Galveston Herald (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 18, 1918 Page: 7 of 8
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THE GALVESTON HERALD. GALVESTON. TEXAS
By RANDALL PARRISH
A Thrilling War
Story of the
Copyright A. C. McClwrg & Co.
CHAPTER XXVI,
—17—
We Sight a Boat.
What Immediately followed; how we
made ourselves shipshape the best we
could, and held on for the next few
hours, has comparatively but little to
do with the Interest of this story. Lea-
yord brought the two mea on deck, and
-as Dade was no sailor, but more likely
to prove faithful, he was sent down the
ladder to assist Masters in the fire-
room. Dugan took the change in ad-
ministration aboard with sea-going
philosophy, seemingly feeling no ani-
mosity because of the rough handling
received, and went to work under my
•orders with hearty good will. We were
ail four of us capable seamen, apd an
hour of hard/ work placed the Indian
Chief in very fair condition, so far as
deck and running rlg^lnj; was con-
•cerned. At the end, however, standing
■on the forecastle, and staring aft, I
had faith that we could handle the
hooker, even with that small crew, and
Itring her safely into the harbor of St.
John's. Our earlier weather predic-
tions were not yet verified, at least to
tiny serious extent. Indeed there was
nothing particular to worry about, ex-
cepting that temporary steering ap-
paratus, and It had worked long enough
now so as to give nje confidence.
"What do you make of it, Mr. Lea-
yord?" I questioned, indicating both
sea and Bky by a wave of the hand.
"Was It a circular storm, leaving us
-outside of its radius?"
"No, sir; It's not that," and he drew
the back of his hand across his lips.
*'Dugan an* I talked about it on the
raalnyard yonder, an' 'tis our judg-
ment, sir, that it's Just a slow brooder.
There won't be no quick chnnge, but
the weather '11 just gradually get
heavier until we're scuddin' under bare
poles. It'll be maybe termorrow night
before we gets its full weight."
"But you have no doubt we'll weather
It?"
"Barrin' an accident. When do yon
expect to make that port, sir?"
"St. John's? Well, we're a bit off
our course now. I'm afraid we may be
another night afloat."
He stood motionless, one hand shad-
owing his eyes, as* he gazed out over
the port rail.
"I was a' thlnkln' o' them poor cusses
out there In the boats, sir," be said
finally. "I'm bettin' that most o' them
wish they wus back on this deck by
now."
"No doubt; but there's no way we
can help them, and we've got our own
work to do. Ton and Olson go below."
T watched the two disappear through
the companion, spoke a word to Dugan.
posting him where he could hear me
call If necessary, and then went aft to
the whfel. I had not realized the full
"Yes If—if you think it best I am
so tired—the strain of It; the fear I
could not hold out—"
"I know." I bent and kissed her, and
she clung to me. "But do not think of
that any longer; you must go to your
runm at once and lie dawn."
"Hut you will stuy on deck all
nlglit?"
"¿lot unless the storm increases. In
an hour or so I'll call the others, and
lie down myself. Come, dear, you be-
long in the watch below."
'Xlmt certainly seemed a lonely deck
ii Iter blie lutd disappeared Uowu the
ladder. I had served many a quiet
watch at seu, many a memorable one,
liut that hour taught me the real les-
son of loneliness. We were driving
forward recklessly into a wull of dark-
ness, utterly impenetrable to the eye.
What horror might be lurking just
ahead of the plunging bow, no imagina-
tion could picture. From where I
stood, clutching the spokes of the
wheel, I could not even truce the yards
of the mainmust, nor could I perceive
on either side the water through which
wo drove. Yet it was not this which
pulled bo at my nerve. I had stood at
the wheel often before guiding a great
ship through Impenetrable blackness,
and amid the Immensity of the ocean.
Bat then I was one of u crew, alert and
ready, merely performing my part of a
given task. But now I could not drive
from me the consciousness that I stood
there alone; that on all that spuce of
deck forward only one solitary man
crouched in the blackness; that below
in the englnerooiu, and stokehole, only
two more; already worn and weary
with toll, stuck grimly to their work;
that under my control this great
freighter, loaded almost to the deck
beams, was flying before the storm,
plunging through the wild waters of
the mid-Atlantic, with death hovering
above In the shriek of the storm. Yet
I clung to It grimly, no louger making
any attempt to hold any settled course,
bnt merely choosing the easier way In
which to meet the force of the storm.
