Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-01-12

tiIf1N aDinuoIllP1I a fragment Ol d
hymn.
While shepherds watched their flocks
by night,
All seated ON the ground.
That's poor old Jim Hunt said
Captain Morgan. He rose and drew
the thick red curtains from the window
to peer out into the blackness.
Turn the lamp down. said the
councillor, 'or Wen be arrested under
the antiaircraft laws
Davidson turned the lamp down, and
they all ooked out of the window.
They SAW the figure of a man. black
against the glinlmering water of the
harbor below. He walked with a Curl
Gus Laundering gait, that might be
mistaken for the effects of drink. He
WaVed his arms over his head like Il
windmill. n beloved his hymn as he
went, though the words We're now in
distinguishable from the tumult of
wind and sea.
Captain Morgan drew the curtains,
and the three sat down again by the
tire without turning up the lamp. The
freight played on the furrowed and
bronzed old faces and revealed them
as worthy models for a Rembrandt.
Poor old Jimmy Hunt" said Cap
tain kendrick. You never know how
craziness is going to take people.
Jimmy was Il terror for the women and
the drink. till he was taken off the AL
batross by that German submarine.
The cracked him over the head with
an iron bolt. down at the bottom of the
sea, because he wouldn't answer qles-
tions. He hasn't touched a drop since.
All he does is to walk about in bad
weather. singing hymns against the
wind. But there's more in it than
that"
Captain kendrick lighted his pipe
th%oughtfully. The wind ratified the
windows n,,tcila fl,a c;o,bn..,J
creaked and whine as it swung.
"A man like Jim Hunt doesn't go
crazy he continued, Through spend
ing a night in Il U-boata and then float
ing about for a bit. Jimmy won't talk
ABOUT 1T now; won't do anything but
sing that blasted hymn: but this is
what he said to me when they first
brought him ashore. They said he was
ravlng mad on o of his eNper-
fences. But that don't explain what
his experiences We're. Follow me? And
this is what he said: Il been down.
he says, half singing like. I been down.
DOWN down., in the bloody submarine
more he says, 1 seen emf
Seen what" l says, humoring him
like, n L gave him a cigaret. We
were sitting close together i'm his moth
er's kitche .Ah!' he says, calming
down a little and speaking right into
HHS Soi, dS IL IL was IL secret. 1T was
christmas eve the time they took me
down. We could ear 'em singing carols
on shore. and the captain didn't like
IL. SO he rang a little bell, and the Ger
mans Jumped to close the hatchways,
ana we went down, down, down, to the
bottom of the sea.
u saw the whole ship he says, and
he described it to me, so that / knew
ne wasn't raving then. There was
only Just room to stand upright he
says. And overhead there was a track
Tor the torpedo carrier. They crew
slept IN hammocks and berths along the
wall, put there wasn't room for more
1 1nan nan, TO sleep at he same time.
Iney took me through a little foot hole,
WIN an alright door. INTO the cabin.
IN captain seemed kind of ex-
clteu. ana showed me the MEDAL he got
Tor sinking the Lusitania: and | asked
nm II the kaiser gave it to him for a
ChIlstmas present. That was when he
ana another officer seemed to go mad.
and the officer gave me a blow on the
mead with a piece of iron.
;. lhey say I'm crazy he says, but
~ was the men in the U-boat that went
crazy; was lying wher l fell. with
,le plood running down my face. but
l was watching them he saws. and r
weasels; At first i thought the traw-
lels lad got EN- i'm a net. Then / heard
q lunny little tapping sound all round
lle nun of the submarine, like little
tapping. appiis'
The captain went white as a ghost.
and shouted out something i'm German
like as ii he was calling out. who's
mere and the mate clapped his hand
over ms mouth. and they both stood
staring a: n another.
lnen there was a oun like a thin
litt,e voice. outside the ship. mark you.
and SO fatiloms deep. saving Christ
mas Eve: the waits. sir" The CAPTAIN
Tore the mates hand away and shouted
again. like he was asking who's
mere! and wild to get AN answer. too.
Ihen. very thin and clear. the little
volce' came a second time. THE waits.
sir. The L~usitania ladies!" And at
that the captain struck the mate in the
face with his clenched fist. He had the
medal IN 1t still. between his fingers,
using II like a knuckle buster. Then
ne called to the men like a mailman,
an IN German. but l knew he was tell
ing EN- to rise to the surface. by the
way they were trying to obey him.
The submarine never budged for
all that they could do. and while they
We're running up and down and squeal-
ing out to one another. there was a
KIND OF low. sweet sound all round the
null. 1 a thousand voices all singing
together in the sea:
Fear not. said he. for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind.
Glad tidings of great JOY l bring
To o and all mankind.
Then the tapping began again. but
1t was much louder now. and it seemed
as II hundreds of drowned hands were
feeling over the hull and %loosening
bolts and pulling at hatchways. and
all at once-a trickle OF water came
aplashing down into the cabin. The
captain dropped his medal. 1t rolled
up to my hand, and l saw there was