The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-01-21

the fleeting form we may domolish
1t seemed centures-possibly 1t was
no more than ten minutes that the
beating continued. Wolf Larsen and |
Johansen were all about the poor Eel
low. And when he could no longer
rise they still continued to beat and
kick him where he lay.
Easy, Johansen; easy as she goes.
Wolf Larsen finally said.
Jerk open the doors, Hump" was
commanded.
I obeyed and the two brutes picked
up the senseless man like a sack OF
rubbish and hove him clear UP the
companion stairs through the narrow
doorway, and out on deck The blood
from his nose gushed In a scarlet
stream over the feet Of the helms
man, who was none other than Louis,
his boat mate. But Louis took and
gave O spoke and gazed imperturb
ably into the pinnacle.
Not so was the conduct Of George
Leach, the erstwhile cabin-boy. Fore
and aft thcre was nothing that could
have surprised us more than his con
sequent behavior He it was that
came up on the poop without orders
and dragged Johnson forward, where
he set about dressing his wounds as
well as he could and making him com
Portable.
Wolf Larsen was smoking a cigar
and examining the patent log which
the Ghost usually towed astern, but
which had been hauled in for some
purpose. Suddenly Leachs voice came
TO my ears. 1t was tense and hoarse
with an overmastering rage. turned
and saw him standing just beneath
the break of the poop on the port
side of the galley. His face was con-
vulsed and white his eyes were fash.
ing, his clenched fists raised over
head.
MAY God damn your soul to hell,
Wolf Larsen, only hell's too good for
you, you coward, you murderer, you
pig!' was his opening salutation.
was thunderstruck. looked for
his instant humiliation. But it was
not Wolf Larsen's within to annihilate
| III.
the break of the poop, and, leaning
his elbow on the corner Of the cabin,
gazed down thoughtfully and curious
ly at the excited boy.
And the boy indicted Wolf Larsen
as he had never been indicted before.
Each moment / looked, and everybody
looked, for him TO leap upon the boy
and destroy him. But it was not his
whim. His cigar went out, and he
continued to gaze silently and curl
ously.
Leach had worked himself into an
ecstasy of impotent rage.
"Pig! Pig! Pig!" he was reiterat-
ing at the top of his lungs. why
| don't you come down and kill me, you
| murderer? Come on, you coward
XIII mel Kill me! Kill mel"
It was at this stage that Thomas
Mugridge's erratic soul brought him
into the scene. He turned to Leach.
saying:
such langwidge Shockin'!"
Leachs rage was no longer impo.
tent. Here at last was something
ready to hand. And for the first time
since the stabbing the cockney had
appeared outside the galley without
his knife The words had barely left
his mouth when he was knocked down
by Leach. Three times he struggled
to his feet, striving to gain the galley,
and each time was knocked down.
ooh, Lord!" he cried. "'Elp! 'Elp!
Tyke i'm aw'y, carnt yer? Tyke i'm
aw'y!"
The hunters laughed from sheer re-
lief. Tragedy had dwindled, the farce
had begun. The sailors now crowded
boldly aft, grinning and shutting to
watch the pummeling of the hated
cockney. And even felt a great Joy
surge up within me. confess that de-
lighted in this beating Leach was Civ.
ing to Thomas Mugridge, though 1t
| was as terrible. almost, as the one
Mugridge had caused to be given to
Johnson. But the expression of Wolf
Larsen's face never changed The
cockney strove in vain to protect him.
self from the Infatuated boy And In
vain he strove to gain the shelter OF
the cabin. Blow followed blow with
bewildering rapldity He was knocked
about like shuttlecock, until,
finally, like Johnson, he was beaten
and kicked as he lay helpless on the
deck. And no one interfered
But these two affairs were only the
opening events OF the days program.
In the afternoon Smoke and Hender-
son fell foul Of each other. and fu-
sillade of shots came up from the
steerage, followed by q stampede Of
the other four hunters for the deck.
A column OF thick, acrid smoke-the
kind always made by black powder
was arising through the open compan
ionway. and down through II leaped
Wolf Larsen. The sound of blows and
scufiling came to our ears Both men
were wounded. and he was thrashing
them both for having disobeyed his
orders and crippled themselves in ad