Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-11

this last. tie lauSno0 Cno0TIuliy.
That's all right, Mr.. McTodd. The
necessity of communicating medical
comforts In time of stress Ia recog-
nized by act of parliament. Then did
you and that splendid crew pull down
that enormous embankment by hand.
and In deep water?"
"Our policy" said the engineer,
emphasizing his point with an ex-
planatory pipe-stem,( was to cut
gap big enough for the steamboat to
pass through at the top Of flood. We'd
no ambition, yen understand, for leav.
ing parliament structural improve.
ments to this part Of Africa, and when
we'd a bucketful of the stone hoisted
above water lever. We hooked 1t on
to another derrick chain aft and
dumped It over the stern. That was
where the trouble began with the ma.
tives. They seemed to object to our
spelling the contours Of their dock.
Have they been sniping you all
along?"
IF the money those misguided
heather wasted on powder and sluge
had been spent on whisky. and dis
tributed ir Glasgow, half of the sec.
ond city In the empire would have
been happy for day. And their fir.
ing thanks to my ingenuity. was all
wasted. 1t was vara humorous to see
the way they went on bombarding the
coal bags erected to shelter the men
We talked back at them, too, In .
language they could understand.
81 let the watch on deck--I mean
those that weren't engaged for the
moment on the diving take their
rifles and loose off cartridges from
behind coal bags. hear that some OF
them quite pride themselves on be-
ing marksmen, and that bald-headed
old pirate, with experience IN the
China seas, says he's further bag OF
thirteen to his discredit. They shot Al
every native they could see. Man, It's
laughable to think they bombarded
the saints own messengers, and near
ly lost us yon cargo of gold"
Lost which," Captain Kettle and
Sir George Chesterman bounced In
their chairs and put the question
simultaneously.
"You medina shout. Your nerves
are suffering from drought and as Al,
expert I should recommend a lubri-
cant. The saint sent the gold to foot
his bill all right. and there was meg
sage which said there was no hurry
about the rifles, as you'd all be staying
with him for some time"
Sir George and Captain Kettle
glanced at one another. The same
thor"ht flashed across each OF them,
Had Sidi Mohammed Bergash an idea
that with the gold once on board, the
Wan"aroo would vanish forthwith
from his calculations? It was little he
knew McTodd.
81 offered the messengers some
slight refreshment." said the engineer,
and as they wonldna take it owing
to re1eegio"s s"rnn'es Just swallowed
it myself to prov" TO them the
superiority Of ~" own northern creed,
and then I locked IN the gold in
stateroom. and got on with my en-
plovment. But I'd an idea there might
be mischief in the background. SO 1
gavef the old chief Job. He's very
intelligent man, the chief engineer OF
the Wangaroo, If he's provided with
ideas. and working drawing, and has
tools put into his hands just AS they
are required"
What on earth are you Numbering
about now"
| ''You ken yon brass signal gun on
the old Towers they bombarded us
with rs we came into the lagoon? '
Eyes, a useless toy"
AYE, there speaks your layman's
ignorance. Man. gave our chief the
nv own. but I'll not waste the de.
tails on your unmechanical inteni.
gence-and he put g. rifling into the
i h. {ur ~
brass we had into shel!s, and fitted
them with studs tn correspond with
the rifling. For want of better ex.
plosive we filled the shells with water.
! and tell you fine din they made
quarters Of mile, will that two.
and one shell she threw landed among
and sent ten of them there and then to
the place where they fry gratis. /
,, watchd it myself with the bridge
binoculars. Gosh, you should have seen
the old chief. He'd let no one sairvc
the gun but himself. You may call him
cynical. you may know him to be sar-
castle. but my idea Is that the world
mislaid in him natural artilleryman."
l. He Cdl pcIlICl loppCu phnIb Wy 81 tAIO
door, opened it, and waited to be
[ spoken to-
"Yes?' said Captain Kettle.
"I've sounded the Towers In every
hold sir. She's tight everywhere. So
are all the compartments Of the double
bottom that I could get at"
every good said Kettle. and the
carpenter went out And what's your
, iden of her engines, Mac?"
"Weel, have ma had time to take o
F, turn out of them, and there's no deny
F., ing that outwardly they're disgraceful.
Any engines with sea water on then,
and three months neglect would be
that. But with three days labor, and
soinc good nursing, I don't see they
would be any WORSE than many Of the
marine engines that are now earning
deevidends all over the seas. Gosh
there's that noisy-minded steward
ringing the thing he calls gong TOR
supper. 1t would mean bath at least
for me IL l was to come down, 50 with
F., leave I'll stay in comfort as am, and