Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-07-13

CHAPTER X.
TONIGHT

TONIGHT
Another day and another sky. Now
lhe blue gulf water was as leaden and
dense as that one looks upon in a hard
north sea gale. and the heavens over
head were as fun of lurid grays which
raced one another in sliding chase till
they were lost in the northern mist
drifts The steamer rolled heavily 10
a steep beam sea, and when they could
BE- seen the iro~i of her lower decks for
ward and aft CLEANED as though II had
been new coated with ocher varnish.
But this was not often, for four min
utes out Of every five they were filed
with a Churning Kissing pond OF green
and cotton white, which the scupp3rs
could only empty piecemeal.
The time was evening, twenty hours
after the quelling OF the mutiny ana the
three tenants of the upper bridge were
the only human beings on any of the
outer decks on the midship grating
stood a higher heeled quartermaster
holding on 20 the spokes Of the steam
wheel, browsing on plug tobacco and
keeping his eyes mechanically tlNed
in the jumping compass card Alter
nately climbing and descending athwart
ships as the bridge swung under him,
the third mate took his sea conslitu-
tional in rubber thigh boots N''h hands
thrust into the waist belt OF his
brCechcs. AS officer Of the watch
every time he passed the binnacle he
faced front and took a regulation peer
round the fOggy saucer lip OF horizon,
with an utter blank lack of interest
and a face wooden and gnarled as a
walnut shell. He was an elderly man,
the third mate, and the sea held no
more surprises for him, and no more
interest, and no more pleasure. II ever
he had ambition, he hid lost ii years
since. His aim in life was to hold
position OF small responsibility and
earn a monthly wage with the smallest
possible outlay OF eXertion either men
tai or physical
The remaining occupant of the bridge
sat on campstool under the lee Of the
weather dodger with his red peaked
beard on his chest. his slippercd feet
stuck out in front, his elbows crooked
out behind him and hands deep I'm his
jacket pockets Every time the third
mates footsteps neared him his eyes
opened and for an instant flashed round
to the right hand angle of their orbits
Between whll,s he slept. 1t was owing
to this faculty of literally snatching
moments of rest that Captain Kettle
at the end Of his twenty hours spell on
the upper bridge was as fresh as
though he had just got up from q clear
nights sleep. This WatChfulncss was
necessary, for as the experienced skip
per was quite aware, fully half OF the
hands would have gladly tossed him
overheard II they could have grappled
him without danger TO themselves
Presently, however. he dropped his
doZe with q snap and slowed round to
face the head of the b,i !ga ladder, en-
tirely wakeful. 4 head showed itself
blackhaired. with a clean sGavcn
bright determined face. The cor1e-
hl liz
muscular
"Ah. Mr. Cambel you've brought me
some proyeuier? Thanks iulae J.
What, sandwich and tea! Couldn't Ne
better"
Il have whisky in by pocEe.."
mot for me now. Wait iii we set
ashore, and then I'll booze with any
man to hts hearts content. The gare
I'm on now is ike a boat ract-f q rlan
wants to win. he's got TO diet hiu-e.f
accordingly"
The third mate. to show to any
chance onlooNer that he was not in
sympathy with the unpopular captain,
planted himself in the angle OF .e Ice
dodger, which was the create st d4staa,e
that the ties OF duty would allow him
to depart. Kettle, with an acrid grin,
drew his companion's attention to this
move
"Whatu that chap do tonight when
the fun begius?" asked Caubel.
Bolt like a rat at the first alarm.
He'd show pluck If he was paid Tor il,
would my third mate, but not being
paid he'll take the best care possible OF
his own ugly hide. He isn't fellow
who'd ever like tight corner tor its
own sake. There's not an atom Of the
sportsman about him
Cambel laughed You're the other
way ON, captain"
Kettles face clouded IT'S a fact"
he said Times | am that way. curse
my cantankerous luck"
"Your weakness I'm that direction
came in handiiy for me yesterday.
You're right, Mr.. Cambel, right all
through. BY my soul Ia had mind
to chip i'm with these rogues ani grab
what I could. 1t was a tempting chance
and ii would have been a heap more
profitable to me than what I'm in for
now. AS for the honesty of the thing,
there wasn't a pin to choose between
1t and this racket OF yours and Mr.
Shclf's. But it was that Dutchmans
gall that put me of. If he'd held his
silly jaw, and those other bladderheads
had let me understand l was to hold
the pistol hand over them--well, the
Port Edes would have coral rock spout
ing through her bottom plates this min
ute, ana I'd been man owning a mat
ter of $4,000 to $4,000. That's putting
it straight"
80" said Cambel, II suppose / have
to thank the said Dutchman for carry
ing sound windpipe this minute"
No" replied Kettle thoughtfully, II
don't think il. i fancy you'd have be-
haved reasonably over the new deal,
and then I'd have stood by you, espec-
tally" he added slowly as though from
afterthought, especially If those dogs
thought that you'd have been SAT r out
of the way. What" he asked, with
sudden frowns, as though the subject
annoyed him, what have you been do
ing with yourself this afternoon"
''Physicing a sick fireman principally.
The stokehold temperature was 105 de-
grees and he amused himself drinking
cold condensed water by the quart to-
gether the somewhat natural conse-
quence was cramp In the stomach.
They sent him up by the ash lift. and
your steward dosed him with chloro-
dyne and laudanum and tincture of
rhubarb. The result wasn't encourage
ing"
"Oh, there's never any knowing what
to do with sick stokers inside. But
one OF these drugs ought to have
fetched him"
Perhaps one did, but the other two
didn't seem to fit his ailment."
We'll, he had them for nothing. so
/ don't see what call he had TO COM
plain. / never saw such crew for
physic. They have drunk that big chest
half dry as it is. and If I'd let EN- they'd
have drunk it three times over. What
did you do 10 the chap? Fill him up
on the same again or try a pills There's
ten sorts of pills in that chest, beauties.
some Of them You should have tried
him on those little silver coated chaps
marked c. They're regular twisters."
Wei, you see, he was twisted
enough already, poor devil and IL il
hadn't been for the donk eyman holding
him he'd have been overheard through
the ash chute to be rid of his misery.
so in I