It was two o'clock when, too thor-
oughly wearied to stand the strain
longer, I sent Dugan below to call the
mates. Leayord was the heavier man,
and the more experienced sailor, so, at
suggestion, he took the wheel, while
son went forward. I can recall
creeping down the ladder, and stag-
gering down the stairs, but nothing
more. I must have been asleep even
before I reached the berth in the cap-
tain's stateroom.
A hand shook me, and I opened my
eyes. For an Instant I was top dazed
to comprehend. The port was closed,
but daylight streamed through the
thick glass illuminating the stateroom,
and I recognized Olson bending over
z
like a cat, stubbornly fighting Inch by
Inch as he drew in the cloth. He must
have hud the strength of a giant, and
the grip of a vise. It was a ten-minute
battle, and when I got safely back Into
the maintop every muscle of my body
throbbed with pnln, and I sank down
against the mast, struggling to reguln
my strength. I had my head burled In
my arm, conscious only of the wild
leaping of the mast, and the sickening
sensation caused by Its constant sway-
ing, when Dugan's shout sent the blood
pounding to my heart. He stood up-
right, clinging to n stay, staring forth
Into the smother off the port how.
"Look, sir! There's n boat! See,
yonder; she'll top the crest in u sec-
ond—there I"
I hud a glimpse of something—a
blnck speck In the midst of (he break-
weight of the gale until I reached h*d t0 call you, sir," he explained
top of the ladder, and stood erect wlth¿ kin(][ J
out nny protection from the cabin. Tr""*'
an Instant I had to grasp the side
shading my eyes with an arm; then I,
struggled forward,. until my hand
grinned the wheel.
"Why didn't you call for help?" I
asked. "This was too much for nny
woman. I never realized forward how
It was blowing."
She swayed against me, clinging to
my sleeve.
"It—It does kick some," she panted,
"and I was almost afraid I might let
rkindly. "The main royal has broke
óofee, an' It'll take all hands ter stow
again in this wind; besides that fel-
ler Dugan he's gin out entirely, an'
there's got ter be another band sent
below'to tlio stokehole."
I sat up, already thoroughly awake.
t "What time Is it?"
"Goin' on hnlf after four, sir."
"Why I thought I had Just dropped
off. Any increuse In the weight of the
gale, Olson?"
"No, sir; I don't think the wind Is
quite «o heavy, and It's gettin' more
steadylike, but there's considerable
sea."
"I can tell that the way the ship
pitches; she's taking water forward."
"Tons o' It; the damned hooker Is
loaded so deep she's more like a wharf
than a ship."
It was a wild scene enough when I
emerged from the companion and
paused a moment In the protection of
the cabin to view the deck forward.
Huge crested waves burst over the
forecastle heads, cascading dow'n onto
the main deck, and sweeping aft to the
scuppers amidships. The vessel stag-
under the repeating blows, yet
with a buoyancy whlqh gave
fed courage, plunging forward
the next assault. The
they struck against
id flapping of the
iloft, the ceaseless
made a pan-
ich rendered the
I pot my
hose gas-
Huge, Crested Waves Burst Over the
Forecastle Head.
ing spray—but could not be sure of
what it was.
"Are you certain it Is a boat?" I
questioned. "The thing had no shape
to me. What do you say, Olson?"
"A boat, sir; there was a slip o' sail
hoisted; it's my notion she's hoved to,
rldln' to a drag. There she is again."
Aye, I got a fair view that time, as
the cockle-shell was thrown high up
on the crcst of the wave. It was sick-
ening to see that black object hurled
high up against the sky, and then dis-
appear utterly Into the hollow. The
boat must be hove to; there would be
no living otherwise In that sea, and the
very fact that, it remained afloat was
evidence of sailors aboard. I drew my-
self to my feet, clinging with one hand
to a stay, hollowing the other to make
my voice reach the deck below.
"Mr. Leayord!"
"Aye, aye, sir."
"There Is a small boat off the port
quarter, riding to a drag."
"A what, sir?"
