Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-03


vacuum cleaner, the fog trickled
away. rolled back to seward. and
left the Carroway naked to the rising
sea and the shingly coast
Another swell canted the ship, and
this time she stayed canted, her stern
deeply aground. her bows still raised
a little but also touching bottom. She
moved up and down uneasily.'
The captain very calmly took in
the shore line as he wiped spray from
his eyes and chewed his cigar.
The coast was low ana hilly. A
broad single beach ran from the
| cliffs to the sea. High surf broke
where single and water met. The
, Carroway had grounded some 500
yards from the shadows.
Boat falls shrIeked as they were
let go in haste. The second and third
mates profane voices came to the
captain A boat smacked into the
water on the side facing the shore.
/ where the water was smooth in the
| sheltered lee. 1t was loaded to the
| gunnel with seamen and steerage
| passengers.
Oars came out in ones and twos.
! all lengths and in different attitudes.
| Plain II was that few knew how to
handle a boat. The falls were un-
| hooked. Bloody-mouthed, bruised Of
face, tho two young mates stood on
tho edge Of the flddley deck and shook
their fists. The second mate raised
his revolver and took ono shot. The
bullet SKINNED over the boat after
/ striking the water.
"That'n do"' called the captain,
mildly.
The second mate looked up to the
bridge. swore. nodded. said. Yes, sir"
| and pocketed his revolver. Then.
with the third mate, he moved along
to another boat, a woman carrying a
baby plucking at his arm and i'm
ploring him to save her child.
The boat carrying the mutineers
| rode low in the water with its excess
| sive weight. It's oars splashed err
| radically. 1t got from under the pro-
lection Of the slanting Carroway's
| hull and into the first OF the surf.
| 1t was tossed skyward, earthward.
| sideways. Shouts came against the
rising wind. The angry surf smashed
| the oar butts against the rowers'
| chests. Finally there drifted ashore
an upturned boat A few heads
dotted the surf for a while. They
J disappeared. That was all. The pas
! sengers left on the Carroway shud-
J dered and broke the silence they had
| kept while watching. They raised
| their eyes to the bridge and whis
I pered to each other:
! See what the captain does"
| y = x =
1T was plain no boat would live in
the surf. It was also plain the
Carroway was dangerous. Already
| every other sea swept her. Shallow
| water cascaded across the fiddley.
The cook had long since deserted his
! galley, the last seaman the foc'sle.
| The engine room was filing with
| water. The siren would cease TO
| below when the last OF the steam
! came.
! The mate mounted to the bridge
| He had ceased bothering over the
sounding machine The water depth
was now apparent.
81 see there's some one moving
+! about ashore. SIR he said hopefully.
| quite over his excitement.
The captain looked up at the sky,
/ now peering blue with the dawn
| through the last shreds Of the fog.
| He looked to seaward. where the fog
was still unpierceable. He looked
F.! fo'ard and aft, where the seas were
! breaking monotonously over the Car
| roway's main deck. He sighed. us
that so?" he said. Then. stepping to
the glass box. he secured a pair Of
| binoculars. He focused them on the
loeach.
YES" he said at last They'll rig
a brooches buoy. That's the coast
| guards. / see they've a rocket appa-
| ratus there. Tell the men to stand
| by and grab tho limo when 1t comes
shooting across. . . II we don't get or
| this ship in half an hour, we needn't
/ bother"
DO you think so, sir? Do you
| really think so?'
The mate grew nervous again The
captain grunted.
| Sure! . . Happen to have a match
about you? Thanks. Remember
your signals for receiving rockets?"
! The mate gulped. II think so, SIR"
| Run along then"
The mate went down the COM
| panion. The able seaman on the
bridge hoisted a string of flags to the
triatic stay halyards under the cap
tain's directions. Then he was sent
| down to help the rest look out for the
| rocket line.
Full daylight came at last Against
the wind came a faint, dull boom. A
, man separated from the small group
! above his head. Came a whistling
noise. Then the rocket shot over
the Carroway, a thin line shaking out
behind. The rocket fell with a hiss
into the crest of a breaking wave on
the weather side of the ship. The
line fell on tho slanting foredock. A
! seaman jumped on 1t with both feet,
bent and picked 1t up and ran madly
for the alleyway under the bride, lee
side, as a sea broke over the weather
rail-. He retained the line.
The second mate shouted through
cupped hands when the sea had sub
sided. The man with the line reached
for his sheath knife and cut it from
the rocket. The free end he thus OBJ
tanned he passed outside of all
stanchions against the rail. He car
ried it to where the second mate
leaned over tho edge Of the nddley
house. ....
The third mate and some more sea
mon came to the second mates aid.
Slowly they hauled in on the thin
line. One seaman stood apart from
the rest at the after end Of tho house
l and waved his red handkerchief. The
man ashore who had waved previ-