Arizona republican., 1911-04-08
DANIEL TANK, JUNGLE BEAST
 [. By P. C. Macfarlane. Copyright, 1909, by rne Pearson Pub- fishing Company.
Copyright. 1909, by rne Pearson Pub-
By p. C. Macfarlane.

The little river steamer was a hun
 dred feet away and moving faster. Ap- parently in the confusion none had
 noticed that Tank had remained be-
 hind. He could see the Kid, Mears,
 Grim and Halloran moving among the
 crowd. All around at safe distance
 boats were cruising, picking up the
 people on the rafts and watching the
 fire; but the great bank of fog was
 marching in like solid wall and hid
 ing rescuers and all from view. While
 Tank looked the river steamer lost it.
 self in the mist.
 Gimball had been wearing @ life pre-
 server. He threw one to Tank and
 stopped to draw another round the
 body of the helpless man.
 None for me-" coughed Tank. fight
 ing the smoke out of his face with his
 hat. "I carry my life preserver with
 me under my vest. reckon. They's so
 much blubber in me I'll float"
 AS he spoke Tank was eagerly cast
 ing about for door, a spar. a piece of
 railing, anything they could stretch the man on before all three committed themselves to the sea. But too latei
 A great roar burst from beneath their feet. The deck rose under them. The ship seemed to break in half a dozen pieces at once. She burned crude oil and the fire had reached the fuel tanks. In another moment the Admiral Bisbee had literally dissolved beneath them, and the three were struggling in the water. Burning oil and gases had burst out in jets, but the solid piece of decking that rose with them had afforded protection; but now it settled back into the water and melted away beneath them, dragged down by some of the iron work, leav. ing only a fragment of rail top and bottom with the woven wire netting between held together by two solid stanchions and a piece of upper deck. The stanchions kept the rail afioat in a horizontal position, so that the net. ting formed sort of stretcher onto which Tank with a sweep of his huge arm and a hunch of his mighty shoul ders flung the limp figure of the pilot, face upward. Then he worked around to one of the stanchions, well up where 1t gripped the buoyant piece of upper decking. Gimball hung his long neck by the chin over the other stanchion. He had lost his glasses in the explo- sion. but looked as goggly as ever. The immense quantity of oil poured out had calmed the waters till they were like glass. Before the smoke and smudge from the explosion cleared. the fog swept over them and they were alone.
 The air was filled with shouts and cries. the calling of people still unres- cued from the rafts and fearful of drifting out to see, the blowing of po- lice whistles, and presently the con- stant booming of fog sirens as the craft In the grip of the fog felt their way about the bay or from slip to slip along the front Darkness, however, had not yet fallen, and the fog was thinnest at the water, so that Tank and Gimball could make each other out plainly. For | some time both were silent. There was only the gentle wash of the oil- | 5moothed waves, and the porpoise-like | pufing of Tank as occasionally he i lifted himself higher upon the impro- vised raft Presently he became con- ;cious that Gimball was looking at him | rather intently.
 Goggle-eye." he asked, whats on your mind?"
 "Mr. Tank" said Gimball, his mis- ,hapen eyes kindling with the light of you are a strong. brave man."
 "Aw," said Tank, deprecatingly. you ain't such mutt as you look yourself"
 Gimball opened his mouth to mur- nur Thanks" when a small wave ,roke against his stanchion. filling his rocal cavities with salt water. "Ugh!" le gulped instead.
 "Im goin' to holler for help as soon .s I c'n get my real breath" gasped Tank, "'n we'll get 1t alright, alright"
 He was, barring his pufflness, as pla- idly calm as when in his office ten ours ago be gave Reddy Halloran a ob. His confidence never failed him or an instant, not even when he felt he outgoing tide grip at his legs from eiow.
 Now, as be spoke, a head appeared. tter-like, moving toward them. In a loment an arm was thrown up on the vreckage and a chin was laid upon the aft, while two dark, beady eyes looked lacidly, inquiringly, unresentfully into le face of Tank.
 'Llo. Dan," said the newcomer in eep. slow voice, after minute or two. "Llo. Tom" said Dan. cycling him .eadily, effectively
 "Can I have the Food Inspectors b, Dan?" ," he asked, the same old wist- Il look coming into his eye.
 Tank eyed him contemplatively. He as thinking of that proud, half-boast- Il speech of his in the morning, "I ke best the men I have had to lick, ke lem and trust 'em; and the harder ley was to lick somehow the more ust 'em." Here was a man who was stinctly eligible. Here were the ele- ents for dog-like devotion. |" Can I?" said Tom. again, still with af doopoaafnO uyictP111 ua zo