White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1935-05-09

After the first wild diapason of yells,
Sebastien and his men were mute.
had the collision been an accident, the
air would have remained filled with
their vociferous abuse. But they knew
that it was no accident. Also, it was
| necessary to consider their plans for
the immediate future The vessel was
doomed, the brine pouring into her
through a gap in which a fat pig could
have scratched both sides.
Sebastien seemed to take it with the
Indian stoicism that was part of him.
He hauled his dory alongside and
started to throw the diving gear down
into her. the two men rapidly salving
other objects. Lower and lower settled
the doomed ship, drawn down with
| increasing speed as the gap in her sank
deeper and drank more thirstily. The
sodden wood in her could not float
the sailing ballast. With her decks al
most awash Sebastien and his men got
aboard the dory and cast off. The did
| not so much as glance at Tom and
Robert
Toms hasty survey showed him that
the launch had not suffered greatly
A boat strongly built can withstand
tremendous impact head on if the
object struck gives a little, and the
frame and planking of the old cruiser
had given a good deal. The launchs
bow was badly gouged and splintered,
but she still was tight, and the solid
lagscrews that held the motor to the
oaken bed plates had been equal to the
strain, of course, such eventuality be-
ing duly considered by the builders
Then, with a lack of demonstration
that had something pitiful about it, the
cruiser went down to it's long rest She
did this much as an old horse lies
| down, a lurch forward another aft
| then grunt and general settlement
A great many kissing bubbles rose
! and there formed over the spot great
band OF peacock hues, oil enough to
credit them with sub, as Robert OBJ
served to Tom
1t seemed to Tom that Sebastien
| might have saved his craft if he had
wished; keelhauled her and rugged a
collision mat But the man seemed in
different, apathetic, as if he had been
hit by tidal wave or meteorite instead
of a pair of business rivals in an open
that Sebastien was badly scared. He
knew what these taciturn Yanks could
be like, once they got started, and Tom
Impressed him as being we'll on his
way. Sebastien actually expected to be
sent down after his boat.
This certainly would have happened
If he had fired on Doctor White and
Jessica. In such event it is certain that
Tom would have slain him. Even as it
was he glared across the water at Sc
bastien as If mindful to finish his job.
way about it. Not only was he con-
vinced that the man had intended to
murder Jessica and Doctor White, but
the entire situation was infuriating
Here was Tom out of the running, so
far as the winning of any sweepstake
was concerned, still smarting from the
sharp lesson in good faith read him
by Robert, Inundated at the way in
which the man of Niquelon had be-
fooled him, even to the extent of a
compulsory nocturnal bath.
The red mist had not yet cleared
from Toms vision, any more than it
might from that of the fighting bull
which having charged and gored the
wretched crowbait bestridden by
picador, casts about with lurid eyes
for more interesting victim.
Here was no time for abuse. 1t
needed but whisper, Sebastien
thought to start Tom afresh on his
devastating career. He could see that
Tom was holding himself in leash.
asking to be asked, when he would
foam down again to smash him and