The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 11, 1906, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. Ome complicte story of advem- ture will sppear every week L ta The Sunday Call untfl the meries 15 Smished @® (Copyright by Cutcliffe Hyne.) APTAIN OWEN KET- TLE folded the letter card, put it in his pocket and relit his cigar. He drew paper toward him and took out 2 stub of pencll and tried to make verse, which was his babit when things were ping them- selves awry, but the rhymes refused to come. He changed t meter; he gave up boring to fit the words to the air of “Swanee started fresh lines which would Moun- . But it the jin and muse was ent more and came every mol e put down the pencii »d sighed vning at him- Sf for his the letter car deliberately reread it, front and back n Kettle was a man who made up tters with the nd once set- Captain Ket- anxiety and rule to en- letters, but it rule to when a conveyed by up Wellwisher, by saying: hint of how it's go- p e 1 w the game's So kee weather eye skinned buan safely out something iim before, condoned by this present the Sultan of Labuan. very much to know what over the matter s code « on this sub- was pecultar. Ashore in South Shields est ag & Bishop; he was pel member; he did not even om the captain’s room at allett’s , which has al- waye been 2 recognized peculation. At [ P efv mself to be bought, u ¥ owner for the time g anfl was perfectly ready to risk soul in earning his pay. e question was, how was this till ther would have said: “By » of Labuan over, the »uld be done on a given by ruthlessly keeping end, in fact, by making letter—card hinted which he knew were and r purposes, e within the bounds of possibility being made a catspaw finished poems on the table his first. “By James!” he a catspaw? I didn’'t think of 1 light before. Well, we'd better clear understanding about the muttered e a ter.* e got cramped the blue letter- s pocket and took his cap. up My he called down to Mre. Kettle, who was engaged on the family wash in the kitchen below, “I've got to run up to the office to see Mr. Gedge. 1 den't think I quite understand his wishes about running the boat. Get your tea when it's ready. I don't want to keep you and the youngsters waiting.” Captain Kettle thought out many things he journeyed from Bouth Shields to the grimy office of his employer in New- but his data was insufficlent, nd be was unable to get hold of any scheme by which he could safely ap- proach what wes, to gay the very least it, & very delicate subject. Mr. Gedge had hired him as captain of the Sul- tain of Labuan, had sald no word about losing her, and how was he to force the man's confidence? It looked the most unoromising enterprise in the world. Bt Moreover, although in the he was as brave a fellow he had all a shipmaster v at tackling a shipowner in nd this, of course, handl In this mood, n was ushered upon Gedge in his office, and saw him dictate sentences to & young woman who n shorthand red. He he said, can lister flicked them dowr The shipowner very hat while frow 1 I sign these letters.” “It's a private question I'd like you about running th at.”” “Want Miss Payne to go out?” “If 1 might trouble her so far.” Gedge jerked his head toward the door, to ask t what you've got,” he said. nd writer went out and closed r her, “Now, Kettle.” hesitated. It was an ibject to begin upon. in, out with it quick. a hurry. let me know a little —in confidence, of course— me to run this steamboat. at her back?” 1 his chair, tapped end of pen. *‘Look captain,’ , “you didn't come here to talk rot this. You've had rders already. You arn't a drink- y or I'd you were screwed. . s something else behind. Come, out with it “T hardly know how to begin.” vant rhetoric. If you've got , if nc " Mr. Gedge leaned went on signing ness with- ghed a lit- nother few moments’ ter card from his pocket and laid it on his employer's table. connec After Gedge signed a coup d up In through and s took the skimmed As he read the col ened in his face, and Kettle st e was moved, but said nothing. moment there was silenc m, and Gedge tapped at apparently lost in thoug ““Where post “And why did you bring it to me?” “I thought you might have something to say about it.’ “Shown it tc else? sir; I'm ir service and earn- ur pay 1 pulled you of the gutter again quite rec , and you sald you'd be able to get your wife othes out of pawn with your advance note.” “I'm very grateful t for giving me the berth, sir, 1 be a faith- ful servant togrou as I'm in r y. But If there’s anything on, . d idence. 