Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-02-14

these dead men could have turned the
trick
Perhaps 1t was that cuss dangling
over the side. captain" said Whites
voice, from back behind the others.
what Is that?"
There's a fellow got jammed- in
| small boat alongside, sir. I just hap
pened to look over, and saw him a.
hangin' there"
We were glad enough to escape that
cabin of horror, and I slid the COM
panion door to, and bolted it, before
following White across the deck to
the starbonrd rail. Excited as / was,
obsessed by this awful tragedy, my
mind yet graSped every detail-the
shining brasswork. the spotless decks.
the white boats in their davits, the
snowy canvas .aloft. The very i'm
maculateness Of the vessel seemed to
add to the horror, and it was a shock
to even read the schooner's name,
painted on a 1ifebuoy-Rose of Gaspe.
A glance below revealed the whole
story of the accident. 1t was clear
enough to be read instantly by a sail
or's eyes. The man in his efforts at
| escape had chosen one of the smaller
boats, but one staunch and well
equipped. No doubt it had bee1esecret-
ly prepared in advance, for the lock-
ers contained food, and a beaker of
fresh water was securely dashed to a
front thwart. There was also spar
and sail aboard, safely secured, to-
gether with pair of serviceable oars
What had happened, as seemed clear
n IT
chest, of odd workmanship and dingy
appearance, had been slowed away in
the bows. 1t must have been placed
there with rope and pulley, for no
single pair of arms could ever have
lifted it over the rail. Then the fellow
had clambered in, eager to be off, no
doubt, and undertaken to lower the
boat, standing probably amidships,
where he could manipulate both ropes.
But the forward rope must have
damned in the pulley, permitting the
stern of the suspended boat to sag
suddenly enough to send the heavy
chest sliding aft. Before he could
check the fall, or save himself by leap
ing overheard, it had pinned his legs
against the stern sheets and there he
dangled still, his face buried in the
green water alongside, his knees
crushed helplessly beneath the weight
Of the chest-an inert dead body. s.
"The fellow got his, SIR" said Lea
yord solemnly. Likely enough killed
by the very thing he was tryin' to
git away with. What shall we do with
the boat and what's in it, STRIP
"Untangle that pulley slowly, and
hoist up even with the rail-" I an
swered. ''We1l have look ut the man.
on1 t. fxs-
an odd-1ooking affair"
helped balance it, and with White
using his uninjured arm, we drew the
dead mans body in over the rail. The
two mates released his limbs from the
grip of the chest, and we laid him out
on the deck. He was an Unlocking
fellow, deeply tanned. with Iivid scar
across one cheek, and an anchor tat
tooed on his forearm. Leayord drew a
paper out of the inner pocket of his
shirt, and passed it over to me. 1t
was letter with no dateline or sig
nature, and had been so soaked in salt
water as to be almost fllegible. The
only connecting words I could study
out were: de Lys has all his men but
cook; try to get onI He'll never
know you after these years."
"Does 1t tell you anything, sir?"
asked Olson anxiously.
"Not much; only this fellow sailed
as cook, and got the job for purpose.
he had known De Lys years before"
de Lys?"
Eyes; that was the name of the big
fellow in the cabin; he must have
been at the head of the party: the one
Liverpool knew as CASTOR de Lys. Get
that chest onto the deck; no doubt
the secret is there"