Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-04-19
CHAPTER X.
On the Deck Of tho Namur.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Copyrsb, By 4. G. heCisfs 4 O..

1t was here that fortune favored me,
strengthening my decision and yield
Ing a fresh courage to persevere.
Forking out directly over where /
chung desperately to the wet hawser,
my eyes were able to trace the bow
spirit. the rather loosely furled up jib
Tapping ragged edges In the gusts Of
wind Suddenly, as I stared upward,
I became aware that two men were
working their way out along the foot
ropes, and, as they reached point al
most directly over my head, became
busily engaged in tightening the gas
kets to better secure the loosening
sail. The foot Of one slipped, and he
hung dangling, giving vent to stiff
English oath before he succeeded In
hauling himself back to safety. The
other INDUCED in a chuckling laugh,
yet he was careful not to speak loudly.
Had one drink too many, Tom?"
he asked. THAT will pay yer fer fin
ishin' the bottle an never givin' me
another sup"
you, HI! Yer he'd the fu'st ov 1t.
Thar's no sorter luck yer don't git
yer fair share of, Bill Haines-trust
yer fer tibet. What amt got straight
yet is whar tibet stuff cum from so
easy"
THAT wus part O. the luck, Tom.
Did yer git eyes on tibet new Teller
Manuel Estevan brought back with
him in the boat7"
1.-THE one you and Jose carried
aboard?'
Hes the lad. Thar want nuthin'
the matter with the cove, 'cept he wus
dead drunk. We WIS waitin' on the
beach fer Estevan, an three fellers
he led taken along with him inter
towL ter cum back-the Niger, Jose
an me-when this yere chap hove
1ongside. He never hailed lis, neT
nuthin'; just elm over into the boat.
an lay down. shook him, an kicked
him, but IL want no use; SO we just
left him lie thar fer Manuel ter say
whut wus ter be done with him. Only
Jose he went through his pockets an
found three bottles o rum. We took
a few drinks an hid whut wus left In
the boat locker"
$50 thet's how yer got it! Who
wus the partyf'
"Thet's more'n I'll ever tell yer. I
never got no sight O. him, 'cept In the
dark Bout all I know is he wus
white, an likely sailor. Enyhow,
when Manuel got back he told US to
haul the lad forrard out o. the way,
an fetch him along. So we pulled
out with the Teller cuddled up in the
bow"
81 never seed nuthin' more of him
after he was hauled aboard. Whut
become o the lad?'
Him? Oh, Jose an me carried him
inter the for'cassel, an showed him
inter berth ter sleep off his liquor.
Thet wus the last l ever see er hear
O. him fer bout six hours, when this
yere Teller must woke up in the for
cassel sum crazy. He cum chargin'
out on deck. whoopin' like an Indian,
wayin' knife Id his hand, intendin'
tibet the fu'st Teller he run up against
wus LeVere, who wus cumin' forrard'
fer sumthin', an fer about a minute
thar was one HI ov fight. 1t was
so dark I couldn't tell whit did hap
pen, but it wus fists mostly, till the
mate drove the poor devil, cussin' like
mad, over aGn the rail, an then
heaved him out inter the water long
side. I heerd the Teller splash when
he struck, but he never let out no
yell"
"What did LeVere dor
Him? He didn't do nuthin'. Just
stared down over the rail BIT. an
then cum back, rubin his hands.
Never even asked who the Teller wus.
Thar amt nuthin' kin skeer that black
brute"
"He amt got no human in him. It's
HI when English sailormen hes got
ter take orders from ID Niger,
an be knocked round II they don't
jump when he barks. He's goin' ter
get knife in his RIBS sum day"
Maybe he is; but yer better hold
yer tongue, Tom. Sanchez don't stand
fer tibet talk, an he's back O. Levere.
Let's 60 in; them gaskets will hold all
right now-cum long"
could now perceive now clearly the
character / was destined to assume
when once safely aboard the Namur.
Such an assumption would involve but
slight danger Of discovery. 1t was as
though q miracle had opened the way,
revealed to me by the unconscious lips
of these two half-drunken, gossiping
sailors: The story told fitted my ne
cessities exactly. Had planned the
circumstances myself nothing could
have been better prearranged. No one
on board had seen the missing man by
daylight; he was believed to have
sunk without a struggle. Yet no one
knew positively that this was SO, be-
cause no one cared. The death of the
lad had simply been taken for granted
when LeVere had failed to see his
body rise again to the surface. Yet it
was quite within the realm Of posi-
bility for the fellow to come up once
more in that darkness, beyond Lee
Vere's. range of vision, and even to
have remained afloat, buoyed up by
clinging to the anchor hawser, until
strong enough to return on board. AT
least there was no one aboard the Ma
muir able to deny that this had been
done.
Satisfied by this reasoning Of being
able to pass myself OF as the dead
man hepay, alowlv and cautiously ia