1 know she “But what?"” “She¢’s uneconomical. * Her engines are old-fashioned. It wouldn’t pay to fit her with triple expansions and new botlers.” “I see. You appear to v a lot the ship, captain—more than I do myself, in fact. I know you're a small tin saint when you're within -hail of that Ebenezer, or Bethel, or whatever you call it here ashore, but at sea you've got the name for not being overparticular.” “At sea,” said the little sailor with a sigh, “I am what I have t6 be. But I couldn’t do that. I'm a poor man, sir; I'm pretty nearly a desperate man, but there are some kinds of things that are beyond me. I know it's done often enough, but—you'll have to excuse me, I can’t lose her for vou.” “Who's asking you?' said Gedge cheerily. “I'm not. Don’t jump at con- clusions, man. 1 don’t want the Sultan of Labuan lost. She’s not my best ship, T'll grant; but I can run her at a profit for all that; and even if I couldn't I am not the sort of man to try to make my dividends out of Lio; No, not py any means, captain; I've got my name to keep up.” Captain Kettle brought up a sigh of relief. “Glad to hear it, sir; I'm glad to hear it. But I thought it best to have it out with you. That beastly letter up- set me,” . Gedge laughed slyly. “Well, if you want to know who wrote the letter, I did it myself.” Kettle started. credulous. “Well, to be accurate, I did it by aep- ut; You ha’e yer doots, eh? Hang it, man; what an unbelieving Jew you are.” He pressed one of the electric pushes by the side of his desk, and the shorthand writer came in and stood at the doorway. “Mise Payne, you typed this letter- card, didn’t you?” he asked, and Miss Payne dutifully answered, “Yes.” “Thank you. That'll do. Well, Ket- tle, I hope you're satisfied now? I sent this blessed card because I wanted to see how deep this shore-going honesty of yours went, which I've heard so much zbout, and now I know and you may take it from me that you'll profit by it financlally in the very near future. The shipmasters I've had to do with have been mostly rogues, and when I get hold He was obviously in- of a stralght man I know how to appre- clate him. Now, good-by, captain, and a prosperous voyage to you. If you catch the midnight mafl from here, you'll just get down to Newport to-morrow in time to see her come into dock. Take her over at once, you Know; we can't have any time wasted. Here, good-by. I'm frantl- cally busy.” N But busy though he might be, Mr. Gedge did not immedlately returh to sign- ing his letters after Captain Kettle’s de< parture. Instead, he took out a handker- chief and wiped his forehead and wiped his hands, which for some reason seemed to have grown unaccountably clammy; and for awhile he lay back in his writing chair like a man who feels physically sick. Captain Kettle, however, went his ways humming a cheerful air, and as the 12 o’clock mail roared out that night across the high-level bridge he settled himself to sleep in his corner of a third-class car- riage and to dream the dreams of a man who, after many vicissitudes, has at last found righteous employment. It was a new experience for him, and he permitted himself the luxury of enjoying it to the full. A train clattered him into Monmouth- shire some twelve hours later, and he stepped out on the Newport platform into a fog raw and fresh from the Bristol channel. His small, worn portmanteau he eould easily have carried in his hand, but there is an etiquette about these mat- ters which even hard-up shipmasters, to whom a shilling is a financial rarity, must observe, and so he took a four-wheeler down to the agent’s office and made him- self known. The Sultan of Labuan, it seemed, had come up the Usk and gone into dock barely an hour before, and so Kettle, obedient to his orders, went down at once to take her over. It was not a pleasant operation, this ousting another man from his livelihood, arn as Kettle had been supplanted a weary number of times himself he thought he knew pretty well the feelings of the man whom he had come to replace. His reception, however, surprised him. ‘Williams, the former master of the Sul- tan of Labuan, handed over his charge with an air of obvious and sincere relief, and Kettle felt that he was being eyed with a certain embarrassing curlosity. The man was not disposed to be verbally communicative. ) ‘“You look knocked up,” said Kettle. “Might well be,” retorted Captain Wil- “I haven’t had a blessed wink of sleep since I, pulled my anchors out of Thames mud.” “*Not had bad weather, have you?" No. Weather's been right enough. Bit ish, that's all.” ““What's kept you from having a watch below, then?” “’Fraid of losing the ship, captain. I never been up before the board of trade and don’t want to try what it feels like “0!" said Kettle with a sigh, “it's hor- rible; they're brutes, I know. I have n there.” 0 1 might have guessed,” said Wil- llams dryly. ook here,” said Kettle, “what are you offense, captain, no offense. T'll shut my head now. Guess I've been talking too much already. Result of be- ing overtired, I suppose. Let's get on with' the ship's papers. They are all in this tin box.” x “But 1'd rather you said out what you This is the So far as 1 remember.” % ““Well, there you are then; personally you no doubt are a very nice pleasant gentleman, but still there’s no getting over the fact that you're a stranger to me; and anyway, you're in Gedge's em- ploy, and I'm not; and there’s a law of libel in this country which gets up and hits you whether you are talking truth or lies.” “English laws are beastly, and that's a fact.” “Reading about them in the paper's quite enough for me. Now, Captain, sup- pose we go ashore with these papers and 1 can sign off and you can sign on. Afterward we'll have a drop of whisky together if you