The Huttig news., 1918-02-16
HRnIfu<Ssmsmsy
eyer get ont of thnre1,,
he NORTH TAD 9<hhe foRE5T" ETC

ever get out of therei'
 (Which is more than I can figure out; stole on deck, probably, and then slipped along in the rail shadow. Where is McCann?"
 Just gone forward to fix the ridin' lamps"
 "All right; sing out to him to keep his eyes on the deck. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of wind or sea, Mir. Leayerd lo you imagine Miss Darlington could hold the wheel for half an hour?'
 T don't see no reason why she shouldn't, sir; I've seen her do it In worse weather"
 Then ask her please I'm likely to need both of you if we round up that fellow. He's crazy and armed, and sure to fight hard. Pick up any weapon you car find, and come down here"
 They were beside me almost instant ly, eagerly questioning as to what had occurred below, their faces expressive of the deep horror both felt at the Situ- ation in which we found ourselves. In der other conditions I know l should have felt sincere sympathy for the sud denly stricken Bascom. His former friendship with Vera, what I knew of his misfortunes, the very conception of the mans character which I had formed myself during our brief ac- quaintanCe on board. all tended to make the man an object of pity. The murders he had committed were but the result of q diseased brain. the sud den snapping of responsibility. I could not hate the man. or seek him avil-but I could dread him. That WAS the whole of it-dread Here was T man craZed, murderously insane lwho had safely tasted blood. whose insan- fly had been caused hy fear. and brood- Ing over great wrong. In h!s diSor- dered brain a mad. desperate desire for revenge had overshadowed all else. To obtain this m deed WAS impossible. no crirse too hideons. And this creature was hidden somewhere between decks. and, unless discovered and made cap five. held iH his hands the fate of every soul on board. The thought of what he might do during the black darkness of tie night terr6rized me. At any cost we must have him within our control. we dare not even wait to hope that the man might reveal himself-we must 20 after him, crawling in the dark. feeling within creyice and cavity, until we uncovered his hiding place.
 I exF1ained this quickly to the two men. hiding none of my own fear but making them comprehend the des berate need of thorough and ceaseess search. The look on their faces evi fenced that my words had gone home
 He's forward. sir that's cleaf .nouph" insisted Leavord "WeM nab the fellow In the fO'castie wonder ac- cordln' to my notion. What do yer say, Red?"
 That's how I lay it out" coincided the big sailor, clinching and uncIinch- ing his hands. "He sure aln't aft; thar ain't no way I know how he could git Into the hold with the hatches down; so thar ain't nothin' left except the fo'castle, an the forepeak. We'll ind the euss thar all right, sir"
 InelT SOHlueHCe Hdu It's tieGl on me.
 Good; White and McCann will guard every inch of the deck, while We take the forecastle first. Bring the Ian tern. Leayord."
 The door was two-thirds shut, and we slid it wide open to gain entrance, feeling our way cautiously down the steps. The place had never been a sea-parlor, but now deserted by the crew, 1t presented as dismal q scene, in the dim light of the lantern, as ever put my foot into. The alr was foul with bilge-water, while rotting gar ments hung to the beams above, or were strewn along the deck. The shad- ows were grotesque and hideous, and much of the space was cluttered up by discarded sea boots, battered chests and miscellaneous riffraff which the men had left behind in their flight. I stopped at the foot of the steps, but Leayord and Red advanced to the tier of hunks, the former lifting the lan- tern, while the latter took survey with