Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-04-04

gain opening enough for a-lotner lnser-
ton Of the lever, we bent to the task.
Something caught, rendering the great
iron lid immovable.
"White," I called, "come over here,
n 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
the narrow opening, and shifting like a
pointer dog.
clay hold!" I called out angrily.
'The weight is breaking our backs"
"But there's fire below, sir" he
roarod excitedly. 'That's smoke a
risin' out the hatch-the cargo's afre"
I saw it now, and so did Red, and the
mate-a thin, circling vapor barely per-
centihlc in the night, curling up
through the hole we had succeeded in
forcing. For an instant I hardly knew
it as smoke, but the fresh draught Of
air had already worked it's miracle,
and tho wisp thicKcned as | stared into
a threatening black coil, darting up
NtIN Illo bui NSlN lit'S. L NlbJIN'i
upon my knees, shading my mouth as
best I might, and sought to peer down
into the black void between decks.
Away forward a red eye winkcd out of
the darkness, then another, and a third.
[ leaDed to my feet, realizing there was
no hope, nothing we could do but get
away alive-and. if we were wen to do
this, every second was worth a kings
ransom.
"She's afre forwardw I exclaimed,
striving to control my voice. "That is
whore the follow was, and he's done
the job: there's no stopping hcr now"
"There's plenty Of hose Forward"
"But the donkey engine is not con-
nected, and we dare not take chances
with all those explosives below. Heav-
ems, we may so Sky high any Sec
ond. Don't stand talking; get over the
dinghy, it's the only boat we have;
haul her aft and swing her to these
falls below the after-hatch-that will
give us a chance to get away, perhaps.
Jump now, the three of you. No! wait :!
Red and Leayord can rig the boat, and
TIL give you a hand when you hook
on. Mccain, get a heaker of water in.
and some biscuits, We'll have no time
for anything else. Hurry men! there's
flame breaking through now"
There waS; a red serpent, sticking
its ugly head up the hatch opening. the
CHASTITY light glimmering in our faces.
The men seemed fairly paralyzed at
this sudden outburst of new horror, but
I drove them, even using hands and
feet in my mad desire for action.
"Aft with it now-aft with it. All
will be a mass of flames amidship in
five minutes. Is there water in that
keg. Mccain? Then throw it in !-now
the biscuits. Miss Carrington-Vera :"
Eyes, Captain Hollis"
"Can you hold to the wheel a few
moments longer?-till 1 come for your"
eyes"
"Call down the tube to the engine
room; tell Masters and Olson to come
on deck at once-as quick as they can
foot the ladder" t..
eyes, sir"
1 The cool quietness of her voice
Gained me as though she had pressed
her hand on my brow in fever. I
sprang to the help of the others, as
sisted to hook the light dinghy onto
+ the falls. lifted it clear of the deck,
and swung it outward over the rail.
The flame streaming up the main-hatch
by this time gave US light enough, and
hn1nn1 hurry n11r r,ovnp,nn+c oI,
Masters and Olson emerge from the
! shaft, stare at the red glare, and run
toward us. I have a vague Impression
that Mccain burst out Of the compan-
ion, a bag of sea-biscuits in his arms,
and flung it into the stern-sheets of the
dinghy: He must have done so, for
: later the biscuits were there. But it
was impossible to think Of these things,
to see clearly, to realize just what was
happening. Every second I expected
the ships deck to rend asunder under
our feet, blowing every human being
aboard into atoms. ~.
"Overhaul those pulleys. Leayord /:
no, We'll load at the rail, and lower the
boat itself-nre there oars? that's it
stow 'em. Olson, to the wheel with
you; take a couple turns about it with
a ropes end, and help the girl down,
Over the side Red, and ship the tillor;
now lads, over With you. Masters, you
and Leayord lay hold of the ropes
don't lost your heaGN now ard lower
too fast. Here, Red, help the lady;
step quick, dear; yes, I'll come-are
you all in? now where's McCann?"