Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-06-09
Copyright. 1909. by Edward }. Ciodc

~ coed in hitting the crippled
N ship again. Three more shells
were fired. but each projectile
screamed harmcssy far ont ut sen. A
trained gunner, noting these facts,
you'd reason that the shore battery
made good practice In the first in
stance solely because it's ordnance was
trained az known range. Indeed, lie
might even hazard guess that the
Andromeda's warm reception was ar.
ranged long before her mas,s and fun
mel rose over the horizon. That the
islanders intended nothing less than
her complete destruction was self evil
dent. Without the slightest warning
they had tried to sink her. and now
that she was escaping the further at
tentions Of the fieldpieces Il number of
troops stationed on South point and
the Isle des Fregsteg began to pelt her
with bullets.
Iris, when the first paralysis of fear
had passed, when her stricken senses
resumed their sway and her limbs lost
their palsy. fiuchcd from this new
danger and sank sobbing to her knees
behind the canvas shield Of the bridge
Somehow this fllmsy shelter, which
sailors cali the "dcdger," gave some
sense Of safety. Her throbbing brain
was incapable of lucid thought, but 1t
was borne in on her mistily that the
world and its occupants had suddenly
gone mad. The omen Of the blood red
water had justified itself most horri.
bly,. The dead carpenter was sprawl.
ing over the forecastle windlass. His
hand still clutched the brake. The
sailor at the wheel had been shot
through the throat and had fallen
Imply through the open doorway Of
the chart room. He lay there. cough.
ing up blood and froth and gnsplng his
life out The two men wounded by the
second shell were creeping down the
forward compa MON in the effort to
avoid the hail of lead that was beating
on the ship. Hozier was raising him
self on hands and knees. his attitude
that OF man who is daZed, almost IN
sensible.
Watts had gone from the bridge. He
might have been whirled to death over
the side like the unfortunate foremost
hand she had seen tossed from off the
forecastle. But Coke, whose charmed
ufe apparently entitled him to act like
! lunatic. was actually balancing him
lelf on top Of the starboard rails of
The bridge by clinging 10 4 stay, hav-
Ing climbed to that exposed position
In order to hurl Oaths at the soldiers
on shore. He had gone frantic with
rage His cap had either fallen Off or
been torn from his head by q bullet
His squat. powerful figure was shak-
ing with frenzy. He emphasized each
curse with passionate gesture of the
free hand and arm. He said. among
other things and with no lack of force
full adjectives, that IL he could only
come to close quarters with some of
the POrtygee asSassins on the island
he would tear their sanguinary livers
out.
The Andromeda, uncomfortable as
destiny and quite as needless Of her
human freight, swung around with the
current until her bows pointed to the
at once Coke suspended his flow Of IN
vectives and rushed into the chart
room. where Iris heard him tearing
lockers open and throwing their con.
tents on the deck To enter he was
obliged to leap over the body Of the
dying man. The action was gro
tesque, callous, almost inhuman. 1t
fo hn
back into a species Of spiritual calm. a
mental state akin to the fatalism often
exhibited by Asiatics when death is
imminent and not to be denied The
apparent madness Of the captain was
now more distressing to her than the
certain loss of the ship or the invisi-
BILE missiles that changed into white
patches on the iron plates. cut sudden
holes and scars in the woodwork or
whirred through the air with a buzzing
whistle of singularly menacing sound.
She began to be afraid of remaining
on the bridge. Her fear was not due
to the really vital fact that it was SO
exposed. 1t arose from the purely
feminine consideration that she was
sure Coke had become a raving ma.
MAC, and she dreaded meeting him
when, IL ever, he reappeared.
A bullet struck the front frame of
the chart room, and several panes of
glass were shattered with q fearful
din. That decided her. Coke, If he
were not killed. would surely he driv.
EN- out. She sprang to her feet and
literally ran down the steep ladder to
the saloon deck. Through the open
door of the officers mess she witnessed
another bizarre act-an net quite as
extraordinary In its way as Cokes
Jump over the steersman's body. In
the midst Of this drama Of death and
destruction Watts was standing there.
with head thrown back and uplifted
arm. gulping down Il tumberful of
,ome dark colored liquid. draining 1t
10 the dregs. while he held a black
bottle In the other hand.
Then from somewhere she heard a
ruff voice:
"Hev' 20 shut of steam, Macfar'
laneT
"Ou ay. It's a. snug below till the
WAFER reaches the furnaces, came
the answer.
So some of the men were doing their
duty. Thank God for TINT. Undo,
tered by tho fact that live shell had
burst among the engines, the oil stain
ed, grim looking engineers had not