Adventure Magazine, April 10, 1924 — page 150: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

148 good-by. Some one else’ll come along and tow ’em in!” Hugh retorted impatiently. “VYou’re young!” the skipper grunted. ‘““Me—I ain’t used to leavin’ folks to possible drownin’. We'll tow ’em as far as we can 39 “We'll go down!” Carstairs snapped. “Mebbe we will!’ Captain Merriweather remarked gently. “‘Mebbe we will. But we'll be reg’lar seamen before we die!”’ The color swept into Carstairs’s face. Suddenly he drew himself erect. He smiled affectionately down into the little skipper’s eyes. “Not much clay feet, after all!’’ he re- marked cryptically. He looked over at the unbeautiful thing that lay abeam, wallowing in the heavy swells. “‘What’s the orders of the day, sir?” he asked boyishly. Mie) THE work of maneuvering the hy, Dalandra Head into position was a S—£8 tedious, gruelling affair, The work of making fast the towing line was even more gruelling. Hours that seemed like days were spent in the accomplishment, and the end was something reached aiter men seemed to have grown old in the effort. Carstairs staggered exhaustedly about the task. Now and again he was swept by a quick chill, and now and again he burned hot with fever. Yet, he it was who stood over the rebellious men, pistol in hand, driving them to the duty they swore they would not perform. The Balandra Head couldn’t do it! They were if they’d try to make her. Carstairs was obdurate. Perhaps more than the deadly menace of that revolver was the threat in his eye. Time rolled away in a sort of nightmare as he threatened, bullied, beat his men to their task. He lived a hundred lives before it was accomplished and dodged a hundred deaths as the old steamer rolled deep and shipped sudden vicious seas. At last it was done, and he and his men had fastened an old man of the sea to their ship! Two to three knots! And Captain Mer- riweather had boasted of cutting corners! The Balandra Head crawled—hesitated— took breath and crawled again. Her en- gines sobbed and choked, and throughout her was an endless groaning. The un- gainly thing astern yawed and made life aboard the steamer a worse thing to endure. Adventure The skipper had an eye on the glass and one on the sea. Even a squall, now, would mean—— “Tt mustn’t happen!” Carstairs pro- tested, gulping hard. He wanted to see the skipper win. It had been a plucky fight. But the sea was rising again, and again the glass was falling. “We may get only a little blow—but even a little blow “4 Carstairs’ jaws snapped shut. As the hours passed the wind increased and the rain beat down upon the laboring steamer and her rebellious tow. The Balandra Head barely made headway with her burden. She headed up to the seas, to be beaten, smothered, deluged, by them. The yawing ship, astern, worked to her quarter and began to roll dangerously. Merriweather gave some quick, sharp orders. The crew had become strangely quiescent. This was a man in command, a man to whom shooting meant nothing, if orders were not obeyed, Chocking, fight- ing for their very lives in the waters that flung themselves upon the Balandra Head, they managed to shift the hawsers from the towing bitts aft, and bring them Jin through the bow-chocks. Merriweather shouted down through the tube to the engine room. His words were few. The Balandra Head’s engines were shut down and the steamer rode to the tow as sea-anchor. Men, harassed and spent, dumbly went about the task of pouring oil upon the seas. Slowly, carefully they let the oil run out. They were holding an ocean in check! <4 # A STEAMER, bound south, had wea sighted them. She had wirelessed =a Word of them to the coast guard cutter Yamacraw and that little vessel, happily not far away, sped toward them. It was almost a question which ship most needed succor. The Balandra Head, how- ever, was still able to get weigh on her, while the schooner was not. The cutter took the sailing ship in tow, bade a solemn farewell to the abject little steamer and before nightfall was out of sight. Once more the Balandra Head was mov- ing forward. That was the best that could be said for her. She was just moving. as a-mile!”’ Carstairs gasped as he leaned over the chart on the chart-room COMmMICLOoOokS.CGO©