Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-02-07
CHAPTER xxix-continued.

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,
/ crawIed out at last, dripping with
perspiration, and as black as though l
had been for half day in the coal
hole. To Leayord's inquiries / could
only shake my head.
''WeIl, sir,.' he said obstinately, I'm
a sailorman, but never did believe in
ghosts, an amt a-goin' fer ter believe
in 'em now. 1t warn't no spooks what
did this job. This yere Bascom was
sure enough human the last time put
eyes ON him, an / don't reckon he's
changed much since, 'cept maybe in his
line O. brains; do you, sir?"
''He's flesh and blood, all right, if
that is what you mean; only insanity
makes them cunning.
THAT'S what / 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 dom
these things; but 1 claimed tibet ghosts
don't shove knives into Sailormen;
1eaStways / 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-
ment. I was thinking, paying little at
tention to his words, my eyes I'M
consciously viewing the ship aft. The
deck was so wrapped in gloom that
outside the radius of our lantern /
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,
the faint rays of the pinnacle lamp re-
Elected softly ON the face of the girl at
the wheel, making her appear almost
rs d vision. The sight for an instant
fascinated me.
"Ain't thet so, sfr?"
"Why, yes. Leayord; I am unable to
see it any other way-but where?"
"Well, there amt but one place
aboard unexplored, sir. Hanged if I
know how he ever got there, but he's
either there, overheard, or a1oft; or
else I've got to take off my hat to Red
here. an acknowledge it's real ghost
we've got aboard the old hooker"
''The cargo hold?"
"Aye, aye; I'm fer takin' off the
matches, and letting a man or two creep
down there; we've got to find out
where that devil is"
There was no answering his logic,
md a determination to complete the
Job was already in my own mind.
'Get the tarpaulin out of the way,
Liverpool" / said sharply, throwing
the lantern where the light was need
ed. 'Cut it loose, man; don't waste
time with the lashings; there's plenty
of spare canvas in the sailroom. What's
slowed first below. Mr.. Leayord?"
That's the devil of it, sir" he re-
piled soberly. 81 never told you, for I
didn't see no cause. There was a lot
O boxes come on board. sir, maybe q
thousand of 'em, the ends clamped with
iron. an they was almighty heavy. We
had to load 'em with the donkey en-
CINE. an most of 'em were dumped in
jist below the main hatch"
do you know what they contained?"
s'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 of them, an the box dropped about
thirty feet, smashins the whole end In
1T was plumb full o. loaded Shells"
LOADED shells?"
That's what; there was powder
enough scattered about there ter blow
the whole ship to Hndes an back"
mo 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
icapstan bar under the hatch clos
dngs; here's your lever-it1l take the
weight of the three of us to move the
iron-now, heave ho!'
We bent to 1t, 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-
stion of the lever. we bent to the task.
Something caught. rendering the great
iron lid immovable.
-@White," called, sscome over here,
land give. us a hand"
I heard him patter across the deck
in his bare feet, but before he reached
the bar. the fellow stopped, staring at
1.-THE narrow opening. and shifting like a
pointer dog.
Lay holdr' I called out angrily.
1.-The weight Is breaking our backs"
But there's fire below, sir" he
Iroared excitedIy. That's smoke a
irisin' out the hatch-the cargo's afire ~