The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-04-06

All day long we rowed back and
forth from the ship to the cove. land
Ing the contents of the hold. These
by good fortune we did not have to
carry over the neck of land. for just
above the gravel beach was wide
ledge on which We could pile tho
stores. We ate aboard aud so had no
opportunity of seeing what Captain
Selover and his men were about un-
I'll evening. Then we discovered that
they had collected and lowered to the
beach quantity of stateroom doors
from the wreck and had trundled the
galley stove to the edge, where II
awaited our assistance. We hitched
cable TO II and let II down gently.
The niger was immensely pleased.
After some experiment he got 1t to
draw and SO cooked us our supper on
It. After supper Captain Selover row.
ed back 20 the ship.
"Eagen," he had said. drawing me
aside, I'm going TO leave you with
| them. It's better that one Of us-l
think as owner l ought to be aboard
"Of course, SIR" said |, ITS the on
~ proper place for YOU"
I'm glad you think So" he rejoin-
ed, apparently relieved. And any
way" he cried, with burst Of feel
Ing, II hate the gritty feeling of IT I'M
der my feet! Solid oaks the only
| walking for a man."
He left me hastily as though a trifie
ashamed. thought he seemed de
pressed. even a little furtlve. and yet
on analysis | could discover nothing
definite on which to base such n con
clusion.
1t was rather n feeling of differ
ence from the man had known. In
my fatigue IL seemed hardly worth
| thinking about.
The men had rolled themselves In
their blankets. tired with the long day.
Next morning Captain Selover was
ashore early. He had quite recovered
his spirits and offered me a dram Of
French brandy. which | refused. We
worked hard again. Again the master
returned at night TO his vessel. this
time without word 10 any of us.
Again the men, drugged by toll. turned
In early and slept like the dead.
We became entangled In n mesh Of
days like these. during which things
no space for anything but the tasks
imposed upon us. The men for the
most part had little to say.
"Por Dios. eet is too mooch work.
sighed Perdosa once.
"Why don't you kick to the old man,
them sneered Thrackles.
The silence that followed ana the
dressed himself 10 his work was sig
nifcant enough of Captain Selovcr's
past relations with the men.
And how we did clean her. We
stripped her OF every stitch and silver
until she floated high. an empty hull.
| even her spars and running rigging
| ashore. | understood now the crews
grumbling- We literally went at her
| with n nailbrush
Captain Selover took charge of us
when we had reached this period. lie
| aud the nieger, and Perdosa had long
since finished the installation of the
permanent camp. They had built us
| huts from the wreck, collecting state
room doors for the sides and matches
| for the roofs, huge and solid. with iron
rings In them. The bronze and iron
ventilation gratings to the doors gave
us glimpses Of the coast through fret
work. The rich inlaying of woods
surrounded us. We set up on solid
rock the galley stove. with it, rails In
hold the cooking pots from upsetting
In seaway. In II we burned the de-
| bris Of the wreck. all sorts OF wood.
| some sweet and aromatic and spicy
| rs an incensed cathedral. | have seen
the Niger boiling beans over n blaze
OF sandalwood fragrant as an eastern
shop.
First we scrubbed the Laughing
Lass. then we painted her and reslzed
and tarred her standing rigging. re-
sized and rove her running gear. sllsh-
ed her masts. finally careened her and
scraped and painted her below.
When we had quite finished. we had
the anchor chain dealt out TO us In
fathoms. and scraped. pounded and
polished that. THESE were. indeed,
| days full of labor.
Being busy from morning until night
we knew but little of what was about