The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-07-18
CHAPTER XII.

. THREE FOR TWENTY-SEVEN.
Nov, my lads" said Kettle, you've
got to hump yourselves. or we'll have
the steamer swamping beneath us. It'll
be touch and go anyway. Mr.. Cafnbel,
you'll have the deck sll to yourself, af-
ter you've done your job on the fore
hold, of course, and you'd better jump
lively after that at once. Every gill of
water tells now, and 1t strikes me if
we've very much more Of the Mexican
gulf on board the decks will blow up,
and she'll go down like kentledge bal
last" 'r. t"..
!, Cambel darted through the doorway.
And now, Mr.. Sullivan, understand
that, although still continue to rate
as skipper of this craft. for the present
I'm going to work as fireman and coal
trimmer. You will be chief engineer,
and I'm the sum total OF your crew,
and between us we've got to do the
work Of seven horses and one mule.
Are the bilge pumps clear?"
Yes. sor."
And has she still a good head of
steam?" .. ~.
"She has. Nones been blown Off"
"Then pick up your feet and let's go
to your hardware shop and start in
work"
."wait a bit. sor," said the donkey
man. There's things here I don't un-
dersetand. Aren't the lives of us In
beastly danger? Didn't them boats go
off because the steamers sinking?"
do you," retorted Kettle, consider
me one OF those fancy sort Of maniac
who have no wish to survive the loss
of a ship? tell you should have been
drowned eight times already If that
had been my lay. No, Mr.. Chief. Fair
fights right enough. and I'd stand up
to Nick In that and value my life at
less than rice mat. but at other times
you bet I'm no fool to chuck 1t away"
But" said the donkeyman, what
gets mes this: II the blooming steam
ers bottoms shot out, what's the fun in
messing with it? The Mexican gulf
will circulate through that hole longer
than our bilge pumps will run"
You tire me-" said the little man.
who said she'd her bottom blown out?
tell you this steamer was sunk few
plates below her usual trim-for rea-
sons-and now we are going to pull her
up again. See. here, new Mr.. Chief,
take the cinch from me and ask no
more questions. and you'll get told no
lies. lt'N pay you. If you do as you're
bid abroad of me, you'll have sover-
eigns enough given you to- work
through the biggest spree that was
ever spread out in a seaport town"
The big donkeyman appreciatively
drew the back of a hand across his
muzzle. "Ah, captain, dear" he said
y
mention a figure"
Call 1t two e10 notes."
Then, be Christopher, I'm yer man
for any piece of devilment in the call
endar. Come along, captain, dear. 'Tis
a melodious little man ye are, for all
they say against yez"
Y Meanwhile the steamer was becom-
ing more and more water logged with
every plunge and roll, and Patrick
Cambel feared that his dangerous
strategem for driving away the crew
had been carried too far. 1t seemed to
him impossible that they could salvage
her now. True, she was brought up to
the wind by the after canvas and her
rollings were not of such sickenfnx
strength, but the stern loomed high in
the wild night air, and the bows lunged
deep into every successive sea that
rolled UP from the stormy south, talk
ing the green water over the forecastle
head In masses which secured anchors
and windlass to the naked iron.
The wash found it's way below
through that Jagged gap in the lower
deck in crashing waterfalls. and every
moment, too, the opened valve beside
her keel was gushing in fresh gallons
to her swamping holds. Amy larger sea
which swept up now might we'll settle
over her solidly and launch her with
bursted decks onto the sponges and
the coral growths 100 fathoms below.
Some men, in the face OF such condi-
tions, would, have been amazed, help
less, physically incapable in the pres
ence of that solitude to making any
necessary effort, for 1t is one thing to
do desperate matter before the eyes
OF an applauding crowd and another
when the devil below is your only ap-
preciattve onlooker. 1t would have
been beyond the capabilities of Cap
tain Kettle, for instance. Cambel how
ever. was the one man in the million
to whom the adventure was as meat
and drink. II he succeeded, then the
profit was his. If he failed, death
would be useful to him, and anyway
there was the wild excitement of the
moment, which was a meal to be en-
joyed, and one which nothing could
snatch away.
Continued Next Week.)