t5he
OlA
a
y
By
LOUIS TRACY
Author of the "Pillar of Light,"
"The Wings ol the Morn
ing" and "The Captain of the
Kansas."
Copyright. 1989 by Edward J Cloda
CHAPTER V.
gnowiuo WHAT BECAME of tite an-
DROllfcUA.
i . . . 1 1 1 AA Oil ll
H ship again. Three more sheila
were fired, but each projectile
screamed harmlessly far out at sen. A
trainei! gunner, noting, these facts,
would reason that the shore battery
made good practice In the first In
stance solely because Its ordnnnce was
trained at a known range. Indeed, be o some ... u.e ..
might even hazard a guess that the duty.. Thank God for that! Unde
Andromeda warm reception was ar- ; torrcd by the fact that a 1 ye shell had
ranged lung before her masts and fun-1 burst among the engines, the oil stain
nel rose over the horizon. That the ed. grim, looking engineers had not
Islanders Intended nothing less than quitted their post until they had taken
her complete destruction was self evl-1 such precautions as lay In their power
dent Without the slightest warning ; to insure the ship s safety. A light
they had tried to sink her. and now i broke In on the fog In the girl b mind,
that she was escaping the further at- Even now. at the very gate of eternity,
tentious of the fieldpieces a number of ! one might try to help others. The
troops stationed on South point and ; thought brought a ray of comfort,
the Isle des Kregates began to pelt her (She was about to look for he speakers
with bullets.
Iris, when the first paralysis of fear
bad passed, wheu her stricken senses
resumed their sway and her limbs lost
their pulsy, flinched from this new
danger and sank sobbing to ber knees
behind the canvas shield of the bridge.
Somehow this flimsy shelter, which
sailors call the "dodger," cave Btmie
sense of safety. Her throbbing brain
was incapable of lucid thought, but it
was borne In on her mistily that the
world and Its occupants bad suddenly
gone mad. The omen of the blood red
water bad Justified itself most horri
bly. ' The dead carpenter was sprawl
lug over the forecastle windlass. Ills
hand still clutched the brake. The
sailor at the wheel had been shot
through the throat and bad fallen
limply through the open doorway of
the chnrt room. lie luy there, oongn
lng up blood and froth and gasping his
life out. The two men wounded by the
second shell wore creeping down the
forward companion lu the effort to
avoid the hall of load that wan beating
on the ship. Hoiler was raising him
self on bands and knees, bis attitude
that of a man who la dazed, almost In
sensible. ,
Watts had gone from the bridge. 'He
might have been whirled to death over
the side like the unfortunate foremast
bund she had seen tossed from off the
forecastle. Dut Coke, whose charmed
life apparently entitled him to act like
a lunatic, was actually balancing him
self on top of the starboard rails of
the bridge by clinging to a stay, hav
ing climbed to that exposed position
In order to burl oaths at tbe soldiers
on shore. lie bad gone frantic with
rago. Ills cap bad either fullen off or
been torn from his bead by a bullet.
Ills squat, powerful figure was shak
ing with frenzy. lie emphasized each
curse with a passionate gesture of tbe
, free hand and arm. lie said, among
other things and with no lack of force
ful adjectives, that If he could only
eome to close quarters wltb some of
the Tortygce assassins on the island
ho would tear their sanguinary livers
out. ,
The Andromeda, uncontrollable as
destiny and quite as heedless of her
human freight, swung around with the
current until her bows pointed to the
Islet occupied by tbe marksmen. . All
at once Coke suspended bis flow of in-
, Toctlves and rushed Into tbe chart
room, where Iris beard blui tearing
lockers open and throwing their con
tents on the deck. To enter be was
obliged to leap over the body of the
dying man. The action was gro
tesque, callous, ' almost inhuman. It
jarred the girl's agoulzed transports
back Into a nicies of spiritual calm, a
' mental state akin to the fatalism often
exhibited by Asiatics when death Is
Imminent and not to be deuled. The
apparent madness of the captain was
now more distressing to her than the
certain loss of the ship or the luvlsl
bio missiles that clauged Into white
patches on the Iron plates, cut sudden,
holes and scars la the woodwork or
whirred through tbe air with a buzzing
whistle of slugnlarly uietiaclug sound.
Bhe began to be afraid of revaluing
on the bridge. Her feur waa not duo
to the really vital fact that It was so
exposed. It arose from tbe ' purely
feminine consideration that she was
sure Coke had become a raving ma
niac, and she dreaded mooting him
When, If ever, be reappeared.
