The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-04-15

OF smoke ceased to blow from heI
slender funnel and two sails were Sc
TO give her Storage way. Thus she
swung drunkenly on her unknown
course, staggering, pitching, reeling
through the beaded seas. Afternoon
dlmmed into dusk; swirling fog anC
wind wreathed her and smothered hel
I'LL the men at the wheel craned thei1
necks in vain to catch a glimpse OF
! the waves that roared in the darkness
or loaned over the rail and beat her
dumbly down till the crew chung diz-
lilly to each other, and swore blasphe-
mously that they had seen their last
dawn.
Night blanketed the ocean and
Knocked the scanty beams of the lights.
The waterC stream poured hoarsely
through the whistle as the bos'n pulled
the cord in dread Of an answer from
the invisible. The gale rose and thun-
dered in the sails till the rigging taut-
ened to the breaking point. The en-
gineer stood by the helmsman and
prayed that he might be spared again
to hear the throb of his engines in
the ships bowels. Other times he
exhorted his assistant to keep up
steam enough for the whistle and
pumps. Then when the strain was
30 great they suddenly fell to talk
ing shrilly. In the end they started
the engines again, and by the aid of
headsail kept the almost uncontrol-
liable steamer from falling into the
trough and laundering. cts all off
4 we don't make some port might"
said the engineer when the dawn glim-
mered. M GOALS almost gone, an m
engines r lettering on tn plates, md
tn DRINKS re drurkeener n ever"
1--WE ought "a throwed the liquor
over the side,h mumbled the bos'n
through lips bleeding from the sting
ing brine. II thought they were too
full TO lush any more"
Steward md me just tried t. wake
'em up" the engineer went on. end
the mates past talking STILL"
II reckon it 'ud do us a heap of good
" nave vi lin VI llldl Sdule, SIOWleu
a sailor, with avidity.
"No you don'tr yelled the bos'n. dis
mo liquor for YOU Amt
we 'ad enough?"
'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 a bad one. anyhow"
$50 he was" assented the bos'n.
"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 that!'
The group looked as the bos'n
sprang to the aid of the man at the
wheel. A huge boiling wave rose
straight up out of the ocean and
scared in black majesty while the
Oracle Jordan wallowed helplessly
and her emptied sail Slated uselessly
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. "We're going
ashorer' he shouted
The engineer looked a question, and
q 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 weller 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. Steam he ordered, thick
ly. Were goin' ashore. 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