Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-07-02
Partners of
the Tide -!
By. ,
JOSEPH c. LINCOLN
Author ef "Cap'n Eri'' .
Copyright, 1905, by A. s. Barnes g. Co. .
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CHAPTER xlx-CoNTINUED

down the stairs. The sisters caught at
his arm and cried something or other,
but he did not heed them. Clara called
after him that Captain Titcomb had
gone to the schooner. He stopped for
an instant to ask her to rouse some Of
the neighbors and send them to the
wharf. As he came out into the yard
he noticed vaguely that there was a
light In one of the rooms of the Baker
cottage.
He took the same route that his part
ner had taken, but made better time.
1t was evident that the fire had been
seen by others, for as he crossed the
bridge the schoolhouse bell began to
ring. 1t came to him like fash, but
too late, that he might have saved half
the distance by taking one of the
skiffs in the inlet and rowing straight
out past the point
There was a shouting crowd on the
hill above the bridge, but he could see
no boats about the Diving Belle and
wondered why. Part of the crowd on
the hill came running to meet him.
"Who's that" shouted some one
Ira Sparrow, he thought.
Bradley did not answer. "WhO Is
it?" cried Ira again. Stop"
The junior partner did not stop.
"Squealer" Wixon got in his way and
him up, jumped the rail fence by the
roadside and ran across the fields He
heard "Squealer" shouting his name.
The wharf was empty. Not man
was there. He reached the stringpiece,
caught at the painter of one of the do
ries alongside, and, pulling the boat to-
ward him, jumped In. Luckily the
oars were lying on the thwarts. Ucl
picked them up and, with his knife, cut
the painter.
And then he heard the captains voiceI
calling to him from the hill: Brad,
Brad! Don't 60 nigh her for your life!
The dynamite's aboardw
Like his partner, Bradley had for
gotten the dynamite Mechanically he|
put the oars in the rowlocks and sat-
motionless. The captain had stopped
shouting 1t was very still. He heard
the bell ringing In the distance and
the gurgle of the tide among the LlleaI
under the wharf. A Whit of smoke
from the Diving Belle blew across his
face, and he turned and looked at the
schooner.
He remembered reading in the Bos
ton Herald a month or so before Of a
wrecking vessel that had caught on
fire off Long Island somewhere. She
too, had dynamite on board, and hSt
skipper and the mate had saved her by
throwing the explosive overheard. But
they were on deck when the fire start.
ed. He looked at his own vessel, the
schooner that he and the captain hadl
longed for and worked for and petted
like baby. Then he set his teeth and
began rowing
The crackle of burning timber was
plain as he scrambled over the Diving
Bellies rail- The flames We're pouring
up from under the covering Of thl
main hatch, and the smoke was roll
ing thick from the cabin companion.
He would have given anything for an
ak, but the only one on board was by
the wood box in the galley below. He
caught up the boat hook that was in its
rack by the bulwark and ran to the
hatch
He put the point of the hook under
the heavy cover and began pryng the
latter loose. 1t gave a little, slipped
back and then pulled over the cleats.
With the hook he got firm grip upon
Its edge and turned it over with
clatter. The smoke belched up in a
cloud, but rs it cleared he fell upon his
knees and peered below .
The fire q was almost amidshlps.
among some loose planks and an emp
ty tar barrel. These We're burning
fiercely, and the beams of the deck
were blazing above them. But the
dynamite chest was farther forward,
beyond the bulkhead, which was only
beginning to burn, and he could see
there was just chance of reaching
1t If he was quick With the dyna-
mite once out of the way help from
the shore might save the schooner He
drew n long breath and put his hands,
on the edges of the hatch.
Then he heard a faint voice calling
for help.
He thought for moment that he
must be going crazy, but the voice
called again. "Help" it walled Some.
body helpr
Bradley jumped to his feet and RAM
aft The door at the head of the cabin
stairs had been left open when the
partners went home the previous night,
but Bradley had pulled the sliding
hatch shut. Now the hatch was pushed
back as far as it would go, and the
door was shut tight.
"Who is itT' shouted Bradley, stoop-
ing to the opening between the top Of
the door and the hatch. The dense
smoke in his face made him cough.
Help" the voice came up through
the smoke. "It's me-Hammond"
The junior partner started back.
"Hammond?" he repeated. Ham
monde" And then in changed voice,
"What are you doing aboard here?"
Il came after my things. l forgot
about the spring lock- Quick Oh,
quick"
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