The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 24, 1905, Page 6

NCISCO SUNDAY CALL. : E b This story published to-dny R —The Pligrim Ship—is the & 3} fourth of & series of th ¥ mea stories by Cutliffe Hyme, & 2 detailing “The Adventures of R Captatn Kettle 1t is com- %; cluded from last week. 1f you % want something tant will :S ¥ warm the blood and lift you ¥ 2 out of the dend level of evers- & % day commonplacemcss, dom’t R miss these stirfing cxperiences & 3 of Captuin Kettle. One com- X £ plete story of sdvemture Wwill $ appear every week in the Sum- 8 $ day Coll wntil the series Is & 2 Snished. 8 te HE pa o rupees tle. tneir bon “1 have “It will strip the meat clean off lived among those men, or their sort, for two solid years, and many of them have shown me kindnesses.” “You shaquld have thought of that, sir, before you came to me hére In the chart- house.” “I think of it, but I couldn’t be a renegade to my color, and so I came. But, captain, will you let me speak to them? Will you let me tell them that their scheme is known and prepared for? Will you let me explain to them what they will have to face' if they start an outbres Captain Kettle frowned. “You will un- derstand that [ am not frightened at the beasts?’ he said ng r L “I quite Know that,” said Cortolvin, he ){ acres near “and 1 am sorry to spoil a fight. But it Richmond, and if 1 se 1 could ride is their lives I am begging for.” and sce the farms, and gentleman like “Very well,” said Kettle, “you can’fire away. I den’'t speak their bat; andgit's as well they should know fronrsome one what they Lave to look forward to. Here's eserver which you may find use- Perhaps you wife, sir,” sug- geste e sa ful. it's the oniy, weapon I have to offer you. My own pistol is the only gun we have in the ship.” y The pair of thém_ went outside the charthouse and wall®d to the head of the forward ladder ‘A newly fitted steam the joints all greasy with on the deck planks, and engincer stood beside it with thumbs in his below, the pil st strap. On the deck ms no longer squatted on their carpets, but stood together jn knots, and taliked exeitedly. Cortolvin clapped his hands. and the sea of savage faces turncd toward him. There were representatives in that mob from half the Mahometan peoples of exclting, and 1 know more abou Northern Africa. There were lean Arab rd Arabic than any lGuropean liv- camel breeders of the desert, jet black g now that poor Palmer's dead farmers from the Great Lakes and the s an istaction. If I chose to go i Nile, Hausas from the Western omadgra s gl : ) mp Fellaheen from lower Egypt filied. She .had to depend upon her con- “You knew she wasn't the ¥. and O. the word of a denser; and this was small. And in the when vou signed on.” there Is v »pics. condenser woter must be dealt W, neither of us here, Capt et- he three.” out in o sparing ra.on, or a dozen hours tle, because we were offered fatter g, horse ‘racing ne eri nd Egba who had served on the British poiice force at Lagos, merchants from the back of the Barbary states, workers in metal from Sokoto, and yeavers from that line e make up r yes,” he I have 4L on I sit under t to choose between ” fife “situation with r=— ¢ sce a whole ship's company bertk Timbukhtu. this tryculeni little down th raging dysentery. Kettle frowned. “I'll frouble, vou, Mr. n_“‘li‘;\]\‘--fe»nu}: all holders of the title . o fiirt with homicide The Saigon A-urried_a spar-deck amid- McTodd, to attend to the matter in ll\]:?:'.w '::\\' e‘\’n "l:ml!“o"mg:flb!;n:ljté A“l:‘emslx;‘c:i: ho o %0 ships, ver Y You have those s ged? A . - Dy \ your own 78 nand. e eivs and (“'e p”g_"m’ WERe guouped. You heve SHobe ‘stesth BiORE AN and let's have no more of this nonsense. pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime, . o <y v 1t the ynpotation f being in two. bodies forward and aft of this 30th forrard and af ; You'll have to fight for your life inside Unless debarred by poverty or lameness ot & int ed in a horse racve did not-sur- op the iron plating of the fore and “Commanding both ladders?’ i i ” = Bettar e the journey may be done by deputy. And and look at You'll prise him much. He had met others of main decks. The spar-deck was offi- *Just like that.” 0 minutes. and yowll do It better these deputies, fierce. truculent ruffians, ex sl breed before. And he smoothed cially reached from these lower levels “Anid onive: plstity) ob wtenni bl ber. who had lived their lives among incessant 1 wonder if n hair off wheth- <witi The engineer eyed the whisky and Wars and travel, were perhaps the most le’s rufed feelings by u couple of slender iron ladders, but . - poured it, slowly down'its appointed path. dangcrous of all the lot. resg of a man of the it was not unscalable to a fairly active b oS “Ye can hear.it burring through the yould recognize you world B %o the monient iliber.. Bhire whs analieyows paste. S Lve thisminule it 38 Hnse I o:rs' “Mon,” he said, “ye've an a'ful poor ?"Pff‘d:i":_“l'h“fc"m"’f"‘fd "; flr‘:e"r late fancy not were again recurring to Mim with