The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-08-18

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lsomebody had to navigate the shiy
Ito within fifty miles Of tie Florids
coast, which was where they intend
ed to abandon her and row, ashore.
Having the safety Of theayoung gtrl
and her father rs wen as my own lift
to think Of, ! agreed to act as navi.
gator. .se
Wa having my suppef IN the eabiu
under the new regime when I felt 4
touch on my arm. 4 looked mp. Il
WAS Mrs Robertson, the rescued giri.
Before could prevent her she tool
my hand and Kissed It. She told me
then Of the wrecked ship. Her t.
theR, . wealthy Liverpool merchant,
was the owner Of the ship, which had
been bound home from Cape Town.
After the storm, the officers and crew,
fearing the chip would sink under
them. had taken to the boats She
and her father had spent 0 terrible
three days on the wreck, and now her
fathef. already . nervous xrech, was
shaken anew by the frightful threats
of the mutineers hare. She trusted TO
me for the safety Of her father and
herself.
Her trust inspired me with a new
energy. TO save them I was now
ready to play any game whatever with
Stevens, who was the leader Of the
mutineers. Our boatswain. who had
not wished to Join them, but to save
his life had done so, was ON my side.
1t was he who told me that Stevens
was intending to scuttle the ship be-
fore taking to the boats, and 80 leave
me and the passengers to our fate.
We planned to Illustrate him. BY
this time we had taken Miss Robert
son into our confidence. One night
our boatswain apparently fell over
board and was drowned; but he had
not fallen overb0ard-it was q box Of
ten-penny pals, which / had thrown
over the side. This was the night be-
fore that day when Stevens went be-
low and bored the auger holes which
were to do for the ship; but as fast as
Stevens bored a hole, the boatswain,
who had been hiding below for that
very thing, followed and plugged it up.
Thinking he had scuttled the ship
Stevens came on deck and led the crew
to the boats, grinning evilly at Miss
Robertson and myself as he did so.
They had not rowed far from the ship
when the boatswain showed himself
on deck. Stevens saw him. "We've
been tricked! he cried, and headed
back for the ship. The wind was ris-
ing at the time, but there was not
enough way yet on the ship to outrun
the boats. They tried to board us by
the main chains. As they did, the
b0atswain with a handspike and !
with revolver killed or hurled back
into the sea all but one of them. That
one was not so bad as the others, and
we saved him to help work on the
ship. Throughout the fight Miss Rob-
ertson, who had been gaining strength
every hour. held the wheel so that the
ship should not be caught aback ana
the spars come down on us.
We had now to work the ship to the
nearest land; but the increasing wind
made it dangerous with our meager
crew, to keep sail on her. We worked
like dogs to reduce sail, but the wind
became too much for us. It came on
us like solid wall; the seas rolled
to our tops. Spars cracked and hung
down over our decks. Only after the
most exhaustihg toll did we manage
to clear away the most dangerous of
the broken spars. In the height Of it
poor Mr.. Robertson died. I read the
eleventh chapter of st. John over his
body.
In time the wind abated; but the
sea, continuing to tumble and roar,
strained our ship so that she sprang
leak. There were not enough Of us to
keep her pumped out. We pumped
till our arms fell to our sides; but of
no avail. When the water was to our
main chains we took to the boats;
and it was then, when we believed we
were doomed to die, that Mary Robert.
son and I confessed our love for each
other she the daughter Of a wealthy
man and I poor, penniless sailor.
The sun was setting; the sky, far to
the north and south, golden color;
the sea was purple glare. the heav-
ems a tender green and blue; and
while we were gazing on all this glory,
the ship went down.
That night, before the rough seas
could swallow us, steamer picked
US up and took us home.
Copyright. 1919, by the Post Publishins !
Co. CThe Boston Post). Copyright In the |
United Kingdom, the Dominions. it, Col |
onies and dependencies, under the copy !
right act. by the Post Publishing Co., |
Boston, Mass, u. 8. A. All rights re-
served.