THE DEATH SHIP

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 302, 21 December 1932, Page 21

THE DEATH SHIP

By HARRY EDMONDS. f Author o} "The North Sea' Mystery."

CHAPTER VII. Unexpected Passengers. Thirty hours later the fog cleared, and ft cleared with|n a quarter of an hour as a breeze sprang up from the northeast and soon commenced blowing a gale, the fog seemed to be lifted clean off the ocean, soon there was nothing to be eeen except a sky filled with a leaping, writhing network of dark cloud and a circle of horizon around an expanse of laden waves full of curling white-ridged crests. The congregation of ships, I counted eleven, seemed to vanish almost as quickly as the fog, they dispersed at once and were all out of sight within my watch. I could see smoke from the last one hovering on the horizon as I was relieved.

During the next three days we made good progress, running before the gale with reefed topsails with a heavy following sea creeping up astern. The huge waves of the Atlantic would hover over our counter, and, except for the crest of spray which often broke over us, would pass harmlessly under our feet. On the fourth day from Ushant. the gale increased -in violence until it seemed to be blowing a hurricane, and it was on this day that an event happened which was destined not only to change my life, but also to save it. The sea commenced to run so high that Charlie, who had not left the deck for over twelve hours, decided to heave to for the night.

We were lucky enough to come round with the wind and ride head on to the sea without an accident; once hove-to with the reefed main lower topsail backed, we settled down to ride it out until the wind eased. It was probably an hour after heaving to that the lookout man reported an aeroplane in sight over our port beam. I made her out at once. She was (Tying very low; in fact, I believe i forgot all about the ship which, at that very moment, was sliding her nose right ii»to one of the larger seae, in my anxiety to see the 'plane. She was heading straight for us, and seemed to just skim the tops of the waves. She approached rapidly. I noticed her swaying violently, and then, to my horror, I saw a jet of foam spurt up as one of her landing wheels touched the crest of the sea. This seemed to pull her down, for she appeared to fall. Then I saw her crush right through the top of a wave—for an instant I just caught the roar of the engine above the how) of the wind. She flew on for perhaps 20 yards, the nose gave one final desperate tilt upwards, and then she settled into a great heaving hill of .water which was sweeping by us, and never roee again.

It was apparent that she still had some headway, and at first I thought she would reach our eide, but the sea swept her sideways and I saw she would pass "close under our stern.

I noticed two figures clad In helmet and leather coats struggling ami getting tip in the cockpit and holding on to'.the stays, as the water broke clean over them, and then I dived for a rope. I made one end fast to a lifebuoy which I threw overboard in their direction. One of them seemed to understand what I wanted of them, for as the flare of the buoy hit the water and spluttered into flame, they each waved an arm.

I paid out the line as the sea carried the lifebuoy away, and by tugging, managed to get it to bear down on the 'plane, which appeared to be floating in a heavy water-logged condition, with her nose stuck right into the water, probably due to the weight of the engine, and ita tail in the air. It seemed to be drifting about 40ft away when one of the figures plunged into the eea, and after a short desperate swim, reached the buoy.

He immediately swam back to the 'plane, towing the buoy after him. The distance was only perhaps four or five yards, .but it was touch and go. The other figure slid into the water, and I saw them both hanging on to the- life around the buoy. I gave the order to haul in very slowly. Gradually they were towed up under the counter pn the lee side away from the break of the sea.

We lowered a ropo ladder, and, taking off my oilskins, I kicked off my sea boots and went over the aide down the rungs of the ladder, and had not gone down a dozen steps before the sea rose under the counter and swept right over me. I felt myself being dragged away, and hung on to the wooden etcpa like grim death. The water was terribly cold, and then as the wave swept on,.and I was once again suspended In air, I just saved myself from banging against the ship's hull by warding her off with my feet.

"Pay out fast," I shouted. "Another twenty feet." I felt the ladder being lowered and dropped right into the next wave, which immediately swept me astern. .Aβ my head broke the surface of the water I noticed the two leathercoated and helmetcd figures gripping the buoy only a few feet away. With a desperate struggle I reached out and just grasped one of the buoy lines. A -minute later Ave were all clinging desperately to the rope ladder. I had managed- to help the other two gain a hold, and with our legs through the spaces between, the. rungs we were fairly eecure. Twice I —the lowest of the three —was plunged into the heave of the sea as we were being hauled on board before. I gained the deck, and once we were all flung against the ship's hull, but luckily no one suffered any harm.

