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Marlborough Express, Volume XXXV, Issue 74, 30 March 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

UNKNOWN

sheets and braces to so as to steady j^^W^^Work'ed, bat she still labored neavily in the sea, and beneath them they could hear the leaden swish of water in the floor of the hold. Their labor was having its effect, and by infinitesimal graduations they were counteracting the list and getting the ship upright, but the wind was worsen-

ing, and it seemed to them also that

the water was getting deeper under - their feet and that the vessel rode more sluggishly.

So'far the. well had not been sounded. It was no use getting alarming statistics to discourage oneself unnecessarily. But after night had fallen and it was impossible to see to work in the gloomy hold any longer without lamps Captain Kettle took the sounding rod and found eight feet.

He mentioned this when he took down the lamps into the hold, but he did' not think it necessary to &dd that as the sounding had been taken with the well on the slant it was therefore considerably under the truth. Still he sent Dayton-Philipps and the trimmer on deck to take a spell at the pumps and himself resumed his shovel work alongside the others.

. Straightaway on through the night the six men stuck to their savage toil, the blood from their blistered hands reddening the shafts of the shovels. Every now and again one or another of them choked with the dust and went to get a draft of lukewarm water from the scuttle bntt. But no one staid overlong on these excursions. The breeze had blown "up into a gale. The night overhead was starless and moonless, but every minute the black heaven was split by bursts of lightning,' which showed the laboring,. disheveled ship eet among great mountains of breaking seas.

. The sight would have, been bad from a "well manned powerful-steamboat; from the deck of the derelict it approached the terrific. The men with the shovels worked among the frightened, squeaking rats in the closed in box of the hold.

There were four oilboard the ship during that terrible night who openly owned to being cowed and freely bewailed their insanity in ever being lured away from the M'poso. DaytonPhilippsi had sufficient self control to keep his feelings, whatever, they were, unstated,, but Kettle'faced all difficulties with indomitable courage and a entiling face. V

" .'.'l believe," saidDayton-Philippsto him once when they were taking a spell together at the clanking pumps, ''yon really glory in finding yourself in this beastly mess." . "We shall pull through, I tell you." '_' * Well," said Day ton-Philippg, <'I suppose you are* a man that's always met with success. I'm not. I've got -blundering bad luck all along, and if there's a hole,available I get into it." Captain Kettle laughed aloud into the etorm. "Mcl" he said. '!Me in luck! not been a man more bashed and kicked by luck between ■- here and 20 years back. I supposgjgrgg^ ... tnougjbt it good forj2J^-^nl3^h?s kept i n bad kick "-^PrSmce I first got my captain's ticket. But he's not cruel, Mr. Philipps, and he doesn't push a man beyond the end of his patience. My time's come at last. He's given me something to make up for all the weary waiting. He's sent me this derelict, and lie only expects me to do my human best, and then he'll let me get her safely home."

"Good heavens, skipper, what are yon talking about ? Have you seen visions or something?"

"I'm a man, Mr. Philipps, that's always said my prayers regular all through my life. I've asked for things, big things, many of them, and I'll not deny they've been mostly denied me. I seemed to know they'd be'denied. But in the last week or so there*s been a change. I've asked on just as earnestly as I knew how, and I. seemed to hear him answer. It was hardly a voice,, and yet it was like a voice. It appeared to come out of millions of miles of distance. And I heard it say: "Captain, I do; not forget the sparrows, and I have not forgotten yon. I have tried ycra. long enough. Presently .thou shalt meet, with thy reward." - ~ ,

stared. Was the man going mad?

"And that's what it is, sir, that makes lite sure I shall bring this vessel into some port safely and pocket the salvage." ,-■

"Look here, skipper," said DaytonPhilipps, "you are just fagged to death, and-I'm the same. We've been ■working till our hands are raw as butcher's meat,-and we're clean tired out, and we must go below and get a bit of sleep. If the ship swims, so much the better. If she sinks, we can't help it. Anyway we're both of us too' beat to work any more. I shall be 'seeing things' myself next. "-

"Mr. Philipps," said the little sailor gravely, "I know you don't mean anything wrong, ho I take no offense. But I'm a man convinced. I've heard the message I told you with my own understanding, and-it isn't likely anything you can say will persuade me out of it. I can see you are tired out, as you say, so go you below and get a spell of sleep. But as for me, I've got another 20 hours' wakefulness in me yet, if needs be. This chance has mercifully been sent in my way, as I've said, but naturally it's expected of me that Ido my human utmost as well to see it through."

"If you stay on at this heart breaking work, so do I,'' said Day ton-Philipps, and he toiled gamely on at the pump. There he was still when day broke, sawing \ip and down like an automaton. But before the-sun rose utter weariness had done its work. His bleeding fingers loosed themselves from the break, his knees failed beneath him, and he fell in an unconscious stupor of sleep on to

the web planking of the -'' — \. Frr half an 'hour n:or-V Keftio struggled on at the pump, doing double work, but even his flesh and blood had its breaking Strain, and at last he could work no more.

