Gloucester County Democrat., 1908-04-09

pit itself against the hurricane which
roared over the vessel The unhappy
wretch knew that something out of the
ordinary had taken place, and he was
scared half out Of his wits by the con
tinued absence of the crew. Luckily
for himself, he did not appreciate the
real predicament of the ship or he
would have rayed himself into mad
ness
Walker IN his brief catalogue of oe-
cupations had suppressed one. To
make sure Christobal closed water
tight bulkhead door which cut off the
Then he and his two helpers carried
out a painful but necessary task. It
was his duty to certify whether or not
life was extinct There were very few
exceptions. The three men lifted the
bodies and threw them overheard.
When they reached the corpses of the
second officer and Spanish engineer
who had been knitted in the defense Of
the jolly boat his comrade had scram-
bled into one of the lifeboats Tolle-
mache took possession of such money,
documents and valuables as We're in
their pockets, intending to draw up an
inventory when an opportunity pre-
sented itself.
Though they knew not the moment
when a sickening crash would herald
the final dissolution of the ship, they
proceeded with their work Inethodic
ally. In half an hour they had reached
the end. All the injured men seven
nondescript sailors and firenen- We're
carried to the salon and placed under
Christobal's care. Walker diyed below
to the engine room, where be had al
ready disconnected the rods broken or
bent by the fracture OF a guard ring,
which in turn was injured by the
blowing out Of a junk ring, stout
ring of forged steel secured to one of
the pistons. He could do nothing more
on deck. Whether he was destined to
live fifty seconds or as many years. he
was i'll content to hear his beloved en-
gines knocking themselves to pieces
with each roll of the ship.
ToIlemache, who undertook the fir
| ing of the donkey boiler, which was
situated on the main deck aft of the
salon-for the Kansas was built
chiefly to accommodate cargo-during
his wanderIngs round the world had
| picked up sufficient knowledge Of
steam power to shovel fuel into the
furnace and regulate the water level
by the feed valve and pump. The small
a-,crir,o r,1n,o ,sn1ia Ila a.,f7 <.,it1 n g now
erfus as hundred men. was in perfect
order.
The Kansas rolled heavily. The roll
was caused by an experimental twist
Of the wheel. Courtenay, peering into
the darkness through the open window
of the chart house, saw that the wealth
er was clearing. He had evolved a
theory, and, for want Of a better, he
was determined to pursue it to finish.
The Kansas was being swiftly carried
along in strong and deep tidal cur
rent. Happily the wind followed the
set Of the sea, else there would be no
chance of success for his daring plan.
His expedient was the desperate one
Of keeping the vessel in the line of the
current, and If day broke before he
reached the coast he would steer for
any opening which presented itself in
the fringe of reefs which must assur-
edly guard the mainland.
With his hands grasping the taut
and in one sense irresponsible mechan
ism of a steering wheel governed by
steam sailor can feel the move
ment of his ship, seaworthy vessel
being living thing, obedient as doc.
| lie horse to the least touch of the rein.
But in the unlikely event of fortune
favoring Courtenay to the extent Of
giving him an opportunity to see the
coming danger it was essential that
the ship should have a certain radius
Of action apart from the direction and
force of the ocean stream. The two
sails were helpful, and it was to as
sure himself of their efficiency that he
put the helm to starboard. The Kan
sas obeyed with an answering roll to
port, showing clearly that she was
travelling a little faster than the In
rushing tide would take her unaided.
He brought her head back to nor'east
again and glanced over his shoulder at
the ships chronometer. It was a quar-
ter to /. Two hours must pass before
he would discern the first faint streaks
of light. At any rate, if he were spared
to greet the dawn it would be right
ahead, and, as few seconds might
then be of utmost value, that was q
small point in his favor. Yet, two
hoursi Could he dare to hope for so
long respite? How could the ship
escape the unnumbered fangs which
storm torn land thrust far out into the
Pacific for its own protection?
He was quite sheltered from the
wind and spray In the chart house, and
all at once he became aware of a burn
ing thirst There was water in de-
canter close at hand, so he indulged In
a long drink. That was wonderfully
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