Ensign Merrill — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

a is ra - THE “TRAITOR Is CAPTURED. De ee oe seis? a | -‘Mark’s eer almost failed Win when Hs lacierk ion upon the scene, but it was only a passing emotion, . : gone in an instant. Grasping the speaking-trumpet _ from its hook, he issued orders right and left. ‘“All hands save ship! Lead out the fire hose, some of you. Cooks and stewards form lines with buckets. Close all hatches and ports aft. Lively there, men! _ A month’s pay to the first one turning water on the bear f°? The words, uttered with rapid authority, neta like. magic on the crew. From a jostling throng of terror- _ stricken men, huddled about the deck, they became an orderly, well-disciplined body obeying his commands as soon as given. Headed by the second engineer, a score stretched lines of hose from the plugs placed near the _ different hatches; others snatched the fire buckets hung under the bridge, and, filling them at a hand-pump on the forecastle, passed them rapidly from one to another until, reaching the last man, their Comtesse were emptied into the hatch. Merrill had already signaled the chief engineer to start the steam pumps, so by the time the different lengths of hose were in place, they were working at full pressure. The effect on the fire below was imme- diate. The flames died away, and were succeeded by dense clouds of steam; then they, too, became thinner, and presently all that remained of the conflagration was an occasional puff of smoke, or a strong odor of burned © and charred wood. Then, and not until then, did Merrill turn his atten- _ tion to the prisoner captured by Watson and the middy. — First giving directions to Miller to examine the berth - deck and hold for traces of fire, he walked over to the corner of the bridge where a couple of sturdy seamen a held the culprit.