Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-04-14

c.o 10Y Il time AID then ESSAY cd tie
IcrilouS passage q her stateroNi. She
found lcr maid and Il strwardeSs
there. Both women We're weeping
What IS the natter" she inquired.
The stcwar,irsS tried to speak. She
choh~l with grief and hastily went
out. The maid blubberei an explana-
ton.
a friend of hers was married. MISS,
10 the man who is drowned"
drowned, What MANI
Haven't You heard, miss? l sup
pose they are keeping 1t quiet. An
English sailor and some natives We're
sW"pt off the ship by sea. One native
WAS saved, but he IS all smashed up.
The others We're never seen again."
Iris 10y degrees learned the sad
chronicles Of the Jackson family. She
was moved to tears. She remembered
the doctors hesitancy and her own
idle phrase. "a huge coffin"
O@tside the roaring waves pounded
upon the iron walls
Two staterooms had been converted
into one to provide Miss Deane With
ample accommodation. There were no
ounksp but n coy bed was screwed to
The deck. She lay down and strove to
read. 1t was IL difficult task. Her
Eyes wandered from the printed page
to mark the absurd antics Of her gar
mentS swinging on their hooks. At
times the ship rolled so far that she
PaIt In
not afraid. hut subdued. rather aston
Ehcd, placidly prepared for vague
eyentualitieS
Things were ridiculous. What need
was there for all this external fury :?
Why should poor sailors be cast forth
to instant death in such awful man.
ger? If she could only sleep and for
eet-if kind oblivion would blot out the
storm for few blissful hours! But
how could one sleep with the conscious
ness Of that Watery giant laundering
his summons upon the iron plates Il
few inches away?
Then came the blurred picture Of Cap
tain Ross high up on the bridge peer
Ing into the moving blackness. How
strange that there should be hidden in
the convolutions of a mans brain an
Intelligence that laid bare the pre-
lenses Of that ravenOus demon without.
Each Of the ships officers, the COM
mander more than the others, under
stood the why and the wherefore Of
this clustering combination of wind
and sea. Iris knew the language Of
poker. Nature was putting up huge
bluff.
Oh, dear. She was so tired. 1t de-
Inanded physical effort to constantly
shove away an unseen force that tried
to push you over. How funny that a
big cloud should travel up against the
wind! And so, amid confused Won
derment. she lapsed into an uneasy
slumber, her last sentient thought be-
Ing quiet thankfulness that the
screw went thud, thud, thud, thud,
with such determination.
After the course was changed and
the Sirdar bore away toward the south
west the commander consulted the ba-
rometer each half hour. The telltale
mercury had sunk over two inches III
twelve hours. The abnormally low
pressure quickly created dense clouds,
which enhanced the melancholy dark
ness Of the gale.
For many minutes together the bows
of the ship were not visible. Masthead
and side lights were obscured by the
pelting scud. The engines thrust the
vessel forward like q lance into the
vitals Of the storm. Wind and wave
gushed out Of the vortex with impo-
tent fury.
At last soon after midnight the ba-
rometer showed slight upward move
ment. At 100 q. M. the change became
pronounced. simultaneously the wind
swung round point to the westward.
Then Captain Ross smiled YEARLY.
His face frightened. He opened his
oilskin coat, glanced ut the compass
and nodded approval. Then he turned
to consult a chart. He was Joined by
the chief officer. Both men examined
the chart in silence.
Captain Ross finally took q pencil.
He stabbed its point on the paper In
the neighborhood of IA degrees north
and 112 degrees east.
I'VE are about there. I think"
The chief agreed. THAT was the To-
cality I had in my mind" He bent
closer over the sheet.
Nothing in the way tonight, SIR" he
added.
Nothing whatever. 1t is a bit Of
good luck to meet such weather here.
We can keep as far south as we like
until daybreak, and by that time.
How did it look when you came in?"
"A trife better, think"
Il have sent for some refreshments.
Let us have another look before we
tackle them"
The two officers passed out into the
hurricane. Instantly the wind endeav-
Ored to tear the chart house from of
the deck. They looked aloft and ahead.
The officer on duty saw them and nod
ded silent comprehension. 1t was use
less to attempt to speak. The weather
was perceptibly clearer.
Then all three peered ahead again.
They stood. pressing against the wind.
oesAiu6 " pcuclTdlc Tue uuTklucSS IN
front. Suddenly they were galvanized
into strenuous activity.
A wild howl came from the lookout
forward. The eyes Of the three men
glared at huge dismasted Chinese
junk wallowing helplessly in the
trough Of the sea dead under the bows.
The captain sprang to the chart house
and signaled In fierce pantomime that
the wheel should be put hard over
The officer in charge of the bridge
pressed the telegraph lever to stop
and full speed astern." while with his
disengaged hand he pulled hard at the
siren cord, and raucous warning sent
stewards flying through the ship to
close collision bulkhead doors. The
"chief" darted to the port rail, for the
Sirdar's instant response to the helm
seemed to clear her nose from the
junk as II by magic
1t all happened so quickly that while
the hoarse signal was still vibrating
through the ship the junk swept past
her quarter. The chief officer, Joined
now by the commander, looked down
Into the wretched craft. They could
see her crew dashed in q bunch around