"A ship's boat off the port quarter—
too far away to tell what's aboard her.
Can you let her head fall off a point?"
"Not without another hand at the
wheel; It takes all my strength to hold
her as she is."
"Jump down, Dugan, and lay aft;
we must get that boat to leeward, If we
help those fellows in this sea."
"Aye, aye, sir."
He scrambled over the top, but Olson
and I were content to use the lubber's
hole, reaching the deck later, and glad
enough to be there alive. I dived into
the cabin after a glass, stopping long
enough to explain what we had sight-
ed to Vera, who appeared in her state-
room door, fully dressed.
"You have not been in bed?" I asked,
Indignantly.
"Oh, but I have; Indeed I have. Why
I must have slept four hours, but I lay
down fully dressed. I—I didn't know
what might happen. Could you see If
there were men in the boat?"
"No, not to distinguish them with
the naked eye; the glass will reveal
that; but the boat must be occupied to
keep afloat In thla sea."
"Who can they be, do you suppose—
shipwrecked sailors?"
"It would be my guess It will prove
to be one of our own boato we've over-
hauled."
"But how could we?"
"The wind changed after midnight,
and, with only the one hand at the
wheel, we were obliged to pay off, and
before It. It Is not Impossible that
i are back in almost the some section
where we left those fellows,
on deck, and we'll know
at In for a wrap, but Joined
^Immediately. I must have
~ i locating the boat, yet
fairly on the crest of
that distance two
ffftped instantly Into
ilverpool and Me-
rit's our own quarterboat," I an-
nounced shortly, endeavoring to keep
my glasses trained on the right spot.
"McCann, and those devils with him."
"Then, shall we stand by, sir?" asked
Leayord. "Why should we be picking
up that scum?"
I glanced aside at him.
"Why, Mr. Leuyor.l? Well, one rea-
son Is, we are American seamen. Those
follows enn scarcely hurt us now, and
a hand or two more aboard will help
its to nmke port. We've got to have
firemen below, and Rapello would be
able to spell Masters In the englne-
room. I look on their coming as a God-
send. Let your helm off another point
—there, steady now; hold her just as
Rhe is."
Again I caught the boat In the focus
of the leveled glasses; it was measura-
bly nearer now. but I could only see
four men aboard the craft, the other
two being White and Rapello. The
tiller wos gone, the man at the stern,
Jim White, steering by means of a
long oar; the sail had been whipped
Into rags, and a canvns shirt substi-
tuted. One man was on his knees ball-
ing furiously, and Tony had an arm In
a sling. So Intent was I In tills en-
deavor to decipher the details of the
tragedy through the glass, I was un-
aware that Vera had climbed the lad-
der, anilnow st0°rt beside me, clinging
to the rail. Her voice aroused me to
her presence.
"Why, there are only four of them?"
"Yes; they must have passed through
Hades last night," I answered. "Here,
take the glass; there nre two bodies
lying in the bottom of the boat."
"Can 'you manage the wheel alone
for a bit, Mr. Leayord?"
"I can try, sir."
"Miss Carrington, would yon mind
giving the mate a hand?"
She fought her way across to him
without a word, leaving the glass on
the deck.
"Good; hold her as she Is, and have
Masters slow down. It Is going to be
a ticklish Job to get those fellows on
board; has anyone a suggestion?"
"A running noose from the lower
main-yard, sir," said Olson.
"That will take only one at a time."
"Two, If they're quick enough about
It; but it's the only way, sir. That
boat wouldn't Uve a second close In
alongside."
"Bight you are; you and Dugan lay
3ut on the yard und get the whip
rigged; pick a strong cord and see that
't fits the pulley block. I'll keep to the
leek, and ease them In. Pass the end
1own to me; lively now."
Those In the boat saw what we were
attempting, realizing at once that we
meant to take them aboard. The re-
lief felt was Instantly expressed by
the wnvlng of hands, and a faint cry
reached us across the water. McCann
even endeavored to stand up, but was
Jerked down again. No doubt the rec-
ognition of the ship had left them in
total despair of rescue, their one
thought being that we would permit
them to drift by, rather than take
them aboard again. The gap between
■JL
"Boat Ahoy!" I Rearad.
us Blowly closed, I could see their
faces clearly, uplifted in agonised ap-
peal. They were haggard, crusted with
salt, piteous enough In their silent
pleading to make me forget the past.
