The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-12-18

wall of water. What happened aftel
that was very confusing. | was be
meath the water. suffocating anC
drowning. Several times | collidet
against hard objects, once striking my
right knee a terrible blow. Then the
food seemed suddenly to subside. and
| was breathing the good air again.
had been swept against the galley and
around the steerage companionway
from the weather side into the lee
| scuppers. The pain from my hurt knee
was agonizing. But the cook was after
me, shouting through the lee galley
door:
Ere. you! Don't tyke all night
about it! Where's the pot? Lost
overheard? Serve you bloody well
right if yer neck was broke!"
l managed to struggle to my feet
The great teapot was still in my hand
| limped to the galley and handed il
to him. But lie was consuming with
indignation, real or feigned.
"Gawd blime me II you amt a slob
Wot're you good for anyw'y? Cawn't
even carry a bit of tea aft without
losin' it. Now I'll ave to boil some
more"
!! Two things l had acquired by my
accident-an injured kneecap that
went undressed and from which suf
fered for weary months. and the name
of Hump" which Wolf Larsen had
called me from the poop. Thereafter,
fore and aft, l was known by no other
name, until the term became a part
of my thought processes and identi.
fed it with myself, thought of myself
as Hump. as though Hump were and
had always been l.
1t was no easy task, waiting on the
cabin table, where sat Wolf Larsen,
Johansen and the six hunters. The
cabin was small, to begin with, and to
move around, as was compelled to,
was not made easier by the schooner's
violent pitching and wallowing. But
what struck me most forcibly was
the total lack of sympathy on the part
of the men whom l served. | could
feel my knee through my clothes
swelling and swelling, and / was sick
and faint from the pain of it | could
catch glimpses of my face, white and
CHASTITY, distorted with pain, in the
cabin mirror. All the men must have
seen my condition, but not one spoke
or took notice Of me. till l was almost
grateful to Wolf Larsen, later on q
was washing the dishes), when he
said:
Don't let a little thing like that
bother you. You'll get used to such
things I'm time. II may cripple you
some, bat all the same you'll be learn
ing to walk.
That's what you call a paradox
isn't it?" he added.
He seemed pleased when I nodded
my head with the customary Yes.
sir"
II suppose you know a bit about lie.
erary things? Eli? Good. I'll have
some talks with you sometime"
And then, taking no further account
of me, he turned his back and went
up on deck.
That night, when had finished an
endless amount of work, was sent to
sleep in the steerage. where l made
up spare bunk. / was glad to get out
of the detestable presence of the cook
and to be off my feet. To my surprise,
my clothes had dried on me and there
seemed no indications of catching cold,
either from the last soaking or from
the prolonged soaking from the foun.
dering of the Martinez. Under ordi
nary circumstances. after all that
had undergone, / should have been fit
for bed and a trained nurse.
But my knee was bothering me ter.
ribly. AS we'll as l could make out
the kneecap seemed turned up on
edge in the midst of the swelling. ,As
/ sat in my bunk examining 1t (rhe
six hunters were all in the steerage
smoking and talking in loud voicesl,
Henderson took passing glance at II
Looks nasty" he commented. "Tie
a rag around it and it'll be all right =
Like the savage, the attitude OF
these men was stoical in great things
childish in little things. | remember
later in the voyage. seeing Kerfoot,
another of the hunters. lose a finger
by having 1t smashed to a jelly, and
he did not even murmur or change the
expression on his face. Yet | have
seen the same man, time and again
fly into the most outrageous passion
over a trifle.
He was doing 1t now. vociferating
believing, waving his arms. and ours
ing like fiend. and all because of a
disagreement with another hunter as
to whether seal pup knew instinc.
lively how to swim.
For the most part, the remaining
four hunters leaned CT the table or lay
| BUFFALO HERD is GROWING