like, just to show there's no fll-will.” “You are very polite, captain,” said Kettle. “1'm sure I don’t like the notion of stepping in to take away your employ- ment, But if it hadn't been me, he'd have got some one else.” The other turned on him quickly. “Don’t think you're doing me a bad turn, captain, because you aren't. I was never so pleased to step out of a chart- house in my life. Only thing is, I hope 1 ain’t doing you a bad turn by letting you step in.” . “By James,” sald Kettle, “do - speak plain, captain; don’t go on hinting lke this. . “I am maundering on too much, cap- tain, and that’s a fact. Result of being about tired-out, I suppose. But you must excuse me speaking further: there’s that confounded libel law to think about. Now, captain, here's the key of the charthouse door, and if you'll let me, I'll go out first and you can lock it behind you. You'll find one of the tumblers beside the water-bottle broken; it fell out of my hand this morning just after I'd docked her; but all the rest is according to the Inven- tory; and I'll knock off threepence for the tumbler when we square up.” They plunged straightway into the aridities of business, and lept at it until the captaincy had been formally laid down and handed over, and then the opportunity for further revelations was gone. Captain Williams was clearly worn out with weariness; responsibility had Xept him going till then, but now that responsibility had ended he was like a man in a trance. His eyes drooped, his knees failed drunkenly; he was past speech, and it Kettle had not by main force dragged him off to a bed at a temperance hotel, he would have toppled down incontinently and slept in the gutter like one dead. As it was he lay on the counterpane in the heav- fest of sleep, the picture of a strong man worn out with watching and labor, and for a minute or so Kettle stood be- side the bed and gazed upon him thoughtfully “By James,” he muttered, “if I could make you speak, captain, I believe you could tell a queerish tale.” But Kettle did not loiter by this taci- turn bedside. He had signed on as master of the Sultan of Labuan; he was in Mr. Gedge's employ and earning Mr. Gedge's pay; and every minute wasted on a steamer means money lost. Hec went briskly across to the south dock and set the machinery of business to work without delay. There was grumbling from mates, engineers and crew that they had been given leisure for scarcely a breath of shore air, but Kettle was not a man who courted popularity from his underlmg}p by offering them indulgences. He Stat that their duty was to get the water ballast out and the coal under hatches in the shortest time .on record, and mentioned that he was the man who would see it done. The men grumbled of course; behind their driver's back they swore; two deck hands and three of the stokehold crew deserted, leaving thelr wages, and were replaced by others from the ship- ping office; and still the work went re- morselessly on under the gray sglow of the fog so long as daylight lasted, and then under the glare of raw elec- tric arc lamps. The air was full of gritty dust and the roar of falling coal. ‘f ‘wagon was shunted up, dangled aloft n hydraulic arms, ignominiéusly emp- tled end first, and then put to ground again and petulantly sent away to find a fresh load, whilst Its successor was being nursed and relieved. Two hua- dred tons to the hour was what that hydraulic stalith could handle, but for all that it did not break the coal un- duly. In the forehold the trimmers gasped and choked : they steered the black avalanches into place; and presently another of the huge staiths crawled up along the dock wall, with a gasping tank-loco and a traln of wagons in at- tendance, and then the Sultan of La- buan was being loaded through the after hatch also. It.was a triumph of machinery and organization, and tired men in a dozen departments cursed Kettle for keeping them at such a re- morseless pressure over their tasks. Down to her fresh-water Plimsoll the steamer was sunk, and then the loading ceased. Even Kettle did not dare to LLOLE (FI7IE FOLE S G LISTLIIN LZ4T BT ST (2% ZACKIAETD PP _FOEHAED ACEQST 7/ Lrrre Zerre= overload. He knew quite well that there were jealous eyes of a seamen’s and firemen's union officlal watching him from somewhere on the quays, and if she was trimmed an inch above her marks the Sultan of Labuan would never be let go thicugh the outer dock gate. So the burden was limited to its legal bounds, and Kettle got his clear- ance papers witn the same flerce, busi- ness-like bustle, and camg back an@ stepped lightly up on to the tramp's upper bridge. The pilot was there waiting for him half-admiring, half-repelled; the old blue-faced mate and the carpenter were on the forecastle head; the second mate ‘was aft; the chief himself and the third engineer were at the throttle and the reversing gear below. The ship's entire complement had quite surrendered to the sway of fhis new task master and stood in their coal grime and their tiredness ready to jump at his bidding. Bristol channel tides are high, and the current of the Usk is swift. It was going to be quick work if they did not