Action-Packed Western Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 2 — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

HELL’S CARGO Steve grinned. “IT wouldn’t be sur- prised.” : | He felt the boat scrape the sand at the same minute that rifles began pop- ping on the Texas Star. . Steve was too busy then, handling the steering wheel and bell cord to _ pay any heed to the flying lead. The bottom grew shallower. Then the Lucy Furman shuddered to a halt. she was stuck. GIEVE SIGNALED for reverse, full speed. The stern paddles churned the water, driving water under the hull, lifting the boat and pulling her back off the sand bar at the same time. Sweat poured down Steve’s face. Finally, he got her backed to safer waters, He spun the wheel and sig- naled for full speed ahead again, and tried it in another spot. This time they got further before he stuck. _ Again he used the backing maneuver. This time he determined to attack the same spot, driving forward, backing when they got -too badly stuck, then going forward again, and either batter their way over the sand bar or stick _ there permanently. He knew he would. find no deeper crossing anywhere on the bar. 7 “May the Saints preserve us,” O’Shean called up the tube, “these boiler plates are groanin’, Steve. She won’t bear much more of this pres- _ gure, I’m thinkin’.” “Keep the safety valves down,” Steve ordered. “We might as well be blown up as get stuck here and be picked off by Martin’s sharp shooters on the Texas Star.” - Dimly, he was aware of Lucy, kneeling at one window, squinting along the barrel of her Sharps rifle. He heard the roar of her gun. At the same time, the boat gave a tremen- dous groan through the timbers in her hull as she stuck mightily. The rear = paddles churned the water into seeth-_ ing white froth. She held there, shivering, while the 29 sweat soaked Steve Kent’s shirt and he talked to her like a man coaxing a game horse into a final great effort. “Come on, lady, come on...” Then she shuddered and bounced free, wallowing into the deeper water. A wild cheer came up from the men below. Steve sighed with relief. He spun the wheel and headed her di- rectly for the Texas Star, They were over the sand bar! “Brace yourselves and keep shoot- ing,” he yelled at the men on the deck through his megaphone. “We're going to ram her!” | “White smoke belched from the Texas Star as Rolf saw his intentions and tried to back away. But, with the sharp maneuverability of his boat, Steve whipped around and caught him amidships, driving the prow of the Lucy Furman into the side paddle . wheel of the other boat. There was a tremendous crash, and Steve backed away. Crippled now, with one of her power wheels out of commission, the Texas Star wallowed helplessly, while Steve cruised around her, giving his rifle men good shots at the men running for cover on the other boat. Soon he saw the Texas Star beginning to list and he knew they’d opened her hull when they rammed her. The sun was beginning to set. Soon the rifles looked like fireflies, winking in the twilight. Then Steve saw a ruddy glow begin to light the Texas Star amidships. : “She’s on fire,’ Lucy Furman gasped. “Look, her crew is jumping overboard and swimming for the shore.” Her white face turned him. “We'd better back away, hadn’t we? Tf she sinks much lower in the water her boilers will explode.” Steve called his relief pilot to the wheel. He gave orders to take the Lucy Furman out of the danger zone. Then he ran down to the main deck and ordered his crew to lower a boat. (ae) As he swung over Us s13b oe