Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-07
CHAPTER XyIII-Continucd


TTE SPAT over the rail and drew the
III sleeve of his Jacket across his lips as
his eyes met mine.
"'Twould be more Of a pleasure ! hu-
nit caDtain to be putting over trick TOT
the other side" he answered. his fingers
ncrvously gripping the rail. but | shipped
for this voyage fair enough, and ! always
held il a sailors duty to stick to his snip
once I'm through with this Job. sir. and
III do my hearty bit for old England
Well said. Mr. Lcayord," and I gripped
his hand so far as | understand thls
row my svmpathies are all on your side.
! may as well explain to you that l nave
been induced to assume command because
Of the condition In which | found the
owner"
Mr. Bascom, sir?"
yes; as you must know. tho man is
| hcIpIess cripple, and his entire fortune is
! represented by the cargo in this vessel
"Ic is a friend of the lady's sir | heard
! pade say"
yes they knew each other ashore when
! she was a young-girl. 1t was odd enoush
| for them to have met out here again but
| stranger still is the fact that THIS felow
! McCann. whom I have locked up below
! should have been the cause OF Bascoms
| present condition.
"You don't say. sir!
"That is the story as Miss Vera Car
| rinpton tells it. I have got very little out
! Of Bascom, although ] remember the news
| paper accounts published at the time. There
! was a shooting affray in New York res
| taurant over some woman
| Mccain shot him, and got away
bought his way clear"
| "He is rich them"
| .oThe fellow has more money than you
| and I will ever see, Mr., Leayord. He's In
| the only place now where it can do him
no good
| rho mate shook his head doubtfully, his
! ovns wandering toward the men at the
| wheel
| "I wish I was so cocksure of that, sir,
| be said soberly. There's some mighty bad
| blood forward on this ship and it's my
| Judgment we're not out Of the mess vet
nv q long ways. Those wolves have got
| scent of McCann's gold, and they'll never
| leave the trail until they get IT,
| YOU mean Liverpool and WhiteT
well they're the main guys, sir. But
! there are others ready enough to follow
them"
'Thcy have only McCanns word for his
! ability to pay
| ''Not them; the fellow has belt on.
with a bunch of the real stuff, I have II
| from Dadc. sir, that he's scattered "A thou
sand already. just to prove that he's got it,"
! "But YOU don't think they would actually
| attempt mutiny?'
They're not calling it that, sir. It's
! ,be cargo aboard, and your determination
| 10 land it safe at Hamburg. which is going
| 10 make the trouble. There is only one
| German in the crew. sr-the rest are all
| English and Swedes, except couple Of
| nirgers The Swedes and niggers will do
| y.hat.yer the others tell 'cm to. an the
| argument forward according to Dadc, is,
| that it'll be no crime to capture this ship
| and run her into an English port. That's
the talk Liverpool and White are putting
| IN In the forecastle-they naturally aim to
hog all that money themselves an get or
| scot free. Red even suggested to Olson that
| bo como in on the scheme and accept a
| third"
| "What did Olson say?'
| "Well. sir, Olson is all right Liverpool
| didn't come out square with the proposi-
| tion so that the second mate could knock
| him down; ne just hinted at it easy like
| and Olson told him politely to go to he'll
| an later reported it TO me- But that shows
| us the way the wind Is blowing sir"
"The men seem quiet enough"
| "They're not ready yet, but hell will
break loose presently, according to my no.
tions. Wait until they hear what has hap
| pened to McCann."
! well" I said deliberately, I'VE shall
| have to meet whatever comes Mr.. Leayord
| | talked with McCann again this morning
| and offered him his freedom aft II he
| would promise to keep away from the crew.
| lie refused to accept parole, so | locked
| him up again. Do you suggest any other
| course?"
mo sir, don't" he said slowly, after
| a pause for thought. ITS likely to amount
| TO the same thing either way we turn. but
| it's to our advantage to have that fellow
| in our own hands, lie lifted his eyes in
| quiringly to my face. This Miss Caring
| ton, now, by any chance is she the same
| lady those two men got to shooting about?"
| mo, she was not involved in the quar-
| rel. The fact is she was only young girl
| when she knew Bascom, and Mccain had
| never met her personally until we escaped
| from the wreck of the yacht together"
"She was a passenger, also?"
"In way, yes" feeling no necessity for
| any further explanation. "She was the
| owners daughter"
| Then she's rich, too?"
| Her father is one of New York's multi
| millionaires. What difference does that
make, Mr.. Leayord?"
| Nothing much, likely" he answered,
| leaning against the rail, his eyes on the dis
| tant bank OF cloud, "only maybe we might
play money against money in this game,
with fair chance to win. ] reckon gold
| no matter where it comes from, would look
| good to those devils forward"
scarcely manly act on our part to
| suggest such a thing"
| Well don't know about that SIR" he
| Insisted stubbornly II reckon old man Car
rington would be willing enough to pay the
price rather than have his girl left in the
hands Of those fellows They'll be no lambs
| II they ever get control of the ship. But
maybe you know best. SIR
| CHAPTER XIX
The Lstituds and Longitude
/ n LEEST. him kox1f ~.-k.--