Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-07-25
The P1underers|
BY c. J cUTLlFFE HYNE.
BY c. J. cUTLlFFE HYNE

gripping with his knees a twisted iron
pillar below. The light above snapped
out, and within the dim Jagged outline
of where the hatch had been all was
blackness. And overhead the thunder
rumbled like the passing of a Titan's
gun train. The men shivered. One of
them, an old. white haired able sea-
man, was physically sick. And mean
while the Port Edes rolled through 40
degrees. and the gulf water flowed
green in and back over zach bulwark
alternately.
The men hung over the dark abyss
Of the hatch listening intently, and
above the noises of the gale they could
hear the sullen wash Of water in the
hold growing heavier and more sodaen
with every roll. Another fash of light
ming blazed out overhead. painting
white the shaft OF the hatch and show
ing at Its foot a muddy sea of water
full of floating straws and barrel slaves
and litter. Cambel was II Of light,
and the lower hold was afloat almost
to it's deck beam. But presently the
explorer returned. swimming rather
than walking. as another flash Shove
them. and he leaped to the battens
which made the stairway to overhead
with the haste OF a man who knows
that the waste of moments may we'll
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 nut action. The fell
lows knew that officers always make
the best of everything il there ia Il
best to be made. and SO the silence was
terribly suggestive.
AT the same moment, as If to con-
firm their worst fears, the steamer
took a heavy sea clean over her fore
castle head, and above the din of the
water IS it came cascading down into
the lower deck there arose wild cries
Of: she's Einking!" Her bottoms
blown outt" shes settling BY tho
head!"
Hfns -+tdtrgs,- men
scampered back to the bridge deck,
where, saving for the few driven off to
set the mizzen topsail. all the rest of
the steamers complement were collect
ed.
She's settling by the head! It's
making a clean breach over her this
minute! She'll be down with us il we
don't look quick"
Then another voice cried: Let the
foul old tramp go to hell by herself!
She shan't drown me, for one, while
she's got a BOAT that'll swim. Come
along boys" whereupon n mixed half
dozen of deck hands and firemen made
a rush for the foot of the upper bridge
ladder.
AT the head Of that ladder stood Gao
tain Kettle. grinning like a tortured
flend. The crew were acting precisely
as 1t had been planned that they should
act. They were doing what a labor
lously formed plot had compelled them
to do. But at hat the cap
tain's weakness for battle nearly got
the better of him and was within an
ace of making him attempt to upset
the entire apple cart. The idea OF his
men. the despised all nation rabble
whom he had brOwbeaten into sub1ec-
tion 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~assionless glare Of slaughter.
The Fellow was brave enough. des-
perate. too. as a man could be, but
upon certain death he hesitated to ad-
vance. Indeed when Kettle, coming
down h ladder himself. thrust .him
Iurlonsiy back he retreated to Sthe
bridge deck. as did those who %ere
with him.
But the other men of that worthy
crew had no min to be tprannized
over any longer when the steamer was
~momentarily settling down under their
feet and drowning was an immediate
question:. By the funnel stays and by
n another's backs they swarmed on
to n top of the fiddle, and thence
gaining the boat platforms set about
cutting adrift the grimy awnings with
thelr knives and clearing away the
tackles and falls. They shipped rud-
ders and fitted the plugs, and one or
two with more forethought 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
the bridge deck ladders against all
corners and in some cranky way felt
That his honor was unsmirched. But
ne gave no help. no hint. no further
order. and surveyed the scene with
folded arms and a sour thin smile. pat
rick Cambel. being moved by a differ
set of feelings. acted more hui
namely.
Take time. men," he sung out coolv.
n you will be towards and leave h
snip. ! don't think she'll sink-at any
rate not yet"
The men had knocked away the
chocks. hoisted the boats and swung
the davits cupboard.
Keep your heads. you trembling
idiots. Pass a painter forward before
you begin to lower and don't lower nm
til you've victualed the boats. You've
at least $50 mile run before you can
make Charlotte harbor which is your
best port with this wind blowing. and
as X as not you'll miss your road
when you get inshore among the KEYS
and reefs and be a week getting there"
A few OF the men. seeing the force
or this. ran below asd raided the rat
lery and the stewards storeroom OF
what they could lay hands upon. But
sney only brought up one load Of tins.
Ihey were frightened lest the others
IN their terror should go without them.
SO they bundled their gleanings peli-