miss the tide, and the pilot, who had no special stake in the matter, sald it could not be done. Kettle, however, thought otherwise, and the pilot in con- sequence saw some seamanship which gave him chills down the back. “By gum, captain,” he said, when they were fairly out of the river, “you can handle her.” “Wait till I know her, pilot, and then T'll show you.” “Haven't got nerves enough. Look you, eaptain, you'll be having a bad crumple-up if you bustle a big loaded Steamboat about the docks at that rate.” ever bent a plate in my life.” “Well, I hope you never will. Look you, now, you're a little tin wonder in the way of seamanship.” “Quartermaster,” said Kettle, “tell my steward to bring 0 goes of whisky up here on the bridge. Pilot, if you say such things to me you make me feel like a girl with a new dress, and I want a drop of Dutch courage to keep my blushes back.” “Well,” sald the pilot when the whis- ky came, “here's lots of cargo, captain, and good bonuses.” “Here's deep-draft steamers for you, pilot, and plenty of water under ‘em.” The whisky drained down its appoint- ed channels, and the pilot said: “By the by, I've this for you, captain,” and brought out a letter card. — said Kettle “Typewritten address.” Who's it 0 postmark on the stamp. from?” “Man 1 came across. Look you, though. I didn’t know him; but he sald there was a useful tip in the let- ter which it would please you to have after you sailed.” Kettle tore off the perforated edges, and looked inside the card. Here was another anonymous communication, also from “Well-wisher,” and, as be- fore, warning him against the machin- ations of Gedge. “Got no idea who the man was who gave it you?’ he asked. “Well, I did have a bit of a talk with him and a drink, and I rather gath- ered he might have had something to do with insurance, but he didn’t say his name. Why, isn't he a friend of yours?” “I rather think he is,” said Kettle, “but I can't be quite sure yet.” He did not add that the anonymous writer guaranteed him a present of £30 if the Sultan of Labuan drew no insurance money till he had moored her in Port Said. From the very outset the voyage of the Sultan of Labuan was unpropitious. Before she was clear of the Usk it was found that three more of the crew had managed to slip away ashore, and so were gone beyond replacement. While she was still in _the brown, muddy waters of the Bristol channel, thera were, too, several breakdowns in the engine-room which necessitated stop- pages and anxious repairs. The en- gines of the Sultan of Labuan were her weak spot, for otherwise her hull was sound enough. But these machines\ were old and wasteful in steam. and madé all the difference in economy which divides a profit from a loss n these modern days of flerce sea com- petition. ‘With Murgatreyd, the old blue-face mate, Kettle had been shipmat be- fore, and there existed between t WO men a strong dislike and a certdin mu- tual esteem. They interviewed over duty matters when the pilot left. “Mr. Murgatroyd,” said the little skipper, “you'll keep hatches off, and do every- thing for ventilation. This Welsh coal's as gassy as petroleum.” “Aye, aye,” rumbled the mate; “but how about when heavy weather comes and the decks are full of water?" “You'll have fresh orders from me before then. Get hoses to work now = ~ and sluice down. The ship's & pige , aye; but the hands are dog- tired.” “Then it's your place to drive them. I should have thought you'd beea long enough at sea to know that. But If you aren’t up to your business, just say, and I'll swap you over with the second mate right now.” The old mate’s face grew purpler. “If you want a driver,” he sald, “you shall have one”; and with that he went his ways and roused the tired deckhands to work after the time-honored meth- ods. But if Captain Kettle did not spare his crew he was equally hard om him- self. He was at sea now and wearing his sea-going conscience, which was an entirely different piece of mental mech- anism to that which regulated his ac- tions ashore. He had received Mr. Gedge’s precise instructions to run the coal boat in the ordinary method, and be intended to do it relentlessly and to the letter. He had had his doubts about Mr. Gedge’s real wishes before. and even the episode of Miss Payne, the type- writer, had not altogether decelved him; but the second letter from “Well- wisher,” which the pilot brought on board, cleared the matter up beyond a doubt. There was not the faintest ance that Gedge had written that; ere was not the faintest reason to isbelieve now that Gedge wished his uneconomical steamboat off his hands, and had arranged for her never again to/come into port. Now, properly approached—say with gealed orders to be opened only at sea —1I think there is very little doubt but what Captain Kettle would have under- taken to carry out this piece of n farious business himself. The average mariner thinks no more of “making the insurance pay” than the avera; eler dees of robbing his fellow-country- men by the importation of Belgian ci- gars and Tauchnitz novels from a chan- nel packet. And with Kettle, too, loy- alty to an employer, so long as that Continued on Page §