The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-12-29
CHAPTER VII.

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CHAPTER VII.
We stopped two days at Porto
Grande, and after that, sparing our
engines as much as possible, despite
our impatience, we set a course al
most due north, and upon the third
day we were within SO miles of that
island Of u hopes, Santa Maria, in
the Azores. I am not likely to forget
either the occasion or the circumstance
of it. The month was November; the
hour, II o'clock in the forenoon watch;
the morning, that of Saturday, The l9th
day of the month.
The second officer sent down word
from the bridge hat he would l
to speak with me. Understanding that
he did not wish to call the captain
from the cabin, I went up immediate
ly and discovered him not a little ex-
with the wind at a distance, 1t may
be, of a third of a mile from the ship.
This he pointed out to me and hand
ing me the glass. he asked me what
I made of it.
.It's a raft, Andrews" I said (for
that was the second officers nance;
..a raft and there-are men upon it,
EXACTLY as / thought, sir. 1t is a
rart, and there are men upon it
but not living men, I fear. 1 have
been watching it for a good 10 min
utes n I am sure of what I say.
Yon poor fellows will never sail a
ship again.
'dThat's a fearful thing, Andrews"
I exclaimed, returning him the glass;
"of course we shall go and see what
we can do"
Be it said that we were steaming
some 15 knots an hour by this time,
and had soon come almost within a
biscuit toss of the raft. The fore
ware lookout a been warned to say
nothing, and Abel, the quartermaster.
took his cue from the officer of the
watch. Sc It came about that we
passed by the dreadful spectacle and
remained, as a crew, almost ignorant
Of it. Indeed, knowing how easily sea
men are depressed, I was Thankful
that 1t should have been so. Sever
poor fellows upon the raft must have
been dead for some weeks. Two OF
them were little more h human
skeletons. The others were washed
by every wave that broke over the
hellish contrivance of ropes ant
planks to which they a beer
cident of destiny had sent those mel
to a death unnamable. 1 felt thai
they had been foully murdered, ar
that he who had thus dealt with then
was the man I had sAt out to seek.
We had always intended to max
So1lIa SAkS1 NAIN
was quite dark when we espied tn
islands lights, shining over the waite
like the lanterns of a fishing fleet
A kindly breeze blew at that tim
from the southwest, AID little sea wa
running. AS we drew near to tn
land, the silence of an unspoken curl
osity fell upon the men. Some whis
per of talk had gone about that tn
master" would lane at Villa do Porto
and that only the Japanese Okyad
would accompany him. l knew tina
the good fellows were itching to spea
out and to say that they believed m
to be little less han a mailman. S
much had already been intimated b
honest McShanus, and had been an
swered in the cabin below.
!, "Fabos, we have more wits han tn
common, and I'll believe no FOOLS tai
| Of ye," he had said. Good God,
your own story is true, ye'd be safe
\ in a lions den than in yon menag
erie Of thieves? What's to forbid til
men accompanying ye? tbs my sc
t perhaps. Faith, 1 want no man to II
:, suit me twice, nor will l stop in tt
yacht of the one who does so, thong
it were as big as Buckingham palat
! n the Horse Guards thrown in
"Timothy," I said, your coat
nron the tail of it. Don't
a choleric ass. And understan
man. that as long as the yacl
/ stands out to sea and has my GOO
friends aboard, / am as safe as you
maiden aunt in a four-wheeled ca
Let any harm come to me and yc
know what you are to do. This sh
, will carry you straight to Gibralta
where you win deliver my letters
: Admiral Harris and act thereafter
ne shall tell you. I do not suppose tn
there will be the slightest necessi'
for anything Of the kind. These pc
pie are always towards. l have
strong card to play and it will
+ played directly I go ashore"
He rejoined a little ~savagely. mo
ion't you know that Joan Fordibr,
9 ashore there?"
IT think it very unlikely. Tir
thy"
"Ah. to blazes with the pretty IA
Il her. When shall we have the ney
# your"
every day at shutdown. Let t
innace be at the landing. If not thu
tand off for a signal. We will a
ing it tomorrow night. You sh;
ONE ashore and dine with me VIII
know how the and lies. TONG
must go alone, old friend"
He assented with great reluctant
he men had already manned the lii
oat, and were waiting for me. '
Y, perhaps, a full mile from the pc
I'd had no pilot other than the a
iralty chart; but the kindness of t
ght befriended US, and when the h:
{ an hour had passed I stood SO
wall IN tho cffaotc Of Villa II