A bullet struck the front frame of
the chart room, and several paaes. of
glass were . shattered wltb a fearful
din. That decided her. Coke, If ho
were not killed, would surely bo Urlv
' eu out She srang to her feet and
literally ran down the steep ladder to
the saloon deck. Through tbo open
door of tbe officers' mess she witnessed
aaother bizarre set a a act quite as
extraordinary In its way a Coke's
Jump over tbe steersman's body. In
tbe midst of this drama of death and
, Uwtructlon Watts W.H standing: thero.
CI
V
with henil thrown baeE ana uplifted
anu, gulpinR down a tumbarful of
some dark colored liquid, draining It
to the dregs, while he held a blactt
Then from somewhere Bhe beard a
gruff voice:
'Ilev' ye shut off steam. Macfar
Inner
"Ou ny. It's b' snug below till the
water reaches the furnaces," came
the answer.
when a bullet drilled a bole in a panel
close to her side. She began to run
again, for a terrified glance through
the forward gangway showed that the
ship was quite- cIdrb , to the laud,
whore men in blue uniforms, wearing
;uriously shaped huts nnd white gait
Dis, were scattered among the rocks,
some standing, some kneeling, some
prone, but all taking steady aim.
Hut it showed something more, no
bler was now lying sideways on the
raised deck of the forecastle, ne pnrt
ly supported himself on his right arm.
His left hand wns pressed to his fore
head. He was trying to rise. With an
Intuition that was pheiiomeunl under
the circumstances Iris realized that he
wns screened from observation for tbo
momeitt by the windlass and the
corpse that lay ""across It. Hut the
ship's ever Increasing speed and the
curving course of her drifting would
soon bring him iuto sight, and then
those merciless rlneinuu would shoot
him down.
"Oh, not that, net that!" she walled
aloud.
An Impulse stronger than the In
stinct of self preservation caused the
blood to tingle in her veins. Bhe bud
waited to take that one look, and now,
bent double so ns to avoid being seen
by tbe soldiers, she sped back through
the gangway, gained the opeu deck,
crouched close to the bulwarks on the
port side and thus reached unscathed
the foot of the compnnlon down which
the wouuded men had crawled. The
zinc plates on the steps wero slippery
with their blood, but she did not falter
at the sight. Up she went, stooped
'qCICUl" SHS PANTKl). " LET UB I1KLP
KOUl"
over ' nozler and placed ber strong
young amis round his body. '
"Quick!" sho panted. "Let me help
you! You will be killed If you remain
here!"
Her voice seemed to rouse him as
from troubled sleep.
"I. waa hit." he muttered. "What Is
ItT What Is wrong?"
"Oh, come, come!" she screamed, for
some unsveu agency tore a transverse
gash In the planking not a foot In
front of them.
He yielded with broken expostula
tlona. 8 he dragged hlui to the top of
the stairs. Clinging to him, she half
walked, half fell, down the few steps.
Wut she did uot quite fall. Hozler's
weight was - almost more than she
coubl manage, but she clung to him
desperately, saved him from a head
long pinnae to tbe deck and literally
carried him Into the forecastle, where
she found kc me of the crew who bad
scurried there like rabbits to their bur
row wheu the first hell crashed Into
tbo engine room.
Irl' lino , eyes darted Ibjhtulug at
thorn. -
.-v 7 V
.Tnu call yor.rsCTres men," she cried
thrilly. "yet you leave one of your
officers lying- on deck; to be shot at by
those fiends :"
"We didn't know he was there.
miss," said one.
The firing now appeared to Increase
lu volume and accuracy. Several bul
lets clanged against the funnel or
broke huge splinters off the boats.
"Great heavens, listen to that!"
growled a voice. "An' we cooped up
here, blazed at by a lot of rotten da
goes, with not a gun to our name!"
Iris was still supporting Hozler,
whose head and shoulders were pil
lowed against ber breast as she knelt
behind him.
"Cnn nothing be done?" she asked.
"I believe Captain Coke has been kill
ed. Mr. Hozler Is badly Injured, I
fear. Bring some wnter, If possible."
"Yes, yes; water. Only a knock on
the head. How did It happen? And
what Is that noise of firing?" v
Hozler's scattered wits were return
ing, though neither be nor Iris remem
bered that the Andromeda was water
less. He looKed up at her, then at tbe
men, and he smiled as his eyes met
hers again.
"Funny thing!" he said, with a nat
ural tone that was reassuring. "I
thought tbe windlass smashed Itself
Into smithereens. But it couldn't.
What was it that banged?"