At last they hauled us over the rail, where Charlie Harris and Red Olsen were waiting to receive three bedraggled figures. The leather-overalled airmen seemed blown out with water like motor tyres, and as this poured out of the openings in their clothes it gave a comical impression, something like thoee dying pigs one buys. Astern, about one and a half cables' length away, we saw about 4ft of the tail and a wing tip rise above the crest of the sea; when it disappeared in the trough it was gone for ever. Wβ never saw a sign of the'plane again. No doubt the fuselage and wing spaces had commenced to fill with water, and the weight of the engine took her straight to the bottom, head first. I led the way below, while Olsen took over my watch, and then came a moment full of surprise and confusion. Charlie Harris shouted for Pratt to bring the rum and whisky, and, turning to the airmen, said: "Will you two fellows throw off your wet gear in the saloon here, and we'll find a rigout of dry clothes for you." I was peeling off my vest, my woollen jersey was already lying on the deck in a sloppy puddle at my feet. Just as I had stripped to the waiet one of the airmen, who had been leaning over the table coughing up the sea water, managed to jpu-'l off the leather helmet.

And then we saw a mass of dark hair,j and as she turned to look at us, a pair of blue eyes with a pitiful, woebegone expression. The pilot's companion was a woman. Complications. Leaving the situation in the capable hands of the captain, ably supported by Pratt, who had tea and rum ready as restoratives, I made a hasty change in my cabin. I put on dry clothes, and, entering the saloon, found Charlie Harris frowning at the table. He looked up as I closed the door. "Well, Jim," he said, seriously, "this is the devil of a fix." "H'm—where's the lady ?" I growled in an undertone. "In my bunk—all tucked up with hot water bottles; Pratt's patent, three empty rum jars. He's just taken her some tea. She didn't take kindly to rum—but —" and her he struck the table with his fist—"Why, damn it man, haven't you tumbled to the situation?" He glared at me as I waited in silence for him to go out—"the girl—the girl— she's the very image of Seikle's niece—"

"What! (iood God!" I ejaculated. Words failed me. We gaped at each other for a few seconds and my hand went to my breast pocket. I remembered, in my note-case was the photograph on the newspaper cutting which informed tho largest evening circulation in the world that Miss Eileen Kinahan was leaving for New York in the Mauretania and intended flying the Atlantic on her return trip. What an amazinhg coincidence. And then a strange thought occurred to me. Would this change the luck of the ship?

"Will ye> have some tea, Sorr," said Pratt, poking his head around the lazaretto. I looked up quickly and nodded.

"Of courec," answered Charlie. "Both of us, and you had better have a good stiff peg of rum in yours."

'■Here's a go," said Charlie with a grin. '"Two passegers forced on us and there they arc asleep in our bunks and wo don't know a damned thing about 'em except that tho girl might perhaps by a miracle turn out to be the niece of ono of the owners." As he spoke I knew very well that eho was the niece. "Well, we'll have to turn the little chart room into a. spare cabin and do all our work on thie table—rdanvned nuisance," he paused and his cyee seemed to brighten. "Wonder if they're married?" "H'm," I mused, "that will simplify our berthing arrangements considerably." Wo didn't want to lose our chart room and have our cabin tab'.e littered with charts and marmalade. Then there was silence while we drank our tea and ate our toast. Wβ could hear the surge of the sea going past outside the screwed-down portholes, and the distant thud of the heavy waves striking the bows. She was pitching wildly, but being hove to she did not roll much, the pressure of tho canvas keeping her pretty steady. It was barely daylight when I went on deck, and Olsen and I arranged to split our watches evenly until midnight—eight bells. As things turned out, Olsen and I were on deck together most of the time until midnight. However, as eight bells were struck, I went below, and noticed Charlie Harris asleep on one of the red cushioned side lockers, and I went quietly into my cabin without disturbing him. I noticed tho airman fast asleep in Olson's bunk, and kicking off my sea boots, I took off my jacket and turned in, "all standing," so to speak. I drew the blankets around me and was asleep in thirty seconds. (To be continued daily.)