Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-01-17

day l found myself unable to sleep an(
went above at daybeak. to see the white
hulls of the American war vessels mil,
away and the Black Anchor boat few
csble-lengths ahead of them. Paolo was
on the bridge. | heard Dan the Other
| side of the skylight, and he was holding
forth with much fine phrase to Roderick
dog, Belle ! called, him to me, and had
it out with him there and then.
What's in the wind now, Dan," | ask
ed, that you're preaching to the dog
Is there any more nonsense amongst the
men forward?"
There's a good deal of talk--maybe
more than there should pe.'
And what do they talk about? Tell
me straight. Dan"
well, I've got nothing. for my part,
should have but you know this ship is a
dead mans"
who told you that stuff"
plain yarns, Mister Mark, is best told
in the fo'oastle. feel more like father
to you gentlemen than if | was nst'ral
born to it; and this l do say--what's
this trip mean? what's in yer papers?
and why ain't it the pleasure vige we
struck flag for? Where's it going to
end| says the second mate to the men :;
what is yer wages 70. takin' yer lives
where they shouldn't be took| And what
follows?-why, white-livered jawings, and
this man afeard to go here. and that man
afeared to go there, and the Old One
amongst 'em, so that half of 'elr says,
We was took false, and the other half,
Why not bout ship and home again|
NO, and you amt done with it, not by
long day, and you won't have done with
1t until you drop anchor in Yank"e-land,
II ever you do drop anchor there, which |
take leave to give no word upon"
Its curious state of things. You
mean to say, | suppose, that there's ter
ror amongst them-plain terror, and moth
ing else?"
'.Ay, sure -
Then it remains for us to face them"
| went to bed at 10 o'clock, and for an
hour or two | slept with deep forgetful-
ness. At what hour Dan awoke me |
cannot tell. He shook me twice in the
effort, he said. and when | would have
turned up the electric light. he seized my
hand roughly muttering in a great whis-
per, Hold steady knew then that
mischief was ahoat and asked him what
to do,
Crawl above" he said "and lie low
A deck" and he went up the companion
ladder when | got my hannels and rubber
shod shoes upon me. But at the topmost
step he stood awhile, and then he fell fat
IN his hands, and backed again down the
stairway, so that he came almost on top
If me but | saw what prompted his &C.
ION, fo-. as lie moved, there was a shadow
brown from the deck light down to where |
We lay and then a man stepped upon the |
tair and descended slowly, his feet naked |
,ut in his hand an iron bar: for he had
10 other weapon. AT the sight of him,
We had backed to the foot of the stair.
way; and, as the man crept down, we lay
till. Swiftly and silently he entered the
'lace; and. going to my cabin door, he
Tipped a wedge under it, serving the 9TH
r doors around the big cabin in the same
1ay. The success seemed to please him:
e chuckled softly. ana came again to
he ladder. where with a quick motion,
I'd bTpuSut ulS IlSlDI pllI lul upon lue
nllow'S forehead. and he went down Ike
dead thing at the foot Of the swinging
able.
There we left him. after we had bound
is hands with my scarf and with hur
ed knock got Roderick from his berth.
l., III turn. aroused his sister, and in five
linutes we all stood in the big saloon and
iscussed our plan.
Dams whispered tale was this The
-a;ch was Paolo's, who had persuaded
our stokers and six of the forward hands
, his opinion. These men, he lpes of
le second officer. had determined IN this
luch that the voyage to New York
nou,d be stopped abruptly. W., being
,ck"d in our cabins, were to have no
oice in the affair: or, if walked then we
Mould be knocked on the head and so
uieted to reason. s
1t was desperate endeavor, wrought I
{ fear but at that moment the true ,
ands of the fo'castle were batteno1 down. !
nd Dan, who had seen the thiug coming, ,
scaped only by his foresight. That light
g had felt danger. and had wrapped him
IF up in a tarpaulin, and lain concealed
n deck
As it was, Paolo stood at the door Of ,
,e shippers room: there were three men {
harding the fo'castle, and five =
,uuuDuull1 Ell nan we