The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1911-11-15
CHAPTER III.

Tess make his four daily rounds
Of the hospital The deaths were aver
aging four Il day. and there were more
new eases than rpcoveries. The blacks
were i'm Il funk Each one. when taken
sick. seemed to make every effort tu
die. They. believed they were going
to die. aud yet. believing this with
absolute conviction. they somehow
lacked the nerve to rush the frail
and escape from the charnel house by
the whale boats. They chose the lin
| gering death they were sure awaited
them rather than the immediate death
| they were very sure would pounre
| upon them II they went up against
| the master That he never slept they
knew That he could not be coniurpd
10 death they were equally sure-the,
| had tried II. And even the sickness
that was sweeping them off could not
| kill him.
With the whipping in the componnd
discipline had improved They criuged
under the iron hand of the white man
| They gave their scowis or malignant
looks with averted faces ar when his
pack was turned They saved their
nutterings for the barracks nj night,
where he could moi hear And there
were no more runaways and no more
1ight providers on the veranda
Dawn Of the third day after the
| SxbitlninC hrnr,uhf in3S 90
sails in sight. His partner was on
board, vigorous and hearty from six
weeks recruiting i'm Malaita. He could
take charge now and all would be well
with Berande.
Sheldon lay in the steamer chair and
watched the Jessie's whaleboat pull In
for the beach. He wondered why only
three sweeps were pulling, and he
wondered still more when. beached.
there was so much delay in getting out
of the boat. Then he understood. The
! three blacks who had been pulling
| started up the beach with Il stretcher
on their shoulders. a white man.
whom he recognized as the Jessie's
captain, walked in front and opened
the gate, then dropped behind TO close
| it. Sheldon knew that it was Hughie
| Drummond who lay in the stretcher.
and mist came before his eyes. He
| felt an overwhelming desire to die.
The disappointment was too great. In
| his own state of terrible weakness he
| felt that it was impossible TO go on
with his task of holding Berande
plantation tight gripped in his fist.
| Then the will of him famed up again.
and he directed the blacks to lay the
| stretcher beside him on the floor.
Hughie Drummond, whom he had last
seen in health, was an emaciated
skeleton.
BLACK water fever the captain
said. He's been like this for six days,
unconscious. And we've got dysentery
on board. What's the matter with
you?"
I'm burying four a day. Sheldon
answered, ms he bent over from the
steamer chair and inserted a Their
mometer under his partners tongue.
Captain Oleson swore blasphemously
and sent house boy to bring whiskey
aud soda. Sheldon glanced at the ther-
mometer.
"One hundred and seven," he said
"Poor Hughie."
Captain Oleson offered him some
whiskey.
Couldn't think of it-perforation,
you Know" Sheldon said.
He sent for boss boy and ordered
a grave to be dug; also, some of the
packing cases to be knocked together
into coffin. Having given the orders,
Sheldon lay back in his chair with
closed eyes.
Its been fair hell, SIR" Captain
Oleson began. then broke off to help
himself to more whisky. Contrary
winds and Gains. We've been driftin
all about the shop for ten days
There's ten thousand sharks following
us for the tucker we've ben throwin
over to them. They was snappin' at
the oars when we started to come
ashore. We got it from the water
water from Owga creek. Filled my
casks with ii. How was we to know
I've filled there before an 1t was all
right. We had sixty recruits-full up
and my crew OF fifteen. We've been
buryin' them day an night. The beg
CARS won't live. dash them! They die
out Of spite. Only three Of my crew
left on its legs. Five more down
Seven dead. Oh. HI What's the
good OF talkin'T'
"HOw many recruits leftT' Sheldon
asked.
Lost half. Thirty left. Twenty
down, and ten tottering around"
Sheldon sighed.
THAT means another addition. to the
hospital We've got to get them ashore
somehow. yiaburi! Hey, you. viaburi
ring big fella bell strong fella toe
much"
The hands. called In from the nelds
at that unwonted hour, were spill
into detacbments. SOME were SEM