Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-07-25
CHAPTER XII.
THREE FOR rwENrY-sEvE,

Nov. my lads" said Kettle, you've
got to hump yourselves. or Well have
The steamer swapping beneath US. ltll
be touch and so anyway. Mr.. Cambel,
you'll ave the deck ali to yourself. af-
ter you've done your job on the fore
hold. of course, n you'd better 9ump
lively after tina ot once. Every gill of
water tells now, and it 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 ball
last"
Campbell darted through the doorway.
And now. Mr.. Sullivan, understand
that. although I still continue to rate
as skipper Of fhts craft. for the present
I'm going to work as fireman and coal
trimmer. You will be chief engineer,
and i IN the sum
and between us we've got to do the
work Of seven horses and one mule.
Are the bilse pumps clear?"
yes. sor."
And has she still a good head of
steam?'
she has. None's been blown Off"
Then pick up your feet and let's go
to your hardware shop n start in
work"
Wait a bit. sor,' said the donkey
man. There's things here l don't UNI
dersetand. Aren't the lives of us in
beastiy danger? Didn't them boats go
Oil peSdUSe lle steamer S SINKING
do you" retorted Kettle, consider
ne one of those fancy sort of maniac
who have no wish to survive the loss
OF a ship? / tell you I should have been
drowned eight times already if that
had been my lay. No. Mr.. thief Fair
fights right enough. and I'd stand up
to Nick in that md value my life at
you bet I'm no fool to chuck 1T away"
But" said the donkeyman. what
gets mes this: II the blooming steam
er's bottoms shot out, what the fun In
messing with 1t? The Mexican gulf
will circulate through that hole longer
than u bilge pumps will rum"
You tire me-" said the little man.
Who said she'd her bottom blown out?
l tell you this steamer was sunk u few
plates below her Isl trim-for, rea-
sons-and now we are going to pun her
up again. See here. new Mr.. Chief,
take the cinch from me and ask no
lies. Itn 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 d~onkeyman approximately
drew the back Of a hand across his
muzzle. "Ah. captain. dear" he said
coaxingly. I'D just like to heal ye
mention a figure"
Call 1t two a10 notes."
Then. be Christopher. I'm yer man
for any piece of devilment in the call
endar. Come along. captain. dear. IT'S
a melodious little man We are. for all
they say against yez."
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 sickening
strength. but he stern doomed high in
the wild night air. and the bows lunged
deep into every successive sea that
rolled up from the stormy south. TAX
head In masses which secured anchors
and windlass to the naked iron.
The wash found its way below
through that Jagged gap in the lower
deck In crashing waterfalls, and every
moment, too. the opened valve beside
to her swapping holds. Any larger sea
which swept up now might we'll settle
over her solidly n launch her with
bursted decks onto the sponges and
the coral growths 100 fathoms below.
Some men. in the face Of such condi-
less. physically incapable in the pres
ence of that solitude to making any
necessary effort, for it is one thing to
do a desperate matter before the eyer
OF an applauding crowd and another
when the devil below is your only ap-
preciative onlooker. It 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 az meat
n drink. II he succeeded. then the
profit was his. II he failed, death
would be useful to him, and ANYWAY
there was the wild excitement Of the
moment, which was a meal to be an.
Joyed: and n which nothing could
snatch away.
Continued Next Wssk.)