He leaned dizzily up against the pump for a minute or so, and then with an effort he pulled his still-un-conscious companion away and laid him on the dry-floor of a-deckhouse. There was a pannikin of cold stewed tea slung from a hook in there and half a sea biscuit on one of the bunks. He ate and drank greedily and then went out again -along, the streaming decks to work,. so far as his single pair of hands could accomplish such a thing, at getting the huge derelict once more in sailing trim.

The shovels meanwhile had been doing their vork,.and although the list was' not entirely gone the vessel at •times',"'when .a sea buttressed her up, floated almost upright. The gale was still blowing, but it had veered to%the soxithward, and on the afternoon of that day Kettle called all his hands on deck and got her under Way again 'and found to lii.-J joy that the coal trimmer had some elementary notion of taking awheel.

"I rate you as mate," he said in his 'gratitude, "and you'll draw salvage pay according to your rank. I was going to make Mr. Philipps my officer, but"—

"Don't apologize," said Dayton-Phil-ipps. "I don't know tbe name of one string from another, and I'm quite conscious of my deficiency. But just watch me put in another spell at those infernal pumps." :

The list was of less account now, and the vessel was once more-under command of her canvas. It was the leak which gave them most cause for anxiety. Likely enough it was caused by the mere wrenching away of a couple of rivets. But the steady inpour of water through the holes would soon have made the ship grow unmanageable and founder if it was not constantly attended to. "Where; the leak was they had not a." notion. Probably it was deep down under the cargo of grain and quite ungetable, but anyway it demanded a constant service at the pumps to keep it in check, and this the bone weary crew were but feebly competent to give.

Tb.9 dreaded day, fickle a3 usual, saw fit to receive them at first with a smiling face. During afternoon there rose the brown sails of a'Portuguese fishing schooner, and Kettle headed toward her.

Let his crew be as willing as they would, there was no doubt that this niurdbrons work at the pumps could not be tept up for a voyage to England. If he could not get further re-enforce-ments, he would have to take the ship into the nearest foreign port to barely save her from sinking. And then where would be his sighed for salvage ? Woefully thinned, he thought, or more probably whisked away altogether. Captain Kettle had a vase distrust for the, shore foreigner over questions of law proceedings and money matters. So he made for the schooner, hove_Jii§own. vessel to and signalgd^iiat he wished to speaks- — y ' ~ ;

-~-^HB3Stwas slopped into the water from the schooner's deck, and ten swarthy, ragged Portuguese fishermen crammed into her. Two or three of them had a working knowledge of English; their captain spoke it with fluent inaccuracy, and bef ore any of them had gone aft to Kettle, who stood at the wheel, they had heard the whole story, of the ship being found derelict and very naturally were anxious enough by some means or other to finger a share of the salvage. Even a ragged Portuguese baccalhao maker can have his ambitions for prosperity like other people. ■ ■

Their leader made his proposal at once. "All right-a- captain. I see how you want. We take charge now and take-a you into Ferrol without you being at more trouble.''

'"Nothing of the kind," said Kettle. "I'm just waiting the loan of two or three hands to give my fellows a spell or two at that J)ump. We're a bit short handed, that's all. But otherwise we're quite^ comfortable. I'll pay A. B. 's wages on Liverpool scale, and that's a lot more than you dagos give among yourselves, and if the men work well I'll throw in a dash besides for 'bacca money.' "

"Ta-ta-ta," said the Portuguese, with a wave of his yellow fist. wlt cannot be done, and I will not lend you men. It shall be as I say—we take-a you into Ferrol.'; Do not fear-a, captain. You shall have money for finding sbeep: yo'a shall have some of our salvage."

Dayton-Philipps, who was standing near and knew the little sailor's view.3, looked for an outbreak, but Kettle held himself in and still spoke to the man civilly.

"That's good English you talk,"- he said. '' Do all your crowd understand' the language?"

' 'No," said the fellow readily enough. "That man does not, nor does ho nor him."

