Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-11-30
CHAPTER II (Continued).

drift and these they ate raw and
wished there were more Of them. And
once a brace of bonitos followed the
smaller fry, and they gorged on these
and for once were pleasantly filled.
The small amount of food they had
brought from the Norman Towers had
run out by this time, and they we're
all loking thin and miserable and
wolfish. ae
When once more the gale ceased,
and the boat under snugged-doWn can
vas was again thrashing her way up
to the steam lane which now lay to
the northward, the crew were unwise
enough to plan mutiny. They collected
up forward and put their heads TO-
gether. and from among them present.
" came Jenkins, half shamefaced, half
defiant, and sat down aft.
II stand by you, Sir" he said to the
mate.
"Of course" said Kettle, "you have
to, since made you an officer. And 1t
will be good practice for you. though
If had been put to 1t, I could have
handled the whole outfit without
straining myself"
The Others heard and their courage
oozed: and when it came to the point
they put as a request what they had
intended to dish up as a command.
: They were hungry, thirsty, miser-
able: the Sargasso was desert; they
were one and all covered with salt
water boils; provisions and water
were all gone; and presently they
would all die, and the boat would blow
about on that unkind sea. water
logged derelict full of corpses. II they
ran for the nearest land, which would
offer food, drink, shelter, warmth,
they might yet escape with bare life.
But 1t must be now, without a mo-
ment's delay now now.
Baldhead was the speaker. He was
quite a young man, with a fine emo
tional touch to his oratory.
: Really finished?" the mate in
ouired when he had talked himself to
standstill.
"Yes, sir, that is what we have to
say"
"And you said it very we'll. wish I'd
brought along the accordion. should
like to set that tale to music and near
you sing it-you son OF play-actress.
You're overfed and underWorked,
that's what's the matter with you.
You're spelling for the want OF JOB,
and, by James, I'm the man to give
Won one! This boat wants smartening
up. So to begin with, you take yur
knife and scrape spars. The Senegam-
bian, who has also knife which mes
aching to use, will help you. Now
lump YOU sweep, or, by the living
James. I'll knock more stars out OF you
with the tiller than ever were STUCK
up in the sky!
They Jumped. The others. unbidden,
set about coiling ropes and cleaning
the floor boards of unconsidered
trifles of litter, and Mr. Kettle, the
mate. watched proceedings with an
acid smile.
The men were all hollow-eyed and,
with the exception Of Baldhead, shag-
CIV beyond belief The hair OF the rest
had grown to an incredible length.
Their boards bristled uncouthly. Their
cheeks were streaked salt-white IN the
wrinkles. Their clothes, shabby ana
darned to start with, were shrunk ana
sea-bleached. and moreover torn to
fantastic fluttering rags. The men mad
no heart among them for patching and
mending on that desperate boat
voyage.
Even Mr.. Kettle the uaually immacu-
late mate was little better than the
others, The blue serge of his uniform
was so impregnated with salt that no
hand brushing would unbleach 1t; the
brass buttons and gold lace were
furnished to dingy green; pocket
was torn and dangled Imply; and IN
more places than one, threads had
rotted and the seams gaped. But worst
of all were his cheeks and chin. 'Ihese
it had been his pride to shave "a DAY
below" He had brought razor with
him in the boat, wrapped In an olied
rag to shelter 1t from rust But the
securing of the seas had been too
much for the flimsy safeguard, The
boat was sodden with sea water Tor
days together, and the blade sue
cumbed to the brine. Its surface dis
colored, it's edge grew capped tn to use
II meant CORY torment; and finally 1t
refused even the semblance OF duty.
Mr.. Kettle cursed and flung 1t savage
ly into a pursuing wave crest. And
thereafter red bristles sprouted over
his haggard face, and he loathed the
9l4nC OF n1IlSCll WHcIACVCi AO uSSu VAN
inside of his watchcase as a mirror
when he combed his hair.
Baldhead, at these moments OF the
toilet, felt that he got little OF his
own back. He would rub his smooth
cheeks and chin, and smile thought
fully at the horizon; and although the
mate was quick to resent his insolence
in practical shape, Baldhead always
licked his salt-cracked lips appre-
ciatively when the chance came round
for his little play.
Luck, in the way Of picking Up a
steamboat, was certainly hard with
them: but luck decidedly came to
their aid more than once when starva-
ton seemed certain. have mentioned
the full meal they had on the big
bonitos. Another day the impossible
happened, and their two attendant
sea-fow, altered course too suddenly,
steered into one another, and dropped
disabled into the water. Their bodies
were eaten down to the last fiber, and
the starving men cursed a mean
z Aod lott hopos no11Ouy