Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1919-04-16

Namur proved to be more complete
wreck than our distant view had re-
vealed, and lying in q more precarious
position. 1t was no pleasant job get
ting aboard, but ordering Haines to ac-
company me, and the others to lie by,
made use of dangling backstay, and
thus hauled myself up to a reasonably
secure footing. The fellow joined me
breathless, and together we perched
on the rail to gain view of the deck.
1t was a distressing, hopeless sight,
the vessel rising before us like the
roof of house, the deck blanks stove
III, horrible tumble of running rig
glng, 5ooms and spars, blocking the
way forward. There were three bodies
tangled in the wreckage within our
sight, crushed out of all human re-
Semblance, and the face of a negro,
caught beneath the ruins of the galley,
seemed to grin back at me in death.
Every timber groaned as the waves
struck and rocked the sodden mass,
and / had no doubt but that the vessel
had already broken in two.
Haines was evidently reluctant, but
sailor enough to follow as i lowered
myself to the deck, clinging hard to
keep my footing on the wet incline. A
light spar had lodged here, and by
making this a species of bridge, we
crept as far as the companion, the door
of which was open, and gained view
of the scene below. 1t was a dismal
| hole in the dim light, but presented no
obstacle to our entrance, and led the
way down the stairs, gripping the rail
to keep from falling.
The door of the captains room gave,
but it required our combined efforts to
press it open against the volume of
water, slushing about within. For a
moment my eyes could scarcely recog-
nize the various objects as l chung to
the frame of the door and stared blind
ly about in the gloom. Then slowly
they assumed shape and substance.
Screwed to the deck, the furniture re-
tanned it's place, but everything else
was damned in mass of wreckage, or
else floating about in a foot of water,
deepening toward the stern. There
were two chests in the room, one of
which instantly recognized as that of
Roger Fairfax. The sight of this made
me ObliviOus to all else.
"There's the chest Ne want, Haines,"
cried pointing it out "Have the lads
back the boat up to this port; then
come down aspd help me handle it,
"Yes, sir" his voice trembling, "but
but isn't that a man over therein
the bunk? Good God, sir; look at
him!"
The white, CHASTITY face stared at us,
looking like nothing human in that
awful twilight. I actually thought it
ghost, until with desperate effort the
man lifted himself, clinging with gaunt
fingers to the edge of the bunk. Then
knew.
Sanchez! You! those towards left
you here to die !"
mo one came for me-" he answered,
choking SO the words were scarcely in
telligible. "Who are you, and what
brought you here?"
eth tell you frankly, Captain
Sanchez" and 1 stepped closer. eve
risked coming aboard to save that
chest-Roger Fairfax'S chest-before
it went down. This vessel has it's
back broken, and may slide off into
deep water at any minute. We must
get you out of here first
"Get me out!" he laughed hideously.
ITO hell with your help. 1 want none
of it. am a dead man now, and the
easiest way to end all will be to go
down with the ship-'twill be a fit
coffin for Black Sanchez. BY God! /
know you now-Geoffry Carlyle?"
"Yes, but an enemy no longer"
"That is for me to say. I hate your
race, your breed. The very sound of