The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-10-06

>"AAeS " a. udAAA, 81 AC AluulScu |
in a long drink. That was wonderfully
v%ivifying. Then his mind turned long
ingly to tobacco. For the first time in
his life he broke the strict rule of the
service in which he had been trained
and smoked a cigar while on duty.
Now and again he spoke cheerily to
the dog:
well Joey, here we are; still have
a bark in u.s.! you and I must have |
our names on the admiralty chart, |
Joey-'Channel surveyed by Captain
Courtenay and pup; details uncertain
How does that sound, old chap" And
again: II suppose your friend, Miss
Maxwell is asleep by this time. If
h calls you Joey, do you call her
Elsie? I rather fancy Elsie as a name.
What do you think?' To all of which
the dog, who had found a dry corner,
would respond with a smile and a tail
wag.
The long wait in the darkness would
have broken many a mans nerve, but
Courtenay was not cast in a mold to
be either bent or broken by fear.
When his cigar was not in his mouth
he whistled, he hummed snatches of
songs and delivered short lectures to
Joey on the %absurdity of things in gen.
eral and the special righteousness Of
such a mighty combination of circum-
stances centering on one poor ship as
had foregathered to crush the Kansas.
Ever since he was aroused from sleep
by the stopping of the screw his mind
had dwelt on the unprecedented nature
Of the breakdown. Even before he
discovered its cause he was wondering
what evil chance had contrived to Grip
pie the engine at such a momentum
the worst possible place on the map.
Joey" he said suddenly, his
thoughts reverting to a chance re-
mark made to him in Valparaiso by
Isobel's father, what did Mr.. Barring
mean by saying there was a difficulty
about the insurance."
Joey gave 1t up, but he cooked his
Christobal entered.
Boyle will recover" he said when
he had wiped the spray off his face.
He had a narrow escape. The knife
just grazed the spinal cord. The shock
to the dorsal nerves induced tempo
rary paralysis, and that rather misled
me. He is much better now. Under
ordinary conditions he would be able
to get about in a few days. AS it is, he
will probably live as long as any of u.s."
Chrostobal waved a hand toward
the external void. He was not sail
or enough to realize the change in the
weather.
II thought you would like to know.
Low are things up here?"
Better. The barometer has risen an
inch in less than two hours. Possibly
nearness to the land has some effect,
but wind and sea are s%ubsiding."
You surprise me, yet that Is moth
ing. l have had several surprises to-
night. What is the position? Of course
we must hit the South American con-
tinent sooner or later. Can o fix
an approximate timer"
I'VE are making about six knots, l
fancy. If we are lucky and avoid any
stray rocks we should see daylight be-
fore we reach the coast. That is our
sole hope. The ship is in a powerful
tidal current, and it is high water at
$50 a. m. At a rough estimate Han
over island is twenty knots distant.
Now you know all. The outcome is
mere ~guesswork."
"Why did the furnaces blow up?"
II was cross examining Joey on that
point when you came in. He reserved
his opinion. My own view is that. by
accident or design. some explosive sub
stance found Its way into the coal"
"Shem, Ham and Japheth! Explosive
substance! Do you mean dynamite or
gunpowder or that sort of thing?"
Something Of the kind. That is only
a superstition, but when I whispered
it to Walker he agreed
walker! Is he the man who speaks
50 queerly?'
"1f you ever go to Newcastle don't
put 1t that way. I told him to take
Miss Maxwell to her cabin. Did he
do SOP
LIS. 1 nave LOI Seell uer since, so
l assume that the bromide plus the
wine was effective. Well, l must re-
turn to my patients. Can l get YOU
anything? I am "storekeeper, you
know"
mo, thanks"
Nothing to eat or drinkT'
Nothing. l shall be ready for a
square meal when l am able to come
below. not before"
Christobal smiled. Though he was a
brave man, he thought such persistent
optimism was of place. Neverthe-
less he could emulate C%ourtenay's cool
ness.
Let me know when you are ready.
I am an excellent cook" he said.
Then the captain of the Kansas re-
sumed his smoking and humming, with
occasional chances Mt the clock and
the compass and the barometer. At Q