Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 12, 1927 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

5538 “She’s tilting, too, sir,” the lieutenant warns him. “ Dials!” the captain shouts to signals— Tim Slattery—who’s watchin’ dials as well as radio. . ‘ Bow’s climbing up, sir,” signals reports. | “Check her. Lively there, cox’un!” The lieutenant comes up from the dials, frowning, to tell the captain that the bow’s still climbing. And well we know it, for we're slidin’ backward now, slippin’ all over the floor. I don’t mind sayin’ I’m gettin’ a creep in the small o’ my back, and I’m seein’ six o’clock, and Bella, and rabbit all crooked. Captain calls and I give him readin’: “Twenty feet, sir.’ And her bow tilted up like that! “ The damned hussy!”’ says the captain. “ Hard-a-dive. Hold her down. Give two main half a drink. Lively, cox’un, now.” I can see captain’s nervous. He pushes the lieutenant away from the engine-room tube and grabs it up. But he don’t put it to his lips. He just listens against the bulkhead. Diesel’s goin’ steady. Nothin’ wrong there. He drops the tube. “ Hard-a-dive, sir,” the first tells him. But it ain’t a dive. I look at the gauge. She’s liftin’ like a bird gettin’ away from a gun. She'll be leapin’ from the water in a minute, and the Lord only knows what that’ll mean. Precedents is all different. “Flood all!” The captain’s voice has worry in it. “Flood all, sir,” first cox’un repeats. Control motors is clatterin’ like mad. I _catches a look passin’ between the lieuten- ant and the captain. They don’t speak. Their lips are set. But they look at each other. The captain heaves a shoulder, kind o’ stiffenin’, and moves ait. I calls Sandy up. tain for orders.” Then I gathers up some ablebodies and herds ’em aft. Best be near the captain, now, when he wants somethin’ done. He'll be in a hurry from now on. The captain notices me stickin’ around. It’s first time I get a look straight in his face, matey like. Good sort, that captain. “Stand by the cap- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ‘ Flood all it is, sir,” first cox’un’s tellin’ the lieutenant. “All flooded, sir,” the lieutenant reports. ‘“ Bow’s checked, but she won’t settle. It’s hard-a-dive, but she’s fighting up.” The captain turns on me: cox’un,”’ “* Ayé, aye; sr.” “Open two vent. Open three vent. Look sharp.” ‘““ Hold hard, you swabs,” I shouts. “‘ Fast now. Open two vent. Swing her around, Sandy. Open Kingston two.” When I reports the orders carried out the captain speaks to me straight. “ By Heavens, second cox’un, she’s clear crazy. If she sticks her nose out this way she’ll entertain us by turning over.” “Aye, aye, sir,’ I says. “ Don’t you think, sir, we'll be gettin’ in by five o’clock? Leastwise, six, sir?” He don’t answer, which he shouldn’t, me havin’ spoken out o’ regulations, but he’s regular, that captain. He lets it go. Wishin’ I hadn’t spoken like I did, I’m turnin’ away to give somebody a bawlin’ out for somethin’ when I see the captain’s face go hard, sudden. Across by the gauge the lieutenant goes stiff, too, his eyes up to the conning tower. “Steady, men,” I hisses to the able bodies movin’ about. “ Hold-all!” I jumps a bit when the lieutenant makes a rush for radio, but the captain’s listen- in’, and I stands by. . Then I hears it, too! Whir, buzz, buzz, buzz! Louder. It’s comin’ closer. “Oh, Sandy!” I thinks to myself. “Poor little Bella.” | Signals has been listenin’ so hard he don’t know the lieutenant is right by his shoulder. -He shouts, clear: ‘Propeller overhead, sir. riding us down.” Distinct, I hear the captain’s whisper to “* Second Swing her around. Open Kingston two. Ship above himself: “‘ And we can’t handle her. Dear God!” . His orders kind o’ bite the air. ‘ Hard- Everything we’ve got. Open all. 17 a-port! Full-on. Flood everything. cox’uns, drown her I leaps to the steering wheel, not trustin’ cEomichooks Drown her, €or