vio- ing beneath the spar-deck, but this U8 been vera exhausting work o€ opion o ;g capacity. Tl just be off pf TG UL G FAGTISTIATY hush Of sur- Cortolvin,” the little man mused. lence and he broke - Gff artistically ts could casily be closed by the fron doors 90Wn yomder in that a'ful heat. and give yon coolfc greaser some INSrUC- Heo did not avpeal to their better feel: m sure ¥ve seen that name before refer to them. in the two bulkheads, which fastenea ‘““Well, Mr. Cortolvin here assures Me (iong 5ng pot my sidgearms, and be With ings; he knew his audience. He sald it ewhere.” Jon't you think,” We said, “my feliow inside with heavy, clamping screws, . - that the niggers will begin to PIa¥ UP yoy again in forty clock ticks.” was written that if they trled this thing. - "\{Tu;.t.ykh':]xl\‘- ‘.‘.! mliu.w)"“ that piigrims will bear a dittle attention now, - The chief er‘llslln‘e!el;‘ :lame into the ;:ee ‘:nm:x::w“':h::: w“:d:r'. 'f";;';:,“":“‘ “1 pity the nigger that comes to, ha:nd :r||:¥qs'hit;§am§:,‘;§1;° ;:a.:fi::tu:fia(lhelll‘u‘l;;e‘r; E 3 ¢ aipper charthouse and hitched up his grimy e 8rips with McTodd,” sald Kettle, when (ny Should sutely fails that all things been celebrated eno (o have come o wiil be off and make a LIt of a sur- pajamas, and mopped his face 'with a ready for them. I shall want you and . gy man in the gray pajamas had o PHOPT T0 BTe TR v oo o public notice amesake some paciset for thom cuze me, sir, for sald Kettle. “Ex- wad of cotton waste. Tle looked mean- the second engineer on deck, of@COUTSe, 1.0y tne cparthouse. “He's an ugly beg- persisted in their design. two minutes, s o while | go ingly at the whisky bottle, but Kecttle S0 you must arrange for ome Of YOUT go; {5 pandle when he's sober as he is — And then he tried to point out the na- famous. A horse named Cortolvin wWon gang give instructions 16 my chief.” And ignoted-his glance. crew to run the engines till We've BOt ,on Wwe'll get ready. now, sir, if yo@#- ture of the Saigon's defenses, but there grand national in 67 = what pe r uig on his. th helmet znd left ‘the Well, Mr. McTodd?" said he. the: business settled.” please. You go to the alter end of the he failed. it is ill work to explain the you'll have got in your NPSET Lk ‘m o ready for the pagans, sir, 've u greaser down yonder who ¢an ' bridge deck with McTodd and the second Properties of Ligh pressure steam to sav- Captain Kettle stiffenec 1 beg your “The sun climbed higher into the fipcik- when ye're willing to gi' the worrd open the throttle,” said McTodd gloomily, mate, and I'll look after the forrard end "'Fr:':-h “‘re"?“"'{'r‘;; dl:tl'szmnm:!}g ‘U_ltm rdon, sir,” he said with acid polite- ky, and lolled gbove the Saigon in- \What arc your engines like now “but he's got no notion of nursing sick with the old mate and the second eNgl- Snd roared defiance. And me'“'t;y‘"::;: but I don’t see you earned 2 el The Red Sea heat grew, “A wee bittee less fit for the scrap- engines like these, and as like as not pnecer. When they try to rush the ladder. mass of them rushed for th‘lron : to insult me. When I am at sca ng. yet more dreadful. The men's pheap than they were a dozen hours he'll drive them off their bedplates.in 2 McTodd will give them the steam. and 1 what circymstances make me us stood ent in ropes Wpon their back: but no' very much to boast of.” score of revolutions. Ye'd betfer:1ét.me they’ll never be able to face it. All you Captain Kettle clapped a whistle to his When 1 am ashore in England, [ would stre ming bodies, and 1t scorchéd' them ajr. McTodd spat out Into the sunshine. keep the engine room 'myself, ‘eaptain: and the second mate have to do is to see lips and blew it shrilly. S ; ’ aw in a breath. Drink, t60, wus -They're the rottencst engincs ever I I'm a sick man, and I'm no' ft%or fight- they don't climb up over the rail.” ,:"W» “*t';“ :f:- ‘;°f'l°l"hn~l he cried, I am a regular attender apel and The Hedjaz is @ region almost fingered,” sald he, “and that's what I ing with my throat.as dry as itds now.” “1 wish it could be avoided,” said Cor- T;c:e" C:'mc g’m :a‘m "m:efm:ic'l;‘odde- a man who (outside business maite ateriesgs; the desert al (he back drains think of them. A man ought to have Captain Kettle poured out-a liberal two tolvin sadly. “That high pressure steam tnan talk, and I'm golng to “,“ °"k tries to keep entirely straight. In Eng- up 21 tie moisturc, and; the Saigon had gouble my pay- to be near them, fingers of whisky and handed it across. - will scald ‘some*of them horribiy.” them.” land, sir, 1 take an interest in feither lefi Jedduh with Her tanks onty half- They're ‘just-iscart-breaking.” ““Now, "Mdc,"”- said -be, -“wet ‘your neck, - “It will do more than that,” said Ket- In answer to his whistle steam had e you know I am a differcnt person. to ¢ at ¢ been turned on from belo The sec: ond engineer unhitched his thumbs from Ms waistbelt, iquik a lump of waste grimy hanu, d lifted fron pipe.* It was well jointed and moved casily, and he turned the nesz.c of it to sweep the ladder. 