Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-12
2

game Well he III be somewhat surprised tn1S nlSnt
Helo-there she goes The ball is officially opened.
The engineroom gong was ringing violently: Voices
shouted from the stokeroom as it became evident that
the man in charge was OFT the Job An oier CATERED up
the ladder to the chief A deckhand, with
Rarnon's flea in his ear cattered down on the same
Grand The stokeroom demanded of him what had
happened that the bridge should ring fur1ousy The
seattle sea is coming n' His frightened cry was like
shell dropped into the iron bowels OF the Concepcon
The Latin temperament is easily stampeded. There
rush for the upper air.
On deck Captain Ramon was cursng volubly. Where
was that pig of an engineer? Man the pumps! Stand
by the boats! He had known it would be so-the Amer
those Internal engines Gomez would not have done so!
How much water had she shipped already! Santa
Maria!-so much? Was it gaining?
sailor rushed up with revolving news The engineer
was lying in his cabin dsgusngy drunk, dead to all
shakings and shoutings. Pig Were they all to sink
because of his derehction?
Then began foment indescr1bable, panic OF the
sea- the stampede that is terrible when cool Anglo
Saxon blood is present to dominate the scene There
rush for the boats. Los Roques were but three
hours astern praise the Virgin! Some more courageous
than the rest had dared to look by anternght at the
unnerving spectacle below-and, Gring had said
"water rising the hold looks twice awful at night
were STILL the fires under the boilers dying Above
the riot of voices Captain Ramons grandiloquent
screech Il will 60 down with my shipT
Grng, hardening below could hold still no longer
he out of the coal compartment and danced a
hornppe in the deserted engneroom "Oh, it's rich!'
he told himself gleefuly. @Hear them cursing H. ]!
In his cabin, the engineer was likewise rejoicing. He
had not ceased to ponder the curious incident of the
opened bges; but from all he could hear everything
was working out just George had said it would. He
admired George; he wished he had his brains.
A STEP sounded without, and H. J. flung himself
down his bunk in the sprawling attitude the
sailor had reported To him in this posture of debase
ment there entered unanimously Captain Ramon, paus
ing only to note the significance of two empty bottles
on the floor he hurled himself on the PROSTATE
chief.
"Up Dog!" screamed the fiery little Captain. 4Pig
of an Americano You have sunk La Concepcion-she
is one big leak! Up, drown like rat!" He rained
blows the unresponsive body. "Pah! The sodden
FOOL Let him stay drown There will be witness
the less!" He rushed out as he had bssfully
that the sodden fool was even then jumping up
from the bunk
His last words puzzled Barnes What did they mean?
"here will be one witness the lessn-to what? George
ought to know about this. He would 60 to George;
but first he would shut off the blges before they flooded
the engineroom. There must be three feet of water
But when he reached the biges he found that they
had been closed.
In panic of suspicion, he caught up lantern and
hurried to the coal compartment George was not
there; nor was he anywhere in the vicinity. For an
instant Barnes entertained the wild idea that the ship
really sinking and that George had deserted him.
sudden recovery would be noted; for the decks
empty-the crew had fed. The lights out even
the red and but overhead the ropc stars bazed
white against the purple ground glass sky Beneath
them the Conception lay inert, dead leviathan. Only
the bridge, when he reached it, there sign of
life; gasping cry apprised him that someone there
was breathing with difficulty
1t was Ramon, with gag in his teeth, and Gring
sitting astride him.
Hello H. j." said George coolly. They're gone,
every mothers son of them. We're all that's left of
the gallant crew, you and me and little Ramon here.
He seemed suddenly to recollect the beneath
him.
"The dirty greaser!' said Barnes, with conviction
Il owe him a few. What's his game George? Cap
tain can't salve his own ship At the most, the COM
pany give him gold watch pair of binoculars.
Gring Chucked "Theres more WAYS than one of