The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-07-04
CHAPTER VIII.
GROUND BAIT.

u
north about" course--that is, she
headed across south Of the banks of
| Newfou ddland nearly to Cape Hatteras
and then braved the three knot current
| Of the gulf stream by passing down the
| Florida channel on the western side Of
| the Bahamas. They had carried good
weather with them-light head breezes
! or calms-all the way, and although
Goals were dear, owing to a strike, and
the days outlay was limited to twen-
| ty-eight tons by order, the steamer
usually averaged 10h knots despite the
unslIillfulness Of the engine room staff
In canvas chair on the bridge deck
under thu lee of the fiddle sat Patrick
| Canibnl with q pipe between his teeth
and Pierre Lofts "Eantome dOrient'
in his lap. He was distinctly idling.
i For the moment he was wondering
how, from so transparently blue sea,
the spray which jumped from the wave
trests could be colorless and Opaque
| Then by following with the eye a
| tangle of yellow gulf weed which hoat-
ed Just past his attention was carried
away to some little gray spouts of fog
which told of whales and their calves
taking a summer outing in the milk
warm waters Of the south. Beyond his
eye fell upon one. of the screw pile
! lighthouses with which the United
States government mas fringed the
| Florida shoal, and on the far horizon
spouted the wind thrashed tops OF some
| scat cred cabbage palms, which told
! that there. at least the shallow sea was
sea no more. At the back of these
! palms lay the mysterious shelter of the
| Everglades.
A thought passed through Patrick
| CambCfs mind, q thought Of tho drama
! TO be played under shelter Of those re-
cesses within the next few days, and he
frownel. He thrust the thought from
| him as en-. impertinence and turned
again to his novel. But he was des-
tined just then to read no more from
| that dainty vlgnette of Stampool
| Through the grating Of the fiddle
hEDove his head came a frightened
Shout, tnen chorus, then a prolonged
Clattcring IS iron tools were thrown on
The floor plates and the boots OF
scared mtn smOte the rungs Of the
| ladders
CaInbel gave a quick smile to him
self as though he understood some
! thing, then mounted lock of concern
on his face, and getting up from his
chair crossed TO port and strode up to
the break OF the bridge deck The
| captain, coming out of the c!Iarthouse,
| joined Kim. From the door Of the al
leyway beneath them rushed a crowd
of frightened mGn-trimmers stokers,
stripped to tt waist; engineers in
dungarGc, all the hu,1e contents Of
the lowest hold. Kettle singled out
the chief with his eye and addressed
him with sour irony.
Afternoon, Mr.. McFee. Fine, isn't
it, for the time of the year? Have your
ours forgotten they're paid to work this
steamboat up Mississippi river to a
city called New Orleans, or have they
induced the other watch to go below
and give them a spell?"
"Guid God, sir, dinna jest!" replied
1.-THE chief. "Ye remember what yon
scoundrel said on Liverpool dock wall
Weel, he's been as guild as his words,
sir. We've found an Internal machine
already"
"well?" drawled Kettle.
Man we may be blowed to the sea
floor any minute"
Sea whisky! Sea grandmother"
| Man, sir, see with your own cen.
BY Gods guild mercy the donkeyman
picked II from among the Goals, or
we'd be with him this moment--or with
the deevil."
Hand it UP here" the skipper COM
manded shortly. .
The buriy donkeyman, half grinning,
half afraid, came up the iron steps and
\ handed the captain a box painted to
look like a knob of coal. 1T was
ticking when ! picked ii up, sir" he
said, but when I handled 1t the tick
Ing stopped"
The captain took the thing in his
hand. 1t started on a fresh cluck
cluck. and the grimy men on the iron
decks below bumped their shoulders
as though to better receive a blow
and began to shuttle away toward the
bows. "oh, it may be something dan
gerous," said Captain Kettle and hove
his burden over the side, "or ii mayn't
Looked to me like a toy to frighter
flats. There's only one man with the
pluck Of roach among you, and here's
half a crown for him."
The donkeyman's black foreflngeI
! knuckled his greasy cap.
"As for the rest, your mothers must
have suckled you on pigeons milk and
! then sent you to a girls school to dry
nurse. You pack of beauties. Oh. you
J white lfvered bobby hunted gems! II
} the thing WIS found-well, found II
: was and the donkeyman brought 1t or
, deck What do you want to foul the
clean air with your foul. stinking car
! casses before the watch was out? I'll
log every man OF you for this--yes
Mr.. McFee ana Mr.. Second and Mr.
Thir1. III dirty your tickets for w