The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-07-19
The Plunderers|
BY cL curLlFFE HYNE.

life HYNE.
With every roll Another fash of light
aing blazed out overhead. painting
White the shaft of the hatch and show
Ing al its foot a muddy sea Of water
iull OF floating straWs and barrel slaves
and litte5- cainbel was ou, of sight,
and the lower hold was afoat almost
to Its deck beam. But presently the
explorer returned, swimming rather
h "a walking. as another fash showed
them. and he leaped to the battens
which made the stairway to overhead
With h haste Of a nan who knows
that the waste OF moments may weIl
cost human lives. The men clustered
about him round eyed as he gained the
deck for a word of what he had seen,
but he brushed through them roughly
and made for aft. 1t seemed to them
that no spoken sentence could have
given a worse report of what had be-
fallen than this mute action. The fell
lows knew that officers always make
the best of everything If there is a
best TO be. made. and so the silence was
terribly suggestive.
AT the same moment, as II to con-
hrn their worst fears, the steamer
took a heavy sea clean over her fore
castle head. and above the din of the
water as 1t came %cascading down into
n lower deck there arose wild cries
Of: She's sinking!" Her bottoms
blown out!- She's settling by the
head!"
Yelling these tidings, the men
scampsred back to the bridge deck,
where. saving for the few driven off to
set the mizzen topsail, all the rest Of
ed
She's settling by the head! It's
making a clean breach over her this
minute. She'll be down with us If we
don't @ quick"
Then another voice cried: LET the
foul old tramp go to hell by herself!
she shan't drown me, for one, while
along boys w%hereupon a mixed half
dozen of deck hands and firemen made
q rush for the foot of the upper bridge
ladder.
At the head of that ladder stood Cap
tain Kettle, grinning like a tortured
flend The crew were acting precisely
as 1T had been planned that they should
act They We're doing what a labor
lously formed plot had compelled them
to do. But at that moment III cap
taln's weakness for battle nearly got
he better of him and was within an
ace of making him attempt to upset
the entire apple cart. The idea of his
SSAs S4AS 4SoEloCo hll lldllOll fdDDlG
whom he had browbeaten into subjec-
ton all across the broad Atlantic, tax
ing the initiative into their own hands
now. was too much for him to swallow
In a single dose. Sooner than submit
he would have ruined everything ten
times over. Consequently he drew on
the first man who advanced up the lad
der and his eyes lit up with the steady
p~asslonless glare of slaughter.
The fellow was brave enough, des-
perate, too, as a MAJ could be, but
upon certain death he hesitated to adj
vance. Indeed when Kettle, coming
down the ladder himself, thrust him
bridge deck, as die those who were
with him.
But the other men Of that worthy
crew had no mind to be tprannized
over any longer when the steamer was
momentarily settling down under their
leet and drowning was an immediate
question. BY the funnel stays and by
m a%nother's backs they swarned on
to the top of the fiddle, and thence
gaining the boat platforms set about
cutting adrift the grinly awnings with
their knives n clearing away the
tackles and falls. They shipped rud-
ders and fitted the plugs. and one or
two with more f~orathought than their
frightened fellows shouldersd the boats
water breakers and took them aft to
where the condenser tap gave upon the
lower deck.
Kettle did not interfere. He had held
he bridge deck ladders against all
corners and in some cranky way felt
that his honor was unsmirched. But
he gave no help, no hint, no further
order, and surveyed the scene with
folded arms n a sour thin smile. Pat
rick Cambel. being moved by a differ
eEt. set of feelings, acted more hui
namely. @As~~,.
Take time, men" he sung out cool
If o Will be towards and ler -
ship. I don't think she'll ST .,,s-at I'm, the
rate not YET amy
The men had Knocked away n,
the davits cupboard.
Keep your heads, Won tre,,,.,,
1diots. Pass a painter forward befnrs
s9a oesln to lower and don't loweT IN
IN you've victualed the boats. yo,, -,
at FEAST $50 mile run before vo1, eaS y
maze Charlotte harbor which 4 go 80.
oest port with this wind blowins . ,,,a
WI laNe as not you'll miss your r5ad
arg reefs and be a week ratiin. .II hess
a few of the men. seeiI1e. - an ERE
Oh inns, ron below and raided the 80
ieis ana the Stewards stararna,, -
sSa the could lay hands upon. R' ~
~ 80 oiiis brought up one load of tins
~ T. ~" - were heightened lest the cttars
81 ' t#a tfTL2E s324Ld go ILtLoet item.
80, 90 Iaey paadlsd their glleaaiis-s aeIi.
lne.l onto the floor g1atings' ana ~
Gozsl men in each lie hoats sal.l
,1 toMsf a"%y; When they touahes The
49, ,he falls we're let go, to Over.
.r.ui US lae% chose, and then uoIookea
~ boats rode by their naiete,a
on ~ sea I'D to the ia-ia1
re ptldse deck, diving twenty feot
-oMn IN n next trough and Iving 80
sfeat danger of being stove To s niss ,h
y man in each was standingo p ks IS
>ars. e@esiiiS cUt the
:, -Whs = the aonkeynan?" cr,so
And lily. carbel3"
And the skipper?"
oh. in tie other boat.
The cast off. We've got all ,,a
We u be clear OF the old s,ia hafn1a
founders. IT she'll take us dao,r
The painters were slipped. and from
lther Beam the steamers lifeboats *
e:geo under the backing impulse 81
zen oaff. Out of sight Of one al,otbo-
'ey cropped astern, ana each nio,sisa
laNorable chance they slowed ro,,n5
! a potter Of spray. Then thev stanaaa
Ter rnasts, and then, one unaer = pp III
llo NE other under a close reefad l91ao
leN- ISEn Z. Li~c .Ao