Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1909-03-19
CHAPTER xv.-fcontinued.l

the chart room. Laird was on the bridge.
Plass, the second officer, on his way to
the bridge to relieve or assist Laird,
was felled at the door of the chart room.
In the instant required to drag the body |
to shelter and close the door Of the chart
room, Captain Negley was overpowered
by the blizzard Of steam, gas and livid
stone. When consciousness returned to
him he was lying across the body OF Plass,
and the ship was rolling like runaway
buoy.
The skipper regained his feet. In spite
Of terrible burns, he felt little pain. His
limbs, below the knees, were like wood.
His left hand was yellow and inflated.
Fire brands still screamed into the sea
outside, but the day was returning. The
indomitable Negley was first to reach the
deck, the woodwork of which was burn
ing in several places. He tried to shout,
but his throat was closed by the hot dust.
The body Of man was hanging over the
railing Of the bridge. 1t was Laird, with
his face burned away.
The shock Of his burns was beginning
to overpower the captain when Pugh, the
third officer, untouched by fire, appeared
from below. In a horrid tongueless way,
gered into the cabin passageway. Pugh
shrieked up the hands and set to the fires
and the ships course. Out of the five
sailors and three officers on deck when
PeIee struck, Negley alone had retained
the thinking faculty.
Miss Stansbury was hurled from her
chair. Appalled, by the dread fact of dis
solution, she lay in the primal darkness in
the midst of falling glass. Macready was
cropping, calling for her. That she was
unhurt seemed such a great matter to
him and entirely insignificant to herself
Her lover had fallen. Their starry pa
vilion of the future was in blackness and
ruin. 1t would have been better had
Pelee found them together.
Macready lifted her to a chair. The
ports were gray instead Of black, but
Splashed with the big seas.
''Your friend is dead, Denny" she said
hArshly.
whats this you're talkin'2 IT'S no
bit av a geyser in a dirt pile as can tell
him how t come an CO."
The screaming of the native women
reached them from the hold. Macready
opened the door, and a blast of terrible
heat entered the cabin. The woman was
clutching the arms of the chair and star
ing at him with the most pitiful eyes ever
seen In child or woman. The swayinq
form Of Negley was in the passageway
and something of the extent of the disas
ter broke upon the Irishman.
Bring him here r. she commanded. tax.
ing Negley's arm. There, can man
age him Run and get oils and lint !"
He obeyed. The decks were covered
with a paste that burned through hi.
shoes. Black clouds were rolling out tc
sea. Deep thunder of a righteous source
answered Pelee's lamentations. The sail
ors were fighting FIRE and carrying theil
dead. The thin, shaken voice of Pugt
came from the bridge. The engines were
throbbing.
Eight miles at seal Eight miles a
seaW Macready repeated. 9TH long
armed mountain-an' what mustn't the In
hghtin' have beenW
In the store-room, he opened Jars Of OF
and cartons of lint and bandages, for thu
use of the men then rushed back to thu
cabin with a portion. Nature finds worl
for strong hearts that have lost theil
heroes. Negley'S cracked and twisted
boots had been removed, and the ashe
cleansed from his eyes and ears ant
mouth. Another valiant nurse had emery
cd from a broken romance. The woman
who would have tainted yesterday at tn
smell of burnt flesh was cutting away tn
clothing from the captains shoulder
When the ointments and wrappings hat
been applied to the shippers wounds, sh
helped Macready carry the unconsciou
uan to a berth.
lzS L
muttered genially, noting that the worl
was life to her.
1--WE must be nearly in-shors by thi
hme," she said slowly.
Denny's effervescence was now corked
Pugh had been putting the Madame on
to sea since he got control of her. TIL
Irishman felt instinctively that the won
an would want to go ashore, which
didn't propose to allow. On the othe
hand, although he had nothing to do wit
the running Of the ship, he didn't like tn
idea of saving the Madame at the pric
Ct her owners life.
81 dunno" he answered carefully
""Tis har-rd t see fur tn rain"
His soft magic failed.
"But the ship is moving" she oxclaiu
ed. Denny, open the doorI"
Macready gave way. She heard th
steady beat Of the engines, and the bi
seas driving past. She rushed out Of Ii
passageway, regardless Of the food, an
peered over the main deck railing. TheI
was no smoke, no familiar shadow
hills, but a leaden, tumultuous sky an
the rollers Of the open sea, beaten by
torrential shower. She crossed the cha
red planking to the starboard side, drenc
ed to the skin in an instant. There WI
no Pelee, no Saint Pierrsl MacreaC
tried to draw her to cover, but she turn
upon him furiously.
"You have let them put to sea-yo
his friend-while he Ii held back thel
waiting for his ship1"
What could poor Dinny, that bosa
tn galleys, ma'am, do toward runnin' {
shipf Thin byes 'ud say, Git back
your patty-pans, you wiper But T
thried. sure, { kape tn lady from harV
this day. You know Captain Nsglsy-
"Where's the first oficer9"
dead, ma'am."
"And the second oficer7"
STh' same"