Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-07-19

Of palpitating nerves. Shelf, for in
stance, is n OF those. By tovei"-he
smiled grimly-"by Jove, I'd give a
finger to la Theodore Shelf in my
shoes just now and force him to couple
these wires and spring the mine with
his own fat, white fingers. / believe
yes, l verify believe-the experience
would turn him honest. All, there goes
one bell. Times up"
Through a lull in the wind the tenor
clang of the ships bell came down
to him, and on its heels, more dimly,
the lookout's dissyllabic assurance in
the dismal minor key that he was
awake and had nothing to report.
Then Patrick Cambel made onnec
ton and sent through the green, silk
covered wires a current direct from the
steamers dynamo, and on hat moment
was thrown against the iron roof of
the stateroom as though the Internal
machine had exploded beneath his very
feet. 49, s~~--~+--4
" 80 .
The campstool was kicked into the
air, the wet canvas dodgers shed water
in streams, n Captain Owen Kettle
fell spread eagled on the planking of
the bridge. From the hatch in the fore
deck before him had sprung a volcano
OF ruddy flame, spouting through vast
pillows of smoke. The iron plating
round it buckled and split, and the
whole steamer gave q trembling,
frightened leap. Presently from the
black, windy night above there fell IN
avalanche of debris which smote the
steamer II the water round like can
lister shot from a distant c~annonade.
Then came a humping jar from the
engine room, repeated twice over, and
then the engines stopped. my God!"
thought Kettle. He's overshot the
~ a rly 1t chnfC hrclynr, IAnro r,.aBra 1Dr,n
for" But for all that he did not lose
for an instant his presence Of mind or
instinct of command, but picking him
self up clapped a stumpy leaden whistle
between his lips and blew shrilly.
AT first no one answered his sum-
mons. From the f~orecastle, from the
stokehold, from aft, came the ships
company, making by instinct for the
high land of the bridge deck, and from
his eminence the little captain scowled
down upon them and swore. 1t is not
a wholesome sight TO see grown men
screaming through sheer terror, and
the sooner they are ASSOCIATED either
by words or blows from this frame Of
mind the more they will be able subse-
quently to respect themselves. BY dint
of a vinegar tongue and suggestive
movements toward a pair of imple-
ments which bulged his jacket pockets,
Kettle drove a gang Of five to set the
mizzen trysail to keep the steamer head
to sea. She was rapidly losing her
way, n If she preached to beam on,
with that heavy sea running, the lower
decks would be filled with green water
continuously, and that with such a
gaping rent where the hatch had been
meant simply a rapid swapping.
Then the captain looked around him
seemingly for a messenger. The mate
of the watch hung on to the handle Of
the engine telegraph, which still
pointed to full speed ahead" looking
dazed and helpless. The quartermas-
ter's hands were mechanically saving
at the spokes of the wheel, but II was
equally evident that he also did not
know what he vas doing. Just then
Cambel raced up the bridge ladder
three steps at a time.
All" cried Kettle, now. you are a
man who can keep his head in a bit of
q ~fiuster, and, by James, you're the
only one on board. Just tumble for
ward, will you, and get down into that
hold and see what's wrong"
Cambel nodded and turned to go
without a word. From two or three Of
the men a thin cheer rose as he passed
them, and before he had gained the
bottom of the ladder on to the iron
lower deck half a dozen were on the
top rungs after him. Sailors will sell
OCil lttuSG 10 lOllOW Nncn a SUPERIOR
shows he way, and besides these TEL
lows were getting over their first panic
and were beginning TO be ashamed Of
themselves for giving way TO 1t.
The mizzen trysail was not the set.
and because the steamers way had left
her she was falling OFF into the trough
and rolling bulwarks under to every
sea. She was shipping water fast. The
Dreaming, solid masses sluicing across
the taS .Cmnfa tbn l~nn.l
high with the weight of rams, and he
who, when the waters were upon him.
left his hold would have peer swent
like a cork to leeward. But by the
hatch coamings, the winches and odd
wet streamers of rope they clawed their
way forward and covered round the
great holde made by the explosion.
holding there by the edge of the twist
ed riven plates. The seas reamed over
their heads, falling in noisy cascades
into the b~lackness below, and from
out of that darkness, above all the bel
lowing OF wind and the Changing of
iron ard the other din, came a sodGen
whistling of water which seemed to
confirm the worst fears.
"Poh," said some one, trying TO be
CHEEKY, that's only the small sup she's
shipped since the matches were blown
of. The bilge pumpsll soon kick h
drop overheard"
Guess o lie" said another, with a
weary shake OF the head.
Then the ink Of the heavens over
head was splashed with a vivid fork
Of lightning, and the men say Cambel,
with his face as white as his teeth.
lowering himself over the bring and
gripping with his knees a twisted iron
pillar below. The light above snapped
out and within the dim Jagged outline
or where the hatch had been all was
blackness. And overhead the thunder
rumbled like the passing of a Titan's
Sun train. The :nen shivered. One Of
them, an cid, white haired able sea-
man, was physically sick. And mean
while the Por- Edes rolled through AZ
degrees. ana the gulf water flowed
green In and back over cacn bulNgark
alternately.
Aae mtn nuns over the dark abyss
I tie hatch ii tCni:tg inten'ly. and
'cy7 t1c noises OK sae gale tn V could
NJ - AMI y, NVaaG pT Nynt p IN tn.