"A shell fired from the islnnd," said
the girl,
Hozler straightened himself a little.
ne was hearing marvels, though far
from understanding them as yet.
A shell!" he repeatedly vacantly.
Had she said "a comet" It could not
have sounded more Incredible.
"Yes, It might have killed you. Sev
eral of the men are dead. I myself
saw three of them killed outright, and
two others are badly wounded."
"nere you ore, sir drink this," said
a fireman, offering a pnnniklu of beer.
It was unpalatable stuff, but It tasted
like the nectar of the gods to one who
had sustained a blow that would have
felled an ox. Hozler had almost emp
tied the tin when an exclamation from
an Irish. stoker drew all eyes to the
after part of the ship,
"Holy war! Will ye look at that!"
shouted the man. "Sure the skipper
Isn't dead at all. at all!"
Iris had failed to grasp the mean
ing of Coke's antics In the chart room,
but tliey were now fully explained.
The bulldog breed of this self confessed
rascal had taken the upper band of
him. Though be had not scrupled to
plot the destruction of the ship and
thus rob a marine insurance company
of a considerable sum of money, though
at that very instant there waa actual
proof of his scheme in the preparations
he had made to jam the steering gear
when the anchor was raised after tho
tanks weri replenished, it was not In
the man's nature to sknlk Into com
parative safety because a foreigner, a
pirate, a not-to-be-uientloned-lu-pollte-soclety
i'ortygeo, opened lire ou him In
this murderous fashion. Moreover,
Coke's villainy would have snerltieed
uo lives. The Andromeda might be
converted Into scrap irou and thereby
Give back, by perverted arithmetic, the
money invested in her, but her white
decks would not be stained with blood.
Whatever risk wns incurred would be
his, the respousiblo captain's, his only.
It was a vustly different thing that
shot and shell should be rained on an
unarmed ship by tho troops of a civi
lized power,when she wns seeking the
lowest form of hospitality. No won
der if the bull necked skipper foamed
at the mouth and used words forbid
den by the catechism, uo wonder If he
tried to express his helpless fury In
one Inst act of defiance.
He rum in aged the lockers for a
union Jack and the four flags that
showed the ship's name In signal let
ters. He determined that she would
go down with colors flying if he were
uot put out of action by a bullet be
fore he could react) the main halyard.
Tbe swerve lu the ship's course as
iihe passed the Island gave blm an op
portunity. In justice to Coke It should
bo said that he recked naught of this,
but It would have boon humanly Im
possiblo otherwise for the soldiers to
have missed hi in. And now, while tbe
vessel lay with straight keel In the set
of the current, the uatlonul emblem of
P.iitalu, wltb the Andromeda's code
flugs beucutb, Uuttered up tho main
mast
There are many Imaginable condi
tions under which Coke's deed would
be regarded as sublime; there are noue
which could deny his spleudid audac
ity. The soldiers, who Beeined to be
actuated by tbe utmost malevolence,
redoubled their efforts to bit tbe squat
Hercules who had bellowed at tbem
aud their fellow artillerists from the
bridge. Bullets struck the deck, lodged
In the masts, splintered the roof and
panels of the uwer structure, but
not one touched Coke. He coolly made
fast each flag in Its turn and hauled
away till the union Jack had reached
tbe truck; then, drawn forward by
hoarse cheer that came from the fore
castle, be turned his back on the ene
my and swung himself down to tbe
fore deck.
- As ho lumbered along tho deck be
mopped his face vigorously with a
pocket handkerchief, aud this homely
action helped' to convince Iris that she
was mistaken In thluking him mad.
His words, too, when be caught sight
of ber were uot those of a maniac,
"Well, missy," he cried, "wot'll they
say lu Liverpool now? I s'pose they'll
'ear of this some day," and be jerked
a thumb backward to Indicate the un
ceasing hnll of bullets that poured Into
the after part of the ship.
The girl looked at blm wltb an air
of surprise that would have been com
ical under less grievous conditions.
sue knew wltb a vague defiulteness
that death was near, perhaps unavokl
able, and It bad never occurred to ber
that she or any other person on board
need feel any concern about the view
entertained by. Liverpool a to their
fate. . Before she couIS frame a reply",
however, Hozler seemed to recover
bis faculties. He stood up, walked
unaided to the side of the ship and
glanced ahead.
"Shouldn't we try to lower a boat,
sir?" he asked Instantly.
"Wot's the use?" ' growled Coke.
