The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-31
1909. by Beni. B. Hampton1

angry glare to the west, and the air was
 hot and humid Above, feeble star tried to shine through murky haze. and failed. To the east the horizon was barely visible, clean black aloud but whispered of evil things to those who read the signs of trouble at sea- In the engine room was the only sound in the ship-the steady chug- chugclank chug-chug-c of the two engines. The glass was down-away down, although the chief iy. It was the captain who was caring and who watched the mercury dropping, dropping-sloW, It Is true but still dropping-and who saw. with more ore for careful skipper. the strongly marked concavty Of the surface of the murcury which bodes III Tor ships not strong of heart and stout of umoer ana brace
 The chief stood in the bow and spat into the ton of circumstances which can throw fvehun dredton tramp into the hands of her chief and one circunstances had occurred. The Minnie Wool wcrth--"Woolly' for short-never had but two en gneers, in spite of her two compounds, for her own CTS ware the saving kind and two engineers instead of three saved not only salary, but hash for one. were not ample for the work. tramp runs on no schedule. she gets where she is going the best way sns snd e se & soa by enough to get there plus ten tons margin and which prescribes two knots under the possibility of the screws result. Beck. the chief, and Andrews, the second-where was there ever tramp, or liner either for that matter without Scottish S outb in Rs sfss a se watch and
 But here Andrews tied in hard knot in his berth with something he called cramps (the captain deadly afraid 1t was ptomaine poison ing) and as much good as a jellynsh as far as standing watch was concerned. Wherefore the Mig ger had been called from the stokehoe and his place every third watch--while Beck was standing eight hours with four hours below.
 The Nigger was lazy. H was product Of the west Indies man @ of immense physical strength 1.-the strong body his swelling muscles and the clean clear bronze of his skin. He was typical, happy, esreless child of his race living only for today for cat, and hating the wet and the cold do the transplanted children of the Line. Somewhere. af1auv he hal and steam He could throttle her down if sea made the big slow screws spin like pinwheels could the stokehole with unnecessary pride, could pack valve or oil bearing as we'll as Beck himself But even nuch ordinary tasks as taking card or set ting eccentric valve he as much at sea as ing but by observation and absorption
 Still. he was the only man in the stokehole who despairing talk with Reddy. boss of the srimy stokers, the Hishman indicated the Nigger as the fe | Hss that 50 tS to the Reddy was anxious to get his room.
 There were reasons why putting into port and ot There was cargo waiting the first tramp which would take it at oyapok and the 'sWoollysS owners were not men who loved to spend coal on light ship and get return it. Captain Hoiroyd took chance. and the Nigger went to the engine
 And 50 Beck stood in the bows and spat at ths graygreen water below, and looked at the reckoning aftergow,, smothering up in the clouds, and smelt half gale a-coming, and wondered sleepily about the glass and decided it was none of his business and spluttered little at his disgust of being ship mates with "a rotten. stinking nigger who doesn't know a stufing box from a box of sardines" and finally made his way to his bunk, where he turned
 Meanwhile, old Ocean was slowly making up it's mind that something was going to happen The after matching the east; the clean-cut horizon faded out the lone star was no more, and an odd little lift mighty swell that up to had been as regular as pendulum. Somewhere. of to the south and UoS hrnU inc A o4rr A14f~. was ms dark. as pitch. The glass still sank into itself. shrinking from the coming storm. Had the have heard long before of storm warnings set and of hurricane coming up the coast; but whoever to let tramp captain have the news? And WSst good would 1t have done him to know 1t? And what indeed could storm warning tell him that his own five and the glass had not already shown him was happening2 He did not know when, or how, or rom the hot feel of the air and the deadly murki- ness of every thing, and the twitchng, uneasy, way 1t slapped at the bows ran hungrily along the rsil, and missed of into the wake something
 Down in the engine room the Nigger was fast asleep He was stretched out on the seat, his head against feed pipe and his feet strasgng along the single peal at the jingle would have walked him. 5e knew the captain wasn't coming down, he knew Beck was asleep. and he trusted to luck not to be caught. himself Hit foolishnuss. dis a-yere stayin wake when nofin for um ter do. Day ole engines runnin' ericng as smoof as greased pole Hellum wid nm regulashuns. Didn't ship for no engineeer no- howl"
 But he was caught. And it bears heavily on what happened, and shows that even black man of no education, but once removed from savagery, may have that germ of manhood in him which puts others before sel and stands to help the greatest number to their greatest good in spite of personal conse. Huences. whether personal liking be at stake or mo- For Beck caught him mapping and kicked him sound v, and cursed him until even the Nigger's ears burned and the whites of his eyes showed, and he severed away from the dominant white race and he blazing white mans eyes.
 You black houndi" said Beck, not mincing his words. You spawn of Hell, sleeping on duty are YOU? I'll show you how to sleep whensI sleep. Here
 am taking eight hours to your four, because can't rust for five minutes-and you, with eight hours to sleep in, and better grub than you had in your lazy nothing life, have got curl up like cat and let my engines go to the devil while you rest your precious chalky,. nigger eyes! Get cut of my engine room you oafng misbegotten son cf-of- Oh. get out before take spanner to y0Hi"
 By all of which it may be that Beck was somewhat annoyed. And Beck reported to the cap tain, via the tube; and the mate the side of the