Evening star., 1925-07-09
THE PRIMITIVE METHOD
BY F. r. BUCKLEY
by aionaM Masazine Coz

favoritism, young Robert Graham
was carried on the books of the City
or Mombasa under the name of Ker
james Ker. He was fourth engi-
neer. his father being chief.
Didn't the gang laugh at this alias
business?" ! asked.
Hoo could they laugh, whereas
they kent naething aboot it'll the
proper time?' inquired McWhee.
What would be the sense O maxim
the laddie sign articles incognito, as
twere, if everybody was tae be let
into the secret? Ma, ma. His father
ca ed him Mister ker, an he ca'ed
his dad sir an discipline was main.
tanned wi'oot crack. Not that ony-
body would ha' laughed at old Bob
Graham In ony case He was no a
humorous man"
l should say he wasn't. One of his
favorite moral theories, 1t seems, was
that hell is in two sections; one here.
and hotter one hereafter; and that
every man-having come into this
world bungful of original sin-is
bound to patronize one establishment
or the other. Graham himself. for in
stance, was working out part of his
salvation in the City of Mombas ga
whose engines were liable TO counter
felt the Internal egions-steam,
shrieks. red-hot metal and all-at any
moment: whereas the brass-bound
engineers of the =. G. O., with their
humming turbines and their cabins
that hummed with fans, were simply
extending their sinful notes of hand
TO be payable after death.
Seriously" | inquired
Aye" said McWhee. "Vara seri-
ously."
Seeing that he held the same views
himself, l let II go at that; and was
forthwith introduced to the story
proper.
The City of Mombasa met a gale in
the Bay of Biscay; one wave of which
took hold of twenty feet of solid steel
bulwark. tore it loose from all its
riVets save three, and left it hanging
over the ships port bow, where other
seas could lift it light-heartedly, and
slam 1t back against the side in a
manner calculated to punch holes In
the rusted plates.
The month was January, and the
temperature of the sea was some
where down in the basement of the
thermometer; but nevertheless it was
obvious that if no one man would
take an icy ducking. everybody would;
IN other words, unless somebody
crawled forward across the alternately
the deck, a rope around his middle and
a hacksaw In his teeth, and cut that
mapping tons of bulwark loose.
the ship would sink. The second
officer tried it-and went overheard.
The bo's'n started out with a cold
ch1sel- and a maui, but was picked
up by sea and hammered against
a stanchion until his skull opened and
his brains ran out.
1t was at this point that young
James ker, nee Graham, remark ed
that steelwork belonged to the engine
room anyhow, and went forward, un-
roped. TO see what he could do with
those rivets. 1t was the general
opinion that this lack of a lashing
accounted for his success-he had no
rope to hamper his movements when
the deck was clear, and nothing to
trust but the grip of his own hands
when seas roared over him. Further.
he had the happy thought OF jamming
himself in the fork of the bits; which,
incidentally crushing two Of his ribs,
held him, in position while he cut
through the first rivet
He had to crawl out of the steel
embrace to get at the second; and the
sea which caught him in the act of
changing position almost sent him to
49, tiiS oVSOHd anu Ifl6 DO 3 II.
Though it failed in this, it stripped him
OF his trousers, his socks and his boots,
and left him with so long a cut in his
forehead that he could only see to
hacksaw for 80 seconds at a time
the 80 seconds following the washing
Of his wound by a 50.ton wave
Under these circumstances, he can
not be blamed for taking half an hour
to saw through the second rivet. He
did not touch the third. Just as he
prepared to hang over the side and
grope for it, the ocean took the bull
wark and twisted it clean Off
At the engineers mess that night,
Robert Graham, ST., spoke three
words-which, for him, at a meal
time, was loquacity indeed.
After the fourth engineers heroism
had been discussed for half an hour,
and Mr.. Graham had entirely finished
his dinner. to the point, even, of
wiping his mouth after the blackberry
pie, ne arose, jerked his thumb toward
the cabin where James Ker lay, and
said: "Yon's my SON.
Then he went away, and locked him.