The L'Anse sentinel., 1916-03-25

| 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 all 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"
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 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
well as he could and making him COM
Portable.
| II xrno lyf fvx pta
{, 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. II 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. Ills 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 annihilation. But 1t was
not Wolf Larsen's whim 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 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!
XIII 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 times he struggled
to bis feet. striving to gain the galley.
and each time was knocked down.
"Oh Lordi" he cried. "'Elp! 'Elpl
Tyke i'm aw'y. carn't 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 stunning. to
watch the pummeling of the hated
| cockney. And even I felt great Joy
surge up within ne. 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 infuriated boy, And in
vain he strove to gain the shelter OF
the cabin. Blow followed blow with
bewildering rapidIty. 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 stampede Of
the other four hunters for the deck.
A column of thick. acrid smoke-tbe
kind always made BY black powder
was arising through the open compan-
liopway, and down through II leaped
Wolf Larsen. The sound OF blows and
|scufning came to our ears. Both men
ware wounded, and he was thrashing
them both Tor having disobeyed his
ordsrD anl crippled themselves in I'D.
vaneo of the hunting season. In fact.
they vere bedly wounded. and. having
4 thn11o1od thoEh. 10 oroc6rdod 20 on