The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-08-28

udppeueu " MCCdAu. '- g. y
5"Well," 1 said deliberately, i've shall
have to meet whatever comes, Mr.. Lea
yord. I talked with Mccain again this
morning and offered him his freedom
aft if he would promise to keep away
from the crew. He refused to accept
parole, so Hooked him up again. Do
you suggest any other coursey"
mo, sir, l don't" he said slowly,
after a pause for thought. "This Miss
Darlington now, by any chance Is she
the same lady these two men got to
shooting about?" -"
mo, she was not involved in the
quarrel. McCann had never met her
personally until we escaped from the
wreck of the yacht together" E
'She was passenger, also7
"She was the owners daughter"
''Then she's rich, too?" '.."%
j. "Her father is one of New York's
multimillionaires. What difference
does that make, Mr.. Leayord?"
Nothing, much, likely" he an
swered, leaning against the rail, his
eyes on the distant bank Of cloud,
"only maybe We might play money
against money in this game, with fair
chance to win. reckon gold, no mat
ter where it comes from, would look
good to those devils forward"
"Scarccly a manly act on our part
to suggest such thing"
"Well, l don't know about that, sir"
he insisted stubbornly. II reckon old
man Darlington, would be willing
enough to pay the price, rather than
have his girl left in the hands of those
fellows. They'll o. no lambs If they
ever get control of the ship. But may
be you know best, sir" p.
l left him and walked forward to
where l could look down on the main
deck. AS deeply as I des3ised the
thought of ever resorting to this last
suggestion made by Leayord, yet l
could not remain entirely Indifferent
to its possibilities. If matters on board
were, indeed, as serious as he pictured
them, our situation was far from pleas
ant. To keep on probably meant bat
tie to preserve the ship, and involved
not only our own rough handling, even
possible death in the melee, but also
unspeakable horror to the woman left
alone, and unprotected, on board. What
would be her fate If we failed to up
hold discipline, and those unbridled
rufiians once obtained control Of the
vessel? The thought staggered me.
Yet I could reach no other conclu-
sion except to continue the voyage,
meeting its problems as they present
ed themselves. There was no turning
back now. All hope lay in keeping Nc
Cam prisoner entirely isolated from
his confederates, and dealing with the
men forward with a harsh firmness
sufficient to strike terror into their
souls, The slightest movement Of re-
volt on their part must be my signal
for action.
The day held fair, with stiff breeze
blowing over the port quarter, and the
expanse of sea about us vacant of
either sail or smoke. AS noon ap-
preached had Dade fetch the. jsextant
from the captains staterOOm, and took
my observation with considerable
care, going below to work out my fg-
ures alone, as the many years passed
ashore had left me bit doubtful of my
facility. No one appeared to take any
deep interest in the event, although I
noted a group Of men forward watch
ing rs disappeared.
With nothing to guide me, or check
my figures with on the chart, went
over them twice to be assured of ac-
curacy, finally marking our position
as carefully as possible, and determin-
ing cur future course. Leayord had
just been called for his watch, and
both officers were upon the after deck,
waiting for my appearance. They re-
manned silent as approached, and, as
l turned and faced forward, my eyes
observed a largely increased grouping
of men about the forecastle, and all
staring aft. ill., e Il s.
"Are both watches on deck, Mr.. Lea
yord?" asked. HAS there been any
Gull for all hands?" .. .,s,.
mo, SIR" he answered, his own gaze
shifting. cts the change Of watch,
and the second mates men haven't
gone below yet. Maybe the cook is
slow, or else they are bit curious to
find out where the ship is, sir. Would
you mind giving them the figures?"
mot at all; the wheelsman would
spread the news fast enough as soon
as relieved. We are at fifty-two de-
gress. thirty-five minutes west longi-
tude, and forty degreeI ten minutes
north latitude, approximately.
"And where does that put us from
New York;" 49, 49,
about five hundred miles, a little
north Of cast; Halifax is the nearest
port, two hundred and seventy five
miles nor nor by west. We are be-
tween the North Atlantic steamer
lanes and the direct course to the Med
iterranean, more In line with the
Azores, should say. That accounts
for the deserted sea-we're out Of the
beaten track"
StIJou,c tbA cOo1 aae9v