Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-17

ter. He belonged to the sea, the sea
was his. and only she could help him
in this moment. Brain. heart and
sinew had done what they could. He
| faced it unflinchingly. his shoulders
| braced and the grim, calm patience of
| his kind coming to uphold him. And
| she lifted. lifted YEARLY and slowly,
with a terrifying list remaining, but
lifted enough to ride the next sea that
barely foamed along her scuppers.
| She swung before the wind and
| Capt. Craddock laughed, as his sea
drove singing spume across his face.
Came the helmsman, bruised and
bloody. taking the spokes into his
hands. The captain spoke quiet. reas-
surfing words and left him to fight the
spokes, while he went forward to find
! the second mate and tell him to try to
get the smallest rag of canvas raised.
| The mate. rocking upright. his head
split open. blood running down his
face. collided with the captain in the
| lee of the chart-house.
"She should have gone" the mate
reared, gasping and clutching the cap
tain's arm. "This's the luckiest bloody
| ship / ever sailed"'
"Of course" shouted the captain.
and he laughed again and went on to
the companion. But the second mate
had gathered the men on his own ini-
| tiative and was driving them to work.
There was no further mishap during
| the night.
THE dawn came, thin and wan. and
the sea moved monstrously across
the world. angry white on the crests
and dull leaden and black in the hol-
lows. But the storm was going down.
the sun was trying to struggle
| through. The wind was mere hard
gale. and the Prince Shan was not
laboring as heavily as she had. Capt.
Craddock surveyed his ruined main
deck OF the galley-house there was
no sign. 1t had gone with the cook,
his pans and pots and his stove, van
ished utterly away.
The captain went down to the weary
men. He talked to them. quietly,
cheerfully. quite as though there had
been no storm and fire. The second
mate joined the captain. He was a
stocky, sturdy, efficient young man.
His gray eyes were somber, as he sur.
veyed the ship.
Lucky { get off light as we did,"
he commented at last.
The captain smiled family and said,
"Of course in his absent way. The
second mate wondered whether moth.
ing would move this man into an ex-
preston of rage or pleasure. He
started to add. "Well, the men'll want
some sleep. SIR" when there was a
roar that deafened him.
'Midship a red eye glowed and dis
appeared. A huge govt of smoke shot
up, spread. and. for a moment. COW
cred the ship, before the wind could
rip it away. Then fragments began
to dapple the sea, began to patter and
thud on the deck. A hatch, split end
ways, slammed on the poop, sending
a shower of hot, charred splinters
through the air. One ripped the cap.
tain's cheek. He instinctively clapped
| a hand to the wound and looked sur
prised to find blood on his fingers.
Two splinters buried themselves in
the second mates back, and he jerked
to his feet. with cry Of pain. A
block smashed on the after hatch, and
| then a piece of broken patten whizzed
| down, fiicked the captain just above
| the left ear, and dropped him, with
| out groan. to the deck. He rolled on
| his back and was still.
The second mate cried
| "Well, now! Well, now!'
| He stared stupidity at the white face