The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-02-19

W uo q hiohstrous, tnconcelNaDie
thing. horrible nightmare.
Hold on, don't go yet"
stopped obediently in my
walk toward the galley.
"J0hansen, call all hands. Now
that we've everything cleaned up,
well have the funeral and get
the decks cleared of useless lum-
her,
While Johansen was summon
ing the watch below, a couple OF
sailors. under the captains direc-
ton, laid the canvas-swathed
corpse upon hatch-cover. On
either side the deck, against the
rail and bottoms up, were dashed
a number OF small boats. Sew
eral men picked up the hatch
cover with its CHASTITY weight,
carried II to the lee side, and
rested 1t on the boats, the feet
pointing overheard. To the feet
was attached the sack of coal
which the cook had fetched.
| had always conceived a burial
at sea to be very solemn and
awe-inspirlng event, but was
quickly disillusioned, by this
burial ut any rate. One of the
hunters. little dark-eyed man
whom his mates called Smoke"
was telling stories, literally in
tersprlnkled with oaths and OBJ
scenities; and every minute or so
tho prnun nf buntar. oaxt., mouth
to a laughter that sounded to me
like a wolf-chorus or the bark
ing OF hell-hounds. The sailors
trooped nOisily aft, some of the
watch below rubbing the sleep
from their eyes. and talked in
low tones together. There was
an ominous and worried express
sion on their faces. II was evil
dent that they did not like the
outlook OF voyage under such a
captain and begun so inauspi-
ciously. From time to time they
stole glances at Wolf Larsen, and
! could see that they were appre-
hensive of the man.
He stepped up to the hatch
cover, and all caps came off. !
ran my eyes over them-twenty
men all told, twenty-five includ-
Ing the man at the wheel and my
self. ] was pardonably curious
In my survey. for II appeared my
fate to be pent up with them on
this miniature floating world for
] knew not how many weeks or
months. The sailors, In the
main, were English and Scandi-
navian, and their faces seemed of
the heavy, stolid order. The
hunters, on the other hand, had
stronger and more diversified
faces, with hard lines and the
marks of the free play of pas
sions. Strange to say, and |
noted 1t at once, Wolf Larsen s
features showed no such evil
stamp. There seemed nothing
vicious in them. True, there
were lines, but they were the
lines of decision and firmness. IL
seemed, rather, a frank and open
countenance, which frankness or
openness was enhanced by the
fact that he was smooth-shaven. /
could hardly believe,--until the
next incident occurred, that It
was the face of a man who could
behave as he had behaved to the
cabin-boy.
At this moment, as he opened
his mouth to speak, puff after
puff struck the schooner and
pressed her side under. The wind
shrieked wild song through the
rigging. Some of the hunters
glanced anxiously aloft. The lee
rail, where the dead man lay, was
buried in the sea, and as the
schooner lifted and righted the
water swept across the deck.
wetting us above our shoe-tops.
A shower of rain drove down
upon us, each drop singing like
a hailstone. As it passed, Wolf
Larsen began to speak, the bare
headed men swaying in unison to
the heave and lunge of the deck.
Il only remember one part of
the SERVICE" he said, land that
is, And the body shall be cast
into the sea- SO cast it in"
He ceased speaking. The men
holding the hatch-cover seemed
perplexed, puzzled no doubt by
the briefness of the ceremony. He
burst upon them In a fury.
Lift up that end there, damn
you! What the hells the matter
with your"
They elevated the end of the
hatch-cover with pitiful haste.
and, like dog flung oversize,
the dead man slid feet first into
the sea. The coal at his feet
dragged him down. He was gone.
"Johansen," Wolf Larsen said
briskly to the new mate, keep
all hands on deck now they're
here. Get in the topsails and ibis
and make a good job of it. We're
In for a sou easter. Better reef
the lib and mainsail, too, while
you're about it."
In a moment the decks were
in commotion, Johansen below
ing orders and the men pulling
or letting go ropes of various
sorts-all naturally confusing to
landsman such as myself. But
1t was the heartlessness of 1t that
especially struck me. The dead
man was an episode that was
past, an incident that was drop
ped, In a canvas covering with a