The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-02-23

He stood with three others in a
space ten feet wide, partitioned off
by uprights from the adjacent spaces.
In front of the animals was stout
"headboard," running between the up
rights about three feet above Ine
deck. In this headboard were bored
four holes, through which passed the
ropes tied around the necks of the
cattle. The care of the animals in
this section of the ship had been en-
trusted to paid man" Sandy Vita
ers under whom were Cranston and
four green hands.
It was midnight and the storm had
abated considerably, although the sea
ran as high as ever. Half the cat
tlemen were off duty and asleep. A
single sentinel was patroling each
deck with lantern, the ships cleo
trio light plant being. temporarily dis
abled. Cranston, after three hours
of sleep, was coming down to relieve
Witaers, who had been in charge of
the lowest deck for that period AS
the college man started to descend
the ladder yell rose below. 4Aere
was clatter of hoofs. Withers came
scrambling up the iron rounds, his
right sleeve hanging in shreds and
the blood running freely from a long
cash in his arm.
'"The black steers loose!" he pant
ed. Gust as got by him ne jumped
his headboard and chased me to the
foot of the ladder. Until he's tied
up or shot / don't go down on that
deck again for any man.
AS sWithers had passed, swinging
his lantern, the animal had flung it's
head violently down. His mead rope,
already frayed by its constant chat
ing against the Sharp edge of the
hole bored in the headboard, snapped
off, leaving only it's loop hanging
about his neck An instant later he
had leaped over the plank in front
of him, a mere trifEe for SO active
beast, and was after the cattle
man, who escaped up the ladder with
the loss of his lantern and with the
ugly wound in mis- arm.
A little group of men gathered
round the black opening that led to
the lowest deck. They knew the
steer must be captured, but no one
was eager to go down into the dark
ness to quell the mad brute on the
Keeling deck Presently the foreman
came hurrying up, limping from a
strain received that afternoon. He
had been reused from a sound sleep
and was in bad humor.
steer loose, eh?" he growled.
Whose lot does he belong top
"Witners', SIR" volunteered man
from another deck.
Then why doesn't Withers take
his men and tie him up?" snarled the
foreman.
Withers displayed his injured arm,
and reiterated his determination not
to be found below until the beast was
secured Cranston stepped forward.
IF somebody will go with me,
believe the two of us can catch the
steer" he said
Another member of the squad, an
English sailor called by his mates
Yorkshire Jenny" offered to accom-
pany him. The foreman gladly
availed himself of the services of the
two men, and supplied each with a
small coil of rope.
The passage through which the
steer was ranging was seventy-fivc
feet long and barely four feet wide.
On it's left ran row of cattle spaces;
on it's right were two piles of baled
hay and one of corn sacks, with pens
for about twenty animals; while at
it's ends and in the middle, narrow
alleys led off at right angles to the
other side of the ship. At each end
also was a short iron ladder con-
Meeting the decks.
Remember you've got an ugly
brute to deal with" said the fore
man.
Cranston took the forward lad
der, while the Yorkshireman started
for the one aft Each had made a
slip moose in his rope. They took
no lanterns, for these would have
shown the animal their whereabouts
and made him more dangerous and
difficult to capture. 1t was to be a
contest in the dark. They planned
to creep quietly upon the steer, one
before and one behind, and entangle
him in the ropes before he realized
what was afoot.
The two were soon at their sta
tons on the lower deck at each end
of the passage. The gale was shrek
ing down the ventilators, making such
a tumult below that it was hardly
possible to hear anything.
Very cautiously Cranston began to
creep aft along the passage, stick
ing close to the left wall and strain
ing his eyes to pierce the gloom.
From the other enc Jenny was ap.
preaching in the same way.
Without warning, not ten feet in
front of the American, came below
that echoed above the roar of the
storm. The steer had CHANGED to be