"Boat ahoy!" I roared. "Keep well
away from the aide; we'll whip you In
from the main yard. Have you oars?"
"One pair, air."
It was Liverpool, and I was glad to
note the tone of respect in his answer.
"Then hold her back, and drift In
slowly stern first'; yon get the Idea.
Are those dead men?"
"One of them ta; Dubois harf his leg
broken."
"Well send a sling down; put Du-
bois In first, and the rest of yon stand
by. Are yon ready now?"
"Aye, aye, sir."
Olson Joined me at the rope, Dugan
remaining outstretched on the yard,
the ship hetd motionless except for the
rise and (fell of the waves. The boat
drifted cautiously in stern first, held
the two oars In the hands of Liver-
and White. The former roughly
"Get.up there, McCanu; on your
knees now; for heaven's sake don't
miss thut rope, and hold on hard; take
a turn around thát thwart amidships—
no! don't make fast! Give Tony the
end; he lias one hand yet. Now get
Dubois Into the sling; d you, man,
you've got to; we can't leave thes<
oars. Take a grip there, Dubois, n;'.d
help yourself. That's better." Ke lift-
ed his arm In signal. "All right, Blr,
swing away!"
It was a good half hour's job, and a
hard one; twice tlia boat neatly
swamped, and went down. Liverpool
was (he last to leave the boat, already
half tilled with water. As he rose slow-
ly, gripping the rope with his hands,
unable to get foot in the noose, the
deserted craft floated away, the dead
body of Watson hnlf covered with
water.
The four of them made a sorry look-
ing bunch on the deck, but now that
they were safe, my feeling of sym-
pathy had vanished. I could only re-
call their treatment of us, and the dan-
ger we still ran in having them once
agnln aboard. Nothing was to be
gained by soft words with such as they.
I stepped across to front them, and Ol-
son nnd Dugan joined me.
_ "Now, look here," I said grimly.
"We've taken yon aboard beennse
we're human beings; but there's going
to be no mistake as to your exact
status on this ship. You'll take your
orders from me, and I'll kill the first
man-Jack of you who shows a sign of
treachery. What becnine of Sachs?"
McCann was still gasping from his
drop into the sen, and could not an-
swer, although I addressed ray ques-
tion to him. Liverpool replied:
"He knifed Watson, end Dubois
knocked him overboard with an oar;
he never cum up."
"Was It in the fight Dubois got
hurt?"
"No, he was hit by the boom, an'
Tony there broke his arm when he fell
into the boat off the ship's ladder."
"All right; three of you are fit for
work, and Tony can stand watch In the
englneroom. Have you had anything
to eat?"
"Yes, sir, in a way; there was food
in the boat."
"Then you have fared In that respect
better than we have. White, ybtl go
below and hustle coal; you climb down
also Tony, and relieve Masters. Tell
him to,lie down and get some rest.
Move along now; I'll be down there
myself presently."
I turned to McCann. "Get up from
there; you are a hand on board this
ship the rest of the voyage. Do you
understand? Answer me—do you?"
"Yes."
"Do better than that."
"Yes, sir." 1
"Very well; now you and Liverpool
pick up Dubois, nnd put him In num-
ber seven stateroom. Mnke him as com-
fortable as possible, but don't be long
about It. Then report on deck to Mr.
OlHon; he'll keep you busy, nnd out of
mischief. A word with you, Olson."
The second mate crossed the deck
with me to the rail; the drifting bont
had disappeared, having either sunk,
or being hidden In the hollow of the
great surges. The screw was begin-
ning to revolve once more with power,
the planks trembling under foot nnd a
hit of sunshine was streaming through
the clouds overhead. I stood silent n
moment, endeavoring to think out the
situation, nnd Olson waited patiently,
his eyes sweeping the sky and then the
sen.
"What do you think of our guests?"
I asked finally. "Can we trust them
at all?"
"Not so far as you could swing n
bull by the tall, sir," he answered
siberly. "They ain't forgot the night
In the bont yet, hut there's just as
much devil In 'em ns there ever was."
