Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1910-04-28
pose instead of waitin' till they board

NACAO no0 vi lCCh
flame about the plunging screw which
swept seething forward as the Camp
eador sided stern-frst toward the
pursuers. The naked crews it was
evident did not understand this, OF
perhaps had never seen a steamer
handled in that fashion, for the near.
est vessel rolled on unchecked until
the poop of the steamer hung right
over her, when amid an excited howl
Ing, they strove to trim over the
yard of the half-iowered sail. 1t was
too late, however, for the intense
the sea, showing the thin, hard edge
OF the steamers rudder, and the iron
tip of the thrashing screw scarcely a
fathom away. Then there came a
crunching shock, the crazy fabric
shivered, and with a crash the mast
snapped off by the Campeador's coun-
ter fell along the deck, while the
green glare turned to crimson as an
other port-fire was lit. So some we're
buried under the cumbrous sail, and
some leapt into the sea, while the
fierce white devils, who even when
sick did unaccountable things,
dropped one after another upon the lit
tered deck. There some smote with
handspikes which outstretched the
knives, and others grievously burned
naked bodies with furnace prickers,
while here and there and everywhere
the little donkey-man scrambled and
shouted, until he cast his greasy arms
round tall mans neck and fell back
ward with him into the open waist.
What are you going to do with
him?" a seaman asked, and Conroy
answered.
This pleasant gentleman was skip
per of that enterprising craft, he's
goin' to be useful, that's what l caught
him for. If he can take his own ship
somewhere he can take ours, too, you
see. Now We'll go ahead again before
his friends come up. All that kind
swim like fishes, and a wash will do
them good"
The man of mixed Malay origin
probably spent most unhappy time
on board the Campeador, for they
kept him always standing near the
wheel, while Conroy sat close beside,
and supplied interesting details of his
personal history with edifying COM
ments, also, on the evil ways of en-
gineers. His comrades had evidently
had quite enough of that ship, for
when daylight came their sails we're
midtown upon sparkling sea, and
so, unmolested, next morning the un.
willing pilot brought the steamer in
through the surf-swept opening of an
islands circling reef. In case he had
any hereditary laundering after cast
ing them ashore, the bos'n stood be-
side him with a capstan bar, and he
conned her circumspectly with the
fear of death before his eyes. So,
though the long green rollers burst
apart with crash like thunder into
tumultuous spouting on either side,
the old Campeador crept safely
through the still, deep passage with
the spray driving across her, into an
oily lagoon, beyond which the serried
palms rose steeply from the rim of
glistening sand. Also close in be.
meath them lay little, cream-fun.
neled gunboat, and Conroy chuckled,
as he said: Nov the troubles over,
or just beginnin. Fetched up under
the perfection of the British navy!
Good old navigator-good old mel"
Hardly had the grinding roar of
cable died away, repeated from the
step hillside, than white gig came
flashing through the green transpar.
ency of shimmering water, and the
gunboat's lieutenant interviewed two
unabashed worthless in the Campea.
doris chartroom. His face twitched
sharply now and then at the nara.
tive, and when to the bos'ns indig. |
nation Conroy concluded THE sec.
ond mates not responsible, an the
engineers fever-mad, so if there's any
credit it was me as done it ALL" he
lay back on the widowed cushions
and laughed immoderately, until with
purple face he said: Bring me
that native"
Then wrathful apparition, wear.
ing seaman's coat over garments OF
primitive fashion, stalked in, and in
reply to question in a familiar
tongue told a tale of grievoua
wrongs.
You are an extraordinary pair"
said the officer, when he had done.
Fever and piracy, quite a romance in
itself, and, from your own account, an
exhibition of reckless bravery-butI
this man solemnly declares he only
wanted to sell you fish. No, you
needn't begin it all again, the proof
of one side of the story is plain on
the face of it, and I'll make it my
business to investigate this gentle.
mans antecedents. Still, your mate
had probably better try to settle with
him, for if he happens to hail from
some outlandish place under Dutch
protection, wicked persons may make
out 1t was you who did the piracy
I'll send over my surgeon and arti
ficer, and l suppose I must waste a
- Al. l.