Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-03-10

trine is the doctrine of expediency.
and it makes for surviving. Do you
know what am going to do?"
l shook my head.
Watch me-"
Three yards away from Johnson he
was. and sitting down. Nine feet!
And yet he left the chair in full leap.
without first gaining a standing posi-
ton. 1t was an avalanche of fury
that Johnson strove vainly to fend
of. Wolf Larsen's fist drove to
the chest, with a crushing. resound-
ing impact. johnson almost fell back
ward. and swayed from side to side in
an effort to recover his balance.
cannot give the further particulars
of the horrible scene that followed.
1t was too revolving. 1t turns me sick
even now when l think Of it. johnson
fought bravely enough. but he was no
match for Wolf Larsen. much less for
Wolf Larsen and the mate. II was
| frightful / felt that l should lose my
mind. and I ran up the companion
stairs to open the doors and escape on
deck. But Wolf Larsen, leaving his
victim for the moment. and with one
of his tremendous springs. gained my
side and flung me into the far corner
of the cabin.
THE phenomena of life. Hump" he
girded at me. Stay and watch 1t.
You may gather data on the immortal
ity of the SOUL Besides, you know. we
can't hurt Johnson's soul. It's only
! the fieeting form we may demolish."
1t seemed centuries-possibly 1t was
no more than ten minutes that the
beating continued Wolf Larsen and
Johansen were ali about the poor fel-
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. T"
Wolf Larsen finally said.
Jerk open the doors. Hump" ] was
commanded.
1 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 a spoke and gazed imperturb.
ably into the pinnacle.
Not SO was the conduct of George
Leach. the erstwhile cabin-boy. Fore
and aft there was nothing that could
have surprised us more than his con-
sequent behavior. He 1t was that
came up on the poop without orders
and dragged Johnson forward. where
he set about dressing his wounds as
we'll as he could and making him COM
Portable.
Wolf Larsen was smoking q cigar
and examining the patent log which
the Ghost usually towed astern, but
which had been hauled in for some
| purpose. Suddenly Leach's voice came
to my ears. It 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 1t was
not Wolf Larsen's within to annihilate
him. He sauntered slowly forward to
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 l looked. and everybody
looked. for him to leap upon the boy
and destroy him. But 1t 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!
Kill me! 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'!"
Leach's 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 timeshe struggled