"Your opinion Is, they will never
help sail this ship Into St. John's, If
any villainy will save them?"
"Tlint's It, sir; they're so black now,
they won't mind a little more."
"That's my judgment; we must keep
them apart as much as we can, and
have an eye on them all the time.
How about Dugan?"
"He talks straight enough, and to
my notion means to play square."
"That was my Impression; he's
Irish, and hot-headed, but no criminal.
We ought to be able to keep the fel-
lows separated. Besides I'll be about
most of the time."
"How long do you suppose it will be,
sir?"
"Today and another night likely; I
can tell better when I get an obser-
vation at noon. It will not give them
much time for plotting."
I sent the two forward with Olson
when they returned to the deck from
the cabin, and he busied them gather-
ing up the rlflle about the, forecastle
caused by the night's storm. McCann
moved as though scarcely able to exert
himself, but Red took hold as If glad
to be occupied. Vera came down the
ladder, and we spoke together briefly,
nbout what had occurred. She finally
volunteered to get some food ready,
and I went below with her, rousing up
Dade, and putting him at work under
her orders. An hour later all
enjoyed a warn meal, eating alike
the after caMn.
. no
HIS FATHER'S SWORD.
The village concert was In progress
ami, although all the local talent was
mustered, little Johnny, the squire's
son and heir, was bored, badly bored. '
His mother grew quite anxious about
him. but when a small girl started pip-
ing "The Minstrel Boy" and reached
the line: "His father's sword he has
girded on," Johnny fairly pricked up
Ills ears in excxltemeut.
"You like this, Johnny?" sold his
fond mother. "It Is—"
"Be quiet, mother, do," said Johnny
Impatiently. "1 want to hear what hup-
pens when his father gets to know!"
Value of Circumlocution.
"Did he charge you with mendac-
ity?"
"No," replied the man who had been
In a fight. "If he hud dono that I
might have been compelled to go to
the dictionary to make sure of his ex-
act meaning. It wafc his contemptuous
manner that angered me. He wouldn't
even waste a word of four syllables on
me."
Too Much Rapidity.
"You don't seem to have a very hlgl
regard for Zeb Splcer's piety."
"Mebbe I haven't," replied Farmei
Corntossel. cautiously.
"Zeb says he has read the Bible
through more than a hundred times." ■
"Yes. But In order to do that he
must have gone so fast he couldn't stop
to think much about what he was
readln.'"
QLORIOU8.
Miss Sweet—It must be glorious to
be able to write as you do.
Novelist—Yes; I have got so that I
can tip back In my chair, with my feet
on the desk, and dictate by the hour.
Superfluous.
you paint the lllyT
1 Son«eli'g* thing to do,
And to rouKe the two-llpi,
Thut in foolish, too.
tVould
On the Defensive.
"Where did you get that chicken,
Kelly?"
"Sure, sorr, It came for me vicious-
like, and I had to kill It In self-defense,
sorr!"—Passing Show.
The Usual Way.
"What Is that string around your
finger fot'?"
"That Is to remind me that I forgot
something my wife tied It there for
me to remember."
Plalj Evidence.
"The young writer we met the
other day told me he looks Into bis
lienrt and writes."
"Yes, It Is evident he does not
look Into his head."
Explained.
"They say Blinks, the humorist, sel-
dom smiles."
"Yes, Blinks seldom sees one of his
own jokes In the papers."
Far Worse.
• Mary—I suppose he eventually broke
vour heart?
Anne—Worse than that. He played
poker with papa nnd broke him.
m
■v
Signs of It.
"That woman Is a great fault-
finder, I understand."
"Yes, she even had a knocker pot
on her door."
Lusk.
"Do you believe In luck?"
"Of course, I do," replied Senator
Sorghum. "And I have a great respect
for It. The only trouble about luck Is
the way some people use It for a cam-
ouflage when they're dealing off the
bottom of the deck."
The Dlfferenos.
"What's the difference bei
Irama and a mi
"In a drama
hrowa the villain
she throws
' 'yferwSf • "'i> S^watii
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Sharke, H. O. Galveston Herald (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 18, 1918, newspaper, July 18, 1918; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth178743/m1/7/: accessed May 14, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.