The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-08-31
him; they fought. ana stafford struck

him; they fought. and Stafford struck
Spearman down. He turned and cried
out against me-accusing me of hav-
ing ordered Spearman to cut the line.
He held up the cut end toward Rams
dell on the Miwaka and cried out to
him and showed by pointing that 1t
had been cut. Blood was running
from the hand with which he pointed,
for he had been shot by Spearman;
and now again and a second and
third time, from where he lay upon the
deck, Spearman fired. The second of
those shots killed the engineer, who
had rushed out where I was on the
deck: the third shot went through
Stafford's Head. The Miwaka was drift
ing down upon the reef; her whistle
sounded again and again the four long
blasts. The fireman, who had followed
the engineer up from below, fawned
on mel 1 was safe for all him. he
said; could trust Luke-Luke would
not tell He too thought had or
dered the doing of that thingl
"'From the Miwaka, Ramsdell yelled
curses at me, threatening me for what
he thought that had done! I looked
at Spearman as he got up from the
deck, and read the thought that had
been In him; he had believed that he
could cut the hawser in the dark, none
seeing, and that our word that 1t had
been broken would have as much
strength as any accusation Stafford
could make. He had known that to
share secret such as that with me
would make" him on the lakes; for
the loss of the Miwaka would cripple
Stafford and Ramsdell and strengthen
me; and he could make me share with
him whatever 1 made. But Stafford
had. surprised him at the hawser and
had seen.
"T moved to denounce him, Father.
as I realized this; 1 moved-but
stopped. He had made himself safe
against accusation by me! None
none ever would believe that he had
done this except by my order. If he
should claim that ; and he made plain
that he was going to claim that. He
called me fool and defied me. Luke
even my own man, the only one left
on the tug with us-believed It'll And
there was murder in it now, with Stat
ford dying there upon the deck and
with the certainty that all those on
the Miwaka could not be saved.
felt the moose as If it had been al
ready tied about my neck And 1
had done no wrong, Father! 1 had
only thought wrongl E
$50 long as one lived among those
on the Miwaka who had seen what
was done, 1 knew 1 would be hanged
yet would have saved them If could.
But, In my comprehension Of what
this meant, I only stared at Stafford
where he lay and then at Spearman,
and let him get control of the tug.
The tug, whose wheel / had lashed,
heading her into the waves, had been
moving slowly. Spearman pushed me
aside and went to the wheelhouse; he
that moment Luke was his. He turned
the tug about to where we still saw
the lights of the Aiwaka. The steam
er had struck upon the reef; she hung
there for time; and Spearman-he
had the wheel and Luke, at his or
ders. was at the engine-held the tug
off and we beat slowly to and fro un-
til the Miwaka slipped of and sank.
Some had gone down with her, no
doubt; but two boats had got off, car
rying lights. They saw the tug ap-
preaching and cried out and stretched
their hands to us; but Spearman
stopped the tug They rowed toward
us then. but when they got near. Spear
man moved the tug away from them,
and then again stopped. They cried
out again and rowed toward us; again
he moved the tug away, and then they
understood and stopped rowing and
cried curses at us. One boat soon
drifted far away; we knew Of its cap
sizing by the extinguishing of its light
The other capsized near to where we
WERE Those in it who had no life
belts and could not swim, sank first.
Some could swim and, for while they
fought the waves"
Alan, as he listened, ceased con-
sciously to separate the priests voice
from the sensations running through
him. His father was Stafford, dying
at Corvet's feet while Corvet watched
the death of the crew of the Miwaka;
Alan himself, child, was floating with
lifebelt among those struggling in
the water whom Spearman and Corvet
were watching die. Memory; was 1t
that which now had come to him? No;
rather it was a realization of all the
truths which the priests words were
bringing together and arranging right
ly for him.
Alan's father died In the morning
All day they stayed out in the storm,
avoiding vessels. They dared not
81
that of the engineer, because, II found,
the bullet holes would have aroused
inquiry. When night came again, they
had taken the two ashore at some wild
spot and buried them; to make identi-