The Huttig news., 1918-02-16

be back again on the open deck, breath ing in the fresh night air. II was like q tonic.
 The paintroom and the forepeak came next, and l explored the latter l myself, as there was scarcely room in the narrow space for even one to creep about. Pushing the lantern before me, every nerve singing like copper wire, l cfdWled out at last, dripping with precipitation, and as black as though I had been for half day in the coal hole. To Leayords inquiries l could only shake my head.
 Well sir, he said obstinately. I'm q sailOrman, but 1 never did believe in ghosts an aint agon' fer ter believe ln 'em now. 1t warn,t no spooks what did this job. This yere Bascom was a sure enough human the last time l put eyes on him, an l don't reckon he's changed much since, ieept maybe in his line O brains; do you, sir?'
 Hes flesh and blood, all right. if that is what you mean; only insanity makes them cunning"
 That s what I sed to Red here while you was crawling round in the fore peak, lappin' up bilge-water. He reck- oned it might O bin a ghost a doin these things; but I claimed thet ghosts don't shove knives into sailormen; leastwayS 1 never heard O none that did. So it naturally stands to reason, sir, that this blOomin' lunatic is still aboard somewhere"
 He leaned forward, striking one hand on the other to better express his argu- meHt. l was thinking. paying little at tPntion to his words, my eyes un- consciously viewing the ship aft. The deck was so wrapped in gloom that outside the radius of our lantern I could perceive no movement, not even determine the presence of the two men left on guard. The two masts. with their heavy spars, cast all below into dense shadow, but beyond, on the poop. he faint rays of the pinnacle lamp re- tiected softly on the face of the girl at fhe wheel. making her appear almost as q vision. The sight for an instant fascinated me.
 "Ain't thet so, sir"
 ''Nhy. yes. Eeayord; am unable to see it any other way-but where?
 'WelI, there ain't but one place aboard unexplored. sir. Hanged if know how he ever got there, but he's either there. overheard, or aloft: or else I've got to take off my hat to Red here, an acknowledge it's q real ghost we've got aboard the old hooker"
 "The cargo holdY'
 "Aye, aye; I'm fer takin' off the hatehes, and letting man or two creep down there; we've got to find out where that devil is"
 There was no answering his logic, and determination to complete the job was already in my own mind
 Get the tarpaulin out of the way Liverpool" I said sharply, throwing the lantern where the light was need ed. "Cut 1t loose, man; don't waste time with the lashings; there's plenty of spare canvas in the sailroom. Whats slowed first below. Mir Leayord?"
 That's the devil of 1t, sir" he re- piled SOberly. "I never told you. for I didn't see no cause. There was d lot q boxes come on board. sir, maybe a thousand of 'em, the ends elamped with iron, an they was almighty heavy. We had to load 'em with the donkey en- zine, an most of 'em were dumped in jlst below the main hatch"
 Do you know what they eontained"
 'Mr. Bascom told me they was army stoves. sir, and maybe he thought they was, fer he seemed sure about it but along at the last the hook slipped off one ef them. an the box dropped about thirty feet, smashin' the whole end in lit was plumb full O loaded shells
 Loaded shells?"
 "Fhat's what; there was powder the whole ship to Hades an back"
 ''No doubt other explosives are aboard. The greater reason for us to lay hands on Bascom. Take hold there with Red and help rip up that tarpaulin; now get the point of this capstan bar under the hatch clos ings: here's your lever-itll take the weight of the three of us to move the iron-now, heave he"
 We bent to It, exerting every ounce of strength, encouraged by the fact that the heavy hatch yielded to our combined effort. and began to move, to lift over the grooves, and shove back slightly. With no other thought but to gain opening enough for another inser- ton of the lever, we bent to the task. Something caught, rendering the great Iron lid immovabe.
 "White." I called. "come over here, and give us a hand"
 I heard him batter across the deck in his bare feet. but before he reached the bar, the fellow stopped, staring at the narrow opening, and snifting like pointer dog.
 Hay holdw w I called out angrily. {1 1,i, ho