The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1910-02-11
CHAPTER WI.
In Which Suspect Evil.

WI Wu'S ] SbopCSt EVIL b.
Early dawn reached us in sodden
gray, the sun a shapeless blob of dull
red, with no vestige of its golden
light forcing passage through those
dense clouds of misty vapor closing us
in as between curtained walls. The
swell of the sea was not heavy, but
the pervading gloom gave to the sur
rounding water a peculiarly sullen ap-
pearance, through which we tore, reck-
less of accident, at full speed. A new
hand was at the wheel, Johnson hav-
ing gone below an hour since, but l
still chung to the bridge, my eyes
heavy from peering forth into the fog
bank, my clothing sodden with the
constant drip.
Only a few of the men were visible.
three or four grouped about the cap
stan on the forecastle head, and as
many more gathered along the lee
side of the charthouse. Evidently reg
ular watches were already chosen, and
a portion of the crew had been turned
IL for their trick below. futile him.
self, clad in wet, g%listening oil-skins
and looking gaunt and cadaverous, his
tIiil'bSdlu lOihiu5 olldi6hl OuI ONCi
the high collar, was standing aft, be-
side he fellow who still kept guard
over the companion. l moved across
TO the %starboard end of the bridge,
and, when he glanced around, made
signal for him to join me.
Not cry much chance of any one
oyerhauling us in this fog, Mr.. Tuttle,"
/ said, pleasantly. 1T would be like
hunting a needle in a haystack."
"'Tis as the Lord Wills" he re-
turned, rather sourly. Man proposes,
but God disposes. The sun will lift
that whole outfit in another hour. How
far do you figure we're off shore?"
Figure 1t for yourself. We're doing
all of 16 knots, and have been for
four hours at that speed. With an
other to be added, even our smoke
ought to be below the horizon. We've
given them the slip all right, and
from now on it's merely a question of
steaming to keep ahead. l don't re-
call anything in the Chilean navy that
can overhaul us. What discoveries
have O made below"
He turned his crafty, Offering eyes
toward me, twisting the lump of tobac-
co under his tongue. In some way, be-
meath the revealing daylight, / became
eve more distrustful of the man,
more conscious of his hypocrisy.
mot a great deal,'' his mouth at
tempting a grin; except that we've
got the crew Gagged. Everybody was
ashore but the harbor watch"
Then you found the ~forecastle
Aempty?"
'Nothin' there but dunnage and bilge
water; regular %sea-parlor, sir"
And no officer or board?" l asked.
scarcely believing 1t possible.
None, barring the engineer, SO far
as / know. The cabin was locked up
by your orders, so l let that alone"
And that, then, is all you have dis
covered, is 1t, Mr.. Tuttle?"
He shifted his long legs, but made
rho effort to turn and face me.
We'll, l guess that's about the
whole of It," he answered, slowly, as
though celebrating over the choice
jof words. only I'm a bit puzzled
4 about some things what don't look just
\ right. We started out, as l understand
#, to run off with a Chilean warship
named the Esmeralda, a schooner
rugged steam yacht. That was the con.
tract, wasn't 1t, sir?'
| nodded, gravely; wondering what
the man could possibly be driving at
That was my understanding" his
nasal tone becoming more pronounced
and d~isagreeable. "And somehow
what we've got here looks just a bit
odd. This here is a schooner-rigged
steam-yacht. all right. an / guess the
tonnage isn't very far out of the Els
meralda class, but we haven't found q
blame Chilean on board-two Swedes
a Dutchman, two Kanakas. an q
bloomin' English engineer"
We'll, what of that?" / broke in
1mpatiently. you know as well as
do that the entire Chilean navy is
filled with foreigners"
Sure" he conceded, with a swift
questioning glance toward me; that's
all true enough, sir. but I never saw
a whole crew of those beggars an nc
Chilean bossin' 'em, But then that's
Only q Iart OF It,. Every one of them
~. boats down there, an the life