Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-01-21
CHAPTER !.

Il
scarcely know where to begin.
though sometimes faeetiously place
the cause of It all to Charley Furu-
seth's credit. He kept summer cot
tage in Mill Valley, under the shadow
OF Mount Tamalpais. and never occu-
pied 1t except when be loafed through
the winter months and read Nietzsche
and Schopenhauer to rest his brain.
Had 1t not been my custom to run up
to see him every Saturday afternoon
and to stop over till Monday morning.
this particular January Monday morn
ing would not have found me afloat
on San Francisco bay.
Not but that I was afioat In . safe
craft, for the Martinez was q new ferry
steamer, making her fourth or fifth
trip on the run between Sausalito and
San Francisco. The danger lay In the
heavy fog which blanketed the bay.
and of which, as q landsman. had
little apprehension. took up my posi-.
ton on the forward upper deck. direct
ly beneath the pilot house. and al
lowed the mystery of the fog to lay
hold OF my imagination. A fresh breeze
was blowing. and for time I was
alone in the moist obscurity-yet not
alone, for l was dimly conscious OF
the presence of the pilot. and Of what
I took to be the captain. in tho glass
house above my head.
II was good that men should be spe.
cialists, unused. The peculiar knowl-
edge of the pilot and captain suficed
for many thousands Of people who
knew no more of the sea and navfga-
ton than / knew. On the other hand,
instead of having to devote my en-.
ergy to the learning Of a multitude OF
things, / concentrated 1t upon few
particular things, such as, for instance
the analysis of Poe's place In Ameri.
can literature-an essay Of mine. by
the way. in the current Atlantic.
From out the fog came the mourn.
full tolling Of bell. and l could sea
the pilot turning the wheel with great
rapidity. The bell, which had seemed
straight ahead, was now sounding
from the side. Our own whistle was
blowing hoarsely. and from time to
time the sound Of other whistles came
to US from out of the fog. An unseen
ferryboat was blowing blast after
blast. and a mouth-blown horn was
footing In terror-stficken fashion.
A shrill whistle. piping a. II gone
mad, came from directly ahead and
from very near at hand. Gongs sound
ed ON the Martinez. Our paddlewheels
stopped, their pulsing beat died away
and then they started again. The
shrill whistle. like the chirping Of q
cricket amid the cries of great beasts
shot through the fog from more to
the side and swiftly grew faint and
fainter.
glanced up. The captain had
thrust his head and shoulders out Of
the pilot house. and was staring in
tently into the fog as though by sheer
force Of will he could penetrate 1t. His
face was anxious.
Then everything happened, and with
Uncomfortable rapidity. The foe
seemed to break away as though split
by a wedge, and the bow of a steam
boat emerged. trailing fog-wreaths on
either side like seaweed on the snou1
of Leviathan. ! could see the pilot
house and a white-bearded man lean
ing partly out Of It, on his elbows. He
was clad in q blue uniform, and re
member noting how trim and quiet he
was. His quietness, under the circum
stances, was terrible. He accepted
destiny, marched hand in hand with It
and coolly measured the stroke. Al
he leaned there, he ran a calm and
speculative eye over US. as though Il
determine the precise point of the col
lision, and took no notice whatever
when our pilot. white with rage. shout
ed. Now you've done it,"
We must have been struck squarely
amidships, for ] saw nothing, thu
strange steamboat having passed be
yond my line Of vision. The MARITIME;
heeled over. sharply. and there was I
crashing and rending Of timber. wal
thrown nat on the wet deck. and be
fore l could scramble to my feet
heard the screams Of women. Thi,
Il was, am certain-the most indie
scribable of blood-curdling sounds
that threw me into q panic. ] remem
bered the life preservers stored in thu
cabin, but was met at the door ant
swept back by q wild rush Of men ant
women. What happened in the mex
few minutes do not recollect, though
I have q clear remembrance of pull
ing down life preservers from the over
head racks. while . red-faced mai
fastened them about the bodies of
Ihvsterical group of women.