"Oo's goin' to lower boats while them
blighters on the island are pumpin'
lead Into us? And wot good are the
boats w'en they're lowered? They've
been drilled full
of holes. You
might as well try
to float a sieve."
"Are none of
the boats sea
worthy?" "Not one. Tbey
are knocked to
pieces. Sorry for
you, Miss Yorke.
But we're all
booked for king
dom come. In 'art
a niinnit or less
we'll be on tbe
reef, an' the ship
must begin to
break up."
Coke was tell
ing the plain
truth, but Hozler
ran aft to make
sure that he was
BE COOLLY HAULED
AWAY.
right in assuming tbe extent of the
floats' damages. It was common
knowledge that the vessel must be lost
and that those who still' lived wheu
she struck would have the alternative
of being drowned or beaten to pieces
against the frowning rocks or shot
from the mainland like so many strand
ed seals if some alliance of luck and
strength secured a momentary foot
hold on one of the tiny Islets that
barred the way.
Some one threw a cork jacket over
the girl's shoulders and bade ber fas
ten its straps around ber waist She
obeyed without a word. Indeed, she
seemed to have lost the power of j could see quite clearly downward. Tte
speech. In a curiously detached way j ship was breakbig up with Inconceiv
she wondered why Hozler did not re- j abb rapidity.
turn. The prayers and curses of the Iris heard a ghastly yell from be
men surrounding her fell unheeded on neath, and an eerie face appeared above
her ears. Wrhere was Hozler? What the stairway. It was Watts, mad with
was he doing? Why did he not come I fright and drink.. He scrambled up, a
to her? She felt u strange confidence . pitiable object A couple of rntsi ran
In blm. If he had not been struck j over his body, and as each whlskud
down by that calamitous shell' he ! across his shoulders and past his cheek
would have saved the ship assuredly he uttered a bloodcurdling yell. A big
he would have devised some means of i w-ave surged up into the recesses
saving their lives. Perhaps even now of the cleft and was flung off In a
he was attempting some desperate ex- drenching shower on to the forecastle.
pedtent. The thought nerved ber for
an Instant Then a rending, grinding
noise was followed by a sudden swerve
and roll of the ship that sent ber stag .
ering against a bulkhead. An out
.urst of cries and shouting rang
hrougb her brain, aud a shriek was
wrung from her parched throat.
But the Andromeda righted herself
again, though there was another sound
of tearing nietul. and the deck heaved
perceptibly under a shock.
Ah, kind heaven! Here came Hozler,
running, thundering some loud order.
"The port lifeboat seaworthy!"
There was a fierce rush, lu which
She joined. She was knocked down.
A strong hand dragged her to her feet
It wns Coke, swearing horribly. She
saw Hosier leap against the flood of
men.
"Curse you, the woman first!" she
beard him say, and be sent the leaders
of the mob sprawling over the hatches
of the fore hold.
Coke, almost carrying her In his left
arm, butted In among tbo crew like an
infuriated bull. Some of the men,
shamefaced, made way for them. Ho
sier reached her. She thought he snld
to the captain, "There's a chance if we
can swing ber clear."
Then tho ship struck, and they were
all flung to the dock. They rose, some
how, anyhow, but the Andromeda, ap
parently resenting ' the check, lifted
herself bodily, tilted bow upward nnd
Struck again. A mass of spray dashed
down upon the struggling figures who
bad beeu driven a second time to tbeir
knees. There wns a terrific explosion
In the after' bold, for the deck had
burst under the pressure of air, and
another ominous roar announced that
tbe water bad reached the furnaces.
Steam and smoke and dust mingled
With tbe lucessaut lashing of sheets of
spray, and Irla waa torn from Coke's
grip.
She fancied She heard nozler cry
"Too Intel" and a lightning glimpse
down the sloping deck showed some
of the engineers and stokers crawling
up toward tbe quivering forecastle.
"I CA.1TKOT BREATH!" SHS SOBDID.
She felt herself clasped In Iloiler'a
arms aud knew that he was climbing.
After a few breathless seconds she
realised that tbey were standing on :
tbe forecastle, where the captain and
naoz of tint crew' were clinging. to lbs
windlass and anchor and "caEle and
bulwarks to maintain their footing.
Below, beyond a stretch of unbroken
deck, the sea raged against all that
was left of tbe ship. The bridge just
showed above tbe froth and spume of
sea level. The funnel still held by its
stays, but the mainmast was gone and
with it the string of flags. '
The noise was deafeuing. overpower
ing. It sounded like the rattle of some
immense factory, yet a voice was audi
ble through the din. for Hozler was
telling her not to abandon hope, as the
fore ptirt of the ship was firmly
wedged in a cleft In the rocks. They
might still have a- chance when the
tide dropped. ,
So that explained why It was so
dark where a few moments ago all
was light. Iris pressed the salt water
out of her burning eyes aud tried to
look up. On both sides of the narrow
triangle of the forecastle rose smooth
overhanging walls, black and dripping.
