Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-10


The first glance electrified the marooned
mate. 81 know that ship. You'll never
make it, Jem!" he cried, his face flaming in
the faring signal fire. "There's on'y one
way,-the boat an the bowsprit!"
@Stand back' Casco showed the mate
aside.
The gun erupted at their feet, failing out
the lifeline like an angry snake. But the
shot fell short.
Il. told vel" Carney cried, forgetting
everything in his savage haste for action.
"Cap'n Cane won't come off that Mandarin
ship till haul him off! An I'll do it, if"
@Cap'n Cane?' Casco roared. "What in
Gawd's name dye think she is, that BARK
In sheer amazement the men of the crew
stood frozen.
81 don't care what they call her!" Carney
raved. ashes the Mandarin, made over!
Amt that Chinee crew enough for We? An
her skipper, hiding like rat! know that
long black hull, that clipper bow. She's the
Mandarin, come back!'
can that makes three Mandarins!" Gun
ner Welsh jeered. zone sunk, and one out
Won, and one on the sands! Gimme primer,
Johnny. I'll shoot her again FIR 1uck!-
They shot her again, three times, until
Casco with a yell of fury, kicked over the
gun and sprang down to the battling surf.
The surfboat, on the sand wagon, stood
ready, and as the brawny life savers heaved
the machine into the sea Carney was the
first to leap aboard after the bowman. His
face was set in a mask of hatred and dawning
hope. The boat had won the lee of the reef.
Over them, as they fought her through it,
the long bowsprit swayed like a horizontal
pendulum or scythe, seeking to sweep
them from the sea- Like starry eyes, the
ships golden emblems glared at them from
her bow,-the clipper bow where Carney had
last seen the figure of the yellow Mandarin!
THE life savers had no time to waste on
his "ghost story with the seething
maelstrom all around them: their sole desire
was to get line aboard. They remembered
only when a gathering block tackle swung
sheer from the tip of the flying jibboom that
they had mad sailor aboard.
Hold hard! I'll make her yeti" Wrig-
Cling from Welsh's grip, Carney swarned
up the sheet rope, hand over hand. Far out
on the slender spar he stood up, a scowling
figure of vengeance, with appraised arm, as
though calling down a curse on ship and
crew. Ships Bottom, fighting for life in the
furious sea, saw the terror of the Chinese,
chattering on the top, at the apparition on
the bowsprit. 1t sent a chill through the
boat crew.
II wonder do they know him." Welsh
said. They're goin' away from him like a
ghost Gawd! He's gone!"
The long jibboom, shaken from its socket,
crashed down on the boat. When they
struggled free from the tangle of cordage,
stunned, swamped, and swept shoreward,
Mate Carney of the Mandarin had won
aboard, seized a shearing AK, and staggered
aft. A ferret-eyed shipmaster cringed before
him, and the Cinnamon chartered aloft. But
Carney's only thought was of all it meant to
him to save the ship, and with the lifeboat
smashed, out of gun range as the ship was,
there was only one way. His acquired
knowledge of the business of the beach came
handy now. He made for the huge shrouds
and stays that held the foremost in place.
Get that pull off her She'll swing round
and back in the reef channel The bulliesn
get her there!" he painted. @ThereT be
nothin' for it on'y trolley EN- in-skipper
last!r
The fox-faced man had vanished. Rasp-
ing orders to the Cinnamon in their own ia
miliar speech, Carney buckled to his task.
On the sea-washed beach wide-eved surf
men watched in willing admiration.
KNOWS just what to do, that mad mate
does Casco said. "There she comes, tops1
an all! She's switching ends! Hang me if
he amt setting a stays1 on her mizzen!
She'll blow in backwards, right on the
beach,