The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-07-11
The P1underers
BYcLcUrLIFFE HYNE.
BY c. J. cUTLIFFE HYNE.

been going on, you'd have had half the
crew sick on your hands for a dose
OF that kind. They're bad enough after
! our sour Doctors physic, but for a
tumbler OF liquor and a spell of idle
ness an old sailor would have an ear
and three toes cut OFF any day. How
ever" he added, rising stif1y to his
feet and stretching. the chief and the
donkeyman II see he doesn't malinger
for long. They are none OF them sweet
on doing another mans work. that
gang. Heigh no! See that line of surf
were bringing over the lea quarter?"
THE Tortugas ?"
'sThe Dry Tortugas. There's YAM
kee convict station on one OF them"
Don't mention IT."
Kettle grinned. I'VE shall have made
enough westing soon, and then our
course will be pretty nearly due north.
so as to dodge the gulf stream as much
ais possible, and" he added in a lower
tone, ito get the ship as near as may
we jettison the crew"
I'VE shall run into the ship tracks
from all the northern gulf ports to
Europe"
Il know, and we must take our
chance OF not being spotted. For a
western there's regular string of
traffic trailing down to the Dry Tortu-
that old wind jamrer."
He jerked with his thumb toward q.
green painted wooden Italian bark
which was squattering past less than
a quarter of a mile away, right athwart
the last rays Of the windy sunset. She
was driving merrily homeward, send
ing her bows into ii until the seas
creamed against her catheads and
dark ening her jibs with brine UP more
foh ho ma
thodically reducing sail. and dozen
many hued picturesque tatterdemalions
were aloft on the foretopgallant yard
hammering the struggling canvas into
the gaskets.
THE cowarily Dagos," said Kettle.
That's always their way. Snug down
TO topsails as soon as II gets dark, even
If there's only a catspaw blowing. By
James, with 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, "apd yet
they say there used to be poetry In a
craft OF that sort, while there was
never and never will be with steamer.
suppose the reason Is that poet has
to be a man who knows nothing what
ever about what he writes upon. /
know that some chaps who string verse
nowadays have been on q 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 1t. 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, suppose, was
why their stuff is called poetry and the
lubberly old wind TANNERS poetical.
You give mo 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 II down on paper"
II believe you're right" said Cambel
thoughtfully, "and some day a new
Dana or new Michael Scott viii come
ashore from the upper bridge, or from
an electric lighted forecastle. or a
forced draft engine room, aud show
II to US plainly, whereupon we shall
swear that we saw II for ourselves all
along. But" he vent on, with a sud-
den frown, for the present let that
drift. You and have enough to think
OF In our own immediate present with
out speculating over possible prophet
which is TO rise" .-
I'VE have, but so much must be ar
ranged by The chance of the moment
a y
by talking II over now. All arrange
ments that can be made ahead, fancy,
we've got fixed up already. By the
way, ] suppose you are sure that your
explosion In the forehold won't be too
big. 1t would be an awkward do for
us IL the old ships bottom was really
blown out in sober earnest"
The sun had gone entirely out alto
gether. and the young moon was sail
1y,s n
In the white and shifting light Patrick
Calnbeps face looked pale and anxious.
You're sure" Kettle repeated, cit
won't be case OF the engineer being
hoisted with his own thingammy?"
mo, I'm not sure, and that's what
bothers me. You see one couldn't
quite get an expert to measure out the
precise necessary dose, and I've had to
guess at 1t. ! daren't undercharge my
bomb. IL our explosion was fizzle
and the crew didn't get scared and run,
why, then they'd take her up to New
Orleans whether we liked ii or not, and
she'd be examined. Then that intake
valve couldn't be missed, and II could
MT be explained away. Man, as you
know. the things as big as sluice
gate"
"All the bilge pumps in the gulf of
Mexico couldn't make headway against
that valve once II was fairly opened.
It's the quickest and cleverest way OF
scuttling a steamboat / ever heard Of
or read about. But don't quite see
how the valve is going to be turned"
"You leave that to me-"
You seem used to the game" said
Kettle, with a half sneer.
mo, I'm not" returned the other
quickly. 1--WE never had my fingers in
anything so ugly or dirty before, and
because / dent want to have the ex-
perience over again I'm going to make
this turn to big profit or get killed
In the trying. I'm tired and sick OF this
wild bucketing life. A woman drove
me to it, but / believe If I had the
means to settle down In comfort now
could forget all about her and wake
up other new interests"
"Well," sad Kettle, II hope we may
each OF US buy a farm out OF this
racket, but tell you straight I'm not
oversweot on the chances. To begin
with, you and ! can't handle this
steamboat alone. It's an absolute GER
tainty we must have another hand to
help US. You'll have 10 take the wheel
and pilot her through, IL you can,
though that's a mighty big job for one
man, and the odds are about ten to one
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