Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-12-13

the galley and get that fire alight."
/ My feet were blue with the cold
and my teeth were chattering. / tim
idly asked, where are we, sir?'' With
look of contempt he answered
Were outside o. Sandy Hook, bound
south for the Horn, and she's blowing
big guns" Then he left.
| stepped out of my glory hole onto
the deck. We were dipping our soup
pers, and huge seas were breaking
over the weather side. One minute
the after. deck would appear. like a
steep hill in front Of me, and hor-
rible churnipg sound would come from
the racing propeller. Then the deck
would slant away from me and loud
chug! and sfiver through the ship
as the propeller sank again into the
water.
Benumbed and wet from the icy
spray, I managed to steer course
to the companionway, and dragged
myself to the upper deck. A sailor
was in the galley and had started a
tire. The ship was rolling, pitching
and lurching. In that galley it sound
ed like bombardment. Pots and
pans were rafting in their racks; a
few of them had fallen out, and were
chasing each other around the deck.
Cold and miserable, I crouched in
the corner, keeping myself from fall
ing by holding on to the rail in front
of the stove.
The sailor took compassion on me,
and made the toast and tea. How
he did it was a marvel to me, but
later on | became very expert my
self.
Following the ''life lines" on the
upper deck, at last managed to reach
the bridge with my pot of tea and
two. slices of toasted bread. There
were two men at the wheel. In the
darkness I went up to them and asked
for the mate They did not answer.
just then | received a resounding
smack on the back which de my
teeth rattle, and that dreauou, gruff
voice of the mate reached my ears
through the wind: damn you, you
hell's spawn, keep away from the men
at the wheel or I'll throw you over
the side."
| mumbled my apologies, and fol-
lowed the mate into the chart house.
He greedily drank the tea, and in
about four bites disposed Of the pieces
of toast. The toast was soaked in
salt water and I inwardly wished that
it would poison him; in fact prayed
that the ship would sink with all on
board. Such is seasickness.
managed, somehow or other, to
make my way back to the galley, and
/ met my superior officer" for the
trip, the cookie" He was about five
feet nothing in height; a shriveled-up
Welshman about forty-ive years old.
lie reminded me of q mummy in the
Museum of Natural History in Cen
trail park. If he had ever smiled I
am sure that his face would have
cracked. 1t seemed frozen into one
perpetual scowl. He gave one look at
me and let out a howl
'Blawst my headlights, an this 'ere
(pointing to meg is what I'm to work
with on this bloomin' passage. I'm
lucky, am, not 'arf, amt" He
looked like some gorilla. The rolling
of the ship affected him not in the
least. He seemed to sway and bend
with every movement of the ship.
The next two or three days were
horrible nightmare to me. How !
lived through them do not know. /
had deadly fear of the cook. AS
soon as he found out that 1 could not
even boil water without burning it he
started in to make my life q misery.
He had habit Of carrying a huge
butcher knife in his belt. Between
meals he would sit down on a bench
and constantly feel the edge, at the