They were festooned with seaweed,
and every wave that curled up between
the ship's plates and the rocks was.
thrown back over tbe deck, , while
streams, of water fell constantly, from
the masses of weed. She gasped for
breath. The mere sight of this dismal
cleft' with its supersaturated air space
made active the choking sensation of
which she was just beginning to be
aware.
"I cannot breathe!" she sobbed, and
she would have slipped oil Into the
welter of angry foam beneath had not
Hozler tightened a protecting arm
round her waist
"Stoop down," he said.
She had a dim knowledge that be
unbuttoned his coat and drew one of
Its folds over her head. Ah, the bless
ed relief of It! Freed from the stifling
showers of spray, she drew a deep
breath or two. How good he was to
ber! How sure she was now that If
he had been spared by that disabling
shell he would hnve saved them all!
Bent aud shrouded as she wnj, alio
It nearly swept Watts Into the next
world, and It drove every rodent in that
exposed place back to tbe dry Interior.
To return tbey had to use the un
happy chief otticer as a causeway, and
the poor wretch's despairing cries were
beartrendlng. He was clinging for
dear life to a bolt In tbe deck when
Coke Joined hands with a sailor aud
was thus enabled to reach blm. Coke
pulled him up until he was lodged in
safety in front of the windlass.
TfO HH CftH'1'IHMHH.T
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GAIN PERIOD RATE THIS YEAR
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Present suhscribei-s ,who pay their
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Ia Grande Iron Works.
D. FITZGERALD, Proprietor.
Foundry and Machine Shop. Casting and Ma
chine Work done on short notice.
WE ALSO MANUFACTURE FEED MILLS
Saw-mill break down jobs promptly attended to
GIVE US A TRIAL
I L.BERLAND
Dealer in Harness, Saddles, Chapps, Spurs
and Leather Goods of all descriptions. .
I will fit you out with the best goods for the least
money. When in need of anything in my line, call and
' inspect my stock before purchasing.
ENTERPRISE, - - - OREGON
What Can You Expect?
'
What can you expect your business to
amount to withe ut a Telephone? Do you
suppose a customer will lose time running
after you when you can call your compet
itor by 'phone?
Home Independent Telephone Co.
NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION.
Department of the Interior.
U. S. Land Office at La Grande,
Oregon, Oct. 26h., 1910. ,
Notice la hereby given that Lulu
M. Bowlby, .whose postofflce address
Is Enterprise, wallowa Ooumty, Or
egon, did, on th 14th. day of April, '
1910, file In this office Sworn S Uu be
lli em t and Application, No. 07891, to
purchase, tine SB SW14, Nft SW
SWU, amdSWtt &W SW1-4 of Sec.,
22, and the NEtf, NW, SW NW14
NvVtf, audi NWtf, NW NW,, Sec
tion, 27, Township l South, Range 46
Kijat, Willamette Meridian, and the
timber thereon, under the provis
ions of the act of June 3, 1878, and
acta amendatory, knOwa as the "Tim
ber and Stone Law," at such value
as might be fixed by appraisement,
and 'that, pursuant to such applica
tion, the laud and Umber thereon have
teen appraised, at $350.00 as" being
chiefly valuable for Us atone; that (
said applicant will offer final proof
in support of his application and
sworn statement on the 19th. day of
Janua-ry, 19H, before W. C. Boat
man, County C'.erk of W-Jlowa coun
t. at Enterprise, Oregon.
Any person la at liberty to protest
this purchase be.'ore eatTy, or In
itiate a corniest at any time before
-ate", ioaues, by filing a corrobo
fXed affidavit In this office, alleg-
.eta which would defeat the
e'ltry. .
11 c 11 F. C. Bramwell, Register.
We do good job printing. Try us.
ENTERPRISE
OPERA HOUSE
Watch for
Next
Announce
ment THE GOOD
TOBACCO SHOP
V is
HOMAN'S
If You Prefer the Best Brands of.
Cigars or SmoKing Tobacco
you can always get what you
want here. Fine line of
. PIPES
The same is true of all our
Stock. Come in and see.
PRENTISS HOMAN'S
Next Door to Bank
Enterprise, - Oregon
&