Evening star., 1940-01-14

well, that's four of them within distance"
muttered the captain, comforted; and he
scribbled another message and sent the little
apprentice away:
Rebort us to1bedoed and shelled withoM
warning. Settling by the head. End PROBABLY
matter Of hour or so pending on bulkhedds.
No casualties known as yet. VIII order
hteboats remain present position o'0ait
bieking up. No specific details as to sub
marine last seen submerging steering south
east by east Request relief hurry as
weather making here.
The second mate climbed on the bridge,
painting, and wiped sweat and spray from his
face. The Cynthia was shuddering all along
her hull as her bow, sinking lower, preached
the swels across the fo'cs'le-head and FORE
deck instead of lifting to them.
"Shes taken her death blow all right, sir"
said the second mate tensely. Bows torn
clean out of her below the waterline.
II judged so, the captain muttered and he
gripped the wet rail and stared bleakly ahead.
He could hear the watches profanely at work
swinging out the boats. Then came the whine
of the falls even above the wind; and at
intervals there was the thunder of the board
ing seas as they washed white water across
the main deck below. Captain Rahlee tested
the Cynthia's lift with his widespread feet
and frightened his graying lips. He felt deathly
sick, and his wounded side was an agony.
This was the end No doubt of it now. For the
Cynthia and him, both.
liz wandered for a moment, remembering
his first voyage, when he had been small and
on the Royal. Small and a little afraid. Seasick
and very lonely. And he remembered his first
sight of a tfopic dawn, flaming crimson and
gold along the east, sharp etching the hard
white sands of forgotten island, with the
stately palms swaying in the Trade as the
ship drove past, the wind booming in her can
vas and the spray rainbow about her bow.
A spatter of cold spume whipped his face
and he came back to the present with start.
The second mate was saying urgently She's
going fast now by the head, Sill"
''Ah, yes" agreed Captain Rahlee. He
licked his dry lips Take the third mate and
help the mate get the boats away. Provision
them as best you can, though thereu prob
ably be no need. Women and children first"
he added mechanically and stared ahead
again as the mates left him.
He wished he could forget Captain
Waterman's face, anguished and bewildered
in the CHASTITY fare-lght while the 1vanhoe
went down and the old man stood on the
bridge braced for the final swallowing wave.
Was it really so hard? He had never expected
to die quite like that himself. Go down with
his ship maybe, but not with her blown from
under him.
He felt the Cynthia lurch beneath his feet.
and that brought him back to the present
again. He beckoned the little apprentice boy,
stumbled to the chartroom, and scribbled
final message for the wireless. So that was
that. The warships would come foaming under
forced draft and pick up the lifeboats. He
looked aft where the lights and the electric
clusters were still shining brightly, dimming
the moon.
1t was not dangerous sea, he considered.
The boats, properly handled would live with
out trouble Underfoot the slow engine pulse
was still plain, and there was still the heavy
throbbing of the pumps. The engine-room
speaking tube whstled even as he felt COM
for+od ~, +hat thought and the chiefs I'M