"Right-o," said Kettle. ''Then as those three men can't kick tip a bobbery at the'other end they've just got to fit-ay here and help work this vessel home. As for" the rest of yon filthy, stinking, scale covered cousins of apes, over the side of the vessel you go before you're put. Thought yon Vv rere going to steal my lawful salvage, did yon, you crawling, yellow ficed—ah!".-

The hot tempered Portuguese was not a man to steind this tirade, as Kettle anticipated, unmoved. His fingers made a vengeful snatch toward the knife in his belt, but -Kettle was ready for thie and caught it- first and flung it overboard. Then with a clever heave he picked up the man and sent him after the knife. He tripped up one of the Portuguese who couldn't speak English., dragged him to the cabin companion and toppled him down the ladder. Day-ton-Philipps, surprised at himself foxabetting such lawlessness, captured a second in like fashion, and the English fireman and coal trimmer picked up the

| \,i}ird and dropped Mm down an open hatchway into the grain in. the holrl beneath. But there were sis of the fishermen left upon the deck, and these did not look upon the -proceedings unmoved. They had been slow to act at ili-t. but when the initial surprise was over they were blazing with rage and eager to do murder/ The "Italian and the Sierra 'Leone'negro ran out of their way on to I the forecastle head, and they came on, vainglorious in numbers and armed with their deadly knives. But the two English roughs, the English gentleman and the little. English sailor were all of them men well accustomed to take care Df their own .skins. The belaying pins Dtit of the pinraii seemed to come by instinct into their hands, and not one l cf them got so ranch as a scratch. It was all the affair of a- minute. It j'.qes not do to let theso little impromptu scrimmages simmer over long. In fact, the whole . affair was decided tn the first rush. The quarter of English went in, despising the dagos and ..quite intending to clear them oil the .ship. The invaders were driven over- %#§/]((, 'FJie three captive Portuguese were quickly induced to forego their sullcincss. board by sheer weight of blows and prestige, and the victors leaned on the bulwark, puffing and gasping, and watched them swim away'to their boat through the clear water below.

"Set of blooming pirates," said Ket-

But Dayton-Philipps seemed to view the situation from a different point "I'm rather thinking we are the pirates. How about those-three we've got on board? This sort of press gang work isn't qnite approved of nowadays, is it, skipper?"

"They no speakee English?" said Kettle dryly. "You might have heard me ask that, sir, before I started to talk to that skipper to make him begin the show. And ho did begin it, and that's feno great point. If ever yoii've been in a police court, you'll always find the magistrate ask, 'Yfho began this trouble?' And when he finds out^ that's the., man he logs. '^8, theSQ fishermen • won *t~ -kick'up a bobbery when they get back •to happy Portugal again, and as for our own crowd here on board, they aren't likely to talk when they get ashore and have money due to them."

"Well, I suppose there's reason in that, though I should have my doubts about the stone mason. He comes fron:i Sierra Leone, remember, and they'ro great on the rights of man there."

"Quite so," said Kettle. "I'll tm the stone mason gets packed off to sea again in a stokehold before he has a chance of stirring up the mud ashore. When the black man gets too pampered, he has to be brought low again with a rush."

"I see," said Dayton-Philipps, and then he laughed.

"There's something that tickles you,

sir?"

"I was thinking, skipper, that for a man who believes he's being put in the way of a soft thing by direct guidance from on high you're using up a tremendous lot of energy to make sure the Almighty's wishes dent miscarry." "Mr. Philipps," .said Kettle gravely, "it was understood when he let me know I was to have this chance I was to do my human utmost to carry it through myself. God sends us all into this world with hands and heads, and hs isn't pleased with a man who doesn't put these to their proper uses."

The three captive Portuguese were brought up on deck and were quickly induced by the ordinary persuasive methods of the merchant service officer to forego their sulkiness and turn to diligently at what work was required of them. But even with this help the

heavy ship was still considerably undermanned, and the incessant labor at the pumps fell wearily on all hands. The day, true to its fickle nature, changed on them again. The sunshine was swamped by a driving gray mist c<f rain, the glass started on a steady fall, and before dark Kettle snugged her down to single topsails, himself laying out on the footropes with the Portuguese, as no others of his crew coukl manage to scramble aloft with so heavy a sea running.

The night worsened as it went on, The wind piled up steadily in violence and tliQ,sea rose till the sodden vessel rode it with a -fcry babal of shrieks and groans and complaining sounds. Toward morning a terrific squall powdered up against them and hove her down, and a dull rumbling was hea.-;d in her bowels, to let them know that once more her cargo had shifted.

For the moment even Kettle thought that this time uhe was gone for good. She lost her way and lay down likg a log in the water, and the racing seas roared over her as though she had been a half tide rock.

