Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1916-02-22


that wonder and perplexity. that ques-
tioning, that everlasting query of his
| as. to what it was all about.
finally crawled to my feet and
assembled the companion stairs. Fair
weather was over; and there was moth
ing left but to return to the galley
NY left arm was numb, as though par.
alyzed, and days passed before 1 could
use it, while weeks went by before
the last stiffness and pain went out
of it. And he had done nothing but
put his hand upon my arm and
/ squeeze. What he might have done
1 did not fully realize till next day,
when he put his head into the galley,
and, as sign of renewed friendliness,
asked me how my arm was getting on.
1T might have been worse" he
smiled.
was peeling potatoes. He picked
one up from the pan. 1t was fair sized,
firm and unpeeled. He closed his
hand upon it, squeezed, and the potato
| squirted out between his fingers in
mushy streams. The pulpy remnant
| he dropped back into the pan and
turned away, and had sharp vision
of how it might have Jared with me
had the monster put his real strength
| upon me.
But the three days rest brought the
| trouble had foreseen. 1t was plainly
| Thomas Mugridges intention to make
me pay for those three days. He
! treated me vilely, cursed me continu-
| ally, and heaped his own work upon
me. He even Ventured to raise his
fist to me, but was becoming animal
like myself, and l snarled in his face
so terribly that it must have fright
ened him back
A pair of beasts is What we were,
penned together and showing our
| teeth. He was a coward. afraid to
strike me because l had not quailed
sufficiently in advance; so he chose
new way to intimidate me. There
was only one galley knife that, as a
knife, amounted to anything. He whet-
ted it up and down all day long. Ev-
cry odd moment he could find he had
the knife and stone out and was whet-
ting away till could have laughed
aloud, it was so very ludicrous.
1t was also serious, for l learned
that he was capable of using it, that
under all his cowardice there was a
courage of cowardice, like mine, that
would impel him to do the very thing
his whole nature protested against do
ing and was afraid of doing. "Cooky's
| sharpening his knife for Hump" was
being whispered about among the sail
ors, and some of them twitted him
about it. This he took in good part,
and was really pleased, nodding his
| head with direful foreknowledge and
mystery, until George Leach. the
erstwhile cabin-boy, ventured some
rough pleasantly on the subject.
Now it happened that Leach was
one of the sailors told off to douse
Mugridge after his game of cards with
the captain. Leach had evidently done
his task with a thoroughness that Mug
ridge had not forgiven, for words fol-
lowed and evil names involving
smirched ancestries. Mugridge men,
aced with the knife he was sharpening
for me. Leach laughed and hurled
more of his Telegraph hill billings
! gate, and before either he or | knew
what had happened, his right arm had
been ripped open from elbow to wrist
by a quick slash of the knife. The
cook backed away, a fiendish express
sion on his face, the knife held before
him in position of defense. But
Leach took it quite calmly. though
blood was spouting upon the deck as
generously as water from a fountain
I'm goin' to get you, Cooky," he
said, land III get you hard. And 1
! won't be in no hurry about it. You'll
be without that knife when 1 come
for you"
| So saying, he turned and walked
quietly forward. Mugridge's face was
livid with fear at what he had done
and at what he might expect sooner
or later from the man he had stabbed.
But his demeanor toward me was more
| ferocious than ever.
Several days went by, the Ghost still
| foaming down the trades, and l could
swear l saw madness growing in
| Thomas Mugridge's eyes. And l con-
fess that l became afraid, very much
| afraid. Whet, whet, it went all day
| long The look in his eyes as he felt
the keen edge and glared at me was
| positively carnivorous. l was afraid
| to turn my shoulder to him, and when
| left the galley went out backward
| to the amusement of the sailors and
hunters, who made point of gather
ing in groups to witness my exit.
Several times Wolf Larsen tried to
inveigle me into discussion, but gave
! him short answers and eluded him.
| Finally, he commanded me to resume
my seat at the cabin table for a time,
and let the cook do my work. Then 1
spoke frankly, telling him what was
enduring from Thomas Mugridge be-
cause of the three days of favoritism
which had been shown me. Wolf Lar
sen regarded me with smiling eyes.
$50 you're afraid, eh?" he sneered.
1t was plain that l could look for
no help or mercy from Wolf Larsen.
Whatever was to be done l must do
for myself; and out of the courage of
fear 1 evolved the plan of fighting
Thomas Mugridge with his own weap-
ons. / borrowed a WI etstone from
Johansen. Louis, the boat steerer,
had already begged me 'or condensed
milk and sugar. The lazaretto, where
snnh delica cies were stored WAS still