
till the brine dubbed in over the sill
of the pilot house doors.
For an hour the steamer held her
own under the awakened skill and
strength of the mate. Then something
in the engine room clattered and
crashed; a cloud of steam whirled up
from the after skylight The coaster
rolled helplessly in the trough of the
sea. Almost Immediately the engin-
eer, followed by his assistant and a
couple of firemen, tumbled on deck
and scampered for shelter. "Wheel
gone and engines lifted cylinder
heads off," explained the engineer,
wiping his eyes with piece of waste.
God ha' mercy on us"
But the half naked mate was for
ward with lis men getting more sail
set. The effort was vain, for a few
minutes later a heavy sea swept her
fore and aft, tossed her skyward and
let her fall into q turmoil of broken
water that foamed over the rail. A
long line of crested breakers rose from
the sea and hurried her, pelted her,
thrust her toward the invisible shore.
She struck, and the masts and fun
mel toppled to leeward. Under the
mates directions the crew set to work
to free boat dashed on the forward
deck With a mighty effort they fin
ally cleared it, lifted it to the rail, and
by the aid of a floating wave launched
it. half full of water The fog was
rent for an instant by the blast Of the
gale. and they saw stretching from
the reef on which the Oracle Jackson
was pounding smooth sheet of wa
ter rolling gently shoreward from the
caldron of the breakers. The mate
pointed to it. They understood. AS
the coaster settled heavily again OF
the bottom, the sailors. led by the Ell
gineer. tumbled into the boat, one by
one. The mate yelled to them to pull
away The answer was a cry: "Tht
skipper" He caught its purport anC
disappeared in the saloon companion
way Squatting on the rocking deck
the captain idiotically watched the
antics of big saltcellar rolling about
before him as the steamer wailowed
When the mate entered he looked up
and then his eyes reverted to the
frollicking piece of ware on the with
ing deck. A gap opened in the plank:
and the water sucked through Mostly
Another strain of the wreck and The
gap yawned wider and the saltcellal
was swallowed up. The old mar
watched with fascinated eyes.
The mate shook him roughly by thu
shoulder. An oath answered him. HI
dragged the drunkard to his feet ant
held him swaying there till boil
lurched dizzily to the deck. The mat,
got up again and strove to put Iif,
| into his superior. Then in his passion
he shrieked in the dull ears the trutl
of their state.
The captain mumbled and his face
| took on the livid complexion of terror
Then Keeling to the steps he scrambled
IL.