Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-12-10
Ccop:r.la. soy by Bent. B Hampton

not ana humid Above, n feeble tried q
shine through murky haze and failed To the
east the horizon barely visible. a clean black
line against the purple a Sky that said nothing
aloud, but whispered of evil things to those who
read the signs OF trouble at In the engine
was the only sound in the ship--the steady chug.
chugclank chus- chug- OF the two engines The
glass was down-away down. although the chief
ly. II was the captain who caring and who
watched the mercury dropping, dropping-sow.
than the usual anxiety which a falling glass has
for careful skipper the strongly marked
OF the surface OF the murcury, which BODIES in
SHIPS not strong of heart and stout OF timber and
The chief stood in the bow and spat into the
eray-Rreen water below 4 is peculiar combna-
ton Yf circumstances which throw a five hun
dredfon tramp into the hands of her chief
unedHoated Niger for an engineers force but the
CIRCUMSTANCES had occurred The Mimic Wool
wo.th-"Woolly" for short--never had but two en-
a'oeers. in spite of her compounds. for her own
crs were the saving kind. and two engineers instead
Of three saved not only salary. but hash" COR
Nor had there ever been any occasion when the two
were nor ample Tor the work tramp ruus on no
schodvle she gets where she is going the best way
sire can end whenever she can saving coal by the
u" o. necessity which loads the bunkers with only
enough to get there plus ten tons margin. ard which
lresclHbes two knots under the possibtr OF the
screws as n result Beck. the chief and Andrews.
the second-where there ever traap or a
Zane in the engine rooH9"stooS watch and watcS
ard thought il little hardship.
But now here was Andrews tied in hard knot
his berth with something he called cramps Cthe
captain was deadly afraid Il ptomaine poison
standing watch was Concerned Wherefore the Me-
ger bad been called from the stokehole and his
pIce every third wgtch-wliiIe Beck was standing
eiHat hours with four hours below.
The Niger was lazy He was product of the
West Indies, a of immense physical strength.
W th the poetry of the beasts OF the jungle in his
1.-the strong body. his swelling muscles the clean
clear bronze of his skin. He was typical happy
careless child of his race, living only for today.
next meal the next sleep loving the sunlight Ike
cat and hating the and the cold as do the
transplanted children Of the Line. Somewhere.
somehow he had picked up knowledge OF engines
and steam. He could throttle her down If a sea
made the big slow screws spin like pinwhesls
Natch her water and her Steam ana give orders
the atokehoe with unnecessary pride could pack Il
valve or oil bearing well Beck himself. Eut
even such ordinary tasks taking a card o. set.
ting eccentric valve. he as much at sea as
who has never learned anything eli engineer.
Ing but by observation and absorption
TN he was the ONLY man in the stokehole who
despairing talk with Reddy, boss OF the grimy
st. ers, the lrishman indicated the Niger as tha
only alternative to putting into the nearest port.
Per- APPS it was that the Niger was lazy and
F.6dy was anxious to get his room!
try,ng 20 get another second was to be THOUGHT
Of. There-was cargo waiting the first tramp
which would take it at oyapok, and the ""oollys"
CVneIs were not men who loved to spend coal on
ii ship and get no return for Il. Captain Holroyd
chance, and the Niger went to the engine
md so Becr stood in the bows and spat at tne
freycreen Glow, and looked at the reddenns
f'-N" low. ng in the clouds. and sne't
sss,.a ided itFwas- none Of his BUSINESS
r'Utterod little at his disgust OF being snip.
gth "a rotten, sinking niger. who DO ISN'T
stufing box from box Of sarlinea- and
wade his way to his bunk whore he turned
vane, Old Ocean was slowly making up its
~ something was going to happen. The after
, died into rudy smoke. then into purple
pg the east; the clean-cut horizon faded out;
q star more, and odd little lift
'r the bows mingled with the SLOW, stately,
'i go swell that up to now had been regular
pendulum. Somewhere. off to the south and
something brewing. At eight bells T..
y dark pitch. The glass still sank into
itself shrinking from the coming storm. Had the
Minnie Woolworth had wireless station she would
D&vc heard long before OF storm warnings set. and
OF hurricane coming up the coast: bat whoever
he' I'd OF set OF saving owners installing wireless
to let tramp captain have the news? And what
eocd could il have done him to know Il? And what
indeed could storm warning tell him that his
five senses and the glass had already shown him
was bappening? lie dd not Know when or how or
exactly where but "A ubber could have told
from the hot feel OF the air, and the deadly murk
nasg Of every thing and the twitcbng uueaey
breathna OF the water and the oily, greasy. slippery
way It slapped At the bows. hungrily along the
rail and Missed on into the wake something
Down in the engine room the Niger was fast
asleep lie stretched out the seat, his head
feed pipe and his feet Struggling alOng the
grating Unlike his race, he slept lightly. and
single peal at the Jingle would have aked him
Beck was asletEp and ne trusted 70 luck not to be
'' "so Dr. Nv bot get um slecp?" he argued with
himself gilt foolishnuss, dis ayere stayin wake
when nonin for um ter do. Day ole engines runnin
c1'iong smoof creased pole Iioun Tid
um re8ulashuns. Didn't ship for no eneine-eer no
r,t ne was caught And it bears heavily on what
f0ppued and shows that even @ black man OF 90
education but removed from savagrfv. may
Io,o thet germ OF manhood i'm him which puts others
before self and stands 10 help the greatest number
81 t'C'r greatest good u spite Of personal ruusc.
c.sr.e. ~hether personal HHns be- at stake "r mo
Fo. Bee. caught MIN napmnS and kicked him sou"
lv trd cursed him urti rvrn the NgEera ears
trrrr aud the whites oil bis eyes showed and hc
800 away from the dominant White race and
tia pt white mans eyes.
wore, you spawn OF Hell. sleeping duty. are
,olg l' now you how to sleep when { sleep Here
ar faEig eight hours to your four because can't
t..s, rl I've minutes-and you, w'tl aign' hours
and better grub than ever Nat 'u