Smyrna times., 1910-09-14


more men, And he turned his eye on
us as If he was a-measurin' how much
Of the ships rope would be required
for the Job.
There amt no sich intention, cap'n.
There's valid reason why Mr.. With
ers hangin' tomOrrer III be contrary
wise to good law"
"'Wot is it? be yelled. He was a
gittin' mad fast
Mr.. Withers has been sentenced |
by the court to hang at noon on Fri |
day, the Both of June There went De |
no sich day fer us. This ere ship left |
Wellington a year ago and has been |
a-sailin' and a-sailin', till we've gone
clean round the globe. You're naviga-
tor enough to know, cap'n. that we've !
lost one day in our reckOnin'. Tonight
we'll cross the international date line
and jump a day in our record. It
won't be Friday, June 80, but Satur-
day, July l.
BOSS, you'd oughter seen the way
he looked at me when l said that. 1t
seemed as if the idee struck him hard.
This is Thursday he said, 'ain't
it"
"'Aye. aye. sir!
"If we don't reach the date line
afore tomorrow noon it'll be Friday.
and the hangin' will be legal
AYE. aye, sir! But if we do reach
the date line afore tomorrow at noon
it'll be Saturday accordin' to the new
reckonin'. and Mr.. Withers can't be
swung accordin' to the sentence of the
court
The cap'n looks up at the sky and
skins his eye along the horizon. Then
he turns to the fust officer. who was
standin' by
"'You got the sun today. didn't you,
Mr. GreevisY
AYE. aye. sirp
How far do you reckon we are
from the one hundred and eightieth
meridian|
Bout ninety miles, sir.
Then the cap'n put his eye round
the horizon ag'in. knOwed well
enough what he was a-thinkin' about.
With the wind we was a-gittin' we
couldn't make the date line afore the
! time set for the hangin' WOrsen that.
the wind was a-dyin' out.
: "'Well. my man. he said. kind of
f chucklin',' 1 reckon Mr.. Withers II
/ hang. and hang legally
T BOSS, as we men walked forward
: do you know. every mothers son of lis
? had his eye on the sky a-tryin' to see
| ~, e.,,St
/ no sign nowhere A thin thickness
! stood on the horizon. but that didn't
Z mean nOthin'. so far as l could see
4 and | didn't see no hope. l went be
f low and put my arms round Mr.
WitherS, who was a-sittin' pale an(
/ thoughtful-lke. and tried to tell hin
K about it all but my speakin' tube wa
: clogged. so | couldn't say nothin'. ant
one of my mates had to tell him. II
T thanked me and asked how the win
k was a-holdin'. | says it was a-dyi1
; down The color went out of his face
and he said solemn-lilSe. Then there
, no putin off my sailin' day for tn
10 big ocean
is Il rubs my shirt sleeve agin my ey
"A and goes up on deck to look for winC
,e Do you know. boss, the sails wa
"a a-fappin' turned my eyes skywar'
feelin' as if there wasn't no hope NJ
where. and seen that the thin thicl
=, ness wot told you about was a-thici
= eYiH' some more Resides. there W;
=" a few bits of clouds wot looked nigh'
= N the misty bank behind. with dan
-, centers and ragged edges. | turnC
~ about to the quarterback and seen Il
, cap'p was a-lOOkin' at 'em too. The
II some of the other men on deck begr
Ut to watch 'em. and pretty soon I
comes all the off watches, every mi
lu a-lookin' out at them ragged clouds.
sh "Arter awhile the cap'n. seein
ell wouldn't do to put off preparation
at any longer, called all hands to short'
nk sail and git the ship ready for a ga
ne. Well. it struck us bout eight bells.
Nv wasn't none of them white squalls W
'or blows over in hurry. but roari
m wind, backed by big bank of clou(
an THE Polly Milford went over on
ce, beam ends, but the 6yin' jib had be
lat left, and that stiddied her. and aft
rockin' to port. then to starboard. tn
'as to stern, she slid down from the Gre
of Of a high wave ard was buried in
zen sea of buttermilk.
ply "At any other time. boss, we'd rutf
We not seen that wind. Now we pray
orc for it to keep a-blowin'. But as mig
all wore on we found the ship was ale;
it; then she listed. and-well. it beg
lin, to look as If ope man d better ha
than hull crew so to the bottom.
nc amt a-goin' to tell you bout Il
black night. them roarin' waves. Il
-, howlin' wind.
"All to onct the 1yin' jib busted il
,or ribbons. The cap'n lost his head a
was a-givin' orders so wild that
"a one would obey 'em; the fust off
was a-shakin' with fear, and it beg
~ - to look like we'd got to git some
to command or founder.
"There was a rush for the forws
gangway. Down went half a doi