The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-25


ceed In hitting the crippled
ship again. Three more shells
were fired. but each projectile
screamed harmleSsly far out at sea- A
trained gunner, noting these facts,
would reason that the shore battery
made good practice in the first in
stance solely because its ordnance was
trained at known range Indeed, he
might even hazard guess that the
Andromeda's warm reception was ar
ranged long before her masts and fun
mel rose over the horizon. That the
islanders intended nothing less than
her complete destruction was self evil
dent. Without the slightest warning
they had tried to sink her, and now
that she was escaping the further at
tentions Of the fieldpieces q number of
troops stationed on South point and
the Isle des Fregates began to pelt her
with bullets.
Iris. when the first paralysis of fear
had passed, when her stricken senses
resumed their sway and her limbs lost
their palsy, fiinched from this new
danger and sank sobbing to her knees
behind the canvas shield Of the bridge
Somehow this fimsy shelter, which
sailors call the "dodger," gave some
sense Of safety. Her throbbing brain
was incapable Of lucid thought, but it
was borne In on her mistily that the
world and Its occupants had suddenly
gone mad. The omen Of the blood red
water had justified itself most horri-
bly,. The dead carpenter was sprawl.
Ing over the forecastle windlass. His
hand still clutched the brake. The
sailor at the wheel had been shot
through the throat and had fallen
Imply through the open doorway of
the chart room. He lay there, cough
Ing up blood and froth and gasping his
lie out. The two men wounded by the
second shell were creeping down the
forward companion in the effort to
avoid the hail of l'ad that was beating
on the ship. Hozier was raising him
self on hands and knees, his attitude
that OF man who is dazed, almost in.
sensible.
watts had gone from the bridge. he
might have been whirled to death over
the side like the unfortunate foremast
hand she had seen tossed from of the
forecastle. But Coke, whose charmed
life apparently entitled him to act like
q lunatic, was actually balancing him
self on top Of the starboard rails of
the bridge by clinging to a stay, hav-
Ing climbed to that exposed position
In order to hurl oaths at the soldiers
on shore. He had gone frantic with
rage. His cap had either fallen OF or
been torn from his head by bullet.
His squat. powerful figure was shak-
Ing with frenzy. lie emphasized ex-k
curse WIN passionate gesture of the
tree hand and arm. He said, among
other things and with no lack Of force
tul adjectives. that IL he could only
come to close quarters with some of
the Portygee assassins on the island
ne would tear their sanguinary livers
out.
The AndromedG, uncomfortable as
destiny and quite as needless Of her
human freight. swung around with the
current until her bows pointed to the
islet occupied by the marksmen. All
at once Coke suspended his fow Of in
vecttves and rushed into the chart
room. where Iris heard him tearing
lockers open and throwing their con-
tents on the deck. To enter he was
obliged to leap over the body Of the
dying man. The action was gro
tesque. callous, almost inhuman. II
Jared the girls agonized transports
back into species Of spiritual calm. a
mental state akin to the fatalism often
exhibited by Asiatics when death Is
imminent and not to be denied. The
apparent madness OF the captain was
now more distressing to her than the
certain loss Of the ship or the invisi-
bic missiles that changed into white
patches on the iron plates. cut sudden
holes and scars I'm the woodwork or
whirred through the air with buzzing
whistle Of singularly menacing sound.
She began to be afraid Of remaining
on the bridge. Her fear was not due
to the really vital fact that II was 80
exposed. 1t arose from the purely
feminine consideration that she was
sure Coke had become a raving ma
MAC, and she dreaded meeting him
when, II ever, he reappeared.
A bullet struck the front frame of
the chart room, and several panes of
glass were shattered with a fearful
din. That decided her. Coke, If he
were not killed, would surely be driv-
en- out. She sprang to her feet and
literally ran down the steep ladder to
the saloon deck. Through the open
door OF the officers mess she witnessed
another bizarre act-an act quite as
extraordinary In it's way as 'Cokes
jump over the steersmans body. In
the midst Of this drama Of death and
destruction Watts was standing there.
with head thrown back and uplifted