Arizona state miner., 1926-05-01

to the stern windows Peter was gone
l leaned out and stared back at the
James creaming wake-and a white
arm flashed in a gesture Of appeal
| twenty feet astern. l cast the lead
| behind him, and he caught the line
as it settled into the water, cut the
| lead free with the dead mans knife
at his belt, looped the slack under his
shoulders, and with my feverish help
hauled himself back to the shelf above
the water line.
l lacked the strength to draw him
up; but fastened my end of the
] line to the cabin table, which was
bolted to the floor, and then, foot by
foot, Peter toiled upward. He was
so weary at the last that I must pull
him through the window, and he fell
in heap across the table, pudding
| the polished surface with the sea-
water that streamed off him and the
| blood from his SCARED hands.
bottle of the aqua vitae my great
uncle favored stood by his place.. and
took this and poured liberal tot
| between Peters lips He staggered
to his feet, blinking his eyes and red
| as a school miss.
Cali right, Bob" he squeaked. 81
be all right, ja"
His eyes chanced upon the lead-line,
still fast to the tables leg, and he
stopped and unknotted it and dropped
it out Of the window.
''We better not stay here" he NUT
tered "Neen! If Murray sees US"
"Oh, my Gawd!"
Ben Gum goggled at us from the
companionway.
Drowned, they bel" he gasped to
himself. "He done for 'em, Flint
did ~
/ was afraid he would run out on
deck and cry an alarm, and started
for him to prevent this.
"Be still, Ben" said. "We don't
mean to hurt YOU"
He plucked up a little courage
when I spoke
"'Tain't right for ye to talk" he
,, objected. II never heard tell as how
sperets-"
Were not spirits" I answered
"We are as alive as you are. Here,
feel this.'
He shrank back as I placed my
clammy, wet hand upon his neck, but
the touch reassured him.
"Ye amt sperets, says you," he re-
peated amazedly. "Nor We amt
dead And seem as you're here, why,
it do stand to reason as how We amt
aboard the Walrus, which Is where
We was and where We oughter be-"
He shook his head
"'Tis perfectly natural" I retorted.
Master Corlaer and have escaped
from the Walrus."
Ben came a step or two into the
cabin and stared hard at Peter. Then
he turned disappearing eye upon the
pools of water we had sprinkled on
the table and the rich carpet.
"Well, it do look to be ZEE two,"
he conceded grudgingly. "But ye ha'
mucked up the cabin awful, and the
captain will like to ha' me triced to
the main for a dozen wi the cat
Maybe So" he agreed. "But he won't
ike it that We come aboard this way"
l seized upon his opening without
scruple
"Yes, he'll hold it against you, Ben.
'Tis a shame"
He shivered, and l appreciated what
my great-uncle's wrath must be.
"Ye wouldn't let him now! Master
oh VI
don't want poor Ben Gum to be
screamin' on the triangle"
"That l don't" l assented warmly.
"You must hide us, Ben. Nobody will
know that you had aught to do with
our coming aboard; and indeed Cap
tain Murray will not care, 1 think.
Twas not of his own will be gave us
to Flint
"If it's so, why don't zee go up on
the poop and tell the captain now?"
"He'd have to send us back to Cap
tain Flint You wouldn't like to be
sent aboard the Walrus to stay, Ben"
Ben Gum cooked his head on one
side.
II amt so sure" he answered.
Maybe Flint would let me wear
seaman's gear and tar my hair"
eff l ever command a ship you shall
be a tarry sailorman aboard her,
Ben," 1 promised. "But if you don't
hide us quickly, Ben, FIJI never be able
to make good on it."
He caught my hand in his
"You jes come along o. me. Ben
Gum knows thing or two, he does.
I'll show zee, my master. You jest
come along O. me-"
| Peter and l sopped after him up
the companionway to a door forard
of the staterooms we occupied, which
led by way of a steep flight of ladder
stairs to the galley and service quar-
ters, space partitioned off from the
vast sweep of the gundeck. Ben un-
! hooked a lanthorn from the wall,
opened trap in the deck and signed
us to follow him. At the bottom of
a second ladder we found ourselves