The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-07-12
The PIunderers.
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GA Go(es another esans WORK taNt
gang. aeigh hot See that .suc ot saEt
WE'RE bringing over the lea quarter
'sThe rortugas r'
The Dry Tortugas. There's a Yam.
kae convict station on one OF thSah'
Don't mention X
Kettle g~rinnaG. Nye SHALL have Iiade
enough westing soon, and then L
! course viii De pretty nearly due north.
SO as to dodge the gulf stream as much
as possible. and" he added In a lower
tone. TO set the ship as near as may
be to your channel into Florida before
we ~jettison the crew
We shall run into the ship tracks
from sill the northern gulf ports to
Europe"
chance OF not being spotted. For a
western there's a regular string OF
traffic trailing down to the Dry Tortu-
! gas. There you are for one. LOOK at
tat old wind janlmer.'
Ete jerked with his thumb toward a
green pdlllleO NooGSG 4bSliAsti
| which vas srulkteting past less than
a quarter - d mile away, eight athwart
| the last rays of the windy sunset. She
was driving 1nsrrily homeward, send
ing her bows into it until the seas
| creamed against her catheads ana
darkening her jibs with brine up more
than half their height. She was me-
thodically REDUCING sail. and a dozen
many hued picturesque tatterdemallons
were aloft on the foretopgallant yard
| harnmering the struggling canvas INTO
the gaskets.
The cowardly Dagos," said Kettle.
That's always their way. Snug down
to topsails as soon as it gets dark, even
IL there's only a catspaw blowing. BY
| James, with a breeze like this I'd be
carrying royals on that old tub. And
yet" he went on, with his beard in the
heel of his fist and his eyes gazing
| out over the tumbling waters. and yet
they say there used to be poetry in a
craft of that sort. while there was
never and never Will be with a steamer.
I suppose the reason is that a poet has
to be a mar who knows nothing what
ever about what he writes upon. l
know that some chaps who string verse
nowadays have been on a steamboat
and smelled the smells of her and
seen her lines and watched the men
who do the work, and yet they make
no poetry about it. But of the old
crew who wrote about moaning harbor
bars. and fair white pinions and lusty
wooden walls, and trusty hearts of
oak, why. they knew no more about
the thing than a London bobby does
of angels. And that, l suppose, was
Why their stuff is called poetry and the
lubberly old wind tanners poetical.
You give me a smart steamboat. Mr..
| Cambel. There's all the romance on
her an old sailorman's got any use for,
and he understands it, too, even II he
can't put it down on paper"
81 believa you're right" said Cambel
thoughtfully, and some day a new
Dana. or a new Michael Scott will come
ashore from the upper bridge, or from
an electric lighted ~forecastle, or a
forced draft engine room, and show
it to us plainly, w~hereupon we shall
swear that we saw it for ourselves all
along. Rut,' he went on, with a sud
den frown, for the present let that
drift. You and I have enough to think
of in our w immediate present with
out specializing over a possible prophet
which is to rise"
ranged by lhe chance of the ONE
that l don't see we can do much gooe
by talking it over now. All arrange
ments that can be made ahead, I fancy
we've got fixed up already. By the
way, I suppose you are sure that YOU
explosion in the forehold won't be too
big. 1t would be an awkward do fol
us if the old ships bottom was reall,
blown out in sober earnest"
The u had gone entirely out alto
gether, and the young moon was sail
ing high amid scurrying cloud banks
In the white and shifting light Patricl
Cambel's face looked pale and anxious
You're sure" Kettle repeated, ii
won't be q case of the engineer beini
l,o;-+oj r.;th Ijs own tNjJo crJy m M ~
NO, I'm not sure, and that's VIVA
bothers me. You see one couldn'
quite get an expert to measure out tn
precise necessary dose, and I've had t
guess at it. I daren't u~ndercharge M
bomb. IF our explosion was a fizzl
why, then they'd take her up to Ne'
Orleans whether we liked it or not, an
she'd be examined. Then that intak
valve couldn't be missed, II 1t could
!, MT be explained away. Man, as yo
know, the things as big as a sluie
gate"
: Mexico couldn't make Roadway again.
. that valve once it was fairly opene
It's the quickest and cleverest way
: scuttling a steamboat / ever heard
;, or read about. But I don't quite S,
7 how the valve is going to be turned
You leave that to me"
You seem used to the game sa
Kettle, with a half sneer.
no, I'm not" returned the 9th
- quickly. i've never had my fingers
e anything so ugly or dirty before. al
~ because 1 don't want to have the e
- pericnce over again Pm going to ma
This turn to a big profit or get kin
in the trying. I'm tired and sick of tt
Wild bucketing life. A woman dro
=, me to it, but / believe If I hau
- means to settle down in comfor nov
). could forget all about her n wa
UP other new interests"
h "NNell.' sad Kettle, II hope we NJ
"a each of us buy a farm out Of II
racket, but I tell you straight I'm I
If oversweet en- the chances. To bee
....th, you and / can't handle t
. steamboat slor.e. It's an absolute c.
ST taintv we must nave another hand
ut help us. You'll have to take the VIII
We ana pilot her through, if you c
though that's a mighty big job for {
10 man, and the odds are about ten to {
you'll pile her up somewhere. I've
40 TO be below. AT a pinch l might Or
n the engines. though l don't know M
or of the trade, but l can do that {
st fire six two-hoie boilers and WI
"a Goals out Of the bunkers as We'll. n
I think the donke ynan is the chap
want. He understands his way alb
e's down there, he's as strong asa wiz
IS, and I fancy he knows which side
ed biscuits margarined."