Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-04-05

You said closer, didn't your"
tainted the man at the wheel, bring
ing the boat up sharp another point
so that 1t was headed almost directly
for the burning steamer, bows on,
You crazy fool, what are you
doing?" shrieked Tank. Back heri
Back heri"
At the same moment he sprang for
the ladder. Before he was halfway up
he heard the order for full speed ahead.
Great Cod! he thought, " the man
must be crazy for certain" He was
going to ram the nose of the Bisbee
right into the burning hulk which was
likely to explode at any time and
jeopardize every life upon the excur-
sion steamer.
The boss leaped upon the hurricane
deck and dashed into the pilot room,
hearing as he did so hasty step be-
hind without noticing or caring to no
tice whose 1t was A single glance at
the man in the pilot house served to
confirm Tanks suspicion that he was
crazy, insane with liquor. With look
Of flendish glee upon his face he was
watching the bow Of his own vessel
bear down upon the mass Of flames not
fifty yards away. He fought like the
mailman he was to keep the wheel, de-
a. l. L. 49,,
Of second, and then was thrown
crashing into corner, where he lay
stunned.
Suddenly as Tank looked straight
ahead at the veering bow of his own
boat and the glazing mass before, he
heard above the roar of the flames,
above the shrieks and cries OF its
women and children, another sound.
1t was still, small sound, but echoed
loud, like the booming Of a cannon
heard from within the turret Yet II
was merely the shooting Of bolt in
the lock of the door Of the pilot house
"a single. ominous click, but It
startled Tank. He looked round to
confront the great stolid face of Long.
shore Tom. He had not seen him since
morning. y
LILO, Dan" he said, with hts deer
voice, and looked ahead at the turning
bow Of the boat and marked where II
would strike.
LILO, Tom" said Tank, not liking
the situation much.
Tom did not think rapidly, as has
been noted before, but just now his
cerebration, like everybody's else, was
accelerated so that II was fairly quick.
He snatched up ropes end from the
floor and with quick pass dashed the
wheel where Tank had set it.
Now" he said, in his slow, stolid
way. This-is-where-I-
Been waitin' for this-been waitin' all
day. Now we're all alone There amt
no room for you to rush me- You'll
Just lay to and fight, and when you get
through l ask you, will you give me
that Job or not? If-you don't"
Toms utterance slowed up ominously
There was menace in the unfinished
sentence. The words reverberated in
ness. The drunken man moaned I'M
easily in the corner. Tom did not
strike. He merely reached out and
laid his hands on Tank as casually as
boys at school when they begin to
wrestle.
Meantime Tank was thinking hard
In the first place he had half mind
to give Tom the job-and Tank knew
we'll he was needed outside to calm the
people and check the incipient panic
that threatened the army of picnickers.
He could give him the job now, place
him at the wheel and go outside to his
duty. But yield to subordinate under
duress? Not Tank. TWAS outside his
code. Or tell the man a little lie, just
to pacify him for moment? Not that
either.
The situation photographed itself
clearly on Tanks mind. They were
locked in the wheelhouse. The ships
crew were drunk. The pilot lay grovel-
Ing and helpless. The passengers were
In a panic. The ship with thousand
souls was driving into collision with a
burning ship loaded with oil. The
most horrible death threatened ten
hundred human beings. Tom had laid
his hands upon the arms Of Tank as
the latter grasped the wheel.
at ask you once more" he said,
hoarsely, will you give me the Food
Inspectors job7"
The two men looked each other
straight in the eye. AS they looked |
the ships impacted with a dull grind, |
while the cries Of the women and chill !
dren swelled into mighty, heartrend-
Ing shrek.
Tank seized the instant OF collision.
NO" he answered; and quick
quicker than anything but thought !
he had dealt his first blow at the jaw |
of the longshoreman and was upon |
him, all over him at once, beating ham, |
mering. smothering. trying to bring |
aim down where his ponderous weight |
could tell But Tom was not caught |
mapping. He drew his muscular neck |
o one side, the blow aimed for the jaw |
only grazed II. He crowded in close. |
wound sinewy arm and legs about the |
ieshy one, punched him frightfully in
the stomach with his knee, locked an |
arm under his chin against his wind |
pipe, caught a thumb in the corner of |
the mouth, planted an index finger Of |
the same hand in the corner of the cor
responding eye; so that he was in a |
fair way to break up Mr.. Tanks entire |
organization below the belt. perma-
nently impair his breathing facilities. |
and forever disarrange the disposition |