The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1912-09-13
CHAPTER TX.
A Craft Without Lluhts.

matter Of temperament rather than
cultivation. But now my temperament
was all awry, and my composure fed
me. was excited. More than that,
! was frantic, distracted, ratified. |
wanted to do a dozen things at once;
to get answers to a score Of ques-
tons in a single moment And the
consequence may be imagined. For
five-ten minutes, nothing was done
whatever. Then the search-lighb was
got into play, sweeping the waters on
all sides, far and near; but with pal
try result. Five or six miles astern
we made out power boat, similar to
that which l had seen through the
glass earlier in the day. To the east
ward a steamer with two tunnels was
just coming into range. The white
sails OF coasting schooner showed
to westward. Trailing in our wake
was our squalld salvage, the dory of
the fisherman.
Macleod, trained to GOODNESS, re-
tanned his wits. Systematically he
set to work. Likely and unlikely
places aboard the yacht were looked
into. Before knew what he was
about, we were going back over the
way We had come with the search
light swinging in circle and a half
dozen sharp-eyed seamen scanning
every square foot Of rolling wave.
Il can't understand It," | kept re.
peating aloud, with selseless iteration.
Il can't understand It,"
was standing alone, we'll forward,
leaning over the rail. Presently Mac.
Leod laid hand on my shoulder.
I'VE can't do anything more than
we are doing, Mr.. Clyde" he said in
his matter-of-fact way. For my part,
/ can't understand 1t, either; but since
Mr.. Cameron's not aboard, there's
only one conclusion. and that is that
he's overheard. And since there was
no one interested in throwing him
there, then 1t seems very clear that
he must have jumped"
Jumped" l cried, in irritation.
my God, man! Don't l tell you that
| was mot three feet away from him,
and only for minute or two? How
could he have jumped without my
hearing him? How could he even
have got out Of his chair, without my
hearing him?"
The captain shrugged his shoulders.
There's no other explanation" he
decided, conclusively.
"You mean he committed suicide ?"
| "Call it what you like, SIR"
But there was no reason for him
to do such thing" l objected.
Il understand he's been pretty Ill,
SIR"
HE was Ill, yes. But he was on tho
road to recovery" And then, with the
realization that was speaking OF
Cameron In the past tense, as though
1t were already settled that | should
never see him alive again, SILVER
Of horror swept over me. know Mac
Leod observed 1t, for he said:
There's been a drop in the tenn
perature, in the last half-hOur. It'll
be more comfortable in my cabin, sir.
If you don't mind coming in, and talk
ing the thing over a bit"
Good Heavens, Macleod" l ex-
claimed, turning on him with nervous
savagery, do you expect me to sit
down and talk calmly at such a mo-
ment? can't. It's all l can do to
stand still here, for a minute at q
time. feel must do something. It's
torture to have ones hands tied this
way"
Il think know how you feel, sir.
But walking the deck will do no good,
and If you could calm yourself enough
to talk 1t over quietly, we might get
down to something that would guide
US, so to speak"
"Guide us?" / repeated.
eyes, sir. It's not impossible, you
know, sir, that when he went over.
board he was picked up"
The light from his cabin portfolio
illuminated us both, and now as he
looked at me he must have seen my
perplexity.
"You said yourself, sir" he ex-
planned, "that you thought you heard
the exhaust Of some sort o. craft not
far away"
1t was this reminder, / think, which
brought back my wool-gatherlng wits
and steadied me to perception Of the
real Importance Of the captains plea.
OF one thing, at least. ! was assured:
Cameron was not suicide. How he
could have gone over the taffrail with
out my seeing or hearing him, should
never be able to understand. But gone
he was, and It lay upon me to dis
cover by whose assistance this mar
velous disappearance was accom-
plished. And so It came about that,
controlling my futile unrest, | was
presently seated in MacLeod's swivel
chair, while he, from a place on the
side Of his berth, fred pointed ques-
lions at me, which | either answered
as best could or returned in kind.
Now maybe it's none Of my bust
ness, Mr.. Clyde, but In view OF to-
nights occurrence think it's peril.
nent to know why there was such a
thorough inspection Of the Slbylla be-
fore we sailed. and such ? 10. Of eau