Adventure Magazine, December 10, 1924 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

Stowed Away “Sure it’s full of water! I know that from here,’’ snapped Stivers irritably. ‘“‘Can’t you sound the forehold?”’ He wants to flood it, thought Andy. For it was obvious that the forepeak would be flooded, and equally certain that this small compartment in the extreme bow of the ship was not large enough to do more than pull the Sedalia down by the head a foot or two. They could even steam ahead safely, for the strong collision bulkhead would keep the water from the rest of the ship. What Stivers wanted the mate to do was to open the seacocks in the forehold under pretensg of making an inspection. That would be enough to sink the vessel. Stivers evidently did not believe that the spar had punctured the bulkhead. Of course, it was possible that it had. In that event the ship was doomed. If the panic-stricken mate should make an erroneous report ANDY started. There was a des- 4 perate chance that he could double- "cross Stivers even now, and slight as it was, it was the only chance of saving the Sedalia for old Tobias Luce. Leaping to the deck plate, Andy threw his weight against the racket wheel by means of which the seacocks in the forehold could be opened by a man on deck. He cursed the carelessness that had allowed the gear to be painted. It stuck, and Johan- sen’s cursing, as he fumbled at the forehold sounding-well warned Andy that he had no time to lose. Bracing his feet against the bulkhead he managed to pull the valve loose, and unscrewed it to its fullest capacity. “There! Now she’s sinking,” panted, and ducked out of sight. “Six inches in the forehold, Captain,” reported the mate a moment after. “No— seven inches—wit’s rising fast, sir,” he cried shrilly. “Rig out and overhaul the lifeboats,” Stivers ordered. ‘‘We can’t pull out that spar, or plug the leak while it’s there,” he added as if to himself. “Does that leak come from forward, Mr. Johansen?” he called meaningly. ‘We might have pulled some rivets.”’ “Tt’s from forward,” the mate reported. “Nine inches, strl”’ . “You can send your S. O. S.,”’ Stivers grunted to the wireless operator. Johansen was kneeling at the sounding- Andy de well, a lantern by his side, taking sounding after sounding and, as the water deepened alarmingly, Andy could see that the mate was more relieved than frightened that the vessel was going down, since the sinking would now be without any criminal act on his part. The same pleasure sounded in the tone of Stivers’ occasional orders as he directed the manning of the boats. There had been an effort to pump out the hold, but the water was rising too fast. Already the ship was rolling with a leaden sluggishness. She would roll slowly, and then hang poised, canted at an angle, for an appreciable moment before she rolled back, to pause again like something weary and heavy at the opposite period of her swing. The whole deck had begun to cant forward as the flooding hold dragged down her nose. The engines had stopped, and now the black-gang began to appear on deck, to join the nervous, whispering groups that stood by the lifeboats. The Sedalia was sinking fast, but still Al Stivers waited on the bridge. Johansen stopped sounding and joined his lifeboat crew. Still Stivers waited, until the men began to mutter. “Stand by. No hurry,’ from the bridge. The long delay was making Andy des- perate. He had not anticipated such a dis- play of steadfastness and seaman’s nerve on the part of Captain Stivers, although now that it was taking place Andy realized that haste and panic should not have been ex- pected from the burly criminal. Andy’s plan had been built upon the weakness of the mate, and the fact that Stivers himself would be forced to remain on the bridge. When the sea cocks-were opened, Andy had hoped that as soon as the water began to rise in the forehold Stivers would abandon ship, leaving Andy behind to drown. Then, once the lifeboats had gone, he had planned to shut the valve, and wait to be picked up by one of the ships now speeding to answer the call of S. O. S. But Stivers apparently intended to wait until the Sedalia séttled under his feet. As he had said, he was taking no chances, “Time to get the stowaway out,” he now barked. b was the retort ‘“He’s gone! The door’s smashed,” came the answer. Stivers stood silent, and Andy’s hopes pose. But—— CoMmiclhool< Wh) © 5}