The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-10-04

him as to the course to be laid, himself
-hurriedly inspected ship. With the aid
OF the other deck hand he quickly re-
moved from bow to stern everything
that had weight. Then he and the
deck hand and fireman, with some aid
from the engineer, proceeded to shovel
the coal supply from it's bunkers for.
ward of the fire room into the cap
tain's cabin aft of the furnaces.
This done, the tug no longer ran her
PROV into and under the tremendous
seas, but rode over them instead, ship
ping no further water. -..u.
Then Duncan returned to the pilot
house and few minutes later reached
the imperiled fleet Of coal barges.
There havoc had already begun.
Three barges had gone down, and two
men had been drowned. The rest of
the barges were riding so uneasily that
their seams We're opening, and the wa
ter that must presently swamp them
was finding it's insidious way through
their sides and bottoms.
When the tug appeared all the men
on board the coal barges clamored
p1teously to be taken off at once.
Stand to your duty, men!' shouted
Duncan. Don't be towards! Do your
part Of the work, and We'll save all Of
you and all the coal! Only obey orders
promptly, and I'll be responsible for
the rest! Go to the pumps and an
swer every command promptly!"
He then ordered flaming torches kim
died on every barge, and in the light
thus created he was able to tow one
after another of the coal boats into that
harbor Of safety in which the tug cap
tain should have moored them during
the day before, the men meanwhile
pumping to keep the water down.
Then, with his clothing drenched and
frozen stiff upon him, he steered the
tug back to her landing place through
the now receding storm.
Kennedy, the tug captain, was there,
waiting. AS Duncan came ashore Ken
nedy said menacingly:
IF get my discharge for this I'll
prosecute you for plotting without a
license"
The ice incased and half frozen
young man made no reply. He SIM
ply hurried ashore
AS he mounted to the top of the levee,
though it was only little after day
light, Duncan encountered Captain
Will Hallam, who stood there waiting
for him.
go to the hotel" said the employer.
eve ordered piping hot bath for you
there and blazing wood fire. There's
nothing like wood fire after chill
ing such as you've had. When you get
good and warm go to bed. When you
wake naturally telegraph to the Office
for me, and We'll breakfast together.
I've ordered the breakfast The hotel
keeper thinks it will bankrupt him or
make his fortune to furnish it, but that
doesn't matter. Get warm and get
some sleep. Sleep as long as you can"
II don't think care for Sleep" an
swered the half frozen and wholly ex-
hausted young man. But would you
mind sending Dutch John to me at the
hotel? I'd like to have him rub me
down with some Turkish towels after
my hot bath. Tell him I have a dollar
for him if he rubs me well''
"That fellow is certainly a new
brand" muttered Captain Hallam to
himself as he walked away up the
levee, "but ne's triple X for endur-
ance and modesty and courage and
all the rest Of it, What a fighter he
must have been! I'd like to see him in
a hot battle if were bullet proof my
self. I'll bet bonds to brickbats he got
all the fight there was in them out of
his men. But why doesn't he look out
for his own interests, I wonder? I'm
still paying him the salary on which he
began. Any other man in my employ
who could have done one-tenth of what
he has done would have made me pay
three times as much by this time. But.
~ "a