Then to the impact of a heavier gasp of the squall the topgallant masts Wei'it, and tlio small less of top weight scorned momentarily to eano her. Kettle reisred upon the moment. He kit ths trinmvjr and ono of the Portuguese at the wheel and handed himself along the streaming decks and kicked and cuffed the rent of

' his crew into activity. He gave his orders, and the ship wore slowly rounfi before the wind and began to pay away on the other tack. Great hiil3 of sea deluged her in the process, and her people worked likg mermen, In-.if of their time submerged. But by degrees, .as' thy vassl rollers hit and shook her with v their ponderous impact, she came upright again arc! k':--r.v a little while shook the grain level in her holds and assumed her normal angle ef hc-01. Dayton-Philipps struggled up and hit Kettle on the shoulder. "How's that, umpire?" he bawled. "My faith, you are a clever fcnilor." Captain Kettle touched his cap. "Gc::l here a hand there, sir," he-shout-ed thronrh the wind. "If I'd tried to straighten h-r up like that without his help, <jt;tv man here-would have been !i:-;h cliop thb: jMiaut-o. " Even D.iyton-Phiiipps. skeptical though ho might be, began to think there was "something m it," as the voyage v.'o-i'it on. To begin with, the leak stopped. They did not ku.ow how it ha-:l happened, and they did not very ninch caro. Kottlo had his theories. Anyway \'i stopped. To go on with, although they were buffeted with every kind of evil weather, all their mischances were speedily rectified. In a heavy sea their unstable cargo surged about as though it had been.liquid, but it always shifted back again before she

quite capsized

2.11 hands got covered with salt water boils. All hands, with the exception of Kettle, who remained as usual neat, grew gaunt, bearded, dirty and unkempt. They were grimed with sea salt, they were flayed by violent suns, but by dint of hard schooling they were becoming handy sailormen; all of them, and even the negro stone mason, learned to obey an order without first thinking over-its justice till he earned a premonitory hiding.

"It's a blooming Flying Dutchman we're on," said the coal trimmer,-'who acted as mate. "There's no killing the old beast. Only hope she gets us ashore somehow and doesn't stay fooling about at sea forever just to get into risks. I want to get off her. She's too blooming lucky to be quite wholesome somehow.''

In Bristol channel a little spattering tug wheeled rip within hail, tossing like a cork on the brown waves of the estuary, and her skipper in the green pulpit between the paddle hoses waved a hand cheerily. "Seem to have fo^nd some dirty weather, captain," he.bawled. "Want a pull- into Cardiff or I'Towport?" "Cardiff, hat price?" "Say £100." ; "I wac-n't asking; to. buy the tag. You're putting a pre'Jty fancy figure on her for that new lick,of paint you got on your mil.'"

"I'll take £80."

"Oh, I can sail her in myself if you're going to bo -finns-y.;---Sii3 Jb-" aa' handy as a pilot'ocaf brig" rigged like Jhis v a.nilj;»>j trelv\now her fine. I'll give you £20 into .Cardiff, and you're to dock me for that"

"Twenty wicked people; Now look here, captain, yon don't look very prosperous with that vessel of yours, and you'll probably have the sack from owners for mishandling her when yon get ashore, and I don't want to inihitter your remaining years in the workus, bo I'll pull you in for 50 quid." "Twenty pounds, old bottle nose."

"Come now, captain, 80. I'm not hero for sport, I've got to make ray living."

"My man,!' said Kettle, "I'll meet you and make it £25, and I'll sea yon in Aden before I give a penny more. You can take that or sheer off."

"Throw us your blooming rope,'' said the tug skipper. -

"There, sir," saia Kettle sotto voce to Dayton-Philipps, "you sea the marvelousnesa of it. God's stood by me to the very end. . I've saved at least £10 over that towage, aad, by James, I've seen times when a ship mauled about like this would have been bled for four times the amount before a tug would pluck her in."

'' Then we are out of the woods now?"

"We'll get the canvas off her and then you can go below -and shave. You can sleep in a shore, bed this night if you choose, air, and tomorrow we'll see about fingering the salvage. There'll be no trouble there now. We shall just have to ask for a check, and Lloyds will pay it, and then you and the hands will take your share, and I—by James, Mr. Philipps, I shall be a rich man over this business. I shouldn't be a bit surprised but what I finger a smig £500 as my share. Oh,..air, God's been very good to me over this, and I know it. and I'm grateful. My wife will be grateful too. I wish you could come to our chapel some day and see her."

"Skipper, you're a heap better man than I am, and if you don't mind I'd like to.shake hands with you. Thanks. Hello I There's Cardiff not 20 minutes ahead. Well, I must go below and clean up."

Lightning and tlte Eyes.

One night during a thunderstorm" of rare severity, in winch brilliant flashes, single, double, triple or quadruple, foliov?ecl one another at intervals often of not more than a few seconds of lime, I was surprised to see with great vividness on a suddenly illuminated sky two nearly vertical lines of darkness, each of tlie ordinary jagged appearance of a bright fla^h of lightning. I remembered to have' seen two real flashes of just the same sliapes and relative positions and concluded that the black'flashes were doe to their residual influence on the retina. I turned my 'eyes quickly from the dark sky outside to an illuminated wall inside the house, and I again saw the same double dark Hash, which verified my conclusion in an interesting manner. The fatigued part of the eye failed to perceive the sudden brightness of the sky in the one qgso and of the wall in the other.—Lord Kelvin in Electrician,