, 1921-10-29

replying TO THU welcome sound. Cap
tain Scraggs and Mr.. GIbney had. fot
he asst two hours. busted themselves
getting up another head Of steam In
the Maggie's boilers. repairing the
whistle and splicing the wires Of the
engine DOR telegraph. Like the wise
nen they wcH however. they declined
to sound the Mnggie's siren until the
tugs were quite close. Even then. Mr..
Gibney ~shuddered. but needs must
when the devil drivcs. so he pulled
the whistle cord and was rewarded
with a weird. mournfui Erunt. dying
away into a gasp.
Sounds like she has the pip" Zach
Flnherty remarked to his mate.
Must have taken on some OF that
dirty As!ntic water" Dan Hicks soiilo-
quized. -and now her tubes have gone
to glory"
Immediately both tugs kicked ahead
under n dead slow bell. guided by a
series OF toots as brief as Afr. Gibney
could make them. and presently both
tug lookouts reported breakers dead
ahead
= Dan Hicks sent a man forward to
heave the lead under the nose Of the
Aphrodite. which was edging In GIN
gerry toward the voice. He had @
s~earchIignt, bur ne did not attempt
to use 1t. knowing full well that In
such a fog II would be OF no avail.
Guided. therefore. by the bellowings
Of Mr.. Gibney, reinforced by the shrill
yips Of Captain Scraggs. the tug crept
In closer md closer. and when II
seemed that they must be within n
hundred feet of the surf. Dan Hicks
trained his Lyle gun In the direction
OF Mr.. Gibney's voice and shot a heay-
ing line into the fog.
Almost Simultaneous with the report
OF the gun came a shrek OF pain from
Captain Scraggs. Straight and true
the wet. heavy knotted end OF the
heaving line came In over the Maggie's
quarter INT struck him In the mouth.
In the darkness he staggered back
from the singing blow. clutched wild.
ly ct the air. slipped and rolled over
among the vegetables with the pre-
cious rope clnsped to his breast.
81 got It." he sputtered. II got IL.
Obj"
safe. or Mr.. Gibney bawled. "Pay
out your hawser."
They me II at the tnfrraii as Il
came up out OF the breakers, wet hu'
welcome. 'pnss II around the maiu
mast. S~craggy." Mr.. Chimney cautioned
If we make fast to the TOWN. bits
The nrst jerk'l pull the anchor bolts
up through tile deck"
When the hawser had been made
fast to the mainmast, the leathern
lungs Of Mr.. Gibney made due an
nouncement OF the fact to the ex.
pectanf Captain Hicks. "As SCOT as
you feel you've got q grip on her." he
yelled. "just hold her steady so she
won't drive further up the beach when
: get my anchor up. She'll come out
like a loose tooth at the top Of the
food.-
The Aphrodite forged slowly ahend
aking In the slack of the hawser
Twenty minutes later. after much
hacking and swearing and henving Of
Ines the Bodega's hnwser was also
nut board the Maggie. Mr.. Gibney
Judged II would be safe now to fasten
This line to the towing bits.
Suddenly Captain Scraggs remem-
hered there was no one on duty In the
Maggie's engine room. With. a half
sob. he slid down the greasy ladder,
tore open the furnace doors and com
menced shoveling in coal with a reck-
lessness that bordered on insanity.
When the indicator showed eighty
pounds Of steam he came up on deck
and discovered Mr.. Gibney walking
solemnly round and round the little
capstan up forward. It IA ~crenking
and grooming dismafly. Captain
Scragss thrust his engine room torch
above his head to light the scene and
gazed upon his navigating officer in
blank amazement =
"what foolishness Is this. CHR" he
demanded. Are you clean dnffy. do
In a barn dance around that rusty
cnpstan. mnkin' a noise At to brighten
the 6sh7"
Not much" came the iaconic re
ply. "Tm q smart man. I'm rnisin'
both anchors"
well. all I got TO remark il that It
takes a smart man to raise both an
chors when we only got me anchor
to our blessed name. An with that
anchor safe on the fo'castle head. I.
for one. can't see no sense in raisin'
It"
"You tarnation jnckass- sighed
Gibney. "You forget who we are.
Do you s'pose the steamer Yankee
Prince can lay on the beach all night
with both anchors OFT, ~ :a.n be got
rendy to tow off In tl.-ee sAn.kes OF a
lambs tnil7 1t takes noise TO get up
two nnchors-so I'm maxim all he
noise l can. Got any steamT"
Eighty pounds" Scrnggs confessed.
Having for the moment forgotten his
identity. he was confused In the pres
ence of the superior intelligence of his
navigating officer.
Run aft, then. ScraggA an turn
that cargo winch over to beat the
band until I tell you to stop. With
the drum runnin' free she'll make noise
enough for n winch three times her
size, but you might give the necessary