1o that buking air the stcam did 1ot ondense Teadily: it traveled thre from the nozzle of the pipe efor became even thinly visible. and it th naked bodi cut being scer At br bly with- tinch the 1 uther to en when K. e @ . wem and feil also, tin the black hu- manit of the fron ladder. And in the meantime ¢ s of the pil- grims weie trying to storm the bridge deck at the port slde the man fighting to starboard, v and knuckle- like wildcats to keep the 3 inviolate. sacred p What was g onm at the after end of the Saig u not tel From behind them c roar of the fight- ing Hausa and war cries of the desert, ju as t rose up from before their faces. But in its first flush the fight was tou close for any man's thoughts to wander from his own im- ’ mediate adversaries. It seemed, however, that the battle was over first in the after part of the and w this was because Kk there was less heartful, or be- cause Mr. McTodd's artillery was mo: terrible, can now be known. The question was ted much afterward without coming to a decist But, any- way, by the time Captal ettle’s ad~ versaries had ceased to rage against him, Cortolvin was free to come and stand by his side as inte r The wounded lay sprawling and writh- ing about the iron decks; below them the survivors—and scarcely one of these was without his scald—huddied agalnst the doors of the forecastle; and the grimy second engineer held the beiching steam pipe ward, so that a gray pall hung between the Saigon and the sun. “Now, sir,” said Kettle, “kindly trans- late for me. 1i those animals to chucic all th hardware over the side or I'll cook the whble lot of them like so many’ sausages.” Cortolvin rous Arabie “It was written,” he cried, “that the giaour should prevail. It is written also that these amongst you having wit shall vour ‘weapons into the sea. It Is moreov that those others of you who do not on this instant disarm shall taste again of the scorching breath of Eblia A stream of weay lifted up his voice in sono- w leapt up through air and e gwells alongside h nkif shes. .t would be ¢ weariness to guard ¢ yoa,” Cortolvin wer! on. “Swear by the beard of the make no further attempt agai > we shall Jail you last A fo up before ck hands shot great! turned to ed turban, reporting. sir,” he said. himself ightly on and telegraphed t gine roem; sweils, llen and began to tend McTodd with his hand de- and distributed oll after the ma “The mutin to the upper b “Full speed ak and the Salg« trembling, the their hurts, killed at my e. “I had m. And my n before they me here while good lump of back- 1 satisfactorily at there now after for me, sir. I re a dozen miles beggars on the them get into I suppose 1 Dbest they “1 with them have discover se so. Anyway, I can’t go on e me any of not a gen- said Kettle, dryly, vely time, If they ves for five minutes. the prophet don’t admire ins messing about the ywe you something, sir, happy t g0 out of my I will drop you at or at Perim, where *hever you please.” 3ut what o1t “Oh, T shall ht. [ am seidom n need of a nursery maid, sir.” “But if ti affair gets into he news- paper: uiries will be made, and you" very pessibiy find yourself in an ugly hole.” “It won't get in the newspapers,” said Kettle, thoughtfully. ““The pilgrims can’t teli, my officers daren't for their own kes, and you leave me to see my coolles 1't. Newspape peated dream- “queer the at should bave come he hint? What are you talking “T remdembered t where T'd seen vour name, sir. It was in the Times of India’s general news column at was said ell, sir, T supp But you must hold up fot knock. ill you come inte the house for a minute and have a p “No: get al man, get along.” 3 think it your wife, sir. Does she hun “All the, scasen “Then it witl be it said Richmond name was Mrs. W broken_ her nec Cortolvin clw bridge. ead! Is It was only You'll please wr am fo carry suet Vit banks, skipper. thanks.™ ay and walked to the end bridge and stayed there for a w leaning against an awning stanchion. and staring at the bakiy leve's of the Red Sea which were siipping past the Saigc rusty flanks. And then he came back again and stood at Kett'e's side, looking down at the pilgrims anointing r scalds below. “1 have learned to be something of a fatalist, captain,” he said. “when [ was among these people. This is } the situation. It was wr ¥ I sum n that n wife should die while T was away. It was writtcn also that I'should live. - God ordered it a God is great.” Captain Kettle gripped his hand n sym vathy “Fm sorry for 1. sir, Bell mwe, I am tru TY If you think a b of postry about the asion would help you at all, just you say. and I'll do I'm in the mood for hoetry now. A things put together. we've been throug a prefty heavy time during these last w bours.™ ‘Thanks. skipper, thanks,” said Cor tolvin. “I know rou mean well. And ‘ now if you don't mind Il leave you. [ ¥ think I'd like to be alone for a bit.™ “You do, sir. \o and We down on my bunk. I'l have You a beautiful elegy written by the time you're back on deck again. Tt will comfort gou.” (Cofhright by Culliffe Hyne)