Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-03-03

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There Was q Flash Of Greenish Water,
. Supplying Roar.
Judgment against him, for he knew the
short shrift he would get were the act
brought home to him. He drew him.
self up the hatch, caught the cOaming.
and with sailors alertness sprang
out on the trade room floor. where,
trailing water like spaniel, he hur-
riedly closed the cover, stamping 1t
into place with his feet. Then with
unspeakable relief he went to the
door, listened. opened 1t few inches
and peeped cautiously into the pas
sageway.
He looked straight into Chris eyes.
She signaled him to hurry across. He
did 80 at bound, closing the cabin
door behind him. putting his back to
1t like hunted man.
Get me some dry clothes quick" he
painted. 1.-THE schooner's done for
I've put hole in her you could shove
your two fists through"
The leak was not reported till sup
per time, when Krantz broke In on
the party like a whirlwind. The up
roar that ensued was as welcome to
him as it was dismaying to the ga!
vanized mate and to the pallid. stutter
Ing Schwartz. Brandeis was on deck
in q moment, bawling orders In II
voice like bull; Schwartz behind him
as white as corpse; Krantz next
his whiskers flying and his heavy tread
resounding as he stumbled forward Il"
call all hands.
Naked to the waist, couple Of E!e'
were working the handspikes Of th,
pump, which was hoarsely flooding IT,
scuppers. The canvas covers had beer
cut from the whale boat. and besiI'
1t, In a little heap, the Japs. Yonid;.
and Fusl, were stacking provisions anG
with a tin saucepan were filling Il pai
Of breakers from the water butt. The
main hatch was open, gaping to the
sky, and within Its depths could bt
heard a wicked. gurgling sound. swish
ing to and fro with the roll Of the ship
At the break Of the poop. and show.
ing that Brandeis had at last discover.
ed the source of danger. was the mate
himself, vociferously directing the ef
forts to draw a trysail over the leak
and up to the opposite side.
A believing command brought Matt
to the task. and second later he was
striving with the rest and as energetic.
ally busy to accomplish the impossible
for he knew the hole was too near the
keelson to be likely to suck-he had
cut 1t there for that very reasOn-but
he worked with will nevertheless.
glad to elude suspicion by an appear.
ince Of zeal and gladder still at the
murmurs about him, which, although
In German, plainly implied hopeless.
ness and failure.
Brandeis' repeated examinations of
the hold, from which he emerged like
q drowned rat, appeared to show that
the water was gaining on them,
though Matt was not half as sure that
the confounded trysail was not check
Ing the leak to some degree.
Matt snatched an opportunity. to tell
Chris to keep sharp watch on the
pinnacle compass. The Esmeralda's
course was w. 8. w., and he asked
her to warn him in case 1t were al
tered by even point. To have 1t
altered was his one consuming desire,
for 1t meant the elimination Of his
plan and the shortening Of those
dreaded hours in the whaler. Were
the schooner laid for the nearest land
she might be kept afloat to reach 1t,
sparing them an ordeal Matt had e1pe-
rienced before.
Half sinking as the boat was, Bran
deis kept her at 1t. with no weakening
Of his resolve to drown her under rath-
or than turn aside.
At midnight, after another stormy
alteration between the two. Schwartz
seemed to win q grudging consent to
get the wireless into operation. A
slender pointed steel pole was run
aloft. Herman installed his apparatus
at the foot Of the foremast and. with
no pretensions Of secrecy and as OBJ
livious Of Matt as he was Of the rest
Of the crew. calmly harnessed himself
to the wires.
There was no change in the Esmer-
.alda's course Thus the night passed,
and by morning 1t was plain the ship
was doomed. She was submerged to
the channels, and had a sickening,
undecided movement as she sank In
the trough of the sea. The men look
ed at one another, wondering each
time IL she would ever rise again, or
simply founder then and there and go
down like a stone.
The acquiescence Of the crew filed
Matt with amazement and a bitter,
mounting anger. He tried to instill Into
them something Of his own fury; point.
ed and made signs at the boat; urged
them to mutiny. to get away before
the ship sank under them. But they
listened unmoved. though not without
q strained. hungry expression. Life Is
sweet, and there 1t was towing hun
dred feet behind them, while Brandeis
with no weapon but his strident voice
held them to coffin.
BY 8 o'clock land was sighted on
the port bow. but 1t caused no relaxa-
tion Of the killing routine, nor any
change in the ships course. Matt
watched 1t with an evaporation not to
be described. Over there was safety;
over there, not fifteen miles away, was
the end Of all their troubles-white
beaches, palms, people, law, security.
Yet they must stick Hike dies on q