The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-02-16
CHAPTER XVI.

i
the westward, showed her hull very
plainly when n quarter OF an hour had
passed, and was Immediately named by
Cain. the quartermaster, who was at
the wheel, for a collier he had seen
some months back at Cardiff.
| s, . few a Brazilian flag sir. and
carried a Russian skipper what had a
picture nose." said he cheerily enough.
II remember the boys said that some
one tattoed bit Of a circus scene on
his fgurehead when he was took In
drink at Rio last trip. I'd have knowed
the ship anywheres by that dolls house
abaft the funnel. Leastwise. IL there
amt two Of 'em, she's the same"
His logic was commendable, and we
questioned him.
Had she any arms, Cain?"
Nothing that I see, sir. saving the
shovels."
And you didn't know where she was
bound to-"
! They gave 1t as Rio, SIR had bit
of tumble-to with Portuguese stew
ard of theirs, and / give him Port Ar
thur for himself. You come out to
Rio says he, and I'll d----n well pull
your nose!' 1t seemed to me a long
| could get X done cheaper at home.
never see him again, and next day the
| ship sailed"
We laughed at his manner Of telling
| 1t. but the news proved acceptable
| enough. ] had already come to de-
termination. and this communicated
Immediately to Larry.
1--WE must stop Them" I said, "if we
are to save Joan Fordibras; that
steamer must not put her cargo on the
deck of the Diamond Ship. The risk Is
| small enough, captain. I think that a
signal will do tiff not signal. then
. d gunshot. anyway. Let us put 1t to
the proof. The success or failure will
mean more than any Of you imagine"
He ob~ed me without question, and
we steamed straight for the tramp,
steering such a course that we over
took her on the port-quarter, and so
were difficult to come at by any for
ward gun, should she carry one. My
own impression was that she did not.
Her safety from inquisitional officers
! in port would be better assured by the
normal practice of going cargo
boats. / believed that the quartermas-
ter had told us the truth. and upon
that supposition acted.
Signal to her to bring to, Larry!"
{ said. and he assented Immediately.
1t was pretty to see our flags flut-
tering upon the breeze OF morning, and
to watch the commotion upon the deck
of the tramp. We knew that she had
sighted us almost as soon as we set
bur engines going. The far horizon
disclosed no trace of the Diamond Ship.
We two appeared alone In all that
vista of the rolling waters.
Now the ship answered by demand
Ing our name and our business. We
could make out the figures OF two or
three men upon her bridge; but the
crew appeared an unusually small one,
and the aft decks were completely de-
serted. To their signal, We replied i'm
mediately:
% That Imroth was flying from
British warships.
(2) That their own safety depended
upon their immediate submission.
Not the whole truth, perhaps. and
yet, as I hoped, truth enough. 1t had
been in my mind all along that the
government would send at least a pa
troll to the seas had named. / could
not believe that. after my revelations.
ports would not be watched. So
signalled this message and waited with
not a little expectation for an answer.
To my astonishment, their captains
reply was to ask me to go aboard.
meaning, OF course. the master of the
Yacht.
Come with me, Timothy" said to
McShanus; don't talk about pistols,
man! Larry will stand by for danger.
We could sink them In five minutes If
we had the mind. It's as safe as Rot
ten Row."
mo safe place at all for man who
aboard, Fan, my bhoy; I'll take your
word for 1t when / come back!'
We put out gangway and lowered
the lifeboat from the starboard davits.
The collier. lyme some 200 PAGES from
our lows, let down pilots ladder for
me. and I caught 1t as 1t swung, and
climbed to her decks. Far down below
mo ha t1xy hu
II I thought he was bird. left him,
full of strange oaths in the boat and
presented myself Immediately to the
captain of the steamer
do you speak English" asked.
He shook his head and said Mitch
evo!" emphatically.
A phrase In German. however, OBJ
tained an immediate answer. 1 per-
ceived him to be a coarsely built man
Of some so years of age, his nose
SCARED roughly by seaman's needle,
as the Quartermaster Cain had told
me, and his manner as threatening and
full Of buster as his master, Imroth.
could have wished.
Whats your business with me?" he
asked, while his clumsy fingers fondled
revolver he carried in his breeches
pocket.
ITO keep your neck out OF the moose"
said !, without any preface whatever.
our game 10 up anu Val lU1TOtn
taken. That's what brought me here!"
| He spat on the deck and called a
mate to him-another Russian no more
beautiful than he.
Whats this man to me?" the cap
tain asked. Am his servant?"
Undoubtedly. since you carry coal
to his Ship
suppose tell you to mind your own
business?"
II am going to give you 10 minutes.
II you are not steaming eastward at
the end Of that time, I promise you
that I will most certainly send you to
the bottom. Reflect upon 1t calmly.
You cannot help Imroth, but may save
yourselves. I'll tell you something else
II you have any coal to sell, I am
buyer. Now. do not finger that pistol
Of yours, for 1t might go of, and as
sure as Gods in heaven, II IL did, this
crew would be on the floor of the At.
lantic in less than Ave minutes. Rattle
your senses, my man, and speak UP.
II yonder warship spies us out. she'll
not deal so tenderly with you. What is
| Imroth to you. and why should you sell
| your liberty for him? Come. think OF
| 1t! I am not a patient man. but will
give you time enough not to make
fool Of yourself"
They were brazen words, upon my
life! When I pointed westward to q
loom of smoke upon the horizon scarce
ly bigger than a mans hand-when
! did this, and spoke In the same breath
OF warship. then, surely the ingenuity
| OF suggestion could go no further AS
Tor the rascally Russian, saw that he