Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-06-09

proof Of his scheme In the preparations
he had made to jam the steering geaf
when the anchor was raised after the
tanks were replenishel, 1t was not III
the mans nature to skulk into com.
parative safety because a foreigner. u
pirate. n not-to.be- mentione ed polite.
society Portygee, opened fire on him In
this murderous fashion. Moreover,
Cokes villainy would 1--we sacrificed
no lives. The Andromeda might be
converted into scrap iron and thereby
give back. by perverted arithmetic, the
money invested In her. but her white
decks would not be stained with blood.
Whatever risk was incurred would be
his, the responsible captains. his only.
1t was vastly different thing that
shot and shell should he rained on an
unarmed ship by the troops Of civil
lied power when she was seeking the
lowest form Of hospitality. No won
der II the bull necked skipper foamed
at the mouth and used words forbid
den by the catechism, no wonder If he
tried to express his helpless fury in
one last net Of defiance.
He ruminaged the lockers for
union Jack and the four flags that
showed the ships name in signal let
tiers. He determined TINT she would
90 down with colors flying IL he were
not put out Of action by bullet be-
fore he could reach the main halynrd.
The swervc In the ships course as
she passed the island gave him an op-
nett N0t hn, a
be said that he rocked naught Of this,
but 1t would have been humanity i'm
possible otherwise for the soldiers to
have missed him. And now, while the
vessel lay with straight keel in the set
Of the current. the national emblem Of
Britain, with the Andromcda's code
flags beneath. futtered up the main
mast.
There are many imaginable condi-
| tons under which Coke's deed would
be regarded as sublime: there are none
which could deny his splendid S1idac-
| ity. The soldiers. who seemed to be
| actuated by the utmost malevolence
| redOubled their efforts to hit the squat
Hercules who had beloved at them
bridge. Bullets struck the deck. lodged
| in the masts, spintcred the roof and
panels of the upper structure. but
not one touched Coke. He coolly made
! fast each flag in its turn and hauled
away till the union jack had reached
the truck: then, drawn forward by n
hoarse cheer that came from the fore.
,nc Of hn III t,al hpn hn
my and swung himself down to the
fore deck.
! AS he numbered along the deck he
mopped his face vigorously with a
pocket handkerchief, and this homely
action helped to convince Iris that she
was mistaken in thinking him mad.
His words, too, when he caught sight
Of her were not those of maniac.
"Well. Missy" he cried, "wot'll they
say in Liverpool now? | spose they'll
ear Of this some day" and he jerked
thumb backward to indicate the I'm.
ceasing hail of bullets that poured into
the after part Of the ship.
The girl looked ut him with an air
of surprise that would have been com.
She knew with vague definiteness
that death was near. perhaps unavoid-
able. and it had never occurred to her
that she or any other person on board
need feel any concern about the view
entertained by Liverpool as to their
fate. Before she could frame reply,
however. iIoZier seemed to recover
his faculties. He stood up. walked
unaided to the side of the ship and
glanced ahead.
"ShOuldn't we try to lower boat,
SIR" he asked instantly.
"WOt's the useT growled Coke,
zoos gOiu' 20 lower boats while them
blighters on the island are pumpin'
lead into us? And wot good are the
boats wen they're lowered? They've