Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-02-17

Justly to blame for the accident, which
followed. I do not dare to tell myself.
Sometimes / have charged myself with
II, and complained bitterly Of h opin-
Ions ] had ventured. / can only tell you
that the yacht had scarcely slowed
down again when h rogues' ship fred
at us again, and the shot, crossing our
forward decks at ar angle of some 81
degrees, struck q fine young seaman
OF the nams of Holland. and almost
annihilated him before our very eyes,
The tragedy had a greater Significance
because OF the very mirth with which
We had but q moment before regard
ed Imroth's gupners and their perform
ance. Death stood there upon the heels
OF laughter; a cry In h night was
the answer to ar honest mans def
ance and my own bravadc. As for poor
Holland, the shot took him about the
middle anS cut him absolutely in two.
He could have suffered no pain, 30 IN.
simultaneously was he hurled into etern-
fty. One moment ! saw him standing
at the bulwarks watching the distant
but a dreadful something upon the
deck from which men turned their eyes
in horror anA dared not so much as
speak about.
The truth appalled, the, men. drove
challenge from their lips and laughter
from their eyes. They were new men
Observation-Disclosures seamen, handy-men,
who worked silently. m~ethodically,
stubbornly, as such fellows ever will
when duty calls them.
Larry l said, "the blame Of that Is
upon me. God forgive my
/ feel as though my own folly had cost
me the life Of one OF my own sons"
Far away over the waters. the
Diamond Ship still fred her impotent
WINGED me how surely an accident q
killed poor Holland.
Nor was the hour to pass without
further news of them. Impotent at the
guns, they fell to words, raped out by
our receiver so plainly that a very child
Of telegraphy could have read them.
1.-THE message of Valentine Imroth to
the Englisman, Fabos. I take UP your
challenge. Joan Fordibras shall pay
your debts n full"
I have 1t In my mind that II was just
upon the stroke Of l o'clock OF the
morning, or two bells in the middle
watch, when this amazing message
came to me.
The men were sleeping, and why
should / awake them? Fallin, the
young officer, had but little news to re-
port. The Diamond Ship no longer
wasted her shells ~ angry impotence.
Her searchlight had ceased to play
upon the moonlit waters. Suchstidings
as came, were Of a steamers mast
head light seen for an instant upon our
port bow and then vanishing.
IT'S a usual course for tramps, SIR"
the young officer said; a to tell you
the truth, / wasn't sure enough about
1t at all to wake the captain. IL 1t were
a ship out of Buenos Ayres, she's keep
ing more south than usual; but I've
altered the course for a star before
now, and you don't care to wake up
such a seaman as Captain Larry to tell
him you've done that His orders to
me were to go down and report any
thing unusual. Well, a glimpse OF a
ships light shouldn't be unusual, and
that's a fact"
/ agreed with him; young iandsman
that i was, / thought that / could read
the omen better than he. If he had
seen the mast head light Of a strange
steamer, she could be no other than
the second OF the relief ships Imroth
was awaiting. Herein lay many and
disquieting possibilities. Given coal
and stores enough, what was there to
prevent the rogues putting in to some
South American port, landing there
such plumber as they had. and dis
perSlng 10 the Clues wherein tueI
friends would shelter them. I foresaw
Immediately a complete Illustration of
my W plans and a conclusion OF my
task, humiliating beyond relief. Not
~improbably that great hulk of q ship
sailed already under the colors of some
irresponsible republic. h might, !
judged, fly the Venezuelan flag. or that
of Honruras or Nicaragua.
his would be &c say tho. the mes
en 90 rAs11 4-n,,hlnl 49, A,l %Lak 4 lo-J
by no means come to q resolution
upon 1t. Let 1t be admitted that II
found me a little wanting In courage.
I have written that the third officer
made his report of q strange steamer
about two bells Of the middle watch.
Not less curious than he, / paced the
bridge with him until dawn, and heard
no further tidings. When Larry him
self turned out, 1t was just before the
hour of sunrise, and we stood together
(McShanus coming up from the saloon
with a welcome jorum OF steaming
Coffee to see the break of day and to
scan the face Of the waters for any
confirmation of the young officers
story.
A daily scene, and yet how unchang-
ingly sublime! Standing there upon
the bridge with my good friends about
me, 1t seemed that the glory of the
morn shone full upon our faces and
babe US hope. No longer did the night
battle our weary eyes. We sailed a
frilling sea at the splendor of the day,
and far away upon the clear horizon
we espied the relief ship Of which our
third officer had spoken.
mo star sir, after ALL" said he, 'un-
less, that is, you would car to call
her a lucky star
Continued Next Week.