Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-03-06

rose In arms at the ideal An owner
was an owner all the seas over.
Captains existed merely for owners
profit and pleasure. And SO he
stayed on deck and did his best.
A voice and Whit of whisky
came to him out OF the dark.
Captain"
"Yes, Mr.. McTodd."
They exchanged some words about
the condition of affairs when the
captain suddenly stretched his arm
out over the water, saying, Look
there!" -
He pointed to the south and east.
The black velvet darkness was
fiawed by a flicker OF infnitesimal
flames.
"Phosphorescence," said McTodd.
"The outer splashes Of lightll be
oars. Gosh, but she's a big craft,
yon. She'll have a dozen oars a.
side. She'll be one of those big
kherbs."
"A lighter"
"The Moorish words kherb, as
ye'd know If ye'd my education
don't see for why ye're surprised.
It's the natural sequence of events
that the other blackguards come off
to join their chief who's tucked his
way in among us so cannily. / should
say that the throat-cutting will be-
gin within five seconds of their com.
ing over the side"
That's my idea of it, and I've
made my preparations accordingly.
The mates know, and the deck-hands
are standing by. But I've another
surprise packet for them first. What
steam have your"
Enough. maybe, to just turn her
over with"
81 told that old fool of a chief to
keep steam for full speed all night
By James, I'll log that man for in
competence"
You should have given your or.
seen it carried out. The chiefs vera
canny on coal, and in private I may
tell ye 1 suspect him of being an
Aberdonian. But I'll away below and
get boost on those cages"
The oasis of phosphorescence
crawled slowly across the black des.
ert of the night, and presently a
second fiickering oasis disclosed it.
self, and then third, and fourth
-Four big lighters crammed with
men, and all of them of the true
| fighting trade" mused Captain Ket.
tie. IF they're the ordinary cargo
kherb of the Northwest coast they'l'
carry a hundred and twenty hands
apiece in smooth water like this Ia
COON. That means four to five hun
dred enthusiasts coming to call, and
all carrying cutlery. Well, if they
go direct to my old anchorage, I'm
free to own they'll get surprise "
Silence and secrecy was the order
of the night Mr.. Trethewy, the
mate, received orders and departed
swiftly to the forecastle head The
carpenter was dropped into the ca
ble-locker, and battened down there
30 that the noise of his knocking
out shackle should not make itself
heard. Then the heavy cable was
muffled in every way possible, and
dropped through the hawse-hole, link
| by link, and finally let go with c
rope and buoy to mark it, Phos.
phorescence, now that they were
looking for it, showed them the line
of the cable right down to the la
goon's floor, and to the men OF
board seemed an open advertisement
of their position; but no trace Of
this reached the kherbs, and they
plodded steadily along their course
to the Wangeroo's old anchorage
Steam meanwhile was beginning tc
pour quietly through the escape pipe
and Captain Kettle nodded apprecia
lively to himself as he took the
temperature from time to time from
the outside of the funnel casing
The leading kherb reached the
spot where the steamer should have
been. eased her phosphorescence
stirring oars, and disappeared into
the blackness of the night, and a.
the others came up and lost theil
way also vanished into nothingness
Captain Kettle put clgar between
his teeth, but he did not venture tt
light it, nor did he risk the changing
bell of the engine-room telegraph
Instead he applied his lips to the
voice tube, and got into communica
ton with very sober and alert
McTodd, who said he had found II
necessary to put his chief to bed
The Wangeroo gathered way slow.
ly and without noise, and Captain
Kettle, to avoid the clamor of Civ
Ing orders, took the steam steering
wheel in his own hands. The might
ahead was without beacon, and full
of dense amorphous darkness, bu
with sailors knacls of memory the
little sailor had the bearings of his
old anchorage, and of every salient
point of the lagoon firmly chartet
in his head, and worked out deat
reckoning of his steamboats, course
as he went along.
He kept one eye on the carefully